15 Best Sights in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Adjacent to Coast Guard Beach, this sandy beach is backed by tall dunes, frilly grasses, and heathland. The trail to the Three Sisters lighthouses takes you through a pitch-pine forest. Parking here is extremely limited and fills up quickly in summer; plan to arrive early. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

Race Point Beach, one of the Cape Cod National Seashore beaches in Provincetown, has a wide swath of beautiful sand stretching far off into the distance around the point and Coast Guard station. Because of its position facing north, the beach gets sun all day long. Keep an eye out for whales offshore; it's also a popular fishing spot. Daily parking is $25; the annual seashore pass grants access to all six national park beaches for $60. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; sunset; surfing; swimming; walking.

Part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Marconi Beach is accessed via a very long and steep series of stairs leading down to the beach. It's also popular with both surfers and surf casters looking for striped bass or bluefish. Erosion from fierce storms has impacted beach access. That said, it's wide, long, and quite beautiful. Another plus: The parking lot is huge, so there's little chance of being shut out. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

The rustic restaurant and music club set on top of the dune are the main attractions at Cahoon Hollow Beach, which tends to draw younger crowds and plenty of families. It's a big Sunday-afternoon gathering place. The Beachcomber restaurant has paid parking, which is reimbursed when you buy something to eat or drink. (Arrive very early; the lot fills up quickly!) Erosion has made getting to the beach a steep climb. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking; a casual bite to eat with ocean views.

Considered one of the Cape's prettiest beaches, Coast Guard Beach, part of the National Seashore, is a long beach backed by low grass and heathland. A handsome former Coast Guard station is here, though it's not open to the public, and the beach has a very small parking lot (restricted to residents and vehicles displaying handicapped placards from mid-June to Labor Day), so the best bet is to head to the Salt Pond Visitor Center and follow signs to the Little Creek Staging Area parking lot. From there, take the free shuttle to the beach. Shuttles run frequently and can accommodate gear and bicycles. At high tide the size of the beach shrinks considerably, so watch your blanket. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

Once a privately owned packet landing, this is a beautiful crescent of white sand backed by low dunes on Cape Cod Bay. Amenities: snack bar; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

A great spot for watching sunsets over Cape Cod Bay, First Encounter Beach is rich in history. Near the parking lot, a bronze marker commemorates the first encounter between local Native Americans and passengers from the Mayflower, led by Captain Myles Standish, who explored the entire area for five weeks in 1620 before moving on to Plymouth. The beach is popular with families who favor its warm, calm waters and tide pools. Amenities: parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.

West of Chatham center, on the calmer and warmer waters of Nantucket Sound, Harding's Beach is very popular with families. It can get crowded, so plan to arrive earlier or later in the day. Amenities: food trucks; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Herring Cove Beach is relatively calm and warm for a National Seashore beach, but it's not as pretty as some because its parking lot isn't hidden behind dunes. It's close to town, so in warm weather it's always crowded. The lot to the right of the bathhouse is a great place to watch the sunset. Daily parking is $25; the annual seashore pass grants access to all six national park beaches and costs $60. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets; showers. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

This wide, sandy beach has an area set aside for windsurfers and a sheltered area that's good for kids. It's a great spot for watching boats go in and out of the harbor. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.

This town-managed beach—not to be confused with Nauset Light Beach on the National Seashore—is a 10-mile sweep of sandy ocean beach with low dunes and large waves good for bodysurfing or board surfing. Despite its size, the massive parking lot often fills up on sunny days; arrive quite early or in the late afternoon if you want to claim a spot. The beach gets extremely crowded in summer; unless you walk a bit, expect to feel very close to your neighbors on the sand. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

This long, beautiful crescent of soft white sand is anchored by the Sea Crest Beach Resort at one end. It's especially good for small children because a sandbar keeps it shallow at the southern end and creates tidal pools full of crabs. Very popular, this beach has its share of crowds on nice, sunny days. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Stretching some 6 miles across a peninsula that ends at Sandy Neck Light, this rock-strewn beach is one of the Cape's most beautiful—dunes, sand, and bay spread endlessly east, west, and north. The marsh was harvested for salt hay in the past; now it's a haven for birds, which are seen in the greatest numbers in morning and evening. One of the secrets of this beach are its hiking trails that meander alongside and around the dunes, a fairly strenuous but lovely trek in the sand. As you travel east along Route 6A from Sandwich, Sandy Neck Road is located just before the Barnstable line, although the beach itself is in West Barnstable. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

On Cape Cod Bay, Skaket Beach is a sandy stretch with calm, warm water good for children. When the tide is out, you can walk seemingly endlessly on the sandy flats. The parking lot fills up fast on hot July and August days; try to arrive before 10 or after 2. The many tide pools make this a favorite spot for families. Sunsets here draw a good crowd. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking.

This is one of the best beaches on the south shore (Nantucket Sound), with the crowds to prove it. A breakwater was formed here in 1837 in an effort to protect the mouth of Bass River, but that was abandoned when a sandbar formed on the shore side. It's a long, wide, and popular sandy beach, stretching for 1½ miles, with marshland and the Bass River across from it. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); toilets. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.