For my whole life I have lived in an American suburban town without any transit at all, so a beach trip would entail bringing everything one might need in a car.
Now I live in one of the few cities in the US whose transit means I don’t need a car, and beach trips via train are possible.
Maybe Europeans can share there experience, since some of you may have taken a train to a beach—do you just carry beach chairs and a cooler with you on the train and then the rest of the way to the beach once you get off? Do you strap chairs to a backpack or something? Just curious how it’s done across the sea
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I never took a chair to the beach when I had to use public transportation, usually a blanket/large towel laid straight on the sand is comfortable enough and fold beverages can be bought on the beach.
Having said that – when I am at the coast, I try to book a hotel close enough so I can just walk.
It seems like such an overkill to bring your own chairs to the beach. There’s sand you know, you can sit on it. Same goes with the cooler, do you really need it for one day?
IME most Europeans take a lot less to the beach than Americans do. Swimwear, suntan lotion, towel, packed lunch… that’s about it, easy to fit in a tote bag or a rucksack. You might need a bit more for kids (e.g. pop up sun tent, toys). But sunchairs? Not normal.
Also, anywhere that has a trainstation has infrastructure. There might be deckchairs or sunloungers to hire, shops to sell you cold drinks and snacks. You wouldn’t need to bring much that you couldn’t pick up when you were there.
(But, of course, lots of people do drive to the beach anyway).
We don’t take any of that additional stuff. All you need is a towel to sit on and suncream to protect you and a bottle of water so yah don’t get heat stroke.
Everything else is overkill
Beach chairs and coolers are not necessary to go to the beach.
I bring a bag/backpack with a towel and a change of clothes, maybe sunscreen and a bottle of water or something. And that’s the same if I go by car.
I have mostly gone to the beach by car or bicycle though, the train doesn’t take me to the nearest nor the best beaches around here.
I’d just sit on a beach towel on the ground in that case, but I also wouldn’t bother with chairs even when taking the car. Seems like too much effort. I also wouldn’t bring a cooler. I’d either pack food that doesn’t need to be cooled or I’d buy something there and I don’t like cooled drinks either.
We go pn the bike with a backpack with a towel and i guess some beer. Or just go on a boat and go to some lakes.
I think we just take much less stuff to the beach. At least part of it is probably because the population density is higher and the beach probably isn’t too far, and is close to infrastructure. Of course not everyone lives close to a beach but then you just don’t go there – I think most Europeans are far less tolerant of travel time.
Latvia has a classic “train to the beach” experience for people in Riga. There’s a resort/beach town called Jūrmala just outside of Riga (Jūrmala even means Seaside), the train takes just half an hour and several of the train stops are a short walk to the beach. In my experience people will not take much stuff. Swimsuit, towel, light meal, bottle of water. Definitely not chairs. And on the beach you’re probably not more than five minutes away from a stand with refreshments.
People do drive to beaches as well, of course, and may then bring more stuff. Driving can also get you to the more secluded spots that have no infrastructure nearby.
I’ve never taken chairs to the beach, just towels or rugs, things to do (a ball, a frisbee, books), and maybe drinks or snacks, although I’m just as likely to buy those there.
I’ve never heard of somebody bringing chairs to the beach. A towel or a blanket or something like that is all you need. But on some beaches you can rent them I think. Same with beach baskets, which seem to be common at German beaches.
And a “cooler”? You mean for beverages? Some people bring stuff like that, but it’s really not necessary. Just bring a bottle of water and you’re fine. Doesn’t have to be cool. If it’s a somewhat busy beach, there’s going to be at least a little stand that has cooled beverages like beer and soda, and food like fries or ice cream. May also be a real restaurant, or something in between.
I’ve never brought chairs to the beach. Or those hard plastic coolers. Sometimes I’ve used small foldable coolers which fits like 3 water bottles. But not normally no. I don’t really need cold water. Just go into the sea to cool down. And drink water to hydrate. All I really bring is a towel, sunblock, water and a sandwich.
