Brooklyn Museum Guide in New York

The Brooklyn Museum in New York will leave you speechless the moment you see it. With its imposing building, it could easily be the official residence of President Joe Biden or the US Congress, but it is actually one of New York’s finest museums, the city’s second most important museum after the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and one of the most iconic in the US. Would you like to discover the treasures it holds within?

As a world-renowned institution, its permanent collection brings together over one and a half million objects and documents focusing on American art. You’ll also enjoy its contemporary art collection and, thanks to the crown jewel—its collection of Egyptian art—you’ll travel back in time to discover the world of the pharaohs and feel like Cleopatra and Tutankhamun. Interesting, isn’t it?

As I mentioned, the smartest option is to buy the priority ticket , which costs €13. The good news is that it’s one of the cheapest museums in the whole of the Big Apple, unlike the rest , where admission is usually around €20.

What’s more, this price includes the guided tour led by a professional, which takes place daily at the museum . This makes for a much more comprehensive experience, allowing you to focus on the highlights and gain an in-depth understanding of the history of the artworks, the legend of its Egyptian papyri, and the building’s architecture, amongst other things.

What is included in this ticket

• Entry to the Brooklyn Museum
• Daily guided tours of the special and permanent collections
• 10% discount in the gift shop, which is always welcome
• Free cancellation in case your travel plans change

Nuria’s Traveller Tip

If you’re going to cross the Brooklyn Bridge whilst visiting the museum, it’s best to do so first thing in the morning so you can take photos without too many tourists. Enjoy the 1.8-kilometre walk!

If you prefer to buy tickets at the ticket office, you can do so, although it will cost you more (around €14) and you’ll miss out on the benefits of buying in advance, such as the discount, skip-the-queue access and free cancellation.

Brooklyn Museum prices and discounts

I only recommend buying at the ticket office if you belong to one of the discount groups listed below:

• Adults - €14 (standard admission, no discount)
• Senior (over 65s) - €8.70
• Students over 20 (with valid ID) - €8.70
• Visitors with disabilities (one accompanying carer enters free of charge) - €8.70
• 19 years old or under - Free

Free entry to the Brooklyn Museum on Saturdays from spring 2022

On the first Saturday of every month, the Brooklyn Museum offers free entry and hosts an event that runs into the evening (from 5 pm to 11 pm) with cultural programming to welcome tourists and New Yorkers visiting the arts centre. This event has been a tradition for over 20 years and will resume in spring 2022. Keep an eye out!

Nuria’s Traveller Tip

If you love flea markets and are travelling to New York in winter, head to the Winter Flea, a market selling antiques, crafts and food that runs from November to March. It’s really interesting!

The museum is very well connected and easily accessible by public transport. Located right in the heart of Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Museum isjust a 30-minute subway ride from Manhattan and sits on Eastern Parkway. It forms part of a complex of 19th-century parks and gardens, which also includes Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

• Where is it? It is located at 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn.
• How to get there: Underground lines B, D, Q, N, R. / By bus on lines B41, B45 and B69. You can also get there by bike and enjoy the green spaces along the way.

Get to Brooklyn by underground

If you’re wondering which is the best way to get around the Big Apple and reach the museum, the simplest option is to take the subway. A ticket costs approximately €2.60. To help you navigate this other underground city without breaking a sweat, here are some basic tips for using the New York subway .

• Monday and Tuesday, closed
• Wednesday and Thursday, 11am–6pm
• Friday and Saturday, 11 am to 8 pm
• Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm
• First Saturday of every month, 2pm–6pm

Take note! The Brooklyn Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and doesn’t have very long opening hours; in winter, it’s usually only open from 11 am to 6 pm (except on Fridays and Saturdays, when it stays open until 8 pm). Like all other museums in New York , it’s closed on 25 December, 1 January and Thanksgiving.

My advice is to try to visit the museum during the week, as weekdays are less crowded, and to avoid Saturdays and Sundays. Oh, and remember that museums often change their opening hours depending on the season. So it’s best to check them on the official website on the day you plan to visit.

Did you know that in ancient times the Egyptians believed that for a deceased woman to be reborn, she had to briefly become a man? You’ll discover this and other fascinating facts in the exhibition ‘Beyond a Woman: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt’, which includes such fascinating objects as a mummy’s mask and the impressive sarcophagus of the woman known as the Lady of the House.

