There’s no question that Connecticut is a beautiful state, home to stunning beaches and coastal towns. If you’re looking for the perfect beach to relax on this summer, you’ll want to check out our list of the top 7 best beaches in Connecticut. Based on ratings and reviews from various sources, these beaches offer something for everyone, from swimming and sunbathing to fishing and kayaking. So pack your sunscreen and head on down to one of these amazing seaside havens!
Best Beach in Connecticut
Ocean Beach Park
- Address: 98 Neptune Ave, New London, CT 06320, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (5042)
- Phone: +1 860-447-3031
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PMTuesday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PMWednesday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PMThursday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PMFriday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PMSaturday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PMSunday: 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM
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Top 7 Most Beautiful Beaches in Connecticut
Hammonasset Beach State Park
- Address: 1288 Boston Post Rd, Madison, CT 06443, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (1548)
- Phone: +1 203-245-2785
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PMTuesday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PMWednesday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PMThursday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PMFriday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PMSaturday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PMSunday: 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM
- Reviews:
Review specifically for West Beach. Although the entire park is amazing. Free parking for CT residents very clean and lots to do. Hiking, fishing, 4 beaches, camping areas, jogging and biking paths, food and drink, Public restrooms.
Beautiful beach with ample parking. West Beach is the place to bring the family.
There is a shaded eating area, the food was reasonably priced and was awesome. Burgers, chicken tenders, fried seafood combos, etc. vending machines for soda/water, snacks, and ice cream.
Huge public bathrooms, with baby changing station. 4 shower sprayers for feet right outside the beach.
The beach was clean, lots of space even during high tide. 4 life guard stands that were spread out. They had benches and shaded areas on the beach you could use as your spot as well.
The water was clear and calm. Being the Long Island sound, no waves during low tide, high tide very little. Water was clean.
By K.P. Perkins (7 months ago)Hammonasset is a beautiful beach. It’s always been one of my favorite places to visit.Recently went when it was cold and hiked around for a bit. Had an awesome time.
The sand is coarse, and it gets fairly popular/crowded in the summer. Regardless of the negatives, i still think It’s a great beach to go to hence the 5 stars.
By Eli Luchuk (11 months ago)Can’t beat a summer sunset at Hammonasset Beach State Park. I’m an avid camper and HBSP is my favorite spot for beach camping. The campground is about $20 a night and includes a spacious lot with a good size picnic table. If you want to enjoy a s’more by the fire place you can rent a fire pit at the campground shop. The rental is $12 and you’re required to leave a $20 deposit for the actual fire pit which you get back once you return the fire pit at the end of your stay. You get free access to the beach as a camper and you’re allowed guests at your campground until 10pm(quiet hour starts). Very nice place for families and people who love the beach.By Alejandra Canales (5 months ago)Such a beautiful beach. Out of state residents pay like 22 bucks which isn’t bad. The water didn’t have alot of seaweed which is the best and the sand was clean. We went to the west side which had a food/snack area and rest rooms. I really enjoyed this beach.By Cilla Nore (6 months ago)Hammonasset State Park is a gorgeous beach. Beatiful views of Long Island Sound.
Minimal waves so great for those who enjoy floating, swimming, good for young kids.
Bathhouse with outside showers and indoor restrooms and changing rooms.
