Brooklyn is big enough that “doing Brooklyn” in a day isn’t realistic. Coney Island is an hour’s subway ride from Williamsburg, and the two feel like different cities. The trick is to pick an area, do two or three things there properly and save the rest for another day.
This list covers the fifteen things we’d point most people to first, with the practical details that matter: when things are open, what’s free and what needs booking. For a deeper look at the borough, neighborhood by neighborhood, read our complete guide to Brooklyn.
Quick picks
- First visit, one day: walk the Brooklyn Bridge, then DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
- Free: the bridge, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Promenade, Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery.
- With kids: the Transit Museum, Jane’s Carousel and Coney Island in season.
- Rainy day: the Brooklyn Museum and the Transit Museum.
- Food: Smorgasburg on a weekend, then a pizza detour to Midwood or Gravesend.
1. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
Start on the Manhattan side near City Hall and walk toward Brooklyn, so the skyline is behind you whenever you turn around. It takes 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace. By mid-morning the walkway is packed with people stopping for photos, so go early or near sunset. It’s free.
Best for: first-time visitors.
2. Explore DUMBO
The bridge drops you almost straight into DUMBO, the cobblestone grid between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. The famous photo is on Washington Street at Water Street, looking down the block at the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building framed underneath. Get there before 9am if you want it without a crowd.
Down by the water, Jane’s Carousel is a restored 1922 carousel inside a glass pavilion on the East River. Kids love it, and it’s one of the prettiest things in the neighborhood after dark. For more, see our complete DUMBO guide.
Best for: photos, first-time visitors, families.
3. Spend an afternoon in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park runs south from DUMBO along the waterfront, on a string of old shipping piers that have been turned into lawns, playgrounds, sports courts and picnic areas. The view of Lower Manhattan from Pier 1 is one of the best in the city, and it costs nothing. Bring lunch or pick something up in DUMBO.
Best for: a free, low-effort afternoon.
4. Walk the Brooklyn Heights Promenade
Up the hill from the park, the Promenade is a long elevated walkway on the edge of Brooklyn Heights, the borough’s oldest neighborhood. It looks straight across the East River at Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Walk it, then wander the brownstone streets behind it, especially Willow Street and Columbia Heights.
The Promenade sits on top of a section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that the city plans to rebuild. Construction isn’t expected to start until around the end of the decade, and the city has said parts of the Promenade will stay open throughout.
Best for: skyline views, a quiet walk.
5. Spend a morning in Prospect Park
Prospect Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux after they finished Central Park, and plenty of Brooklynites think it’s the better park. The Long Meadow is a huge open lawn, and the paths around the lake and through the Ravine feel far from the city.
On Sundays until October 25, Smorgasburg sets up on Breeze Hill, near the Lincoln Road entrance, from 11am to 6pm. Entry is free and you pay for what you eat.
Best for: a slow weekend morning.
6. See the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Botanic Garden sits next to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum, so it’s easy to fold into the same day. The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is the part to see if you only have an hour, and the cherry trees make it the busiest place in the borough in spring.
It’s closed on Mondays. In October it’s open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, and from November the hours get shorter. Children under 12 get in free, and a limited number of free community tickets are released each day. Tickets are required, so book online.
Best for: garden lovers, spring and fall visits.
7. Visit the Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway has one of the largest art collections in the country, and it’s much calmer than the big Manhattan museums. The Egyptian galleries and the American art on the upper floors are the highlights for most visitors. It’s open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm.
On the first Saturday evening of select months, First Saturdays turn the museum into a free night out with music, talks and art-making. Registration is required. From early March to early November, a Museum & Garden pass gets you into the Botanic Garden next door on the same day.
Best for: rainy days, art lovers.
8. Wander Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood opened in 1838 as a landscaped cemetery and still works as one of the city’s best parks. It has hills, ponds, old trees and elaborate monuments, and the view from Battle Hill takes in the whole harbor. Look up at the spires of the main gate at Fifth Avenue and 25th Street, where green parakeets nest.
Entry is always free. The new Green-House visitor center by the main gate has exhibits and free maps, and the cemetery runs free 90-minute walking tours on some Sunday mornings. The R train to 25th Street drops you a block away.
Best for: a quiet walk, history.
9. Ride the Cyclone at Coney Island
Coney Island is still the classic New York beach day. Luna Park has free entry, and you pay per ride. The Cyclone, the wooden roller coaster on Surf Avenue, turns 100 in 2027 and is short, rattly and surprisingly scary. Get a hot dog at the original Nathan’s Famous and walk the boardwalk.
