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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Rehoboth Beach
Go for 2–3 nights in summer: a 1-mile boardwalk, free beach and walkable centre. Skip the car once parked — Route 1 jams Fri–Sun.
Rehoboth Beach is a small Delaware shore town (population about 1,300) built around a 1-mile boardwalk and a free Atlantic beach. It works as a 2–3 night summer base, or a day trip from Dover or Wilmington. Everything central is walkable; the car is a liability in season.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for beach weather; May and Sep for fewer crowds
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug weekends (traffic and parking), winter (many businesses closed)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $90–150 excl. bed · Mid $150–260 excl. bed · High $260+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Boardwalk slice or fries | $5–10 |
| Sit-down seafood dinner | $25–45 |
| Beer at a bar | $6–9 |
| Parking meter | $2/hour; 30-min spaces $1 |
| DART Beach Bus ride | $2 one-way, $4.20 day pass |
| Jolly Trolley ride | $4 one-way, $7 round trip |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SBY · Salisbury-Ocean City-Wicomico Regional
- About 45 mi southwest; American Eagle from Charlotte and Philadelphia; rental cars on site.
- BWI · Baltimore-Washington International
- Wider airline choice; rent a car and drive about 2.5–3 h.
- PHL · Philadelphia International
- Wider airline choice; rent a car and drive about 2.5–3 h.
Typical fares
- DART Beach Bus, one-way
- $2, day pass $4.20, 7-day pass $18
- Jolly Trolley Rehoboth–Dewey
- $4 one-way, $7 round trip
- Park and Ride parking
- $10/day with four bus passes
Get around
Walk or bike in the centre; there are no bike lanes. DART First State Beach Bus runs May–September from the Rehoboth Beach Park and Ride to the boardwalk, outlets, Lewes and coastal towns: $2 one-way, $4.20 day pass, $18 for a 7-day pass. The Jolly Trolley links Rehoboth and Dewey Beach every 30 min in season: $4 one-way, $7 round trip. Uber and Lyft operate.
See and do
Known for
- Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk
- Free Atlantic beach and lifeguards
- Funland amusement park
- Outlet shopping on Route 1
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lewes | DART Beach Bus or a 6 mi drive up Route 1 | About 20–30 min |
| Dewey Beach | Jolly Trolley every 30 min in season, or a 1.5 mi walk | About 10 min |
| Bethany Beach | DART Beach Bus south along Route 1, or drive about 14 mi | About 30–40 min |
| Fenwick Island | DART Beach Bus or drive about 20 mi south | About 45–60 min |
| Dover | Drive about 45 mi north on Route 1 | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Boardwalk and Rehoboth Avenue
- Steps from beach and restaurants; highest summer rates, book weeks ahead.
- Route 1 and the outlets
- Chain hotels and motels with free parking; 5–10 min drive or a DART Beach Bus ride to the boardwalk.
- Dewey Beach
- Next town south, 1.5 mi; bar-heavy and louder, linked by the Jolly Trolley.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the beach? | Where is the beach? |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
| Help | Help |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Route 1 southbound jams Friday evening and northbound Sunday afternoon in summer; Saturday is heavy both ways.
- Metered parking runs 10:00–24:00 from the Friday before Memorial Day to the second Sunday after Labor Day; $2/hour, 30-min spaces $1.
- Non-metered spaces need a permit 10:00–17:00 between the Friday before Memorial Day and Labor Day; permits run from $10 for a weekday daily to $250 for a seasonal transferable permit.
- Boardwalk cycling is allowed 05:00–10:00 only, 15 May–15 Sep.
- Many seasonal businesses close or cut hours from October to April.
A low-crime resort town; the real risks are summer rip currents (swim near lifeguards), heat, and drinking on the beach, which is not allowed.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Rehoboth Beach yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk
- Free Atlantic beach and lifeguards
- Funland amusement park
- Outlet shopping on Route 1
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Rehoboth Beach: www.cityofrehoboth.com/
- DART First State Beach Bus: www.dartfirststate.com/
- Visit Delaware: www.visitdelaware.com/
- Wikivoyage: Rehoboth Beach, revision 4867719 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4867719
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Rehoboth Beach
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Rehoboth Beach; nearest consulates in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
Beach rules and parking seasons change: check the city website before you go.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/rehoboth-beach). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.