Getting to a New York beach without a car is fine until you’re hauling a cooler, a folding chair, and a bag through a packed subway car in 90-degree heat. If you’re weighing car rental Brooklyn beach options this summer, here’s an honest breakdown: real drive times from Brooklyn, what transit actually looks like for each destination, and the numbers you need to decide what makes sense for your group.
Which beaches can you actually reach from Brooklyn?
Five are worth knowing: Rockaway Beach, Long Beach, Jones Beach, Robert Moses State Park, and Fire Island. They range from about 30 to 60 minutes by car. Drive times below are from central Brooklyn neighborhoods like Flatbush, Crown Heights, and Park Slope under typical summer weekend conditions.
Is the A train to Rockaway Beach actually worth it?
Rockaway Beach is the closest beach to Brooklyn at roughly 30 minutes by car. It’s also the one destination where transit is a real option, at least in theory. The A train runs to Rockaway, but from most Brooklyn stops you’re looking at 60 minutes or more each way, with at least one transfer. On hot summer weekends, that train is standing room only.
Parking at Rockaway is free, which is a genuine advantage over the Long Island beaches. The catch is that spots fill fast on busy days. If you arrive after 10 a.m. on a Saturday in July, plan to circle. If you’re going solo with a light bag, the A train is a reasonable choice. If you’re going with two people, a cooler, and any preference for leaving when you want, driving makes more sense.
Long Beach: Does the LIRR make sense for groups?
Long Beach is about 40 minutes from central Brooklyn by car. The LIRR runs there directly from Atlantic Terminal, and the trip takes around 50 minutes. In 2026, the MTA replaced traditional round-trip tickets with a Day Pass. For the Long Beach zone, the off-peak Day Pass runs approximately $25 per person.
Here is where the math tips. Two people on the LIRR spend around $50 before a dollar goes toward food or anything else. A day rental from The Executive Rental is $55 total. Split two ways, that is $27.50 each, you control the schedule, and you can actually bring everything you want to the beach. For any group larger than one, driving wins on both cost and convenience.
Jones Beach and Robert Moses: Is there any realistic transit option?
Jones Beach is about 50 minutes from central Brooklyn by car. Parking is $10 per car. There is no direct transit from Brooklyn. Getting there without a car means the LIRR to Wantagh station and then an MTA bus that runs on limited summer schedules. Between the wait, the transfer, and the return trip, you have spent most of your beach day on public transportation. It is technically possible. It is not a realistic plan for a day trip.
Robert Moses State Park is about 60 minutes from Brooklyn. Parking is also $10 per car. There is no practical transit option at all. This is a car-only destination in any real sense.
Both are strong car rental Brooklyn beach destinations worth the drive. Robert Moses has long stretches of open sand and tends to be less crowded than Rockaway. A round trip from central Brooklyn to Robert Moses and back is roughly 130 miles, well inside the 200-mile daily limit included with a rental from The Executive Rental. You can browse available vehicles and check dates at theexecutiverental.com.
What about Fire Island?
Fire Island is a slightly different kind of trip. You drive to Bay Shore, which is about 55 to 60 minutes from Brooklyn, and take the Fire Island Ferry over to one of the communities. According to the Fire Island Ferries website, the adult round-trip fare as of 2026 is $25 per person.
That ferry cost is real and worth factoring in. But Fire Island has no cars once you arrive, which is part of the appeal. For a group of three or four people sharing a rental, the ferry is the main extra cost and the island itself delivers something different from a standard beach day.
What does a car rental Brooklyn beach day actually cost?
The Executive Rental charges $55 per day. That includes 200 miles. Overages are $0.25 per mile. There is a $300 security deposit, which is fully refundable. No airport fees, no daily toll transponder charges, no surprises at checkout.
Here is what a day trip to Robert Moses looks like as a full budget:
- Rental: $55
- Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (E-ZPass): $7.46 each direction, $14.92 round trip
- Parking at Robert Moses: $10
- Gas: roughly $8 to $12 depending on your starting point
Total for the car: around $88 to $92, divided by however many people are with you. Two people pay approximately $44 to $46 each. Three or four people, and the cost per person drops to $22 to $31 for a full beach day. Compare that to what four LIRR Day Passes cost before a single dollar goes anywhere else.
What does this NOT include?
Tolls are your responsibility. If you do not have E-ZPass, Toll by Mail for the Verrazzano is $12.03 per direction. Depending on your route to Long Island, there may be additional bridge tolls. Gas is on you. And if you do not carry full coverage through a credit card or personal auto policy, you will need to arrange insurance before you go.
These are real costs, and they apply with any rental. The difference here is knowing about them upfront. See our current pricing details at theexecutiverental.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Brooklyn from the nearest beach? Rockaway Beach is the closest at about 30 minutes by car from central Brooklyn neighborhoods like Flatbush, Crown Heights, or Park Slope. Long Beach is about 40 minutes. Jones Beach is around 50 minutes, and Robert Moses State Park is roughly an hour.
Is it cheaper to take the LIRR or rent a car to Long Beach from Brooklyn? For one person, the LIRR Day Pass is cheaper at approximately $25. For two or more people splitting a $55 rental, driving costs less per person and gives you more flexibility on timing, gear, and when you leave.
Can you get to Jones Beach without a car? Technically yes: LIRR to Wantagh, then an MTA bus with limited summer service. For most people, the combination is too slow and unreliable for a realistic beach day. Jones Beach is one of those destinations where having a car makes a genuine practical difference.
Does The Executive Rental charge airport fees? No. The Executive Rental is based in Brooklyn and operates outside airport terminals. Airport facility charges, which can add $30 or more per transaction at JFK and other NYC-area airports, do not apply when you book directly.
What is the daily mileage limit? 200 miles per day, with a $0.25 per mile overage. A round trip from central Brooklyn to Robert Moses is approximately 130 miles. Most beach day round trips from Brooklyn fall comfortably inside the daily limit.
Ready to plan your beach day?
A car rental Brooklyn beach day at $55 covers any of these destinations and back with mileage to spare. For two or more people, it often costs less per person than transit and gets you there in half the time. No airport queues, no train schedules, no sprinting for the last connection home.
Browse vehicles and reserve your date at theexecutiverental.com. Questions get answered by a person.