Queens Neighborhoods: Where to Go and What to See

Queens is New York's largest and most diverse borough. The city's culture is being reinvented here, so much so that plenty of visionaries call it the next Brooklyn.

On your trip to New York, don't miss this mosaic of flavors and people from all over the world. It's a living UN where more than 130 languages are spoken. There's plenty to see in Queens!

Queens Neighborhoods

Most Queens neighborhoods are residential, and the people who live there identify strongly with them. Just think of The Nanny, Fran Drescher, who said over and over that she came from Flushing.

Every Queens neighborhood has been made its own by some immigrant community that passed along its quirks and traditions. So each one is a «country» unto itself, with very particular attractions to visit.

Here are the Queens neighborhoods I recommend you get to know (click the links for all the details).

1. Long Island City

Long Island City is the most cutting-edge neighborhood in Queens: home to the PS1 contemporary art center, the Isamu Noguchi Museum, and Socrates Sculpture Park, among other cultural centers and galleries.

Gantry Plaza State Park, with its huge vintage Pepsi-Cola sign, is one of those newer New York attractions you shouldn't skip.

See everything you can do in Long Island City.

2. Astoria

Astoria, in Queens, is the heart of New York's Greek community.

There's a lot to do: listen to European techno, eat Mediterranean food, visit Orthodox churches, get surprised at the Museum of the Moving Image, or look out at Manhattan from Astoria Park, which is especially beautiful at dusk.

Learn more about Astoria.

3. Flushing

Flushing is considered the real Chinatown, since 40% of the residents of this Queens neighborhood are Asian (before them came Eastern European Jews).

Flushing Meadows Corona Park is home to Citi Field Stadium, the site of the US Open, and the Queens Museum of Art, with its enormous scale model of New York.

You can also visit Louis Armstrong's house, now a museum.

4. Jackson Heights

Walking Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights (under the elevated 7 train) is a trip from the Caribbean to India without ever leaving Queens.

In fact, one part of the neighborhood is called Little India (excellent Indian food!).

See what to do in Jackson Heights.

5. Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach has the longest urban beach in the United States, immortalized by the Ramones in 1977. This Queens destination is a big favorite with surfers.

Its long wooden boardwalk is perfect for a walk along the ocean, past houses and scenery frozen in time (check out more NYC beaches).

More New York Neighborhoods

Once you've covered the best of Queens, keep exploring the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

I'm assuming that if you're exploring Queens, it's because you're already an expert on Manhattan 😉

One more idea: if you've already been to New York many times, how about visiting other nearby destinations on your next trip?

From New York you can visit Washington DC, and you can also get to Philadelphia from New York or to Boston in just 1 day!