Set on a bend of the Mississippi River, New Orleans runs on live music, Creole and Cajun cooking, and architecture you won’t find replicated anywhere else in the country. The French Quarter gets the postcards, but the city’s best moments happen a few blocks past it too — on a jazz-club street in the Marigny, under the oak canopy of a 19th-century garden district, or in line for beignets at 2 a.m.
Why Visit New Orleans?
Whether you’re here for the food, the music, or three centuries of French, Spanish, and Creole history layered on top of each other, New Orleans delivers a kind of sensory overload most American cities can’t match:
- Jackson Square: Stand in front of St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously active Catholic cathedral in the United States, surrounded by street artists, tarot readers, and brass bands.
- Bourbon Street: Walk the neon-lit heart of the French Quarter, whether you’re after a hurricane cocktail, a jazz club, or just the spectacle of it all.
- The Garden District: Wander past antebellum and Victorian mansions shaded by live oaks, on streets that have barely changed since the 1850s.
- The National WWII Museum: Spend an afternoon in the Smithsonian-affiliated museum built where the Higgins boats used in the D-Day landings were designed and manufactured.
- Frenchmen Street: Skip the tourist crush of Bourbon Street for a three-block strip of jazz clubs where locals actually go to hear live music.
New Orleans rewards travelers who slow down enough to eat a long lunch, catch a second-line parade, or just sit on a porch and watch the streetcar go by.
NEW ORLEANS KEY INFO
Everything you need to hit the ground running.
WHEN TO VISIT
February to May or October to November for milder weather and major events like Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest; avoid the peak of hurricane season (August–September) if you can
HOW TO GET THERE
Fly into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). It’s about a 20-30 minute ride to downtown via taxi, rideshare, or the E2 airport shuttle bus.
HOW TO GET AROUND
The St. Charles and Canal Street streetcars cover most tourist routes cheaply; the RTA’s Jazzy Pass gives unlimited rides on streetcars and buses for a set number of days.
IDEAL TRIP LENGTH
3-4 days for the French Quarter, Garden District, and a museum or two, or 5-6 days if you want to add City Park, a swamp tour, or a plantation day trip.
What is New Orleans Mainly Known For?
New Orleans is known first for being the birthplace of jazz, and for a food culture — Creole and Cajun cooking, po’boys, gumbo, beignets — that draws people from well outside Louisiana. It’s also known for its French Quarter architecture (much of it actually Spanish colonial, rebuilt after fires in the 1780s and 1790s), and for Mardi Gras, the citywide celebration that turns entire neighborhoods into parade routes each winter.
Is New Orleans a Walkable City?
Yes, within the French Quarter and Garden District. Both neighborhoods are compact, flat, and dense with things to see, so walking is genuinely the best way to experience them — a car is more hassle than it’s worth in either one. Getting between neighborhoods (say, from the Quarter to Uptown) is better handled by streetcar, rideshare, or bike than on foot, since the distances add up quickly in humid heat.
Is it safe to walk around New Orleans at night? Bourbon Street and the Quarter’s main tourist blocks stay busy and reasonably well-lit late into the night. Like any major U.S. city, petty crime rises the farther you get from crowded tourist areas, so stick to well-traveled streets after dark and take a rideshare rather than walking long distances alone.
What Is the Best Neighborhood to Walk Around?
The French Quarter is the obvious answer — its grid of narrow streets, wrought-iron balconies, and courtyard entrances rewards aimless wandering more than almost any other American neighborhood. For a quieter, more residential pace, the Garden District’s tree-lined blocks of 19th-century mansions are just as walkable and far less crowded.
