Rockaway — Local services in New York

If you haven’t taken the ferry to Rockaway Beach yet, here’s your reminder to do so. Not only is it a scenic and enjoyable ride, but it’s also cost-effective if you plan ahead.

Save Money with a 10-Ride Ticket Pass

Download the Ferry app and purchase a 10-ride ticket pass, which reduces the cost to $2.75 per ride instead of the usual $4. This is especially great when traveling with friends. The tickets don’t expire for three months, so you can use the remaining rides for another beach day or ferry trip.

Why I Prefer the Ferry

Taking the train to Rockaway Beach can feel long and tedious. Why be stuck underground when you can enjoy the breeze and stunning views on the ferry?

Plan Ahead for a Smooth Trip

The lines for the ferry can get quite long, so it’s essential to plan ahead. Arrive early to secure a good spot in line. I like to time my arrival just after the ferry has left Wall Street Pier 11, ensuring I’m at the front of the line for the next one.

Skip the Rockaway Reserve

The Rockaway Reserve only makes sense in emergencies when you absolutely need to board at a specific time. Instead, plan ahead or travel during off-peak hours to avoid the lines. With a bit of planning, you’ll have an stress-free and enjoyable trip to...

No-frills ferry station. If you need restrooms, you'll have to wait until you board the ferry. The service to Manhattan (Pier 11) and Brooklyn (Sunset Park) is mostly reliable. They have separate schedules for weekday and weekend trips so be sure to read closely as you might be looking at the wrong schedule and miss a ferry. This happened to us when we missed the last ferry on a Friday evening (there is a subway station close by served by the A train).

There are free shuttle buses to the beaches and attractions in the area - one headed east and the other west. Knowing the general direction you're headed definitely helps but the drivers are otherwise helpful with questions if you're not sure which bus to take.

If you're coming back to the ferry station via the free shuttle buses, grab a flyer on the ferry with info on transfer schedules (again, one for weekend and another for weekday trips) so you can plan ahead for your...

Ferry is great. People working at the pier are not. There is another ferry in the summer that gets you to Long Island City. However, this key piece of information is not displayed in the maps and, most importantly, people working there wouldn't tell you! Another ferry has been delayed for 1 hour and we could have got to the long island ferry one if we knew we could. But the people there are just sitting around not helping others at all. The only thing they were able to tell us was "you could check the app". Are we...