Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
9.2 mi
15 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Brooklyn Heights, NY
Sarah O'Shea
Manhattan, NY to Brooklyn Heights, NY is 9.2 miles and takes about 22 minutes via FDR Drive, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a very short hop within New York State, connecting two of the most iconic boroughs. Expect a local drive with frequent turns, as opposed to an open highway experience. With no dedicated overnight stay recommended, this trip is easily manageable within a single day. It's a straightforward connection between two bustling urban centers.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| FDR Drive | 5.5 mi | 10m |
| East 79th Street | 1 mi | 3m |
| Brooklyn Bridge | 1 mi | 2m |
| 86th Street Transverse | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Henry Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| 5th Avenue | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Ari Halbertam Memorial Ramp | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Pierrepont Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Manhattan, NY and Brooklyn Heights, NY.
Start on 86th Street Transverse
Turn right onto 5th Avenue
Turn left onto East 79th Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto FDR
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Continue on Ari Halbertam Memorial Ramp
Turn right onto Brooklyn Bridge
Take the exit
Turn left onto Henry Street
Turn left onto Pierrepont Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 8.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto East 79th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Merge onto FDR / FDR Drive
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Civic Center, New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, Pace University
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward Brooklyn Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 278: Brooklyn Queens Expressway, Cadman Plaza West
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$1.51 one way
$3.03 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $1.64 | $3.28 |
| premium | $4.92 | $1.78 | $3.57 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.03 | $4.06 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.2 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 | $0.97 | $0.44 |
| Efficient EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.80 | $0.37 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Manhattan on Tuesday
Local time
8:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
88°F
Mostly Sunny
Destination
Morning in Brooklyn Heights on Tuesday
Local time
8:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
This route is characterized as a turn-heavy local drive, with 0% highway share. You won't encounter long, monotonous stretches of interstate here. The longest uninterrupted segment is 5.5 miles along FDR Drive, offering a brief taste of more open driving. As you transition from FDR Drive, expect to navigate city streets with numerous intersections. The drive's personality shifts from a relatively free-flowing parkway to a more deliberate urban navigation.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in near East 79th Street.
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 9.2 miles you will encounter 11 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 0.6 miles (East 79th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (FDR / FDR Drive): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Manhattan, NY and Brooklyn Heights, NY, road signs point toward Fdr Drive South, Manhattan Civic Center, New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, Pace University, Brooklyn and Cadman Plaza West.
Fdr Drive South
Manhattan Civic Center
New York Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital
Pace University
Brooklyn
Cadman Plaza West
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 22m. Total distance: 9.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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