Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
15.2 mi
24 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
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
Flatlands, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Manhattan, NY to Flatlands, NY is 15.2 miles and takes about 36 minutes via Kings Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. Expect a local feel for most of the journey, making it a straightforward drive for a single day. It's a good option if you're looking for a quick hop within the city without the commitment of a longer road trip.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kings Highway | 3 mi | 5m |
| NY 25 | 2 mi | 3m |
| Broadway | 1.3 mi | 3m |
| Bushwick Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Rockaway Avenue | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| Vandervoort Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| 2nd Avenue | 0.6 mi | 2m |
| 5th Avenue | 0.6 mi | 2m |
Step-by-step road directions between Manhattan, NY and Flatlands, NY.
Start on 86th Street Transverse
Turn right onto 5th Avenue
Turn left onto East 72nd Street
Turn right onto 2nd Avenue
Take the ramp onto NY 25
Keep slight left at fork onto NY 25
Turn right onto Van Dam Street
Turn left onto Borden Avenue
Take the ramp onto Borden Avenue
Turn slight right
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 278
Take the exit
Turn left onto Vandervoort Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto Grand Street
Turn left onto Bushwick Avenue
Turn right onto Hart Street
Turn left onto Broadway
Turn right onto Rockaway Avenue
Turn right onto East New York Avenue
Turn left onto Howard Avenue
Continue on Tapscott Street
Continue on Kings Highway
Turn left onto Flatbush Avenue
Turn left onto Lott Place
Turn right onto Harden Street
Turn right
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.5 and 7.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto 2nd Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Take the ramp onto NY 25 toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Lower Roadway
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward I 278 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Meeker Avenue, Morgan Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
At end of road, turn right onto Grand Street
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$2.50 one way
$5.00 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.71 | $5.41 |
| premium | $4.92 | $2.95 | $5.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.36 | $6.71 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.60 | $0.73 |
| Efficient EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.33 | $0.61 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.13 | $0.97 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Late night in Manhattan on Tuesday
Local time
5:10 AM
EDT
Current temp
88°F
Mostly Sunny
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 15 at 11:57PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
Destination
Late night in Flatlands on Tuesday
Local time
5:10 AM
EDT
Current temp
85°F
Mostly Sunny
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 15 at 11:57PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
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 only 17% of the journey on highways. You'll spend most of your time navigating city streets, with the longest uninterrupted stretch being about 3 miles on Kings Highway. Be prepared for frequent turns and traffic lights as you make your way through the urban landscape. The drive will likely feel like a typical city commute, requiring your attention to local road conditions and traffic patterns.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in near 2nd Avenue.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 24 decision points packed into just 15.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles (2nd Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (NY 25): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Manhattan, NY and Flatlands, NY, road signs point toward Lower Roadway, Eastern Long Island and Staten Island.
Lower Roadway
Eastern Long Island
Staten Island
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 36m. Total distance: 15.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m 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.
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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore more options from Manhattan, NY or browse trips ending in Flatlands, NY.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NY road trips.
