Plan a Coney Island beach day

How to get to Coney Island Beach, what the trip costs, when and where you may swim, how to check the water, where the restrooms are, and what is open after the season.

Sunbathers on Coney Island Beach, May 2015 · Bryan Ledgard · CC BY 2.0

Coney Island Beach is free, and the subway ends at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue. The hard part is swimming. You may swim only in sections a lifeguard is watching, only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and only during the summer season. Parks said the 2026 season ran through September 13. NYC Health says the city's public beaches reopen Memorial Day weekend 2027.

How do you get there by subway, bus or car?

The subway is the easiest way. The D, F, N and Q trains all end at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue, a terminal station at 1243 Surf Avenue. Wikipedia lists the station as accessible. The F and Q also stop at West Eighth Street-NY Aquarium at all times.

For the New York Aquarium at 602 Surf Avenue, take the F or Q to West 8th Street, or take the N or D to Stillwell and walk two blocks east on Surf Avenue.

Wikipedia lists the B36, B64, B68, B74 and B82 local buses and the X28 and X38 express buses at Stillwell.

The MTA board voted in September 2025 to raise the subway and local bus fare from $2.90 to $3, starting January 4, 2026, ABC7 reported. The same report put the seven-day cap at $35, down from the $36 first proposed. We found no travel time from Midtown, so use a trip planner.

If you drive, NYC Parks lists only metered street parking. Fox 5 NY said in May 2025 that Brighton Beach, which it lists together with the Coney Island Boardwalk, has metered parking. Neither source names lots or rates.

When is the beach open, and when are lifeguards on duty?

You can visit the sand in any month, but lifeguards work only in summer. NYC Parks' standing rule is that the beach season runs from Memorial Day weekend through the Sunday after Labor Day. Lifeguards are on duty every day of the season from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In 2026, Brooklyn's beaches were set to open on Saturday, May 23, at 10 a.m., according to a May 2026 preview. Parks said the season ran through September 13, a week after Labor Day, with lifeguards on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For 2027, NYC Health says public beaches reopen Memorial Day weekend. We found no exact 2027 dates yet, so check the NYC Parks beaches page in spring.

Lifeguard hours are swim hours. Before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m., swimming is not allowed anywhere on the beach. How many sections open also depends on staffing. Brownstoner reported in May 2026 that lifeguard shortages in recent years had closed sections of beach for a while, and sometimes for weeks.

Where can you swim, and how does the daily map work?

You may swim only in sections that are open and guarded. NYC Parks says swimming is prohibited when lifeguards are off duty and in closed sections. Closed sections are marked with signs or red flags. A red flag means do not swim.

The open sections change from day to day. In summer, Parks posts an online beach map. It updates each morning soon after 10 a.m., based on how many lifeguards are available and on conditions in the water. A section that was open yesterday may be closed today.

Check the Parks map after 10 a.m. Walk to an open section and look for red flags before you go in. Leave the water when lifeguards tell you to. You can also sign up for Notify NYC beach alerts, which send openings and closings as they happen.

How do you check the water before you go?

The Health Department tests the water, separate from the lifeguard schedule. It takes samples at Coney Island every week, starting one month before the season. The city's beach water quality map is at maps.nyc.gov/beach.

There are two warning levels. An advisory, shown with a yellow sign, means swimming and wading are not recommended. A closure, shown with a red sign, means swimming and wading are not allowed.

Rain matters most. An advisory can start when rain goes past a set threshold for that beach, before test results come back. During an advisory, the beach stays open. Only the water is off limits.

In July 2026, after a week of heavy rain, the city warned people to stay out of the water at a dozen beaches. Coney Island's sample from July 6 read 227 enterococci per 100 milliliters. The New York State limit for a single sample is 104. Enterococci are a warning sign of fecal pollution and more dangerous germs.

Do not count on a sign on the sand. During that advisory, ABC7 found no announcements on the beach and one small sign on the boardwalk. Check the map or Notify NYC yourself. If you get sick after swimming, the Health Department says to see a doctor promptly and report it by calling 311.

What should you know about rip currents and swimming after hours?

Experts give one main rule: do not go in the water when no lifeguards are on duty. After a 2024 drowning here, Gothamist said that was the most important warning from experts.

Know what a rip current looks like. The Swim Strong Foundation told CBS that a rip looks like a calm spot between rough water on either side. It pulls you out, not under. If you are caught, stay calm and float on your back. Parks' beach page links to rip-current tips from the National Weather Service.

Three people drowned in two recent cases, in 2023 and 2024. Both happened in water where swimming was not allowed. On July 5, 2024, two sisters, ages 17 and 18, went in amid rip-current warnings after lifeguards had gone off duty. Police said they disappeared from view shortly after 8 p.m. On July 27, 2023, a 15-year-old drowned in a no-swimming area near West 22nd Street that Parks said was under a red flag.

