Brooklyn Museum Guide in New York

The Brooklyn Museum in New York will leave you speechless as soon as you see it. Its imposing building could well be the official residence of President Joe Biden or the US Congress, but it is one of the best museums in New York, the second most important museum in the city after the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and one of the most emblematic in the USA. Would you like to discover the treasures it holds inside?

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

As I said, the smartest thing to do is to buy the priority ticket which costs 13 €. The good news is that it is one of the cheapest museums in the Big Apple, unlike the rest whose entrance fee is usually around 20 €.

In addition, this price includes the guided tour that takes place daily in the museum with a professional. This way the experience is much more complete and you can focus on the highlights and learn about the history of the works of art, the legend of the Egyptian papyri, and the architecture of the building, among other things.

What's included in this ticket

• Admission to the Brooklyn Museum
• Daily guided tours of the special and permanent collection
• 10% discount in the gift shop, which never hurts!
• Free cancellation in case your travel plans change

Nuria's Traveller Tip

If you're crossing the Brooklyn Bridge during your visit to the museum, it's best to do it first thing in the morning so you can take your photos without too many tourists. Enjoy the 1.8 kilometre walk!

If you are one of those who prefer to buy tickets at the box office, you can also do so although it will cost you more (about 14 €) and you will lose the benefits of buying tickets in advance, such as the discount, skip-the-line access and free cancellation.

Brooklyn Museum prices and discounts

I only recommend you to go through the ticket window if you are one of the discounted groups below:

• Adults - 14 € (general admission and no discount).
• Seniors (over 65) - €8.70
• Students over 20 years of age (with ID card) - 8,70 €.
• Disabled visitors (accompanying carer free) - €8,70
• 19 years old and under - Free

Free admission to the Brooklyn Museum on Saturdays starting Spring 2022

On the first Saturday of every month, the Brooklyn Museum allows free admission and hosts a day of cultural programming that extends into the evening (5pm-11pm) to welcome tourists and New Yorkers to the arts centre. This activity has a tradition of more than 20 years and will be resumed in the spring of 2022. Stay tuned!

Nuria's Traveller Tip

If you love flea markets and you're travelling to New York in winter, head to the Winter Flea, a flea market of antiques, crafts and food that opens between November and March. It's very interesting!

The Brooklyn Museum is very well connected and easily accessible by public transport. Located in the heart of the Brooklyn borough, the Brooklyn Museum is located just30 minutes by underground from Manhattan and sits on the Eastern Parkway. It is part of a complex of 19th century parks and gardens, which also includes Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

• Where is it located? 200 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
• How to get there: Subway 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 get to the museum, the easiest way is to take the underground. The ticket costs approximately €2.60. So you don't break out in a sweat getting around this other underground city, here are some basic tips for using the New York underground.

• Monday and Tuesday, closed
• Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• First Saturday of each month, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Take note! The Brooklyn Museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and does not have long opening hours. In winter, most days it is only open from 11am to 6pm (except Fridays and Saturdays, when it is open until 8pm). Like the rest of the museums in New York, it is closed on December 25th, January 1st and Thanksgiving Day.

My advice is to try to visit the museum during the week because the weekdays are the least crowded and avoid Saturdays and Sundays. Oh, and remember that museums usually change their opening hours depending on the season. So the best thing to do is to check them out on their official website on the day you are going to visit them.

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

Meanwhile, the Ancient Egyptian Art exhibition features such impressive treasures as a gilded wooden statuette of Amunhotep III, a relief from the tomb of a man named Akhty-hotep and a female terracotta statuette created more than 5,000 years ago. Yes, you read that right, five thousand years!

List of permanent exhibits

• Arts of Asia
• American Art
• The Brooklyn Della Robbia
• Ancient Egyptian Art
• Beyond a Woman: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt
• Assyrian art
• Design: 1880s to the present
• Judy Chicago's dinner party

Temporary exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum

Special exhibitions here are of a high standard. Among the temporary exhibitions is 'Andy Warhol: Revelation', which explores until 19 June 2022 his most unknown facet: the artist's relationship with religion and its influence on his works of art. And the fact is that the creator of pop art was a faithful believer, who knew!

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 includes more than two hundred haute couture garments, as well as photographs, sketches and containers of old perfumes. Pure elegance!

Nuria's Traveller Tip

One of the museum's Egyptian gems 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 that explores the rituals involved in mummification.

The Brooklyn Museum's shop is very colourful and offers everything from puzzles for children to shirts and home decor. They also have a ' Made in Brooklyn' section dedicated to products made by local Brooklyn artists.

However, it was not my favourite shop. One of the shops that most impressed me in New York was 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 the most was the Brooklyn Museum's street market (The Market), which is held every Sunday (from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm) in the open air in front of the museum. A small flea market selling handmade goods, you can find everything from jewellery to handmade shoes. All the objects have an interesting story behind them. Come and discover it, it's worth it!

After your visit to the pine library, one of the best things to do in Brooklyn is to go to the Brooklyn Flea Market every Saturday from 10AM to 17PM from April to October. It's a vintage flea market offering a variety of goods (clothing, furniture, books, costume jewellery and crafts) lovingly displayed by over 150 local vendors and artisans.

You can also take advantage of your cultural visit to tour the Brooklyn borough, especially the famous Brooklyn Bridge. You've seen it a thousand times in movies and on TV, but crossing it is an unforgettable and magical experience. You don't know how impressive it is until you cross it, an image that will stick in your memory as a traveller forever! Here are the top 10 things to do and see in Brooklyn.

If you are travelling to New York with children you should know that the Brooklyn Museum organizes activities on the first Saturday of every month for children as well. There are free half-hour art sessions led by teaching artists for the little ones. For example, in one of the classes they built a miniature roller coaster. Are you up for this creative plan with your family?

However, we all know that museums can be exhausting. And for them, even more so. If at this moment, you are imagining your child running like crazy through the halls of the museum, don't worry, because the institution has drawn up 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 excursion that is best for your children and their energy levels.
• The most important rule to teach them is not to touch the art or the display cases.
• Be flexible. If your children get tired or restless, be prepared for a plan B, such as going to the cafeteria 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 invite them to think, or play "I see, I see".
• 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 starts to growl, you can stop for a light bite at The Norm restaurant, which has an architecture inspired by the museum's secret and mysterious labyrinths.

The menu, created by Great Performances, features local produce and global flavours that reflect the different cultures and diversity of Brooklyn. Dishes include smoked salmon with fennel and tomato (for €19), grilled veal fillet with caramelised onions (for €25) and for vegetarians, a sautéed mushroom salad with warm citrus and house vinaigrette (about €8). Finger-licking good!

On the other hand, if you want to enjoy a different and urban gastronomic plan, I suggest, as a good "tripita advisor" that I am, that you go to the Food Truck BkM, which offers a selection of fresh food, snacks and drinks to enjoy in the museum's sculpture garden with a little shade. The food truck opens with the arrival of the good weather. And if you get hungry, don't worry, here are the best places to eat in Brooklyn.

Bon appétit!