Quick answer: Virginia’s best-known beaches are in and around Virginia Beach, including the Oceanfront with its boardwalk, Sandbridge, Chesapeake Beach and First Landing State Park. Norfolk has more than 7 miles of free bay beaches, and Colonial Beach, Cape Charles, Yorktown and the Assateague Island National Seashore near Chincoteague are other favourites. Most beaches are busiest from Memorial Day to Labor Day, when lifeguards are on duty at the main ones; check each city’s lifeguard schedule before you swim.
Virginia’s coast has two very different sides. The Atlantic Ocean beaches at Virginia Beach and on the Eastern Shore have bigger waves and long stretches of sand, while the beaches along the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers usually have calmer, shallower water. This list mixes both, along with two lakes and two waterfront parks. An earlier version of this article said Virginia beaches have “all-year sunshine”; Virginia has four seasons, and the beach season is really late May to early September.
Virginia Beach area
1. Chesapeake Beach (Chic’s Beach), Virginia Beach
Chesapeake Beach, known locally as Chic’s Beach, is a neighbourhood beach on the Chesapeake Bay side of Virginia Beach, near the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The bay water is generally calmer than the ocean, making it popular for swimming, paddleboarding and kiteboarding, and the beach is known for its sunsets. Seafood restaurants and bars are close by.
2. Virginia Beach Oceanfront
The Oceanfront is Virginia’s best-known beach and the busiest. Its boardwalk runs for about three miles beside the sand, with a separate bike path, and the large King Neptune statue is a favourite photo spot. Expect water sports, surfing, fishing piers, live entertainment, festivals such as the Neptune Festival in September, and lively nightlife. Nearby Rudee Inlet has fishing charters, parasailing and jet-ski rental.
3. First Landing State Park
First Landing State Park, at Cape Henry in Virginia Beach, sits near the spot where English colonists first landed in April 1607 before founding Jamestown. Opened in 1936, it was the first planned park in Virginia’s state park system and is one of the most visited. Its beach faces the Chesapeake Bay, and the park has more than 19 miles of trails through maritime forest, cypress swamps and lagoons. The whole park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
4. Sandbridge Beach
Sandbridge, in the southern part of Virginia Beach, is a quiet, residential beach area known for dunes, sea oats and fewer crowds than the Oceanfront. It sits beside Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and False Cape State Park lies further south, so it is a good base for nature lovers.
5. North End Beach
The North End is a residential stretch of Virginia Beach north of the busy resort strip. Its beach is quieter than the main Oceanfront, and locals value it for walking, cycling and relaxing. Parking is limited, so arrive early in summer.
6. Croatan Beach
Croatan Beach, just south of Rudee Inlet, is one of Virginia Beach’s popular surfing spots, with areas set aside for surfers. An earlier version of this article said Croatan hosts the East Coast Surfing Championships; Virginia Beach hosts that contest, North America’s oldest surfing competition, but we could not confirm that Croatan is its venue.
Norfolk and Hampton
7. Ocean View Beach Park, Norfolk
Norfolk has more than 7.3 miles of free public beaches along the Chesapeake Bay, centred on the Ocean View area. Ocean View Beach Park hosts summer concerts and dances and has parking, restrooms and access ramps, with lifeguards on duty daily in season. The bay’s gentle, shallow water is good for swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding. (An earlier version of this article gave the shoreline as 7.5 miles; the City of Norfolk gives “more than 7.3 miles”.)
8. Buckroe Beach, Hampton
Buckroe Beach is in the city of Hampton, just north of Fort Monroe, on the Chesapeake Bay. It has been a seaside spot since the 19th century, when it had a hotel, dance pavilion and amusement park; the park closed in 1985. Today it is a relaxed family beach with gentle waves, picnic areas and a fishing pier that reopened in 2009 after Hurricane Isabel. Check the City of Hampton for lifeguard hours.
9. Sarah Constant Beach Park, Norfolk
Sarah Constant Beach Park, at Tidewater Drive and Fourth View in Ocean View, is one of Norfolk’s three city beach parks. It has parking, restrooms, benches and shade trees, and grilling is allowed on the grass. There are no lifeguards here, so swimming is at your own risk. An earlier version of this article said the park was named after a ship called the “Sarah Constant”; the flagship of the 1607 Jamestown voyage was the Susan Constant, and we could not confirm the origin of the park’s name.
10. Community Beach Park, Norfolk
Community Beach Park, at 700 East Ocean View Avenue, is Norfolk’s most family-friendly beach park, with lifeguards on duty daily in season, parking, public restrooms, access ramps and grassy areas where grilling is allowed. The City of Norfolk bans alcohol and glass on its beaches, and dogs are not allowed on the beach from 10 am to 6 pm in summer.
11. East Beach, Norfolk
East Beach is a neighbourhood at the eastern end of Norfolk’s bay shore, with several beach access points. It is popular with locals for sun and sand, and parking can be hard to find on summer weekends.
