New Orleans doesn't behave like the rest of America. The French Quarter's iron balconies and gas lamps look like somewhere in Europe, brass bands wander the streets as if it's perfectly normal, and the city's idea of a sensible breakfast involves powdered sugar. It's a place that rewards slowing down, and eating everything.
Three or four days is ideal. Spend one wandering the Quarter, one on the streetcar through the Garden District, one at the museums and a long lunch, and every night within earshot of live music. Leave your diet at the airport.
Don't miss
The French Quarter and live music
The oldest part of the city, and its beating heart.
The French Quarter
Neighbourhood
Photo: edenpictures, CC BY 2.0 The Vieux Carré is a grid of lacy iron balconies, hidden courtyards, shuttered cottages and antique shops. Bourbon Street is its famous party strip, loud and neon-lit, but the streets just a block or two away are quiet, residential and prettier.
Walk it early, before the crowds, when the streets are still being hosed down.
Tip: Go early in the morning for photos, and leave Bourbon until after dark.
Jackson Square
Landmark
Photo: Spatms, CC BY-SA 4.0 The Quarter's front lawn, ringed by artists, tarot readers and street musicians, and overlooked by the white spires of St Louis Cathedral. The Cabildo and Presbytère museums sit on either side, and the Mississippi levee is just across the road.
Frenchmen Street
Nightlife
Photo: Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 4.0 Locals go here for live music while visitors crowd Bourbon. A short strip in the Marigny neighbourhood packs jazz, blues and brass bands into small clubs, some with no cover charge. Walk down it, peek in doors and follow your ears.
The late-night crowd spills onto the pavement. It's the right kind of chaos.
Preservation Hall
Nightlife
Photo: Cory Doctorow, CC BY-SA 2.0 A small, worn room in the Quarter that has been presenting traditional New Orleans jazz for decades. There's no fuss and very little seating, just a band in front of you playing the music the city invented.
Tip: Book ahead for the shows, as the room is tiny.
Beyond the Quarter
The Garden District
Neighbourhood
Photo: Daniel Hartwig, CC BY 2.0 Grand antebellum mansions with columned porches, hidden behind live oaks and wrought-iron fences. Ride the historic St Charles streetcar out from downtown, then stroll the quiet streets. Magazine Street, close by, has boutiques, antique shops and cafés.
Tip: The St Charles line is one of the oldest continuously operating streetcar lines in the world.
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
Landmark
Photo: MusikAnimal, CC BY-SA 4.0 New Orleans buries its dead above ground, and the white tombs here make a whole miniature city. Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, in the Garden District, is the best-known of them, with weathered family vaults crowded close together.
It's eerie, atmospheric and surprisingly peaceful in daylight.
City Park
Nature
One of the biggest urban parks in the United States, full of ancient live oaks, lagoons and quiet paths. The New Orleans Museum of Art sits inside it, next to a sculpture garden that's worth an hour on its own.
Museums and history
The National WWII Museum
Museum
Photo: ironypoisoning, CC BY-SA 2.0 A large, moving museum with galleries and immersive exhibits that tell the story of the Second World War through personal accounts and artefacts. It's in New Orleans because Higgins boats, the landing craft, were built here.
Tip: Give it half a day, and book ahead.
Whitney Plantation
Day trip
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain A sobering museum on the Mississippi, west of the city, that focuses on the lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked here. It tells the story of slavery through the voices of the people who lived it, and it's powerful, direct and unforgettable.
Barataria Preserve
Nature
Photo: Jim Bahn, CC BY 2.0 Part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, just south of the city. Boardwalk trails lead through cypress swamp and marsh, with herons, egrets and alligators glimpsed from a respectful distance. It's the easiest, quietest way to see Louisiana wetlands.
Eat and drink
Beignets at Café du Monde
Food
Photo: Kent Wang, CC BY-SA 2.0 Square doughnuts buried under an avalanche of icing sugar, served hot with chicory coffee under a green-and-white awning in the Quarter. It's a New Orleans ritual, and you'll wear the sugar for the rest of the day.
Go early, or late at night, to dodge the queue.
Gumbo and po-boys
Food
Gumbo is a dark, rich stew thickened with roux and loaded with sausage, chicken or seafood. The po-boy is a crusty French-bread sandwich stuffed with fried shrimp or oysters. Order both and you're eating like a local.
The muffuletta
Food
Photo: rjv541, CC BY 2.0 A round Sicilian-style sandwich piled with cured meats, cheese and a tangy olive salad, said to have been invented at Central Grocery in the French Quarter. It's huge, so share one.
On the water
Steamboat Natchez
Activity
A traditional steam-powered paddlewheeler leaves from the French Quarter riverfront for cruises on the Mississippi, with a live jazz band on board and views back to the city skyline. It's a gentle, nostalgic way to see the river that built New Orleans.
The Algiers Point ferry
Activity
A short ferry ride from the foot of Canal Street takes you across the Mississippi to Algiers Point, a quiet neighbourhood of colourful cottages. The real reward is the crossing itself, with the skyline and the river traffic spread out ahead of you.
Where to stay in New Orleans
Not sure which area suits you? Read our guide: Where to stay in New Orleans →
★★★★
Hotel Monteleone
New Orleans
Spa · Pool · Pets allowed
See prices and rooms →
★★★★
The Saint Hotel, Autograph Collection
New Orleans
Spa · Parking
See prices and rooms →
★★★★★
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans
New Orleans
Spa · Rooftop pool · Family-friendly
See prices and rooms →
★★★★
Higgins Hotel, Curio By Hilton
New Orleans
Parking
See prices and rooms →
★★★★
The Pontchartrain Hotel
New Orleans
Pets allowed · Parking
See prices and rooms →
★★★★★
Caesars New Orleans - A Caesars Reward Destination
New Orleans
Parking
See prices and rooms →
★★★★
Omni Royal Orleans
New Orleans
Rooftop pool · Pets allowed · Parking
See prices and rooms →
★★★★★
Fairmont New Orleans
New Orleans
Rooftop pool · Parking
See prices and rooms →
Getting around
You don't need a car. The French Quarter and Marigny are walkable, the St Charles streetcar reaches the Garden District, and ride-hail covers the rest. Keep to well-lit, busy streets at night, as in any big city.
When to go
Spring and autumn are the most pleasant, and the weeks around Mardi Gras and the Jazz Fest are the liveliest. Summers are hot and humid, and hurricane season runs from June to November. Book well ahead for carnival season.
Questions about visiting New Orleans
- What is New Orleans best known for?
- Jazz, the French Quarter, Mardi Gras, Creole and Cajun food, beignets and its cemeteries and architecture.
- How many days do you need in New Orleans?
- Three or four days covers the French Quarter, the Garden District, a museum, the best food and a couple of nights of live music.
- Is New Orleans worth visiting?
- Yes. The food, the music and the atmosphere are like nowhere else in the United States, and the city is compact enough to enjoy in a long weekend.
- Do you need a car in New Orleans?
- No. Walk, ride the streetcar or use ride-hail. A car is only useful for day trips such as the plantations and swamps.
More guides
- Where to stay in New Orleans
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