landmark
Brooklyn Bridge
Landmark 1883 hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River.
7 km · about 15 min drive
North AmericaUnited StatesNew York
Brooklyn
New York, United States · North America
About Brooklyn
Brooklyn works well as a base: 5 minutes from Park Slope, 7km from Brooklyn Bridge.
Brooklyn is in New York, United States, with about 2.7 million people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Park Slope, about 4 km away.
Brooklyn, coextensive with Kings County, is the most populous of the five boroughs and counties of New York City, New York. Located at the westernmost end of Long Island and formerly an independent city, Brooklyn shares a land border with the borough and county of Queens. It has several bridge and tunnel connectionsRead more
to the borough of Manhattan, across the East River, including the architecturally significant Brooklyn Bridge, and is connected to Staten Island by the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge.
The borough, as Kings County, at 37,339.9 inhabitants per square mile (14,417.0/km2), is the second most densely populated county, and New York City borough, in the U.S. after Manhattan (New York County), and the most populous county in the state, as of 2022. In the 2020 United States census, the borough had a population of 2,736,074. Had Brooklyn remained an independent city on Long Island, it would now be the fourth most populous American city after the rest of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. With a land area of 69.38 square miles (179.7 km2) and a water area of 27.48 square miles (71.2 km2), Kings County, one of the twelve original counties established under British rule in 1683 in the then-province of New York, is the state of New York's fourth-smallest county by land area and third smallest by total area.
Brooklyn, named after the Dutch town of Breukelen in the Netherlands, was founded by the Dutch in the 17th century and grew into a busy port city on New York Harbor by the 19th century. On January 1, 1898, after a long political campaign and public-relations battle during the 1890s and despite opposition from Brooklyn residents, Brooklyn was consolidated and annexed, along with other areas, to form the current five-borough structure of New York City in accordance with the new municipal charter of Greater New York. The borough continues to maintain a distinct culture. Many Brooklyn neighborhoods are ethnic enclaves. With Jews forming around a fifth of its population, the borough has been described as one of the main global hubs for Jewish culture. Brooklyn's official motto, displayed on the borough seal and flag, is Een Draght Mackt Maght, which translates from early modern Dutch as "In unity there is strength".
Educational institutions in Brooklyn include the City University of New York's Brooklyn College, Medgar Evers College, and College of Technology, as well as Pratt Institute, Long Island University, and the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. In sports, basketball's Brooklyn Nets, and New York Liberty play at the Barclays Center. In the first decades of the 21st century, Brooklyn has experienced a renaissance as a destination for hipsters, with associated gentrification, dramatic house-price increases, and a decrease in housing affordability. Some new developments are now required to include affordable housing units. Since the 2010s, parts of Brooklyn have evolved into a hub for entrepreneurship, high-technology startup firms, postmodern art, and design.
Where to Stay in Brooklyn
Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.
Filter presets
Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.
Compare before you book!
Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Brooklyn.
Explore the Area
Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Brooklyn.
Loading map...
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Brooklyn?
Within an hour or so of Brooklyn: Brooklyn Bridge (7 km), Moto Coffee Machine (8 km), One World Trade Center (9 km), 9/11 Memorial & Museum (9 km).
Are there any good drives near Brooklyn?
The nearest famous roads are Hawk's Nest (Route 97).
Where is Brooklyn?
Brooklyn is in New York, United States, about 4 km from Park Slope.
Road trip
Drive to Brooklyn
Add it as a stop and the planner works out the driving, the nights and what's worth seeing on the way.
Start planningWhat's nearby?
Swipe through places to go
Places within a drive of Brooklyn. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
Explore now
Quick Information
- Population
- 2,736,074
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Region
- New York
- Timezone
- America/New_York
- Coordinates
- 40.6501, -73.9496
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in United States
AAA roadside assistance: 1-800-222-4357. Right turn on red is legal in most states unless signed otherwise.
Full driving guide for United StatesTags
Worth the detour from Brooklyn
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
cafe
Moto Coffee Machine
A New York motorcycle-themed specialty coffee spot where two-wheeled culture meets the city's cafe scene.
8 km · about 15 min drive
landmark
One World Trade Center
Tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at 541 metres, rising from the site of the original World Trade Center.
9 km · about 15 min drive
landmark
9/11 Memorial & Museum
Tribute at the World Trade Center site featuring twin reflecting pools set in the footprints of the original towers.
9 km · about 15 min drive
landmark
Statue of Liberty
Colossal neoclassical sculpture gifted by France in 1886, standing as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.
9 km · about 15 min drive
restaurant
Katz's Delicatessen
Lower East Side deli open since 1888, hand-carving some 15,000 pounds of pastrami a week under fluorescent light and salami-strung ceilings. You take a paper ticket at the door and guard it.
9 km · about 15 min drive
landmark
Empire State Building
Legendary 102-storey Art Deco skyscraper that defined the New York City skyline when completed in 1931.
11 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Times Square
Dazzling commercial intersection in Midtown Manhattan known for its giant digital billboards and New Year's Eve ball drop.
12 km · about 25 min drive
Nearby Destinations
Other places to explore near Brooklyn.
Plan a trip around Brooklyn
Your trip starts here
Plan a road trip from Brooklyn.
Pick the days, drop in the stops, and share it with whoever's coming.