The rides run from late March into the fall, with daily hours in summer and more limited schedules outside it. Check the park’s calendar before a spring or fall visit. The beach and boardwalk are open all year. Take the D, F, N or Q to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue.
Best for: summer, families, nostalgia.
10. Keep walking to Brighton Beach
From Coney Island, follow the boardwalk east for about 20 minutes and you’re in Brighton Beach, the center of the city’s Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking community. Brighton Beach Avenue, under the elevated train, is lined with bakeries, delis and grocery stores. Pick up pastries and smoked fish and eat on the boardwalk.
Best for: food, a different side of Brooklyn.
11. Eat at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg
Smorgasburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in the country. On Saturdays it takes over Marsha P. Johnson State Park at 90 Kent Avenue, on the Williamsburg waterfront, from 11am to 6pm, until October 24. There are dozens of vendors, and it’s free to walk in. Arrive before 1pm to beat the worst of the lines.
Afterward, walk south along the water to Domino Park, built on the site of the old Domino Sugar refinery.
Best for: food, a Saturday with friends.
12. Spend an evening in Williamsburg
Williamsburg is at its best after dark. Walk along Bedford Avenue and Wythe Avenue, then head up to a rooftop for the Manhattan skyline. Laser Wolf on top of The Hoxton and Westlight at The William Vale are two of the best, and both are on our rooftop restaurant list. Book ahead for sunset. For more, read our complete Williamsburg guide.
Best for: nightlife, couples, views.
13. Go underground at the New York Transit Museum
The Transit Museum is inside a real subway station from 1936 at 99 Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The lower level is the best part: a platform lined with vintage subway cars you can walk through, with the old ads still in place.
It’s open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. Entry is timed, and tickets go on sale three weeks ahead, so book online.
Best for: families, rainy days, anyone who rides the subway.
14. Watch the sunset in Red Hook
Red Hook is on a peninsula on the harbor, a little cut off from the rest of Brooklyn, and it feels that way: cobblestones, old warehouses and a lot of sky. Valentino Pier, at the end of Coffey Street, faces the Statue of Liberty and is a quiet place to watch the sun go down. The easiest way there is NYC Ferry to Red Hook/Atlantic Basin.
Best for: a slower pace, sunset.
15. Go on a pizza pilgrimage
Some of the city’s most famous pizza is in Brooklyn, and much of it is worth the trip.
- Di Fara in Midwood, open since 1965. Take the Q to Avenue J.
- L&B Spumoni Gardens in Gravesend, for the Sicilian square with the sauce on top.
- Lucali in Carroll Gardens. No reservations, so put your name down early and wait.
- L’Industrie in Williamsburg, for one of the most talked-about slices in the city.
Our NYC pizza guide has the details on each.
Best for: food lovers.
How to plan it by area
| Area | Group these together | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfront | Brooklyn Bridge, DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Promenade | Half a day |
| Central Brooklyn | Prospect Park, Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Museum | A full day |
| South Brooklyn | Coney Island, Brighton Beach, L&B Spumoni Gardens | Half a day to a day |
| North Brooklyn | Smorgasburg (Saturdays), Domino Park, Williamsburg evening | Afternoon and evening |
| Downtown and the harbor | Transit Museum, Red Hook sunset | Half a day |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best area of Brooklyn to visit for the first time?
The waterfront around DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights. You can walk there from Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge, and the park, the Promenade and DUMBO’s streets are all close together.
How many days do you need in Brooklyn?
One day covers the waterfront and one more area, such as Williamsburg or Prospect Park. With two or three days, you can add Coney Island and some of the food neighborhoods further out.
What can you do in Brooklyn for free?
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Prospect Park, Green-Wood Cemetery and the Coney Island boardwalk are all free. Smorgasburg is free to enter. For more, see our list of free things to do in New York City.
Is Coney Island worth visiting outside summer?
The boardwalk and beach are worth a walk any time, and a winter visit is peaceful. The rides run on a limited schedule in spring and fall, so check the Luna Park calendar before you go.
How do you get around Brooklyn?
The subway is quickest for going to and from Manhattan. Most lines run in and out of Manhattan rather than across the borough, so for trips within Brooklyn the G train, buses, Citi Bike or NYC Ferry along the waterfront are often faster.