What Are the Best Things to Do in New Orleans? (For Your First Visit)
Most first-time visitors plant themselves on Bourbon Street and never see the rest of the city — don’t make that mistake. Here’s what’s worth building a trip around:
Jackson Square
The historic heart of the French Quarter, anchored by St. Louis Cathedral and framed by the Cabildo and Presbytère, two former Spanish colonial government buildings that now house state museums. Street artists set up along the surrounding fence daily, and brass bands play at the square’s edges most afternoons and evenings. Price: Free to walk through; museum entry costs extra. Pro tip: Visit early morning before the crowds and heat build up, or in the evening when the cathedral is lit and street performers take over. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
Bourbon Street
The French Quarter’s best-known and busiest street, lined with bars, jazz clubs, souvenir shops, and, after dark, a steady flow of foot traffic carrying drinks in plastic go-cups (legal in New Orleans). It’s touristy and loud, but it’s also genuinely part of the city’s identity. Price: Free to walk; drinks and cover charges vary widely by bar. Pro tip: The street is a different experience by time of day — daytime is family-friendly and low-key, while nightfall brings the crowds and the neon. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
Café du Monde
An open-air coffee stand at the edge of the French Market, open nearly 24 hours a day since 1862 and serving exactly two things: café au lait made with chicory, and beignets, square French-style doughnuts buried in powdered sugar. Price: A few dollars for coffee and an order of three beignets. Pro tip: Lines can stretch out the door on weekends; the walk-up window around the side often moves faster than waiting for a table. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
Frenchmen Street
A three-block stretch in the Faubourg Marigny, just past the Quarter’s edge, packed with live-music clubs like the Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor, and d.b.a. — the strip locals actually go to for jazz, brass, and funk. Price: Many clubs have no cover or a small one; a one-drink minimum is common. Pro tip: Clubs here are small, so arrive by 9 or 10 p.m. if you want a seat for a specific act. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
The Garden District
A National Historic Landmark district of antebellum and Victorian mansions built between the 1830s and 1900s, when wealthy American newcomers settled just upriver from the French Creole city. Buckner Mansion, a pink Italianate house from 1869, is one of the district’s most photographed. Price: Free to walk the streets; some houses offer paid tours. Pro tip: Take the St. Charles streetcar to the Garden District and walk it as a loop, since most of the notable homes are private residences best viewed from the sidewalk. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
The National WWII Museum
A Smithsonian-affiliated museum in the Central Business District, built on the site where Higgins Industries designed and manufactured the amphibious landing craft used at D-Day. Exhibits cover the Home Front, the Pacific and European theaters, and include a 4D theater and a submarine experience. Price: General admission runs in the $30s for adults, with add-ons for the theater and special exhibits. Pro tip: Plan for at least three to four hours — the campus spans several connected pavilions, and rushing through undersells it. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
St. Charles Streetcar
The oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, running since 1835 along St. Charles Avenue past Garden District mansions, Audubon Park, and Tulane and Loyola universities. It’s both a real commuter line and one of the best low-cost sightseeing rides in the city. Price: A single fare is a few dollars; a Jazzy Pass covers unlimited rides. Pro tip: Ride it end to end at least once, ideally in the late afternoon when the light comes through the oak canopy along the avenue. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
The oldest cemetery still in use in New Orleans, established in 1789, filled with above-ground tombs built that way because of the city’s high water table. Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau and civil rights figure Homer Plessy are both buried here. Price: Entry is only permitted with a licensed guided tour, generally $25-40 per person. Pro tip: Book a tour in advance — the Archdiocese closed the cemetery to unaccompanied visitors after a rise in vandalism, so a guide is now the only way in. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
City Park
A 1,300-acre park holding the largest collection of mature live oak trees in the world, some estimated at more than 500 years old, along with the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, and miles of walking and biking paths under Spanish moss. Price: Free to enter; individual attractions inside the park charge separately. Pro tip: Seek out the McDonogh Oak and the Dueling Oak, two of the park’s oldest and most storied trees, both within easy walking distance of the art museum. Check availability and explore popular experiences.
Must-Do Activities in New Orleans
To really get the most out of your trip, I recommend checking out these experiences:
No products were found!
What Part of New Orleans Is Best for Tourists?
Stay in or right around the French Quarter if you want everything within walking distance — Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, and the French Market are all packed into a few dozen blocks. If you’d rather have a quieter base with easy streetcar access, the Lower Garden District or Uptown near St. Charles Avenue puts you a short ride from downtown without the noise of the Quarter at night.
What to Know Before Going to New Orleans
- Open Containers Are Legal: New Orleans allows drinks in plastic “go-cups” on the street, but glass and cans aren’t allowed outside — bars will pour your drink into a go-cup on request.
