Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, Guía del visitante y qué hacer cerca

The Brooklyn Bridge is a suspension bridge across the East River that links Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York City. When it opened in 1883 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, and it remains one of the city's best-loved landmarks. You can walk across it on a pedestrian promenade above the traffic.

The story behind it

The bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River, and its designer was the engineer John Augustus Roebling. He died of an injury sustained while surveying the site, before construction began. His son Washington Roebling took over as chief engineer, but he was left severely disabled by illness linked to the work in the underwater caissons, and he followed the project from his sickroom.

His wife Emily became the vital link between him and the builders, relaying instructions and learning the engineering herself. She was the first person to cross the finished bridge at its opening in 1883. Building it took well over a decade and cost the lives of a number of workers. In 1898, Brooklyn, then a separate city, joined Manhattan and three other boroughs to form Greater New York, and the bridge is often credited with making that union feel natural.

What to look for

• The two stone towers have pointed Gothic arches, which give the bridge a look closer to a cathedral than to a piece of infrastructure.
• The web of diagonal cables fanning out from the towers makes a striking pattern, especially when you look up at it from the walkway.
• The elevated wooden promenade sits above the roadway, so you walk over the traffic with an open view on both sides.
• From the Manhattan side and from Pier 17 nearby, you can see the full span with the Brooklyn shoreline behind it.

Tips for your visit

• Walking across at an unhurried pace takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes, longer if you stop for photos.
• Go early in the morning or around sunset for softer light and a little more room on the promenade, which gets crowded in the middle of the day.
• Pier 17 at the Seaport is a good place to linger and look back at the bridge, and the Tin Building nearby is handy for food or a coffee. Check current opening hours before you go.
• Keep to the pedestrian side of the walkway, since cyclists share the same path.

See it on a quest

The Ghost of Wall Street, Historic Downtown New York is a good way to take in the bridge together with the streets of Lower Manhattan around it. You walk to the bridge on foot as one stop of a longer route through historic downtown, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, so it works well for friends or family.