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One Day in Brooklyn: Perfect 24 Hours Itinerary (+ Map!)

Brooklyn Museum, a must-visit during one day in Brooklyn
One day in Brooklyn

With this one day in Brooklyn itinerary, you can have a lot of fun and discover the highlights of Brooklyn in 24 hours.

Brooklyn is a must-visit if you’re traveling to New York City. And even though you can spend many days in Brooklyn and never get bored, you can definitely see a lot of Brooklyn if you’re there for only 24 hours.

From exploring iconic sights to having food at incredible places to seeing art, you can do a lot in a day! To help you make the most out of your day, I made this Brooklyn one day itinerary.

Where To Stay in Brooklyn

Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg – Osugi / Shutterstock.com

When you are traveling from far away when going to Brooklyn for a day, you might want to stay for a night before or after your day in the borough.

There are lots of great places to stay in Brooklyn. One of the best neighborhoods to consider is the trendy Williamsburg, and this is especially as you’ll end your day there when you use this itinerary.

You could also stay in Dumbo or Brooklyn Heights. Both are great neighborhoods that are located along the East River, and both contain a lot of restaurants, stores, and amazing viewpoints where you can get views of the river and Manhattan.

Itinerary for One Day in Brooklyn

Have Breakfast at Bagel Pub

Let’s start your day by going to Bagel Pub. This is a great bagel shop with several locations in Brooklyn, and you can one at 57 7th Avenue, which is close to the next activity of this itinerary.

You can have breakfast at this place and enjoy a delicious bagel. At Bagel Pub, you can get amazing hand-rolled bagels that are freshly baked every day.

There are many different types of breakfast sandwiches to choose from and you can customize it such that you have one that you completely like!

Address: 57 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217

See Grand Army Plaza

Grand Army Plaza on a cloudy day
Grand Army Plaza

After breakfast, I recommend checking out Grand Army Plaza. This is a public plaza that you can find very close to Bagel Pub and it is situated in the Prospect Heights neighborhood.

The most iconic landmark that you can find at Grand Army Plaza is the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch, which is a triumphal arch with all kinds of sculptures and figures on it, including one that depicts President Lincoln.

In addition to that, you can see several busts here, there is a monument of John F. Kennedy and you can see the beautiful Baily Fountain here as well.

Learn New Things at the Brooklyn Museum

Outside of the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum from the outside – photravel_ru / Shutterstock.com

Also located in Prospect Heights is the Brooklyn Museum. This is one of the best and largest art museums in New York City, which was founded in 1898, and the museum has a very diverse and interesting collection of art.

You can find about 500,000 works of art in the museum’s collection, and the collection includes objects from all around the world. From Asia to Europe to Oceania, you can find all kinds of works here.

Furthermore, you can see works by famous artists here, such as O’Keeffe and Degas.

The exterior of the museum makes this a great place to check out during your one day in Brooklyn as well. The building is a beautiful Beaux-Arts building.

Address: 200 Eastern Pkwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Have Lunch at Time Out Market New York

People at Time Out Market New York
Time Out Market New York – James Andrews1 / Shutterstock.com

Now, let’s have lunch at Time Out Market New York. For this, you have to go to the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Time Out Market New York is a food hall where you can find many different restaurants in one location, which means that there is certainly food that you will like! You can also discover new types of food here as well!

For example, you can go here to have great pizza, bagels, salads, fries, and much more.

Furthermore, there is a rooftop bar here where you can enjoy a drink and food with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge, which is amazing to experience!

Address: 55 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

See the Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge in New York City
Brooklyn Bridge in NYC

When you first go to the rooftop of Time Out Market New York during this day in Brooklyn, you already saw this iconic bridge, but you should still get a closer view during this day.

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most iconic bridges in New York City.

The bridge, which was opened in 1883, connects the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan and crosses the East River.

The bridge is very large and has a main span of close to 1600 feet. At the time of its opening, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. In addition to that, the deck of the bridge is about 130 feet above the water.

Go to Brooklyn Bridge Park

Grass and trees at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Nature at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Next to the Brooklyn Bridge, you can find Brooklyn Bridge Park.

This is an 85-acre park that you can find on the East River.

It is a beautiful place with a lot of nature, which makes it an ideal place for a relaxing stroll!

