New York Sunset from the Empire State Building

The Best (Hidden) Places to Watch a New York Sunset

You might not consider New York City as a place to watch the sunset. Although it’s a city, you get some wonderful sunsets. We think the Big Apple shows that we don’t need a quiet place in nature to have a great sunset. The vibes are different, but a New York City sunset is worth adding to your itinerary. We made a list with (hidden) spots, coming from both, tourists and locals.

 

Table of Contents

  • Hunter’s Point
  • Pier 35
  • Brooklyn Bridge Park
  • Staten Island Ferry
  • Observation Decks

 

Hunter’s Point

Hunter’s Point is one of the best places if you want to see the sun going down behind Midtown. Watch the sun going down behind a famous part of the New York skyline, including the Empire State Building. Hunter’s Point Park is situated on Long Island at the end of Borden Ave.

The easiest way to get to Hunter’s Point is by taking Subway line 7 to Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av or Hunters Point Av. It is a 15 minute walk from both stations.

 

Pier 35

On Pier 35, you get a wonderful view of the New York skyline, the Manhattan Bridge, and the Brooklyn Bridge. We had a wonderful time watching the sunset. The swings are a nice feature, but you have to be lucky to have one.

It’s one of the places in New York gaining popularity, a bunch of people gather here for a sunset. Especially in the summer, people playing music, don’t go here if you don’t like different kinds of music playing together on a high volume. There are 3 subway stations nearby: Bowery (line J & Z), Grand St (line B & D), and Delancey St- Essex St (line F, J, M & Z).

Sunset in New York from Pier 35 With Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, and lower Manhattan.

Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of the most visited places to watch the sunset. There’s a lot of seating options and you get wonderful views of the sun disappearing behind the Lower Manhattan skyline. This is the part of Brooklyn Bridge Park at Pier 1.

If you want to watch the sunset with the Brooklyn Bridge in front of you, together with Lower Manhattan, we advise going to Empire Fulton Ferry, on the other side of the bridge. Take subway lines A & C to High St, this is the closest subway station and is 10 10-minute walk from Brooklyn Bridge Park.

 

Staten Island Ferry

The Staten Island Ferry is a free daily service between St George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in Manhattan. If you take the vessel at the right time, you can enjoy a sunset from the water sailing past Miss Liberty.

If you’re in for a sunset cruise, take a look here for a wonderful 60 minute sunset cruise leaving from Pier 15. Subway line 1 to South Ferry and lines R & W to Whitehall St-South Ferry take you to the Staten Island Ferry. To get to Pier 15 for a sunset cruise, take lines A, C, J, Z, 2 or 3 to Fulton St.

New York Sunset from the Staten Island Ferry

Observation Decks

New York has a lot of observation decks. Watch the sunset from the Empire State Building, Top of The Rock, The Edge, or SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. These are all great places to watch the sunset. If you want the extra experience, you’re likely wanna go to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt.

Beside the observation deck, you can also pick one of the many rooftop bars in New York, enjoy the sunset with a good glass of wine.

Discover the best New York City rooftop bars in the New York CityBooks.

 

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