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 12 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 (5035)
- 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 12 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 (6 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 (9 months ago)Growing up on CT, my family used to go to Rocky Neck more but as an adult now, I tend to prefer Hammonasset more due to the larger scale of the beach.On the east side a couple of weeks ago on a Wednesday, I was able to have a whole section of the beach to myself, but I was surprised by how much the parking lot filled out when I went back to my car just before noon.
The beaches are divided into three parts: east, middle, and west and each parts have their own parking lots with some EV chargers.
Hammonasset also offers trails and paved road for walks, but be careful of bikers since it’s not clear where you should be walking.
I didn’t experience any bug bites on the beach, but I got about ten bug bites through my sock while I was eating at one of the picnic tables on the west side. They looked like normal flies so be careful.
By Joe (3 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 (4 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 (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 (926)
- 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 (8 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 (3 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 (6 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 (4 months ago)If you want to go to this beach make sure you’re not black because whether you live there or not, if you’re black, you will be followed by security under the assumption that you’re not a resident (by your own people and white officers) and chased down with a ticket even if you park in public parking and ride your bike there. If you’re white, this is the beach for you. If you’re black go to the beach in your mind, you’ll have a less stressful day if you do.By C wright (3 months ago)
Gulf Beach
- Address: Gulf Beach, Milford, CT 06460, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (268)
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
For my wife and I, it’s all about the sunset. It’s a wonderful place to sit and relax and watch as the sun sets. The beach itself is small in relation to most others, but it suffices. The sand area is mostly rocky and could be serviced more than it is IMHO. I feel it is neglected by not being raked and having some more sand brought in to better maintain it. All-in-all we do like it as it serves this area of Milford well.By Paul Scofield (3 months ago)My favorite beach. Great views and open to public. There is a small sandwich store that sells beer and ice cream as well during “in season” times
Bathrooms are very clean and picnic tables are so close to water. Not so large so you can find yourself way too close with people next to you as it always gets very crowded but off season is great to hand out, family picnics or just to stop by to have your coffee ☕ with a great view.By JESSICA FUNK (12 months ago)Beautiful beach. From Bob’s shopping center on cherry st to the beach and back is a 3mi route I do often. Always lots of others out during the day, walking, running, cycling, boating, fishing. Very beautiful neighborhood, peaceful beach for the most part. I love going out here.By Shannon Police (2 years ago)I grew up near this beach, it is small but bueatiful. There’s a good size dock where you can go fishing or just to enjoy the view of Charles Island. There’s a snack shack there which has some decent food and picnic tables there to sit and relax.By Dana M (a year ago)Stunning sunset views. Goodies concession stand with fried food and soft serve ice cream. Decent sand replenished every spring. Easy access to the harbor for fishing. Occasional lifeguards. Milford sticker or pay to park during summer.By Neil B (3 years ago)Long Beach
- Address: Long Beach, Stratford, CT 06615, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (193)
- Reviews:
I was here in September. A great place to walk along the beach, tons of shells and fun rock to collect along the way!By Keyana Allensworth (2 months ago)Nice and quiet place to relax and recharge.By Sajid Hodzic (2 years ago)Very beautiful place . One advice don’t come here without water shoes and bugs spray the rest is amazingBy Soner Doko (5 months ago)The sand Is a bit on the rough side but the beach overall was not overly crowded and the live close by residents were very friendly and seemed genuine…..if you drive there prepare to pay $40.00 for parking ( riff raff deterrent )By Ed Mollette (4 months ago)Beautiful town beach. Nice and Sandy and not very crowded.By Tanya Mattison (2 years ago)
Walnut Beach
- Address: Walnut Beach, Milford, CT 06460, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (123)
Sea Bluff Beach
- Address: Sea Bluff Beach, West Haven, CT 06516, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (44)
Sasco Beach
- Address: Sasco Beach, Fairfield, CT 06890, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (22)
Dover Beach
- Address: Dover Beach, New Haven, CT 06513, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.2 (19)
Burying Hill Beach
- Address: Burying Hill Beach, Westport, CT 06880, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.3 (18)
Fairfield Beach
- Address: Fairfield Beach, Fairfield, CT 06824, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (16)
St John Beach
- Address: St John Beach, Norwalk, CT 06855, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (13)
Fort Trumbull Beach
- Address: Fort Trumbull Beach, Milford, CT 06460, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (9)
Most beautiful beach in Connecticut 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!
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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.