Brooklyn Neighborhoods You Shouldn’t Miss

Brooklyn, as its own residents like to say, is «home to everyone from everywhere«, something you notice right away in the cultural diversity of its neighborhoods.

Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge should be just the starting point for discovering the unmissable attractions of Brooklyn, spread across its neighborhoods east of the East River.

Here are the ones you shouldn't miss:

Brooklyn Neighborhoods

New York's independent cultural scene moved to Brooklyn decades ago, turning it into the new Village.

A couple of decades back, thousands of young people migrated to Brooklyn looking for better rents, more authenticity and, in a way, escaping from us, the pesky photograph-everything tourists. That movement made it one of the most indie destinations in New York.

But New York never stands still, so neighborhoods like Williamsburg in Brooklyn keep changing right before our eyes.

Relentless gentrification is transforming the Brooklyn neighborhoods along the East River into luxury districts of NYC, with huge glass towers, shops and boutique hotels.

Below I'll walk you through the most important neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Several of them are my favorite places in New York, the ones I keep going back to on every trip (click the links for all the details).

1. Dumbo: the neighborhood on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge

It's the easiest neighborhood to reach since it sits at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge. Exploring it right after crossing the bridge is a solid plan.

One look at the lofts of DUMBO (former factories) and you'll realize why it's a favorite with artists, architects and designers.

Another reason not to miss DUMBO: its art galleries and the terrific views of Manhattan across the East River.

2. Brooklyn Heights: a great lookout over Manhattan

One of the most elegant neighborhoods in New York outside Manhattan, and also easy to get to since it's right next to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Wealthy families and intellectuals (Tom Wolfe, Arthur Miller and Truman Capote) settled here to escape the noise of Manhattan.

The understated beauty of its historic brownstones and old mansions stands out, as does the spectacular view of the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

3. Williamsburg: a neighborhood of contrasts

Williamsburg was the epicenter of Brooklyn's cultural rebirth. But for a few years now the north of the neighborhood has been turning into a luxury district of New York, mixing boutique hotels, street art, vintage shops and international brand stores.

In contrast, South Williamsburg is home to New York's most orthodox Jewish community, the Hasidim.

Visiting the attractions of Williamsburg means diving into the contrasts of New York that make this city so interesting. I hope I've convinced you to cross the Williamsburg Bridge.

4. Greenpoint: a slice of Poland in NYC

Visiting Greenpoint is a quick trip to Poland. This is home to the second largest concentration of Poles after Chicago.

These days it's also a favorite with yuppies, effectively becoming an extension of Williamsburg.

5. Downtown Brooklyn

After Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn is New York's third largest business district.

It's a modern area that contrasts sharply with the 19th-century atmosphere of neighboring Brooklyn Heights.

6. Coney Island: an island frozen in time

Coney Island is a special neighborhood for the nostalgic.

Beyond its wooden boardwalk along the Atlantic and the Luna Park amusement park, which dates back to the early 20th century, you'll step into a New York frozen in time, complete with fortune tellers, little people and bearded ladies.

7. Brighton Beach: Little Odessa

In Brighton Beach, also known as Little Odessa, you'll feel like you're in Ukraine or Russia as you walk the boardwalk or eat pierogi at a restaurant with a menu in Cyrillic (for reference, watch The Lord of War or Requiem for a Dream).

8. Prospect Heights: Museums and Gardens

In Prospect Heights, and in neighboring Park Slope, the traditional and the modern come together just south of the monumental Grand Army Plaza. It borders Prospect Park, Brooklyn's «Central Park».

In the neighborhood you can also visit the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Library, an art deco gem, and the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Garden, famous for its cherry blossoms in spring.

It's a neighborhood where modern luxury condos sit alongside opulent old mansions on tree-lined avenues.

9. Red Hook: piers, bikers and IKEA

Red Hook is an industrial area of old piers that keeps alive ways of life long gone elsewhere in New York. Take the biker bars, for instance, which Anthony Bourdain frequented.

Red Hook is also where you'll find the fabulous IKEA store in New York, easily reached by ferry (all the details are at the link).

10. Bensonhurst: Tony Manero's neighborhood

Plenty of Italians came to Brooklyn and settled in neighborhoods like Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, which remain faithful to their roots to this day (unlike Manhattan's Little Italy, given over to tourism and steadily losing ground to Chinatown).

The best reference point: these neighborhoods are the setting for Saturday Night Fever (1977).

More Brooklyn neighborhoods

There are other Brooklyn neighborhoods I haven't covered in detail because they're more residential or far from the tourist attractions. But as with everything in New York, every neighborhood has charms you can discover when you have time to spare.

Among them are Bedford Stuyvesant, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, plus Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and Carroll Gardens (colloquially known as BoCoCa, in that classic NYC habit of naming neighborhoods with acronyms).

The history of Brooklyn in New York

Until 1898 Brooklyn was an independent city. That year it became one more borough of what is now New York City, alongside Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island.

But that independent spirit and strong sense of belonging never left its more than two million Brooklynites.

Its name is a tribute to the Dutch town of Breukelen, since this area was once a Dutch settlement, just like all of New York, which started out as New Amsterdam. The name roughly translates to something like «little marshland».

How to Get to Brooklyn

Brooklyn is very well connected to the rest of New York by the NYC subway and by several East River ferry lines.

It's linked to Manhattan by the famous Brooklyn Bridge (which you MUST walk across at least once), the Manhattan Bridge and the Williamsburg Bridge, plus an underwater tunnel and several subway lines.

It connects to the NYC borough of Staten Island via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,

You can also get to Brooklyn on the NYC Ferry, which links several points in Brooklyn with Manhattan, Queens and Governors Island.

As you can see, there's no excuse not to visit this one-of-a-kind New York borough. There's plenty to see in Brooklyn, one of our favorites, if not the favorite.

Where to Stay in Brooklyn

If you're looking for a place to stay, this list of 5 cheap and very well located hotels in Brooklyn may come in handy.

You can also check out our recommendations for the best neighborhoods to stay in New York.

This list of the 5 most booked hotels by the NewYorkando traveler community might point you in the right direction 😉:

📍 West Side YMCA on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

📍 HI New York City Hostel, also on the Upper West Side.

📍 NY Moore Hostel, very well located in Brooklyn.

📍 Pod Times Square in the heart of Manhattan.

📍 Holiday Inn Chelsea in one of NYC's most iconic neighborhoods.