5 Things to Do in Coney Island, New York

Visiting New York has been a big dream of mine since childhood. I imagine myself walking down 5th Avenue every day, stopping a taxi on the crowded streets, and admiring the Empire State Building. In the summer of 2018, the opportunity finally came! I went to New York in July and spent almost 2 months there. Coney Island was one of those places I wanted to see the most. Just a couple of days before coming back to Europe, I actually made it there!

Coney Island’s Atlantic Ocean beach

New York has a few great beaches, and one of them is on Coney Island. This place is iconic for many years. It’s amusement park, and other great options for entertainment make it unique. You can find free/payable volleyball, handball, and basketball courts, as well as playgrounds all along the beach. The Luna Park itself is right near the boardwalk accompanied by tasty food stands.

Coney Island boardwalk to Brighton beach

The boardwalk was one of my favorite free things to do on Coney Island. It runs from New York Aquarium all the way to Brighton Beach. You can walk, run, cycle for miles on the boardwalk and have an amazing view, enjoy the breeze of the sea and let’s not forget about the shops, boutiques and occasionally rides, corny carnival games, concessions and much more!

Luna Park

Luna Park is the perfect place to let go of everyday problems, stress and just have fun alone, with friends or your family!

As I already mentioned, it’s right near the beach, with opening hours between 11 am and 11 pm. The park is offering plenty of rides and fun things to do for all ages. Tickets are available for single rides and also for unlimited rides. Check the prices here.

Ride the Cyclone

The Cyclone is a historical wooden roller coaster that first was opened in 1927, and it’s an iconic landmark of NYC. When I was on my way to Coney Island I had it on my To-Do list in the first place. I haven’t been on a roller coaster for years, and the last time was like 14 years ago in Paris with my parents.

I had to walk by the Cyclone a few times until I finally convinced myself to get on it, but I still did it in the end! The ticket for a ride was $10 which you can purchase on-site.

Now, what could I say? It was a ride full of adrenaline, and panic and I loved it! After the ride, I couldn’t think about anything else just the adrenaline I felt, which was amazing and it really made me feel free!

FOOD, Food, food – Hot Dog of Nathan’s & pizza with a ton of cheese

Get some delicious food from the most iconic places in Coney Island like Ruby’s Bar, Totonno’s Pizza, Nathan’s Famous hot dog, and Paul’s Daughter. This last one is where I got my incredibly delicious pepperoni pizza with loads and loads of cheese. I wish I could have another slice right now!!!

Extra info based on my experience

1. This might not be any news for you, but the beaches sometimes are not too clean and you can easily step into broken glasses or cans, so be careful!

2. I found one thing very annoying, and those were the huge population of seagulls. Due to the huge amount of food leftovers, they are always on the beach, even coming and taking off the food of your hands.

3. To get there without a car/taxi/uber will take you some time and it’s also very very expensive. I went from Brooklyn – Williamsburg with a subway and it took me about an hour and a half to arrive, but at least it didn’t cost $ 100 one way…

But regardless, I had an amazing time there, and YES EVEN ALONE! I enjoyed wandering around on this iconic part of the city a lot, and it was a great fun exploring it on my own. Coney Island is truly the perfect place to spend the day far from the crowds, but still in the city.