- Humidity Is Real: Summers run hot and heavily humid; light clothing, water, and breaks in air conditioning matter more here than in most U.S. cities.
- Hurricane Season Runs June–November: Check forecasts before booking a trip in late summer, and know that any major storm can disrupt travel with little notice.
- Tipping Is Standard: Restaurant and bar service tipping follows typical U.S. norms (18-20%), and cash tips for street musicians are appreciated.
- Cemeteries Require Guides: Several historic cemeteries, including St. Louis No. 1, only permit entry with a licensed tour guide — don’t plan on wandering in on your own.
How Many Days Do I Need in New Orleans?
3 to 4 days covers the French Quarter, Garden District, and a museum or two without feeling rushed.
- Day 1: Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, the French Market, and Café du Monde, ending with dinner and music in the Quarter.
- Day 2: The National WWII Museum in the morning, then the Garden District and St. Charles streetcar in the afternoon.
- Day 3: A guided St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 tour, an afternoon in City Park, and a night out on Frenchmen Street.
- Day 4: A swamp tour or day trip to a River Road plantation outside the city.
Suggested daily budget – 90-140 EUR / 100-150 USD (Note: This covers a mid-range hotel, a mix of sit-down and casual meals, and one paid attraction or tour per day. Costs drop if you stay outside the Quarter and cook or eat po’boys and casual spots more often).
MONEY SAVING TIPS
- Get a Jazzy Pass: If you’re using streetcars and buses more than a couple of times a day, an unlimited-ride pass beats paying per fare.
- Eat Po’Boys and Plate Lunches: A po’boy sandwich or a Creole plate lunch at a casual counter costs a fraction of a sit-down restaurant meal and is often just as good.
- Catch Free Live Music: Many Frenchmen Street clubs have no cover charge before a certain hour, and French Quarter street performers play for tips, not tickets.
- Walk the Garden District for Free: Touring the mansions from the sidewalk costs nothing — save paid house tours for the one or two properties that interest you most.
What’s the Best Month to Visit New Orleans?
March and April are the sweet spot: warm but not yet brutally humid, with French Quarter Festival and Jazz Fest both falling in this window. February brings Mardi Gras, one of the biggest and most distinctly New Orleans events in the country, though hotel prices spike and crowds are heavy. Late June through September is hot, humid, and the height of hurricane season — doable, but the least comfortable stretch of the year to be outside.
How to Get to New Orleans
Most travelers fly into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), which has direct flights from most major U.S. hubs and a handful of international routes.
- From the airport: Downtown is about a 20-30 minute drive; a taxi or rideshare runs roughly $35-45, while the E2 airport shuttle bus is a cheaper option into the CBD.
- By train or bus: Amtrak and Greyhound both serve New Orleans’ Union Passenger Terminal, with connections from cities across the South.
How to Get Around New Orleans
Walk the French Quarter and Garden District, and use the streetcar for everything in between.
- Streetcars: The St. Charles, Canal Street, and Riverfront lines cover most places visitors want to go, and a Jazzy Pass makes unlimited rides simple.
- Rideshare and taxis: Widely available and the easiest way to move between neighborhoods at night or in bad weather.
- Car rental: Skip it unless you’re planning day trips outside the city, like a plantation tour or swamp excursion; parking in the Quarter is limited and expensive.
- Bike rentals: A good option for covering longer distances, like riding from the Quarter to City Park, on a flat and mostly bike-friendly street grid.
Tips for first-timers: Wear comfortable shoes for uneven, historic sidewalks, and don’t skip sunscreen even on cloudy days — the humidity makes the heat feel more intense than the temperature alone suggests.
New Orleans doesn’t hand you its best moments on Bourbon Street alone. The city rewards a slower pace: a long breakfast of beignets, a wander through Garden District streets that look much as they did 150 years ago, an unplanned stop at a Frenchmen Street club because you heard the trumpet from outside. Come for the food and the music. Stay long enough to find your own version of the city.
Note: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I’ve recommended, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support and I hope this guide helps you ♡
