The 10 best beaches near Boston
These ten public beaches sit within about an hour’s drive of Boston, from two on Dorchester Bay in South Boston to the open-ocean sand of Ipswich and Gloucester. The list is for city residents and visitors planning a summer day at the water, and for off-season walkers, since most of the state-run beaches stay open year-round.
The list favors beaches run by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), a town or a land trust that publishes clear rules. Costs vary widely. Parking is free at Wollaston Beach and at Castle Island, $10 to $15 a day for Massachusetts plates at Nahant and Nantasket, and $40 to $45 for non-residents at the Gloucester beaches. Lifeguard dates below are from the 2026 season.
How we chose
The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each beach is open to the public, has a managing agency that posts current rules, and is on the coast between Ipswich and Hull. The picks mix beaches reachable by MBTA with larger ones that need a car, and free beaches with paid ones. Parking fees, lifeguard seasons and dog rules come only from DCR, the City of Gloucester, the Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea and The Trustees of Reservations.
Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.
Carson Beach
Carson Beach faces Dorchester Bay along William J. Day Boulevard in South Boston. DCR manages it together with M Street Beach, Pleasure Bay and Castle Island as one stretch of city shoreline. The agency lists accessible restrooms and picnic spots here, plus a beach mat and beach wheelchairs in season. In 2026 lifeguards worked weekends and holidays from May 23, then daily from June 13 through September 7, 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Metered street parking lines the beach, so read the posted time limits before leaving the car.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset, year-round. The guarded swimming season ran May 23 through September 7 in 2026.
Address: William J. Day Boulevard, South Boston, Boston, MA 02127
Why they made the list
- Carson is one of two South Boston beaches that DCR staffed with lifeguards in 2026.
- DCR’s page for the South Boston beaches bars dogs from the sand from May 1 through September 15.
- Swimming is not allowed after 5:45 p.m. at DCR beaches, when lifeguard coverage ends.
Crane Beach
The Trustees of Reservations runs Crane Beach on the Crane Estate in Ipswich, a property of about 1,234 acres with 5.5 miles of trails through soft sand and dunes. The gate opens at 8 a.m. daily and closes 20 minutes before sunset. Timed entry passes are required on weekends and encouraged on other days; when the lot fills, cars without a pass or an Ipswich resident sticker are turned away. From Memorial Day through Labor Day there are lifeguards from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., bathhouses, outdoor showers, a snack shack and chair and umbrella rentals. Winter visitors should plan for no running water.
Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset daily, year-round. The entry gate closes 20 minutes before sunset.
Address: 310 Argilla Road, Ipswich, MA 01938
Why they made the list
- The Trustees describes the beach as one of the world’s most important nesting sites for the threatened piping plover.
- Dogs are allowed in certain areas from October 1 through March 31, with a $5 fee per dog for non-members.
- Admission is free on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to The Trustees.
- Summer timed entry passes are released weekly, and off-season passes every other Thursday at noon.
Good Harbor Beach
Good Harbor Beach is a City of Gloucester beach on Thatcher Road, which is Route 127A. Non-residents need an advance parking reservation through the city’s online system, and the gate does not take cash. The city lists the fee as $40 per vehicle on weekdays and $45 on weekends and holidays. Lifeguards are on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, and restrooms and showers are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A concession sells food, drinks and beach toys. Reserve early for hot weekends, because a reservation is the only way into the lot for visitors.
Hours: Lot gates open at 8 a.m. and are locked at 9 p.m. Lifeguards work Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.
Address: Thatcher Road (Route 127A), Gloucester, MA 01930
Why they made the list
- The city provides a beach wheelchair, about 16 accessible parking spaces and a drop-off space near the footbridge.
- Styrofoam boogie boards are the one flotation device allowed during lifeguard hours.
- Dogs are prohibited from April 1 through September 30 under city rules.
Nahant Beach
Swimmers at the Lynn Shore and Nahant Beach Reservation use Long Beach, the Atlantic side of the causeway that leads to Nahant. DCR charged for parking from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. between May 23 and October 12 in 2026: $10 a day for cars with Massachusetts plates and $40 for others, payable through the YODEL app. Street parking is also available along Lynn Shore Drive. The reservation has showers, restrooms, a playground, athletic fields and a picnic area. Beach wheelchairs are kept at access point 7 in season. The lot fee is set by license plate, not by the driver’s address.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset, year-round. Parking fees applied 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., May 23 to October 12, in 2026.
Address: 1 Nahant Road, Nahant, MA 01908
Why they made the list
- Lifeguards covered weekends and holidays from May 23, 2026, and every day from June 13 through September 7.
- DCR lists accessible parking and curb cuts at six numbered access points along the causeway.
- Dogs and other pets are barred from the beach from April 1 to September 15, service animals excepted.
Nantasket Beach
About a mile of Atlantic shoreline in Hull makes up the Nantasket Beach Reservation, a DCR property with a bathhouse, pavilion, playground and volleyball. Tides often leave the south end covered in cobblestones, and DCR says the northern end has fewer stones and easier access. Daily parking in 2026 cost $15 for Massachusetts plates and $40 for out-of-state plates from May 23 through September 7, payable by phone through the YODEL app. Lifeguards are on duty from Memorial Day to early September, weekends only at the start of the season. In summer the reservation hosts concerts and public dance lessons.
