Your Ultimate Guide to Brooklyn (Video Included)

Here is your ultimate travel guide to Brooklyn from a local perspective!

If you’re visiting NYC and want to visit Brooklyn, read this Brooklyn travel guide to experience some of the best things Brooklyn has to offer. Did we mention that the best views of Manhattan happen to be from Brooklyn. After living in Brooklyn, we’re ready to dish out our favorite neighborhoods and spots!

Below is a shortlist of the best spots in Brooklyn categorized according to the 4 Best Neighborhood’s in Brooklyn.

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

Visit For: That quintessential Brooklyn charm with tree lined residential streets and brown stones for miles. There are no hipsters here just classic Brooklyn at it’s best.

Best Views: Brooklyn Bridge Park for unbeatable views of lower Manhattan & Hotel 1 Rooftop for unbeatable views of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Best Eats: Jack the Horse Oyster Bar for a great Happy Hour ($1 oysters and $5 pilsner) and Tutt Café for the best value for a budget meal in the neighborhood.

DUMBO

Visit For: Warehouses that have been transformed into cool shops and waterfront restaurants.

Best Views: On the corner of Washington & Water street for “THE VIEW” of the Manhattan bridge. *Warning this is selfie central.

Best Eats: Have a café at VHH in the open-air atrium of the former Empire Stores Warehouse. If you’re looking for a full meal, Almar is another great option.

GREENPOINT

Visit For: Brooklyn charm with a preserved artist & industrial vibe. Less crowded and affordable than Williamsburg.

Best Views: Head on over to the Barge Bar near WNYC Transmitter Park for views of the midtown from across the river.

Best Eats: Bakeri for homemade pastries, bread, and coffee. Glasserie for what we think is the BEST BRUNCH in Brooklyn. A must go if you want to try something different from the traditional eggs and pancakes.

WILLIAMSBURG

Visit For: Brooklyn’s most popular neighborhood filled with rooftop bars & graffiti street art.

Best Views: William Vale (not the rooftop bar but the free park below). Grand Ferry Park for sunset views overlooking Manhattan.

Best Eats: If you’re an ice cream lover head on over to Van Leeuwen’s; this company originated in Brooklyn and has a whole menu of vegan flavors that would satisfy all!

Should you stay in Brooklyn or in Manhattan?

It really depends on what you are looking for. Whether you stay in Manhattan or Brooklyn, getting around the city will be relatively easy with the subway, bike, or private car.

If you stay in Brooklyn, we highly suggest staying in Brooklyn Heights or Downtown Brooklyn as both neighborhoods have the easiest and fastest connection to the rest of the city and Manhattan. We also love the feel of Brooklyn Heights as it has a real neighborhood. It relatively calm compared to the rest of the city and has the best views in town within a short walking distance. If you stay in Williamsburg, note that you will have limited trains available to reach the city. Although the L line takes you directly to downtown Manhattan, there has been much talk about L line shut downs so make sure to check the MTA website before traveling.

There are plenty of options available in terms of hotels in Brooklyn. In terms of hotels, while many tourist expect Brooklyn hotels to be cheaper than their Manhattan counterparts, this isn’t always the case. Brooklyn offers some of the trendiest hotels in town – not cheap – but if you have the money to spend it’s a must! Take a look at hotel prices for Brooklyn here.

What else is there to do in Brooklyn?

As mentioned above, go discover all those neighborhoods! There are also a lot of activities like kayaking, sailing, rollerblading, biking, soccer or tennis that you can enjoy during your time in Brooklyn.

Another great thing to do in Brooklyn, or New York in general, is to book a photographer in NYC to capture your memories while you’re in town. It might sound cheesy but for a few hours you can stop worrying about the selfies and let a professional photographer capture the real you enjoying and discovery Brooklyn & NYC! Feel free to check out KYMA an online site was has a ton of photographers in NYC . It’s like a booking.com for photographer complete with client verified review of photographers listed on the site. Pierre used to work with Kyma as a photographer back in Paris!

We will add more things to do in Brooklyn as time goes by – this was just a quick list.

ps: We included an affiliate link to booking.com as we LOVE using it, and it helps support the blog too! If you’re looking for a hotel in Brooklyn or NYC please feel free to go ahead and book via our link 🙂 We hope you enjoyed reading our blog and happy travels to Brooklyn!!