gtrekker2003

I am interested in a day trip to Montauk to see the Lighthouse via Long Island RailRoad. I will not have a car.

Is the lighthouse area a walkable distance from the train station? Also, are there any other walks, things to do, or moderately priced recommended places to eat at in that area?

nytraveler

No - the lighthouse is in a state park and is miles from the train station.

Once you arrive in Montauk you need either a rental car or a cab to get around. (Or a bicycle ifyo have a good map and a LOT of energy.)

You don;t say when you're going - but the town has a bunch of casuale restaurants - or the Goseman's complex has a couple of places and cute shops.

But again - car or cab is needed except for the very small area near the station.

Separately - have you looked at the times of the trains? There are only a couple each day and it's a long trip.

If you take the 7:40 am train from penn station you will arrive in Montauk about 11 am; then the 7:30 pm train back will get you into the city about 11 pm. So you will have about 8 hours total there. If you take an earlier train back you might as well not bother to go.

gtrekker2003

Thanks!

I had no idea the lighthouse was so far from the train station. It was listed as a 'getaway' trip on LIRR from the mta site so I assumed it was nearby.

Yeah, I did see the schedule. I was looking at the train times that you had mentioned.

I was planning to go either on a Fri or a Sunday.

Sounds like it won't be possible for me as I don't have that much energy to bike there nor do I want to spend on a car hire.

Thanks again!

mclaurie

I didn't realize they offer full day trips for this. For $40/person including train fare from NYC and then bus service to the lighthouse and then to Gosman's for lunch. There was one today. The next is on Sept. 16
http://www.mta.info/lirr/getaways/Lo...Lighthouse.htm

If you go to maps.google.com you'll see it's about 7 miles between the train station and the lighthouse. You can certainly get a taxi there but you'd have to arrange for the taxi to pick you up after your visit.

gtrekker2003

Thanks mclaurie.

I didn't realize this was a 'special event'. Thanks for the clarification.

$40 sounds like a good deal because the trainfare is $30-ish. I should look into this then.

Is there anything else to do in this area other than the lighthouse, village, and dock?

Also, how much would you expect a taxi to cost if I were to arrange it from the station to the lighthouse? Are the village and dock walking distance from the lighthouse?

Trying to figure out my budget.

nytraveler

No - the lighthouse is in a state park and not near anything but the rest of the park.

The train station is in the town - where there are restaurants etc - and Gosmans is not far ( a mile or 2?) never walked it - away. The latter is a complex with a real restaurant over the water, several snacky type places and a bunch of cute - but expensive - shops.

Frankly, without a car (or this special train/bus thing) I wouldn;t attempt Montauk.

If you want to do other towns which have more to see do (gallerys, small museums, old houses etc) you are actually better off taking the Hampton Jitney to Southampton, East Hampton or Sag Harbor.

But, IMHO, you're really better off with a car in the entire area.

Aduchamp1

Also the trains to the far end of the Island on weekends are often zoos with people carrying luggage visiting the Hamptons.

gtrekker2003

I will definitely look at the special bus trip for Montauk down the road.

Meanwhile, I never heard of Hampton Jitney till now. Any areas from the Jitney bus which are worthwhile checking out and exploring via bus? Car is not an option for me so I am relying on bus/train. I am most interested in walking around, exploring, and nature. Not really into boutique or window shopping. Oh yeah, keen on eating too!

Any areas off the Hampton Jitney you can recommend for a day trip? The Forks, Sag Harbour, etc?

nytraveler

In that area public transit - except the LIRR or the Jitney - to and fro Manhattan - are practically nonexistent. There are a few local buses - but run very rarely and only to a few places. (The Jitney is not a local bus but a high-priced luxury coach that is an alternative to the LIRR and makes a stop in several of the major towns. It can't be used for local transit.)

You can visit A town with a train station or the Jitney. Other than that it's car or cab.

hello_kitty63

Depending on when you are going, there is a shuttle from the village to the lighthouse until August 30, which is about $1.50 each way. Other wise there is regular bus service (route 10C) that connects the train station, harbour, ditch plains, Hither Hills State Park and continues on to Amagansett and East Hampton. The bus runs everyday but Sunday.

mclaurie

gtrekker, the Jitney stops in the villages of Bridgehampton and East Hampton right in town near restaurants and shops. The Jitney also has service to Sag Harbor which will get you closer to "nature" as the center of the village is walkable to the beach. Now as the season winds down, it will be much less crowded and the weather is wonderful.

There's local buses too, to get from town to town.
http://www.sct-bus.org/schedules.html

mclaurie

Forgot the other questions. I don't know the price from Jitney stop to lighthouse but I'd guess $10. The problem is getting picked up from the lighthouse. For other things to do in Montauk, you can go horseback riding at Deep Hollow Ranch and there are fishing boats or fishing from the dock in Montauk (in yet another direction from the lighthouse)
http://www.onmontauk.com/

There are lots of trails for hiking throughout the Hamptons and active trails societies. http://www.hike-li.org/
There's also kayaking.

anaidmoh

Hi, I'm planning to go to Montauk tomorrow via LIRR and I wanted to make sure that there are taxis available by the train station, and also approximately how much would it be (to & from the beach)? This is really last minute so I understand if I don't get an answer in time!! Thx

travelbuff

Fpr a getaway, there's Jones Beach, which is easy by train and bus to and from the beach. The beach there is HUGE and there are a couple of restaurants/cafes and a couple of large pools as well. There is a shower house which is a couple of dollars with lockers.

Or Fire Island is a favorite day trip of mine, take an early train and catch a ferry over to the Sunken Forest and walk the trail. There is a ranger station and a cafe at the ferry dock and the beach is quite nice.

OR how about something completely different Olde Beth Page Restoration in you guessed it Old Beth Page. It is a very good restoration, restaurant, excellent docents and a nice day trip away from the city.

mclaurie

I agree there are much closer beaches. There should be taxis at the train station but have no idea how much they'd charge to the beach. Do you realize you need your own chairs or towels/blankets etc.? There is a bus but it doesn't run on Sundays (although maybe you mean you're going "today" Sat.).