Well maintained when we were there.By S. M. (4 months ago)
Calf Pasture Beach
- Address: Calf Pasture Beach, Calf Pasture Beach Rd, Norwalk, CT 06851, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (925)
- Phone: +1 203-854-7806
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PMTuesday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PMWednesday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PMThursday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PMFriday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PMSaturday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PMSunday: 7:30 AM – 9:00 PM
- Reviews:
It’s good you get peace here. The view is good with all the seagulls on the sky. You can sit here and enjoy the calm sea. The place is crowded sometimes. A walk on the sand is must along the sealine. A place to calm yourself by watching the sea.By Chandra Bhanu Solanki (9 months ago)Coming here for years and a beautiful beach indeed. Unfortunately the RESIDENTS SEGREGATION has become a bit too much. Parking fees keep rising for NON RESIDENTS while the upkeep of parks decline. Went on Tuesday afternoon and in the 3 minutes I crossed the street to place our beach stuff a traffic agent took opportunity to write a $150 summons for NON RESIDENT PARKING. When I asked him about it he says nothing he can do. That I should feel fortunate the vehicle wasn’t towed? WOW! Really? EMPTY PARKING LOT and I get to pay $150 UNFORTUNATELY I WILL NEVER BE BACK. I ADVISE NON RESIDENTS TO STAY AWAY. Also know they now have a Motorcycle Officer with Binoculars stopping vehicles for excessive speed on the main strip before coming into Beach parking. Miniature Golf.. how? pay $30 to park so I can play? I’m so disgusted seeing this decline over last 20 years. SHAME ON YOU CITY OF NORWALK!By Richard C (5 months ago)Calm and peaceful beach. There are cafes at the beach where you can have beer and chill out. Nice place to spend an eveningBy Omkar Pathak (7 months ago)Great place to chill with family and friends. Can also swim but I know a better place nearby. There are places you can eat at 3 min walking distance. Highly recommend this place for those that wanna forget about something.By Mr Koshechkin (5 months ago)Nice clean beach! My family and I have so much fun, they have nice swings an entire area just for kids with water toys, i didn’t like the quality of the water in the beach, but that’s me, i’m from a tropical place so i’m very picky, the parking it’s a little pricey $30 non resident, but we have lots of fun, will be back soon before the summer it’s over!By Yenni Pérez (4 years ago)
Hammonasset Beach
- Address: Hammonasset Beach, Madison, CT 06443, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (822)
Gulf Beach
- Address: Gulf Beach, Milford, CT 06460, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (269)
Southport Beach
- Address: Southport Beach, Connecticut, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (179)
Seabright Beach
- Address: Seabright Beach, Long Island Sound, Bridgeport, CT 06605, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (112)
Sea Bluff Beach
- Address: Sea Bluff Beach, West Haven, CT 06516, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (44)
That’s it for our list of the best beaches in Connecticut! If you have any arguments or additional information, please leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers. And don’t forget to check out some of the other posts on our blog for more travel inspiration. Happy beachcombing!
I had a great time here with my kids last week! Parking was reasonable $10, and the parking lot was large enough to hold a lot of cars and close to the beach area so walking was minimal. Beach was clean and a lot of room to sit. The water was very clean and crystal clear! There’s a small inlet which was great for smaller children to swim and catch hermit crabs. The bathrooms were clean and there was ice cream available as well as other treats. I am definitely going back here again because it’s closer to me so with gas prices rising I don’t plan on driving further then I need to.
Ocean beach was good, it is expensive though if you come alone as I did as parking was $30 on a Sunday, so be aware of that, everything else was good, there is an ice cream place and 2 fast food restaurants tp satosfy your beach cravings, I’d highly recommend you to bring a cooler and your own beverages though. It was open for swimming but the water is so cold that as soon as you get in you’ll want to jump out. It was a pleasant time by my own just enjoying and recharging energy for the week
Out of all the beaches I have gone to, this by far is the best one. The setup of the beach is really convenient. The beach is clean. Cool restaurant and gift shop. Outdoor shower is available. My only complaint is how long it took for us to get in. The line to pay took us a whole hr to get in. I’m hoping that it was because it was memorial day. I would totally go back again.
$30 just to park. $13 for a hot dog. $7 for a small cone ice cream. The arcade is old and most of the machines were broke or they just take your coins and then doesn’t work! The Olympic size pool is closed. I lived in CT for many years and this was my 1st trip to Ocean City. What a disappointment but what do you expect in CT! Unless you live in Greenwhich its hard to afford bring a family. Not worth it.
Quickly became one of my favorite places to be this past summer. Perfect place for families. Water is super clean either by the cove or in the open. Very small waves perfect for kids of all ages. We loved bringing our family here all summer long and the season pass is definitely worth it. Staff is courteous and hard working. Prices are reasonable for food and drinks. Theres a restaurant, a bar, a mini gokf course, a small amusement park and an arcade. Pretty much something for everyone. And if you are just interested in hanging out at the beach you can watch the water and look for submarines sailig by. The park has events going on nightly during the summer and 3 different nights for fireworks. We will definitely be returning for many summers to come.