Best Spots for Brooklyn Views of Manhattan

The Brooklyn views of Manhattan are the best skyline views in the city! Try to prove me wrong! I’ve said it more than once and I’ll keep saying it, the New York skyline views from Brooklyn are unbeatable! From waterfront parks along the East River to faraway look-out points in South Brooklyn to rooftop bars – plus many more spots that offer the best views of Manhattan!

Check out my absolute favorite best views of Manhattan from Brooklyn – and let us know if we missed one of your favorites!

New York Skyline Views from Brooklyn

Brooklyn Bridge

The New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most unbeatable spots for views in the entire city! Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge is a must if you’ve never done it and one of those quintessential NYC experiences that never gets old, even for a local (unless you go on a weekend in the middle of summer – it’s packed!).

You can walk or bike in either direction, but the best way to do it is to get the Manhattan skyline views from Brooklyn by starting from DUMBO and walking towards the skyline.

This, of course, is one of the most popular Brooklyn Instagram spots because of not only the bridge and the beautiful architecture, but because it offers one of the best views of Manhattan and the skyline. The views of the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge include views of Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center and even the Statue of Liberty. If you look opposite of Lady Liberty you’ll also get great views of the Manhattan Bridge.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Before enjoying the views of the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge, you can spend some time in one of the best parks in Brooklyn, the East River waterfront park in DUMBO, Brooklyn Bridge Park. There are several great things to do in Brooklyn Bridge Park, and it’s good to familiarize yourself with all the areas it covers from the DUMBO waterfront to Brooklyn Heights waterfront on either side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The lawn between Pebble Beach and the Manhattan Bridge offer some of the best Brooklyn views of Manhattan and the NYC skyline. What I love about this lawn is that it’s usually not as busy as other parts of the park and you can get the Manhattan Bridge in your photos or Brooklyn Bridge in your photos too.

This is a great unobstructed view of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn, specifically Lower Manhattan with views of the World Trade Tower and surrounding buildings.

Continue along the waterfront to where the historic and beautiful Jane’s Carousel is to get another vantage point right next to the Brooklyn Bridge and if you continue along the paths around to the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge and continue, you get more alternative views from the Brooklyn Heights waterfront with the piers in the foreground and the skyline in the backdrop.

For more incredible views, check out the best piers in New York City.

Time Out Market

One of the best things to do in Brooklyn and in DUMBO is checking out the Time Out Market in the Empire Stores Building steps off of the Brooklyn Bridge Park and DUMBO waterfront. Time Out Market New York also happens to be a great place to grab a bite to eat with many different vendors on the first floor and you can continue up to the 5th level of the building for more options and a bar plus their outdoor terrace.

The elevated outdoor terrace offers some of the best views of Manhattan from Brooklyn along with Brooklyn Bridge Park below, both the Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a popular spot at around sunset, and what makes it even more enticing are the food options since this is one of the best DUMBO restaurants with a view!

This Brooklyn view of Manhattan is hard to beat since you have everything right here, and as you can see in the photo, this is one of the best sunset spots in Brooklyn as you get to see the skyline and bridge lights sparkle and glimmer!

Manhattan Bridge

Much like the views of the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge also offers great views! The Manhattan Bridge walk is underrated compared to the Brooklyn Bridge, of course, you don’t get the same aesthetic, as Manhattan Bridge is a bit more of a gritty view as the walking path is on the lower level of the bridge and your best view of Manhattan is looking or shooting through the fence.

Because of this, this Manhattan view from Brooklyn isn’t as popular as the view of the New York skyline from the Brooklyn Bridge. But there’s another reason why this route is pretty awesome, if you’re a photographer your photos look a little different as this offers an alternative perspective of Lower Manhattan, the East River, and views of the Brooklyn Bridge with the skyline and this walking path is always WAY less crowded if not empty compared to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade

Another great Brooklyn view of Manhattan is tucked away in a spot that for some reason many tourists miss, even though its just a short walk to all the fun around DUMBO, one of the most popular areas for visitors to come in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Heights Promenade has giant, historic mansions on one side of this groomed walkway with ample amounts of walking spaces, benches, and of course, some of the best views of Manhattan, Lower Manhattan to be more specific.

Besides getting Lower Manhattan views with a great view of the World Trade Center, you also get great views of the Brooklyn Bridge and if you look in the direction of Governor’s Island, you also get a great view of the Statue of Liberty (which did you know was a National Park in NYC?), and Brooklyn Bridge Park below.

Once you reach the end of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade closest to the Brooklyn Bridge, there is another great New York skyline view from Brooklyn from the floating pathway that leads down to Brooklyn Bridge Park through Squibb Park.

While you’re here, if you want to explore one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the city, there are some great things to do in Brooklyn Heights worth checking out, America’s First Suburb, even though some argue Levittown is.

Rooftop Bars

Without a doubt, some of the best views of Manhattan are found from the many rooftop bars in Brooklyn! Some of the best options for rooftop Brooklyn views of Manhattan can be found from the rooftop bars in DUMBO and the rooftop bars in Williamsburg.

