The 0.485-square-kilometre (120-acre) island is located at the mouth of the river Nidelva just north of the city centre (Midtbyen), west of Nyhavna, and south of Trondheimsfjord.

[2] The island is connected to the western parts of Trondheim by the Skansen Tunnel which was completed in 2010.

Since the late 1990s, there has been an urban renewal program at Brattøra, converting parts of the port to office buildings, including the swimming pool "Pirbadet" and a massive office complex housing among others Reinertsen and the Norwegian School of Management.

The Coastal Express and other cruise ships also stop at Brattøra.

Brattøra was the site of the Øreting, the regional Ting during the Middle Ages.