Night swimming is not allowed. In May 2026, Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura said Coney Island is the only place where Parks runs a 24-hour operation. Swimming is still prohibited whenever lifeguards are off duty.

What are the beach rules?

We found no rules page just for Coney Island Beach. Here is what we can confirm.

NYC Parks' Coney Island beach page says you may swim only when lifeguards are on duty and only in open sections. It also says the boardwalk is closed from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. The city's beach map says that when swimming is closed, you may still walk, run and sit on the sand and boardwalk during regular park hours.

We found no alcohol or dog rule written for Coney Island Beach. Fox 5 NY reported in May 2025, citing NYC Parks, that alcohol and dogs other than service animals are not permitted on the city's public beaches. That is a press summary for all eight city beaches. NYC Parks' own rules pages for two other beaches, Orchard Beach in the Bronx and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, limit the dog ban to Memorial Day weekend through October 1, so the dog rule may depend on the season. We found no rules on glass, grills or smoking at Coney Island. Before you bring alcohol, a dog or any of those, call 311.

Every May and June, horseshoe crabs come ashore on Coney Island Beach, NYC Parks says. If you find one stuck on its back, it is fine to flip it over. Never pick one up by the tail, which will not grow back if it breaks.

In season, NYC Parks runs a free sunscreen program at all eight city beaches, according to its Coney Island page.

Where are the restrooms, and how do wheelchair users reach the sand?

NYC Open Data lists eight restroom zones at Coney Island Beach, all run by NYC Parks. Two are listed as open year-round and six as seasonal. All eight list hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., open later in season. Six of the eight list changing stations. The data names zones, not streets, so it cannot tell you which zone is which building.

NYC Parks also has pages for three named restrooms on the boardwalk: at West 33rd Street, at West 27th Street, and between Brighton 1st Road and Brighton 2nd Street. The West 33rd and West 27th Street restrooms each list one changing table in the men's room and one in the women's room. The Brighton page leaves the changing-table count blank. The three restroom pages do not give hours or say whether the restroom is open in the off-season, and the Open Data list is undated. Only the Brighton page lists its restroom as wheelchair accessible; the other two pages do not say. The Open Data list marks all eight zones fully accessible, but it does not say which zone matches which restroom.

Parks also lists spray showers and a concession stand, but not where they are.

NYC Parks calls Coney Island an accessible beach, with beach mats and free beach wheelchairs by reservation in season. The mats are at West 33rd, West 32nd, West 29th and West 22nd Streets, Stillwell Avenue, West 5th and West 8th Streets, and Ocean Parkway. Wheelchair pickup points are at the same eight streets.

Beach wheelchairs have three oversized wheels and must be pushed by someone else. They are free for up to three hours, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, from Memorial Day through the Sunday after Labor Day. Parks asks for 48 hours' notice and may fill a same-day request on site if a chair is free. You must leave an ID with Parks staff. An attendant 18 or older must come along. The chair may go only to the water's edge.

Book online if you can. Parks' form also gives (718) 885-2275, but Parks' beaches list shows that number for Orchard Beach in the Bronx, so it may be a citywide line or a copy error. Confirm online. Parks says to check back two days before Memorial Day weekend to reserve a chair for next summer.

What is open after the season, and where can you eat?

The beach and boardwalk stay open after September for walking, not swimming. The boardwalk is closed from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. NYC Parks suggests a walk on the Riegelmann Boardwalk and a look up at the Parachute Jump.

The New York Aquarium's website promotes Ascarium events in October 2026, with animal chats, pumpkin sculptures and bubble shows included with admission. We found no fall hours for it, so check nyaquarium.com before you go.

Some places had closed for the year by mid-October 2026. Coney Island USA said its 2026 sideshow season was over and it would be back in 2027. We found no fall hours for Luna Park or the Wonder Wheel, so check their own sites.

We found no fall hours for these places, so call or check each website before you go. Nathan's Famous still runs its original stand on its 1916 site at Surf and Stillwell Avenues, 1310 Surf Avenue, where it hosted the July 4, 2026 hot dog contest. Wikipedia says fried frog legs are sold only at this location. On January 21, 2026, Nathan's announced a $450 million sale to Smithfield Foods, expected to close in the first half of 2026. We found no report that the sale has closed.

Luna Park said it refreshed its food options for 2026. Totonno's pizzeria at 1524 Neptune Avenue, open since 1924 by its own account, said in May 2024 that its owners were looking for a buyer. We could not confirm it is open today, so call before you go.

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