Meanwhile, the Ancient Egyptian Art exhibition features such impressive treasures as a gilded wooden statuette of Amenhotep III, a relief from the tomb of a man named Akhty-hotep, and a female terracotta statuette created over five thousand years ago. Yes, you read that right—five thousand years!

List of permanent exhibitions

• Asian Art
• American Art
• The Brooklyn Della Robbia
• Ancient Egyptian Art
• Beyond a Woman: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt
• Assyrian Art
• Design: 1880 to the Present
• Judy Chicago’s Dinner

Temporary exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum

The special exhibitions here are of the highest standard. Among the temporary exhibitions , ‘Andy Warhol: Revelation’ stands out; running until 19 June 2022, it explores his least known side: the artist’s relationship with religion and its influence on his artwork. It turns out that the creator of Pop Art was a devout believer – who would have thought!

Another of the most visited and stylish exhibitions is ‘Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams’, which traces the pioneering history of the House of Dior and features over two hundred haute couture garments, as well as photographs, sketches and antique perfume bottles. Pure elegance!

Nuria’s Traveller Tip

One of the museum’s Egyptian treasures is a papyrus from the Book of the Dead, one of the most important religious texts of the New Kingdom. And my favourite part! The ‘Mummy Chamber’, a special section exploring the rituals associated with mummification.

The Brooklyn Museum shop is incredibly diverse, offering everything from children’s puzzles to shirts and home décor items. They also have a ‘Made in Brooklyn’ section dedicated to products made by local artists from the neighbourhood.

However, it wasn’t my favourite shop. One of the shops that impressed me most in New York was the one at the Museum of the City of New York, with its amazing collection of Sesame Street puppets. An iconic series from my childhood!

In Brooklyn, what I liked most without a doubt is the Brooklyn Museum’s street market (The Market), which takes place every Sunday (from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm) outdoors in front of the museum. A small flea market selling handmade goods where you can find everything from jewellery to handmade shoes. Every item has an interesting story behind it. Come and discover it – it’s well worth a visit!

After your visit to the art gallery, one of the best things to do in Brooklyn is to take a stroll through the Brooklyn Flea Market every Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm between April and October. It’s a vintage market offering a variety of goods (clothing, furniture, books, jewellery and crafts) lovingly displayed by over 150 local vendors and artisans.

You can also make the most of your cultural visit to explore the borough of Brooklyn, especially the famous bridge. You’ll have seen it a thousand times in films and on TV, but crossing it is an unforgettable and magical experience. You don’t realise just how imposing it is until you’ve crossed it. This image will stay etched in your memory as a traveller forever! Here I’ll tell you more about the 10 things to do and see in Brooklyn.

If you’re travelling to New York with children, you should know that the Brooklyn Museum organises activities on the first Saturday of every month specifically for children. There are free half-hour art sessions led by artist-educators for the little ones. For example, in one of the classes they built a miniature rollercoaster. Fancy trying out this creative family activity?

However, we all know that museums can be exhausting. And for children, even more so. If you’re currently picturing your child running around like a madman through the museum galleries, don’t worry, because the museum has put together some simple tips for visiting the museum as a family.

Practical tips for visiting a museum with children:

• Choose a time of day for the trip that suits your children and their energy levels best.
• The most important rule you must teach them is not to touch the art or the display cases.
• Be flexible. If your children get tired or restless, be prepared with a plan B, such as going to the café or the shop to look at the children’s toys
• In the galleries, you can ask them questions such as ‘How is this painting different from the last one?’ to encourage them to think, or play ‘I spy’
• After the visit, you can ask questions such as “What did you like best?” or “What would you like to visit again?”

If all that art has whetted your appetite and your stomach is starting to rumble, you can stop for a light bite at The Norm restaurant, whose architecture is inspired by the museum’s secret and mysterious labyrinths.

The menu, created by Great Performances, features local produce and global flavours that reflect Brooklyn’s diverse cultures. Among the dishes on offer are smoked salmon with fennel and tomato (€19), grilled beef fillet with caramelised onions (€25) and, for vegetarians, a light salad of sautéed mushrooms with warm citrus and house vinaigrette (around €8). Absolutely delicious!

On the other hand, if you fancy a different, urban dining experience, as a self-proclaimed ‘foodie’, I suggest you head to the BkM Food Truck, which offers a selection of fresh food, sandwiches and drinks to enjoy in the museum’s sculpture garden, where you’ll find a bit of shade. The food truck opens when the weather turns nice. And if you’re still hungry, don’t worry, here are the best places to eat in Brooklyn.

Bon appétit!