There’s no question that Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts. 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 Massachusetts
Cape Cod National Seashore
- Address: 99 Marconi Site Road, Wellfleet, MA 02667, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (3658)
- Phone: +1 508-255-3421
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AMTuesday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AMWednesday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AMThursday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AMFriday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AMSaturday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AMSunday: 6:00 AM – 12:00 AM
5 Replies to These are the 7 Best Beaches in Massachusetts!
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Top 7 Most Beautiful Beaches in Massachusetts
Good Harbor Beach
- Address: 99 Thatcher Rd, Gloucester, MA 01930, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (2292)
- Phone: +1 978-281-9785
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMTuesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMWednesday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMThursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMFriday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMSaturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PMSunday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Reviews:
Probably the best beach I have been to on east coast. It really is so peaceful and serene here. We went on a weekday and the beach wasn’t crowded and had ample space for kids to enjoy the waves. The waves were fantastic and we ended up getting a boogie board from the snack shop. The bathrooms are open until 5 pm and they were clean.
The only downside is that there is no place to rinse your feet which is a bit surprising since it has everything else you need to enjoy a beach trip! Not a fun ride home with sand all over your feet.
By Nabeel Sheikh (5 months ago)Probably the best beach on the North Shore. This is an amazing stretch of beach in Gloucester. There are public porta-potties and even an ice cream shop. The sand goes very far and there is plenty of space for several families. Great sand for games and castle making. The surf is not too rough and there is even a side channel where the little ones can play and go look for snails and crabs among the rocks. The seagulls are pretty bad so keep a close eye on your food.Parking can be a little expensive if you’re not local but if you go during the week or close to 5pm parking is free. Parking is also free on the off season and there is free parking on Nautilus road with beach access but that gets picked quickly so come early if you want a spot.
By Jose Vilahomat (8 months ago)Parking reservation was easy and no traffic to get into the beach on July 4th. Ample parking, snack bar had wide selection of food, drinks, dessert plus any sort of sundries like towels, boogie boards, flip flops and more. Beach was clean and plenty of room for everyone to spread out and relax to get some sun, splash in the water and general summer fun.By Michael Interbartolo (7 months ago)Even with the wind Good Harbor is one of the best beaches on the North Shore in Gloucester. We love it here because you can walk for miles, lots of parking close by if you need access to your car, safe…a beautiful, calm Gloucester beach.By Kindness (2 months ago)I usually go to the beach in New London, CT but I saw that this beach had won for one of the best beaches up north and I decided last minute to go here. It is now my favorite beach (up north)!! The water is beautiful and clean, as well as the whole beach area. I went on a friday morning and it wasn’t as packed.
(you have to buy a parking pass for the day in advance)By Monica Cabrera (6 months ago)
Crane Beach
- Address: Crane Beach, Ipswich, MA, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (1270)
- Website: Link
- Reviews:
Beautiful beach to hang out with friends and family. Yes it does have a nice bathroom/change to clean up afterwardsBy Danny Quynh Lam Ong (a month ago)Certainly one of the most beautiful beaches in the state…would highly recommend checking out the gorgeous dune trails which provide breathtaking views of the Atlantic as well as Essex bayBy Ian Davis (a year ago)First time the other day. Heat wave all week and the water was about 62 (tolerable but not for too long).
$40 for parking is quite expensive. I think $20 would be fair and maybe $30 for non-MA residents.Beach was mainly clean. It was about 96 out and got a blister on my toe from the hot sand. Gentle waves, so great to relax in. Very clean bathrooms, and a shower/foot wash area.
Has a food bar/truck but I brought my own food. Saw a fish in the water the length of my arm. Found a sea snail the size of my fist. Many seagulls (one pooped in front of me in the water). Horrible green headed horse flies. Had one in the morning when I got there (wouldn’t let me be), and came across a few more walking down the shoreline.
If the parking wasn’t so expensive (and was a little closer to home), I’d come here again.