12. Willoughby Beach, Norfolk
Willoughby Spit, at the western end of Norfolk’s shoreline, has quieter bay beaches. It suits visitors who want a calmer day than at the main Ocean View parks. There are no lifeguards at most access points.
13. Sturgis Street Beach, Norfolk
Sturgis Street is one of Norfolk’s small public beach access points. Like the city’s other access points, it has limited on-street parking and no restrooms or lifeguards, which keeps it quiet. Locals use it as an escape when the bigger beach parks are crowded.
Elsewhere in Virginia
14. Colonial Beach
Colonial Beach is a small river-and-beach town on the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, on Virginia’s Northern Neck, about 65 miles from Washington, DC. Its roughly 2.5 miles of beaches are the second-longest in Virginia after Virginia Beach. Developed as a bathing resort in the late 1800s, it was once called the “Playground on the Potomac”. USA Today readers named it the best Virginia beach in 2018, and Reader’s Digest called it the nicest place in Virginia in 2019. It has a municipal pier, marinas and fishing.
15. Yorktown Beach
Yorktown Beach is a small public beach on the York River in historic Yorktown, next to the Riverwalk Landing waterfront with its shops, restaurants and riverside walkway. It has restrooms, a picnic area and a fishing pier, and is good for a swim, kayaking or paddleboarding after visiting the Yorktown battlefield. A free trolley has linked the battlefield visitor centre with the waterfront in season.
16. Cape Charles Beach
Cape Charles, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, has a town-owned beach of about half a mile along Bay Avenue, the only public beach on the Chesapeake Bay side of the Eastern Shore. The calm bay water is good for families, and the town’s pier and nearby nature preserve are good for walks and birdwatching.
17. Assateague Island National Seashore, Chincoteague
Assateague is a 37-mile barrier island shared between Maryland and Virginia. The Virginia section, reached through Chincoteague, is the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, where the National Park Service runs a recreational beach with a lifeguarded area and a visitor centre. The island is famous for its wild ponies; the Virginia herd is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and swims across to Chincoteague each July for the Pony Penning. (An earlier version of this article called it the “Assateague Island National Coastline”.)
Lakes and waterfront parks
18. Twin Lakes State Park, Prince Edward County
Twin Lakes State Park, in Prince Edward County in central Virginia, is a small, quiet state park with a lakeside swimming beach, fishing, canoeing, hiking and camping. It has an important history: part of it opened in 1950 as Prince Edward State Park, the only state park in Virginia built for African Americans during segregation, and it was combined with neighbouring Goodwin Lake to become Twin Lakes. (An earlier version of this article said the park covers 548 acres; published figures differ, so the number has been removed.)
19. Oak Grove Lake Park, Chesapeake
Oak Grove Lake Park, on Byron Street in the city of Chesapeake, is a pleasant park with a lake, woodland and walking trails. It is a good spot for a picnic and lake views, but it is not a swimming beach: the City of Chesapeake does not allow swimming or private boats on the lake, except at permitted city events.
20. Belle Isle, Richmond
Belle Isle, in the James River in Richmond, is part of the James River Park System. Its flat rocks are popular for sunbathing, and the island has walking and biking trails and views of the rapids. It is not a designated swimming beach: the river has powerful rapids and swirling currents, and Richmond’s fire department warns that when the river reaches 5 feet, everyone on the water must wear a life jacket. Check the river level and stay out of the water when it is high.
Tips for a Virginia beach trip
- Season: Most lifeguard services run from late May to early September. Outside that time, swim only where guards are on duty or not at all.
- Rip currents: Atlantic beaches can have strong rip currents. Swim near lifeguards and follow their flags.
- Rules: Cities set their own rules on alcohol, glass, dogs and parking, so check before you go.
Exploring more US beaches? See our guides to the best beaches in Maryland, the best North Carolina beaches and the best beaches in the USA.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular beach in Virginia?
The Virginia Beach Oceanfront, with its boardwalk, hotels, restaurants and events, draws the biggest crowds.
Which Virginia beaches have calm water for children?
Chesapeake Bay beaches such as Norfolk’s Community Beach and Ocean View Beach Park, Buckroe Beach and Cape Charles usually have gentler waves than the ocean beaches. Always watch children closely.
Are Norfolk’s beaches free?
Yes. The City of Norfolk describes its bay shoreline as free and accessible, though lifeguards are only on duty at some beach parks.
Can you see wild ponies on a Virginia beach?
Yes, at Assateague Island near Chincoteague, where the Virginia herd lives in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Watch them from a distance and never feed them.
Details checked in October 2026 against the City of Norfolk’s beaches page, National Park Service and wildlife refuge information for Assateague, Visit Virginia Beach, and published records for First Landing, Twin Lakes, Colonial Beach, Buckroe and Cape Charles. Lifeguard hours and local rules change each season, so check before you go.