While we already mentioned Time Out Market New York in DUMBO, you can also find two of our favorite rooftop bars here including Harriet’s Rooftop & Lounge at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge – which you’ll want to snag a reservation in advance and the rooftop at Randolph, one of the best breweries in Brooklyn!

There are quite a few options in Williamsburg that also offer stunning views of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn like Westlight at the William Vale Hotel, this is another spot you’re going to want to secure a reservation for to get the jaw-dropping views of Midtown from 22nd floor of this upscale hotel. 

Domino Park

A very popular New York skyline view from Brooklyn is located on the beautiful Williamsburg East River waterfront from Domino Park. This park is already a really interesting spot since it was built on the former site of the Domino Suger Refinery and has ruins from this once industrious facility worked into the concept of the park.

If you’re noticing a trend, almost all the best views of Manhattan from Brooklyn are along the East River waterfront and this spot is no different. From this spot you get great views of Midtown’s skyline including Empire State Building views as well as nearby buildings and of course to the left, the Williamsburg Bridge too.

Not to mention, this is one of the best parks in NYC too!

WNYC Transmitter Park

Located along the East River waterfront in the Greenpoint neighborhood is another great Brooklyn view of Manhattan. WNYC Transmitter Park is one of the smaller waterfront parks and was named after the WNYC public radio station that used this area for broadcasting. Once the World Trade Center was built and more antennas were being placed in Manhattan and New Jersey, this spot was no longer needed to transmit radio waves.

There’s also a cool mural here and you can sit on the small patch of lawn or walk to the pier to get one of the best views of Manhattan!

Old Glory Lookout

This one is a bit of a further in South Brooklyn, the Old Glory Lookout in Bay Ridge offers one of the best underrated Brooklyn view of Manhattan, specifically the view of the World Trade Center and the tip of Lower Manhattan.

This is a pretty great sunset spot too because not only do you get one of the best views of Manhattan from Brooklyn but you also get the lights from the traffic on the freeway and if you turn the opposite way you get a cool view of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

There’s also a great walking/running/biking path along the waterfront too if you’re looking to take a longer stroll to take in this New York skyline view from Brooklyn.

Schaefer Landing

Located along the Williamsburg waterfront along the East River is another stunner and one of the best views of Manhattan from Brooklyn! This also happens to be where the South Williamsburg Ferry stop is, so if you time it right you can grab a ferry ride to also get another one of the best views of Manhattan from right on the East River. If you do plan on considering this, hop on the ferry to DUMBO so you can experience two of the best New York skyline views from Brooklyn in one day/evening.

Walk along the pier and you can find some great photo opportunities and even places to sit and take in those breathtaking Midtown skyline views.

Marsha P Johnson State Park & Bushwick Inlet Park

Aka the East River State Park and next to Bushwick Inlet Park is Marsha P Johnson Park on Williamsburg’s waterfront and offers more of the best views of Manhattan from Brooklyn.

These waterfront parks are right next to each other and have ample amounts of green space and picnic spots and is worth checking out as it has front-row views of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn.

If you’re a history buff, pay attention to the interpretive signs around the park pointing out significant historic landmarks as this was the site of a former 19th-century shipping dock. In addition to the great Brooklyn view of Manhattan and the East River, these neighboring parks offer native meadow plantings among the historic rail yard remnants, great picnic spots with a view, and outdoor recreational opportunities.

Skyline Drive-In

One of my absolute favorite waterfront Brooklyn views of Manhattan and the skyline is from Skyline Drive-In Movie Theater in Greenpoint! If you have a car, or rent one, you can enjoy a movie from the comfort of your vehicle and watch a movie with the sparkling city skyline behind the big screen!

Don’t have a car? They do let walk-ins come and enjoy a show, you still have to buy a ticket and bring your own chair so you don’t have to sit the entire movie on asphalt! 

This is also the spot of the Greenpoint Terminal Market in the summer months! So you can even catch one of the best views of Manhattan from Brooklyn while shopping local vendors and snacking from food trucks during their market days.

Check out more of the best movie theaters in Brooklyn!

Smith & 9th Street Station

This is one of the best views of Manhattan and the skyline with a great perspective of the train since this view, and hidden gem in Brooklyn is from the Smith & 9th Street subway station! This elevated subway stop offers really great New York skyline views from Brooklyn as well as getting a train action shot all in the same spot!

This stop in Gowanus is where the F & G lines run, and also below here happens to be a Goodfellas filming location in Brooklyn too. The subway platform is outdoor and elevated so you get a really unique view of the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn featuring Brooklyn buildings and the subway in the foreground and Lower Manhattan buildings in the backdrop like the World Trade Center.

The Tiny Cupboard

Fancy a comedy show in Brooklyn while also getting a great rooftop view of Manhattan from Brooklyn? The Tiny Cupboard, located in Bushwick, is an intimate comedy venue that expanded its operation to its rooftop offering great comedy sets and stunning views of Midtown Manhattan including the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.

This is one of our favorite summertime activities and we recommend you follow their page to see their current shows and line ups!

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For more insane views be sure to check out the best rooftop lounges in NYC including restaurants and bars with sweeping views of the skyline from all over the city!

Did we miss one of your favorite Brooklyn views of Manhattan? Let us know in the comments below and we will go check it out!

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