Walking to DUMBO Over the Brooklyn Bridge: A Half Day From the Financial District
By 17John ·
Quick answer
Walking to DUMBO from the Financial District takes about an hour door to door: roughly 12 minutes from 17 John Street to the Manhattan pedestrian entrance near City Hall, then 30 to 40 minutes across the Brooklyn Bridge, and you come down the stairs at Washington and Prospect Streets in DUMBO. Go early, before about 9am, if you want the bridge without crowds. Spend the rest of the morning at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Jane's Carousel and the Washington Street photo spot, then take the NYC Ferry from Fulton Ferry Landing back to Pier 11 at Wall Street instead of walking twice.
This is the walk we recommend most often, and it works best as a morning. From 17 John Street you're about 12 minutes from the Manhattan pedestrian entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge, the crossing itself is roughly a mile, and you land in DUMBO with the whole waterfront in front of you. Plan on four to five hours if you take your time in Brooklyn Bridge Park, or three if you're moving.
One piece of advice before you go: walk it early. The bridge gets shoulder-to-shoulder by late morning, especially on weekends in summer, and the photos everyone comes for are much easier at 8am. Bring water in warm weather, because there's no shade out on the span. And take the ferry back rather than walking both directions. The view of Lower Manhattan from the water is better than anything you'll see from the bridge, and your legs will thank you.
Morning to early afternoon
8:00 AM
Coffee, then head north on Nassau Street
Start with coffee near the building. From John Street it's about 12 minutes on foot up toward City Hall: north on Nassau, past the Federal Reserve building, then across to Centre Street. The Manhattan pedestrian entrance to the bridge is on Centre Street near Chambers, on the east side of City Hall Park. Follow the signs for the promenade, not the car ramps.
8:20 AM
Cross the Brooklyn Bridge
The walk is about a mile and takes 30 to 40 minutes at a normal pace, longer if you stop at the two stone towers, which is where most people do. Stay in the pedestrian lane. Cyclists have their own lane on the Manhattan-bound side now, and they move fast. The best skyline view is looking back from just past the first tower, and the second half of the crossing gives you the Manhattan Bridge framed to your left.
9:10 AM
Come down into DUMBO
The Brooklyn exit puts you at Washington and Prospect Streets, right at the top of DUMBO. Walk downhill toward the water. The neighborhood is old warehouse blocks with Belgian block streets, so wear shoes you can walk on cobbles in. This is where the walk stops being about the bridge and starts being about Brooklyn.
9:30 AM
The Washington Street photo spot
Washington Street between Front and Water is the shot you've seen a hundred times: the Manhattan Bridge framed between two brick warehouses, with the Empire State Building lined up in the gap. It's one block, it takes five minutes, and it's a real street with cars, so stay on the sidewalk when you line up the photo.
10:00 AM
Brooklyn Bridge Park and Jane's Carousel
The park runs along the waterfront from the Manhattan Bridge down past Pier 6, and the section closest to DUMBO is the best part of the whole morning. Jane's Carousel sits in a glass pavilion right on the water and costs a few dollars a ride, which is the easiest win of the day if you've got kids. Pebble Beach next to it is the spot to stand for the classic bridge-and-skyline view.
11:30 AM
Lunch at Empire Stores or Time Out Market
Empire Stores is the restored coffee warehouse on Water Street with food, shops and a rooftop you can walk up to for free. Time Out Market is in the same complex and works well for a group that can't agree, since everyone orders from a different counter. If you'd rather eat outside, get something to go and take it to the lawn at the north end of the park.
1:00 PM
Ferry back to Pier 11 at Wall Street
Walk to Fulton Ferry Landing, just past the carousel under the bridge, and catch the NYC Ferry back to Pier 11 at Wall Street. It's a short ride, the fare is a few dollars (check the NYC Ferry app for current times and pricing), and the approach to Lower Manhattan from the water is the best view of the day. From Pier 11 it's about a 10-minute walk back up to John Street.
