If Brooklyn were its own city, it would be one of the largest in the country. Most visitors see a sliver of it, usually DUMBO and a bit of Williamsburg, and go home thinking they’ve done it. You haven’t, and that’s the good news. This guide covers the parts worth your time, how to get between them and where to eat along the way.
Getting around
The subway is the easiest way in and around Brooklyn, but lines mostly run in and out of Manhattan rather than across the borough. Going from Williamsburg to Park Slope, for example, is quicker by the G train or a bike than by heading into Manhattan and back. NYC Ferry stops along the waterfront at DUMBO, Williamsburg and Greenpoint, and it’s a pleasant way to hop between them.
DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park
DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, and that’s where it sits, in a small grid of cobblestone streets between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The photo everyone takes is on Washington Street, looking down the block at the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building framed underneath it. Go early to get it without a crowd.
Brooklyn Bridge Park runs south along the water from here. It has lawns, playgrounds, Jane’s Carousel and a view of Lower Manhattan that’s hard to beat. The best way to arrive is on foot across the Brooklyn Bridge. Our DUMBO guide covers the neighborhood in detail.
Brooklyn Heights
Just uphill from the park, Brooklyn Heights is the borough’s oldest neighborhood and one of its prettiest, with 19th-century brownstones and quiet streets. Walk to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for a long, elevated view across the East River. Montague Street has cafes and shops if you need a break.
Williamsburg and Greenpoint
Williamsburg is where you go for restaurants, bars, vintage shopping and rooftop views. Bedford Avenue is the main street, and the blocks closer to the water around Wythe Avenue have the hotels and the skyline views. Domino Park, on the site of an old sugar refinery, is a good waterfront stop.
For dinner with a view, Laser Wolf on top of The Hoxton and Westlight at The William Vale are both on our list of rooftop restaurants. For pizza, L’Industrie on South 2nd Street sells one of the most talked-about slices in the city. Peter Luger, the old-school steakhouse near the Williamsburg Bridge, has been cooking porterhouse since 1887.
For a full neighborhood rundown, see our Williamsburg guide.
Greenpoint, just north, is quieter, with a Polish community, independent shops and good bakeries. McCarren Park sits between the two.
Prospect Park and Park Slope
Prospect Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, the same pair who designed Central Park, and many people think it’s the better of the two. The Long Meadow is one of the largest open lawns in any American city. On the park’s edge, the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden sit side by side, so you can easily spend a day between them.
Park Slope runs down the hill from the park’s western side, with brownstone streets and plenty of places to eat on Fifth and Seventh Avenues.
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood, south of Park Slope, is a 19th-century cemetery laid out like a park. It has hills, ponds and elaborate monuments, and the view of the harbor from Battle Hill is worth the climb. It’s free and much quieter than the parks.
Coney Island and Brighton Beach
At the southern tip of Brooklyn, Coney Island has the beach, the boardwalk, the Cyclone roller coaster (running since 1927) and Nathan’s Famous, which has sold hot dogs there since 1916. The rides are seasonal, but the boardwalk is worth a walk any time of year.
Walk east along the boardwalk to Brighton Beach, the heart of the city’s Russian and Ukrainian community. Brighton Beach Avenue, under the elevated train, is lined with bakeries, grocery stores and restaurants.
Where to eat
Brooklyn has too many good restaurants to list, so here are a few that justify a trip.
- Di Fara Pizza in Midwood, a pizzeria that has been open since 1965.
- L&B Spumoni Gardens in Gravesend, for the Sicilian square and spumoni at the outdoor tables.
- Lucali in Carroll Gardens, a candlelit pizza place with no reservations.
- Laser Wolf in Williamsburg, for Israeli grilled skewers on a rooftop.
Our pizza guide has more detail on all three pizzerias.
If you only have one day
Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in the morning and spend an hour in DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park. Walk up to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, then take the subway or a ferry to Williamsburg for lunch and an afternoon of shopping. End with dinner and drinks on a Williamsburg rooftop at sunset.
With a second day, go south: Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum in the morning, pizza in the afternoon and a walk along the Coney Island boardwalk before dark.
Planning your days? Our list of the 15 best things to do in Brooklyn groups the highlights by area, with current opening hours. For a shorter overview of the borough’s neighborhoods, see our Brooklyn neighborhood guide.
