Williamsburg & Greenpoint
The neighborhood most associated with "Brooklyn" in the popular imagination over the last 15 years — converted warehouses, a dense restaurant and bar scene, and a waterfront park with one of the best skyline views of Manhattan in the city. One subway stop (L train) from Manhattan. Read the full Williamsburg guide →
DUMBO & Brooklyn Heights
DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) has the famous cobblestone street with the Manhattan Bridge framed between buildings — genuinely worth the trip for photos, genuinely busy because of it. Brooklyn Heights next door is quieter, residential, and has the Promenade — a walkway with arguably Brooklyn's best skyline view, minus the crowds.
Park Slope & Prospect Park
Tree-lined brownstone blocks around Prospect Park, which locals will (fairly) tell you rivals Central Park and gets a fraction of the tourists. More residential, more strollers, fewer souvenir shops. Read the full Park Slope guide →
Coney Island
The boardwalk, the original Nathan's Famous hot dog stand, the Cyclone roller coaster (running since 1927), and a beach that's a genuine escape from the city in summer. Further out on the subway than most Brooklyn neighborhoods, but a full experience in itself.
Bushwick & Bed-Stuy
Bushwick carries a lot of the city's current street art and DIY music-venue scene; Bed-Stuy is historically one of the largest concentrations of Black culture and history in the US, alongside Harlem, with a fast-evolving food and brownstone-renovation story of its own. Crown Heights neighbours Bed-Stuy with its own strong Caribbean heritage, the Brooklyn Museum and the Botanic Garden.