Oh well. When I lived in Spain just across the street to Mediterranean, I didn’t bring practically anything to beach. Just myself, a towel, a bottle of water and keys. Usually but not always a book or magazine. Maybe some coins to get fresh drinks or an ice cream. Back home in Finland I don’t do much beach, usually just go for a swim.
I always take the train to go to the beach, but it never even occurred to me to bring beach chairs. All you really need is a beach towel, swimwear, some drinks and a cooling element/ice pack, which all can easily fit in a small backpack. If you really want to sit on a beach chair for some reason, you can always rent one at the beach for a few euro.
I take myself, swim trunks, a shirt and flip flops and ride the bike 8 mins to the beach.
No need for a towel, it’s takes 2 mins to dry outside in the heat. No phone, no wallet, no money – no worries.
Sunscreen is applied at home before leaving, there’s free cool water at the beach. I might bring a book sometimes.
Doing things by public transit needs you to adjust your habits and needs, just like how having a car adjusted them.
One good example would be that if you go grocery shopping by public transit, you will not buy the XXXL super saver pack of laundry detergent, nor a lot of things packed in glass jars. You may even find that you are going to spend less on groceries and still survive, because buying unnecessary crap will make for an uncomfortable journey with heavy bags.
Similarly, if you go to the beach by train, you may find that lugging chairs, coolers and a lot of other things with you is not feasible, nor it is necessary.
My beach set is a towel, sunscreen, and a book, and most people here in Spain would agree.
At German beaches, there’s *Strandkörbe* for everyone who doesn’t want to sit on the sand. Those also help against the strong winds, what a simple chair does not.
But most people would simply sit on the sand. Which you can do without problems, because its temperature hardly goes beyond 30°C even in sunshine.
About beverages, I would rather buy some overpriced ones from one of the food stands at the waterfront than lugging around a cooler.
I live close to the beach so I just walk there lol.
We have a beach in the city but you can take the bus south for an hour to an even more awesome beach. 🙂
And if you really do want to take the train you can go for about an hour to the east coast of Skåne and find some amazing beaches there too.
If you’d take the bus you’d get off very close to the beach, like a few minutes walking distance in some cases.
If you take the train you might have to walk for another 10-20 minutes to the beach. And if you bring your bike you have access to even more cool places with beaches and free camping for a night. Round here it’s free to bring a bike on the train.
Oh and I guess when you do have a car you might tend to bring more stuff, but I’m fine with whatever can be loaded on a bike or in a backpack. There’s water and snacks to buy on site usually.
Why would you carry chairs and a cooler to the beach? There are plenty of bars there to get your drinks.
I only carry my swimwear, 1 t-shirt+ 1 underwear per day.
Towel around your neck, sum umbrella on one hand and a backpack with sun block, some food and personal belongings.
Chairs are for old people
Some people buy cheap chair or umbrellas for the week they are at the beach and then leave it at the hotel or the beach. It is way more convinient than straping chair to your back.
Well… Let’s talk.
Here in Italy our beaches are on loan from the State to various administrators that usually have a bar, chairs and beach umbrellas and so on.
They let you use the equipment for a fee. That obviously do not cover bar tabs.
So you really do need very little to go to the beach.
Even on public beaches you do not need a lot more of that.
Just like everyone else is saying, only your lunch (if you do not want to search for a place and eat there), towels and that’s it.
Why a beach chair? Why a cooler? A backpack, a beach towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, a bottle of water and a bit of cash (and maybe an id). That’s all you need. Thirsty? Buy on the spot.
You don’t need to go on a camping trip to the beach.
Whenever I swim at a beach there is a hotel or a restaurant or a bar involved so there are beach chairs, umbrellas, drinks, bathrooms already there. I just bring a bag with towels, water, sunscreen, and my snorkeling stuff.
Well , chairs and a cooler are VERY uncommon on a beach here. Most will just bring a beach bag, lay their beach-towel on the sand, smear sunscreen on their skin and drink from their canteen (you might need to google those items if you are from the US ;o)
I don’t even own a cooler or beach chairs. Too much hassle. Even if I’m driving I’ll only take a single beach bag.
On a really hot day I’d freeze a bottle of water so it melts over the day so i always have an ice cold water to drink.