While you are having a stroll here, you can enjoy an amazing view of both the Brooklyn Bridge and the skyline of Manhattan.

You can also find Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This is a historic carousel that was built in 1922 and has 48 wooden horses. It is housed in a glass pavilion next to the Brooklyn Bridge.

When you are exploring the park, you should definitely also check out the carousel!

Get Ice Cream at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, nature, and bridge
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory – Julien Hautcoeur / Shutterstock.com

Another spot that you should not miss out on if you want to explore Brooklyn in a day is the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

This is an ice cream shop that you can find very close to Brooklyn Bridge Park, so it is easy to go here.

At this ice cream shop, you can get amazing small-batch ice cream. There are many delicious and unique flavors to choose from, the ice cream is affordable, and what’s great is that you can enjoy a view of the Brooklyn Bridge when you get ice cream here.

Keep in mind that there is often a line at this place because it is such a good ice cream shop!

Address: 14 Old Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Explore Dumbo

Cars parked on a street in Dumbo
Street in Dumbo

Dumbo is a small neighborhood that is located on Brooklyn’s side of the East River. It is a neighborhood with a lot to offer.

When you use this itinerary, you already went to Dumbo, as you can find Time Out Market New York here.

One of the most famous streets in Dumbo is Washington Street and this is a great place to check out if you want to get a view of Brooklyn Bridge, and this is a great spot for photography as well.

In addition to that, you can see beautiful historic buildings here and there are many live music venues.

Visit the New York Transit Museum

Vintage train at the New York Transit Museum
Train at the New York Transit Museum – Felix Lipov / Shutterstock.com

The New York Transit Museum is another museum that is worth checking out when you are a day in the borough.

You can find this museum at 99 Schermerhorn Street and the museum is located inside the former Court Street subway station.

At the museum, you can learn about everything that relates to transportation in New York City. From trains to cars to the subway, you can learn about many different things here.

The museum’s collection includes a lot of different types of memorabilia related to transport, and you can also see historic subway cars here.

Furthermore, it is sometimes possible to ride a historic subway car here, but if you want to do that you’ll probably need more than one day in Brooklyn.

Address: 99 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Have Dinner at Smorgasburg

People eating food at Smorgasburg
People having food at Smorgasburg – Gregorio Koji / Shutterstock.com

For dinner, I recommend going to Smorgasburg in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

This is an open-air food market where many vendors serve delicious food. From barbecue to tacos to pasta, you can get a lot of different types of food here, and in total, there are more than 75 vendors.

Keep in mind that you can only go to Smorgasburg during some months of the year, but when it is not taking place when you are in Brooklyn, there are many other great restaurants to check out in Williamsburg for you. For example, a great one is Sweetwater.

Address: 90 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Go to Brooklyn Bowl or the Music Hall of Williamsburg

Outside of the Music Hall of Williamsburg
Exterior of the Music Hall of Williamsburg – Julie Angel Saad / Shutterstock.com

There are many great things to do at night in Brooklyn, and a great activity during your 24 hours in Brooklyn is to go to a concert.

For this, there are two great places to consider going to: Brooklyn Bowl and the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Brooklyn Bowl is a great venue to check out if you want to listen to great rock music and a variety of other genres.

Music Hall of Williamsburg is also a great venue to check out, and this one is operated by The Bowery Presents. This venue has a capacity of 650 people and you can go here for a rock music concert on most nights of the week.

In addition to that, you can enjoy a variety of other types of shows here. For example, in the past, comedy shows also took place at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

More Brooklyn Articles

Things to do at night in Brooklyn

Things to do alone in Brooklyn

Brooklyn One Day Itinerary Tips

By using this Brooklyn one day itinerary, you can be sure of a great time in Brooklyn as it covers the highlights, but you can also adjust it to make it more suitable for you.

For example, if you want to spend more time at the Brooklyn Museum, you can decide to not explore Dumbo in the afternoon.

Or if you prefer to see a movie instead of going to a concert, you can instead go to Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg in the evening.

Exterior of the Brooklyn Museum
Building of the Brooklyn Museum – yuriyt / Shutterstock.com

One Day in Brooklyn Map


This was my one day in Brooklyn itinerary. I hope I helped you plan your day!

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