Need help trying to find the perfect Long Island beach? You can choose from below, or plan a trip to see them all only on Long Island, New York City’s Beachfront Backyard.

Day 1. Closest to the City – If you are coming in from NYC, or beginning your journey from JFK or LaGuardia, Long Beach is the closest Long Island beach. Take the Long Island rail Road and you’ll be in Long Beach in no time at all. Here you can try your hand at surfing with some lessons, stroll down the boardwalk, and unwind at a luxury hotel or ‘beachy’ accommodations on the water.

Day 2. The Best Events – Long Island beaches host all sorts of concerts, fairs, competitions and more, turning your day at the beach in to a well-rounded experience beyond the sand and waves. Come summer time the Jones Beach band shell springs to life every night with live entertainment. This is the second island in a chain of 3 ocean beaches, connected to Long Beach and Fire Island.

Day 3. The Best Escape – If it’s a beach with a lighthouse you are looking for then the Fire Island Lighthouse should be the next stop. Access at Robert Moses State park, which happens to be on the same strip of land as Fire Island National Seashore. However you won’t be able to drive much further east on Fire Island (no cars allowed). You can hike through the dunes or take a ferry from Bay Shore, Sayville or Patchogue.

Day 4. The Best Camping – Bring the tent or pop-up along if you’re the camping type, as Long Island offers several properties with cleared tent sites, raised platforms, trailer sites with hookups and all the amenities right near the waterfront. Wildwood State Park is located on Sound Avenue, just at the start of our famous wine country, and provides campers access to the beach with just a short walk from its sites.

Day 5. The End – Finish up your trip at ‘The End’ of our beautiful Long Island, Montauk Point. Make your way by passing through the Hamptons along Montauk Highway, but don’t hesitate to stop and take in our quaint villages of the east end. Another lighthouse, the oldest in the state, waits at the tip of the south fork, the Montauk Point Lighthouse, amidst Camp Hero and Montauk Point State Park. Walk along the rocky bluffs just beneath the lighthouse, and if you’ve got a fishing rod you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to cast it.