With nearly 600 miles of coastline and over 130 public beaches, it can be hard to find the best beaches on Cape Cod. These 3 beaches will offer you a good variety to make the most of your trip to the Cape. This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to use my links to purchase certain items, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. I appreciate your support.
Because I’m the type of person that doesn’t want to miss a thing on any given trip, I spent a ton of time researching the best beaches on Cape Cod, hoping to see most of them. I quickly realized there is no way on earth I’ll ever see every beach Cape Cod has to offer. So I visited my top finds and have made a small list of what I believe to be 3 of the best beaches on Cape Cod.
My list is well rounded with a great all day, pack a lunch beach, a lovely evening, watch the sunset beach, and a perfect beach for the explorer. This small list will help you make the most of a quick trip to the Cape!
This post is all about the best beaches on Cape Cod.
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#1 Marconi Beach- Cape Cod National Seashore (Wellfleet, MA)
Best Beach for Beach Bums, Walking, Surfing and Seal Spotting
This was hands down our favorite beach. We went here twice. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean side of Cape Cod just past a steep 40 foot sand cliff making for great photos leading down to the beach. To me, it was the most wide open and best sanded beach of them all. In both directions you see endless wide open sand and water. We walked forever and could have kept going and the quality of the beach never swayed! We also spotted elephant seals over and over again. A few of them followed us along the beach for a good 20-30 minutes! If you like to pack a lunch and sit on a beautiful beach all day, this is definitely the choice for you!
Parking Fees: There are parking fees during the summer season (late June-early September) for National Seashore Beaches. At the time of this post the day parking fee for a vehicle is $25. Motorcycles and bicycles cost a bit less. An annual pass is $60 and may be a good idea if you plan to visit a few of the National Seashore Beaches. You can see current pricing here. We visited in mid-September, so we parked for free.
Restrooms: There are clean public restrooms, a bathhouse and faucets to rinse your feet on the way out.
Concession Area: There is no concession area at this beach. You’ll need to pack a lunch, snacks and drinks.
Handicapped Accessible: No. Because of the 40 foot sand cliff you need to take numerous stairs down to the beach. This may not be the best option for those in wheelchairs, those with strollers or tons of things to carry down to the beach.
#2 Herring Cove Beach- Cape Cod National Seashore (Provincetown, MA)
Best Beach for Sunsets and Families
This beach made the list for the amenities. This is the perfect choice for families with small children. The bathrooms and concession are close, saving parents the time and stress of packing a lunch for everyone. There are sidewalks and ramps making this a good choice for families with strollers or wheelchairs. I will say, the sand and the ambiance isn’t like Marconi beach, but you can’t have it all! Herring Cove beach is the only National Seashore Beach that is located on the cape side of Cape Cod, making the water a calmer choice for kiddos to swim.
tip: This beach is often tagged as the best spot to watch the sunset in Provincetown. You get to watch the sun set on the tip of the cape with the Race Point Lighthouse in view.
I’m a bit bummed we didn’t get a chance to watch the sunset here as we were pressed for time. However, I will link a 1 minute YouTube clip here for you to watch. It is STUNNING!
Parking: There are parking fees during the summer season (late June-early September) for National Seashore Beaches. At the time of this post the day parking fee for a vehicle is $25. Motorcycles and bicycles costs a bit less. An annual pass is $60 and may be a good idea if you plan to visit a few of the National Seashore Beaches. You can see current pricing here. We visited in mid September so we parked for free.
Restrooms: There are clean public restrooms and showers.
Concession Area: Herring Cove Snack Bar- a snack bar where you can purchase lunch. They have picnic tables you can eat at as well saving yourself from eating lunch in the sand.
Entertainment: Evening concerts in July and August
Handicapped Accessible: Yes. You get to the beach on sidewalks or ramps. The bathrooms and showers are handicapped accessible as well.
#3 Sandwich Boardwalk Leading to Town Beach
Okay, so this is a bit of a cheat. This option really has nothing to do with the beach so much as a really amazing walk. It is by far the coolest boardwalk I have ever walked! I wouldn’t go here for the beach at all. But for those explorers or nature lovers, this is a definite must. Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod and it is home to the Sandwich Boardwalk. This boardwalk is 1300 feet long and was originally built in 1875 and has been rebuilt carefully numerous times. It stretches over marsh and streams leading up to Town Beach, which like I said is nothing special. You’re going here for an incredible walk more than anything. The pictures speak for themselves.
Because we weren’t going here for the beach necessarily, we chose a cloudier day to visit. It was an amazing walk and at the end of the boardwalk, we ran into a woman who was a retired teacher who claimed to be the first person on the Cape to get COVID. She was very interesting and I almost felt like I was in a Nicholas Sparks book talking to her in such a cool ambiance. She was super informative and sent us to a great place for seafood when we left there, Seafood Sam’s. There is nothing better than a local recommending food!
I’d recommend a nice walk down the boardwalk and dinner at Seafood Sam’s if you’re heading to Sandwich. If you want ice cream in Sandwich, we hit Shipwreck Ice Cream, a nostalgic ice cream hut.
These were 3 of the Best Beaches on Cape Cod
There you have it, my top 3 choices for the best beaches on Cape Cod. I know beaches can be very subjective and we all are looking for different things when it comes to beaches. I hope this well rounded list gives you at least one beach to try on your next visit to the Cape. If you have a different favorite beach on Cape Cod, let me know in the comments. I’m always up to try something new! Like I said, there is no way to see them all! Thank you SO much for sticking here until the end. Happy Travels!!!
This post was all about the best beaches on Cape Cod.
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