Where Is the Hamptons, Exactly?

If you’ve heard people talk about “going out to the Hamptons” for the weekend, you might picture one specific town. It’s not. The Hamptons is a string of villages and hamlets along the South Fork of Long Island, New York, and figuring out where any one of them actually is depends on which part of “the Hamptons” you mean.

Here’s the short answer: the Hamptons stretch roughly from Westhampton to Montauk, on the eastern end of Long Island, in Suffolk County. They sit about 90 to 100 miles east of New York City, on the south side of the fork where Long Island splits in two near Riverhead.

The Basic Geography

Long Island splits into two peninsulas, or “forks,” toward its eastern end. The North Fork is known for wine country and quieter beach towns. The South Fork is the Hamptons, along with Montauk at the very tip.

The main townspeople mean when they say “the Hamptons,” roughly west to east:

• Westhampton and Westhampton Beach
• Hampton Bays
• Southampton
• Water Mill
• Bridgehampton
• Sag Harbor (technically its own village, but grouped in with the area)
• East Hampton
• Amagansett
• Montauk (often talked about separately, since it has its own distinct, lower-key vibe)

That’s around 20 miles of coastline, so “the Hamptons” isn’t a single destination so much as a corridor of small, beach-adjacent towns with their own character. Southampton has old money and big estates. East Hampton has the most polished Main Street and celebrity homes. Montauk is the surfing, fishing, and lighthouse end of things.

How Far Is It From New York City?

Most of the Hamptons are 90 to 105 miles from Manhattan, depending on the exact town. Montauk, at the far tip, is closer to 120 miles out.

Realistic travel times:

• By car: 2 to 3.5 hours, heavily dependent on Friday traffic on the Long Island Expressway. Summer weekends can push that closer to 4 hours.
• By train: The Long Island Rail Road runs a direct line from Penn Station to the Hamptons, about 2.5 to 3 hours depending on the stop.
• By ferry and bus: Some people take a ferry across the Long Island Sound or a Hamptons-specific bus service (like the Hampton Jitney) instead of driving.
• By plane or helicopter: In peak summer, there’s a seasonal seaplane and helicopter service from Manhattan that gets you there in about 30 to 45 minutes, though it’s priced accordingly.

Which State and County?

The Hamptons are entirely within New York State, in Suffolk County, which covers the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. They fall under two townships: the Town of Southampton and the Town of East Hampton. Individual villages like Sag Harbor and East Hampton Village have their own local governments within those townships.

Is Montauk Part of the Hamptons?

This one gets debated locally. Geographically, Montauk sits at the very end of the South Fork, past East Hampton and Amagansett, so it’s technically part of the same peninsula as the rest of the Hamptons. Culturally, a lot of people draw a line between the two. Montauk has historically been more of a fishing and surf town, with less of the polished, expensive image associated with places like Southampton or East Hampton. These days that distinction has blurred, but you’ll still hear locals say “Montauk isn’t really the Hamptons” even though a map would disagree.

Best Way to Get There Without a Car

If you’re coming from New York City and don’t want to deal with parking or traffic, the Long Island Rail Road is the simplest option. It runs from Penn Station or Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn directly out to Hamptons stops, including Southampton, Bridgehampton, and East Hampton. The Hampton Jitney bus service is another common option, with stops throughout Manhattan and drop-offs in most Hamptons towns.