Got there around 8 when the place just opened up (on a Friday), and no car line. I think the lot fills up by 11 or noon.
By Sharleen Britt (6 months ago)The beach is absolutely beautiful! I am from out of state and did not realize that it would be closed and you can’t go to watch the sunrise, so that was a bummer. But we went back later in the day and paid $10 to visit. It was absolutely worth the $10. I absolutely love that they keep the dunes safe for wildlife. So many shells to collect as well.By Heather Rae (3 months ago)Crane beach is one of the largest coastal conservation areas in the area and is certainly a jewel of the entire north east. There is an extensive trail system throughout the peninsula, beach dunes and pine forests that is well worth exploring. Do stay on the trails however, as the vegetation regeneration is extremely sensitive to foot traffic.By Cyrus Foote (a month ago)
Nahant Beach
- Address: Nahant Beach, 1 Nahant Rd, Nahant, MA 01908, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (900)
Half Moon Beach
- Address: 24 Hough Ave, Gloucester, MA 01930, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (808)
Revere Beach
- Address: Revere Beach, Revere, MA 02151, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (691)
Nantasket Beach
- Address: Nantasket Beach, Hull, MA, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (420)
White Beach
- Address: White Beach, 19 Ocean St, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA 01944, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (68)
That’s it for our list of the best beaches in Massachusetts! 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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Worth the trip out to the tip of the Cape. The sunsets at this location are truly something spectacular. Some refer to it as “The Provincetown light. There are plenty of trails to hike, walk, or bike on if you’re looking for exercise. It’s also a great place to picnic, granted you’re respectful and pick up after yourselves. Quite a bit of parking out here, too.
The Cape Cod National Seashore is a sprawling piece of shore front that encompasses multiple visitor centers, light houses and beaches. The visitor centers are extremely awesome with helpful friendly staff! The restrooms are clean. It’s worth taking a trip to go see the seashore however I gave it 4 stars because once you’ve seen one sand dune and rocky beach you’ve pretty much seen them all. I will say seeing the different lighthouses is cool. You can also checkout the life saving station. Just note it’s only open certain days and times.
Oh and P.s. Its a bit of a hike to go from the parking lot to the beach so be prepared for that.
Love the views! It has a lot to see! The Province Lance Visitor Center is where I saw the museum that kind of looks like a lighthouse by the beach. The volunteer was very informative and it was super cool to see. You can drive up close to the beach, Race Point Beach, and pay a fee (not sure of how much) or park at the airport right next to it and walk just a few feet. You can also park at the visitor center for free and walk/hike up to the beach, it is 0.8 miles (one way). It is a paved road so it is a pretty easy walk, I did it with 2 swollen feet and a swollen ankle🤷🏽♀️ You won’t regret the visit. So much to see here and not enough time in one day!
The 2nd visitor center has hiking trails and indoor museum, and auditorium and a store. I didn’t do the hiking trails there. I also didn’t go in the Province Visitor Center building.
Warning: The address on google maps differs from the actual addresses on the Cape Cod National Seashore website. Please look at which visitor center you want to go to on the website and get the address from there. Google took me to a whole different place, which was weird and secluded. I have put a recommendation to change it but don’t know how fast they read comments or how quickly they will change it.
Fun day exploring the beaches, light houses, shops, and resturants in the area.
Was a little cloudy and rainy, but I was able to stand on the beach down by Pricetown and watch whales out in the ocean play…pretty cool.
So many places to see in the Cape… bike trails trough it as well, going on the bike tomorrow…guess it goes for over 25 miles. Rails to Trails maybe…
Enjoy…live life!
To be honest, it is a very ordinary beach on the east coast – the sand is not very soft, and the straight coastlines make it look boring.
However, I was very happy to walk along the seashore and spend a romantic time with family.
There were some beautiful pebbles if you look carefully. It was fun to pick pebbles up from the sand and wash them using sea water.
We were so lucky to encounter sea lions there. It was a highlight of our trip.