Origin
Brooklyn Heights, NY
Morning in Brooklyn Heights on Tuesday
Local time
6:37 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brooklyn Heights, NY to Manhattan, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
23m
Distance
9.3 mi
15 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 28m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brooklyn Heights, NY
Sarah O'Shea
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Brooklyn Heights, NY to Manhattan, NY is 9.3 miles and takes about 23 minutes via FDR Drive, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Northeast region, specifically within New York State. Expect a local drive with frequent turns rather than a highway cruise. With minimal mileage and a quick estimated travel time, this route is ideal for a single-day excursion. It’s a straightforward urban transit, perfect for when you need to get from one borough to another efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| FDR Drive | 3.8 mi | 7m |
| Manhattan Bridge | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| East 72nd Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Madison Avenue | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| York Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| 86th Street Transverse | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Tillary Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Montgomery Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
FDR Drive
— 3.8 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brooklyn Heights, NY and Manhattan, NY.
1
Start on Pierrepont Street
485 ft
·
28 sec
·
Pierrepont Street
2
Turn left onto Clinton Street
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Clinton Street
3
Continue on Tillary Street
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
Tillary Street
4
Continue on Tillary Street
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Tillary Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Turn left onto Flatbush Avenue Extension
0.1 mi
·
33 sec
·
Flatbush Avenue Extension
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on Flatbush Avenue Extension
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Flatbush Avenue Extension
7
Continue on Manhattan Bridge
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Manhattan Bridge
8
Continue on Chrystie Street
377 ft
·
16 sec
·
Chrystie Street
9
Turn right onto Canal Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Canal Street
Use the right lane.
10
At end of road, turn right onto Rutgers Street
134 ft
·
13 sec
·
Rutgers Street
11
Turn left onto East Broadway
0.3 mi
·
52 sec
·
East Broadway
Use the left lane.
12
Turn right onto Montgomery Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Montgomery Street
Use the straight lane.
13
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
18 sec
Toward FDR Drive North
14
Merge onto FDR
3.8 mi
·
7 min
·
FDR Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
237 ft
·
9 sec
Exit 12
Toward NY 25 East: East 61st Street, Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
Use the slight left lane.
16
Turn left onto East 61st Street
204 ft
·
11 sec
·
East 61st Street
Use the left lane.
17
Turn right onto York Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
York Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
18
Turn left onto East 72nd Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East 72nd Street
19
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Madison Avenue
20
Turn left onto East 85th Street
507 ft
·
12 sec
·
East 85th Street
21
Continue on 86th Street Transverse
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
86th Street Transverse
Toward West Side
22
Arrive at destination
86th Street Transverse
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 2 and 6.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
2 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Canal Street
Turn right onto Canal Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
2.3 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
East Broadway
Turn left onto East Broadway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
2.6 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
Montgomery Street
Turn right onto Montgomery Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
8
6.8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward NY 25 East: East 61st Street, Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left lane.
Exit 12
Toward NY 25 East: East 61st Street, Ed Koch Qu...
6
6.9 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
East 61st Street
Turn left onto East 61st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.53 one way
$3.06 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $1.66 | $3.31 |
| premium | $4.92 | $1.80 | $3.61 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.05 | $4.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.8 | 0 | $0.98 | $0.45 |
| Efficient EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.81 | $0.37 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.60 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Manhattan, NY
Morning in Manhattan on Tuesday
Local time
6:37 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
2 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
23m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is characterized as a turn-heavy local drive, with no highway mileage contributing to the total. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 3.8 miles on FDR Drive. As you navigate, be prepared for frequent directional changes typical of city driving. The transition between roads like FDR Drive and Manhattan Bridge will require your attention. The overall feel is less about open road and more about precise navigation through an urban environment.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.8 mi on FDR Drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 15 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 2 miles in near Canal Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 9.3 miles you will encounter 15 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles (Canal Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles (East Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (Montgomery Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Brooklyn Heights, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Fdr Drive North along the way.
Fdr Drive North
2.9 mi in
|
~8m
About the Cities
Arriving in Manhattan, NY
Full guide →Founded 1624
Wall Street. Madison Avenue. 34th Street. Broadway. Times Square. Manhattan is so well known that even the names of its streets have become iconic and understood the world over. This long, thin island is only one of New York City's five boroughs, but it's Manhattan that has the concrete canyons and the inimitable skyline; Manhattan that has the world's brightest theater district; Manhattan that has Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Met; and Manhattan that includes iconic neighborhoods like Harlem, the Upper East Side, Times Square, and Greenwich Village. The rest of New York City has much to see and do, but it's Manhattan that represents the city—and sometimes the entire United States—to the world. You could spend a month on this tiny island and still not see all there is to see.
Top landmarks
- • Empire State Building — skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 23m. Total distance: 9.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 3.8 miles on FDR Drive. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Manhattan, NY before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles (Canal Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles (East Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (Montgomery Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — African Burial Ground National Monument, Castle Clinton National Monument and Federal Hall National Memorial (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Manhattan, NY before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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