Hours: Dawn to dusk, year-round. Parking fees were charged daily May 23 through September 7 in 2026.
Address: 212 Nantasket Ave., Hull, MA 02045
Why they made the list
- Beach wheelchairs are available in season at the Mary Jeanette Murray bathhouse.
- A seasonal beach mat is laid at the Cook Comfort Station.
- Dogs are not allowed on the beach from April to mid-September.
Pleasure Bay
Pleasure Bay is the enclosed lagoon beside Castle Island at the east end of William J. Day Boulevard in South Boston. An accessible trail circles the bay, and a shorter loop goes around Fort Independence, which DCR opens for tours on a posted seasonal schedule. Parking in the lot near the fort is free, and there are meters along the beach. The site has picnic areas where grilling is allowed, a playground, restrooms and rinsing showers. Lifeguards staffed Pleasure Bay Beach on weekends from May 23, 2026, and daily from June 13 through September 7. Arrive early on warm days, because the free lot fills and the remaining spaces are metered.
Hours: Sunrise to sunset, year-round. The guarded swimming season ran May 23 through September 7 in 2026.
Address: 2010 Day Blvd., Boston, MA 02127
Why they made the list
- DCR lists a seasonal beach mat and beach wheelchairs at Pleasure Bay.
- Fishing is among the activities DCR lists for the site.
- Bus parking costs $35, a fee that DCR charges year-round.
Revere Beach
Revere Beach Reservation runs along Revere Beach Boulevard and has a Blue Line connection to downtown Boston, which makes a car optional. DCR’s page for the reservation calls it the first public beach established in the United States. No parking fee is listed, but boulevard spaces carry a four-hour limit, and the ocean side between Revere Street and Carey Circle is closed to parking from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The reservation has a bandstand, pavilion, playground, restrooms, beach mats and beach wheelchairs. Sections of sand can close in spring and summer for nesting piping plovers, so watch for fencing and signs.
Hours: Dawn to dusk, year-round. Lifeguards worked weekends from May 23, 2026, and daily June 13 through September 7.
Address: Revere Beach Boulevard, Revere, MA 02151
Why they made the list
- DCR tags the reservation as transit friendly and wheelchair accessible.
- Dogs are not allowed from April to mid-September, and alcohol and fires are banned.
- Ocean Avenue and the inland side of the boulevard from Revere Street to Carey Circle are resident-permit parking only.
Singing Beach
Manchester-by-the-Sea’s town beach is just under half a mile wide and can be reached without a car: take the Rockport commuter rail line from North Station to Manchester, then walk about half a mile up Beach Street. Everyone ages 13 to 65 pays a walk-on fee in summer, $10 a day in 2026, cash or check. The 120-space lot is for residents on weekends and holidays. Non-residents can buy a weekday space from June 15 to Labor Day when any are left, at $35 a day by the town’s main fee listing. The bathhouse dates to the early 1920s, and a private snack stand operates beside it.
Hours: Staffed Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. The bathhouse is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from mid-June, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends before that.
Address: 121 Beach Street, Manchester, MA 01944
Why they made the list
- A season walk-on pass cost $35 per person in summer 2026.
- Children 12 and under and adults over 65 walk on free.
- Dogs are permitted from October 15 to April 15, with a limit of two per person.
- The town bans rafts, kayaks and boogie boards in the swimming area.
Wingaersheek Beach
At the end of Atlantic Street, off Route 133 and Concord Street, Wingaersheek is the second of Gloucester’s two big reservation-only beaches for visitors. The rules match Good Harbor: non-residents book parking online in advance, pay $40 per vehicle on weekdays or $45 on weekends and holidays, and cannot pay cash at the gate. Lifeguards work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Restrooms and showers are open until 6 p.m., and a concession sells food and drinks. Inflatables are prohibited while lifeguards are on duty. Pack out all trash, because the beach is carry-in, carry-out.
Hours: Lot gates open at 8 a.m. and are locked at 9 p.m. Lifeguards work Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.
Address: Atlantic Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
Why they made the list
- The lot has about 16 accessible parking spaces, and the city keeps a beach wheelchair on site.
- Buses are admitted on weekdays only, for $50 to $60 per bus, and groups need a reservation and a $25 permit.
- Alcohol is prohibited on the beach.
Wollaston Beach
Quincy Shores Reservation covers 2.3 miles of beach along Quincy Shore Drive, with a path that draws joggers and cyclists and free parking on site. Caddy Park, at the southern end, has more than 15 acres of fields and marsh, a play area, picnic tables and a lookout tower. To the north is Moswetuset Hummock, a wooded knoll that DCR describes as a 1600s summer campsite of the Massachusett tribe, with a short loop trail above Quincy Bay. Wollaston’s lifeguard season is shorter than at the bigger DCR beaches: daily from June 13 through August 16 in 2026. Beach wheelchairs are available.
Hours: Dawn to dusk, year-round. Lifeguards worked daily June 13 through August 16 in 2026.
Address: Quincy Shore Drive, Quincy, MA 02170
Why they made the list
- Parking is free, with no resident or non-resident fee listed by DCR.
- The reservation has a bathhouse and a car-top boat ramp for canoes and kayaks.
- Dogs are not allowed on the beach from April 1 through September 15.
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