Delaware Beaches

Delaware’s coastline combines 28 miles of Atlantic Ocean barrier beaches with calm inland bays (Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and Little Assawoman Bay) and Delaware Bay shorelines from Lewes north to Woodland Beach. Oceanfront destinations such as Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware Seashore State Park, and Fenwick Island State Park offer guarded summer swim zones, drive-on 4×4 surf-fishing areas (requiring an annual Delaware State Parks Surf Fishing Vehicle Permit and required rescue gear), and bathhouse facilities, while resort towns like Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, and Bethany Beach maintain metered parking or seasonal town parking permits from May through September. Delaware State Parks charge daily entrance fees per vehicle from May 1 through November 30, with lower rates for Delaware-registered vehicles than out-of-state plates. Visitors should check DNREC recreational water quality advisories, seasonal dog restrictions on boardwalks and guarded beaches, and tide tables before planning a trip. Use the search and activity filters below to compare Delaware beaches across the Atlantic Ocean coast, Delaware Bay, and the Inland Bays for guarded swimming, surf fishing, crabbing, kayaking, and camping. Visitors planning a summer beach day should review Delaware State Parks daily entrance fees (in effect May 1 through November 30), confirm 4×4 surf-fishing permit rules and off-peak reservation requirements, and check the DNREC Recreational Water Quality program for current swimming advisories.