Attraction
The National WWII Museum
A large campus of pavilions in the Warehouse District telling the American story of the Second World War, with restored aircraft, immersive films and a submarine…
There are more things to do in New Orleans than its size suggests. The city sits on a bend of the Mississippi in southern Louisiana, and its French, Spanish, African and Caribbean past shows in its architecture, food and music. Most first-time visitors base themselves in or near the French Quarter, the old colonial town around Jackson Square, then branch out to the Warehouse District for museums, the Garden District and Uptown for 19th-century houses along the St Charles streetcar, the Faubourg Marigny for live music on Frenchmen Street, and Mid-City for City Park and the art museum.
Food is central to any trip. You can move from grand old Creole dining rooms and jazz brunches to po'boy shops, fried chicken, beignets and Vietnamese bakeries, often in the same day. Music is everywhere too, from traditional jazz halls to small clubs. Three or four days covers the main sights at a comfortable pace, while a week lets you add festivals, swamp or plantation trips and slower days in the neighbourhoods.
Attraction
A large campus of pavilions in the Warehouse District telling the American story of the Second World War, with restored aircraft, immersive films and a submarine…
Attraction
The historic main square of the French Quarter, framed by St Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, the Presbytère and the red-brick Pontalba Buildings, with artists along its…
Attraction
The Cathedral-Basilica of St Louis, King of France, faces Jackson Square and is one of the oldest cathedrals in continuous use in the United States.
Attraction
A 1,300-acre park in Mid-City with ancient live oaks, lagoons, a botanical garden, a vintage carousel, NOMA and its free sculpture garden.
Attraction
NOMA is the city's oldest fine arts museum, set in City Park with a broad collection and the free Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden behind…
Attraction
A Catholic cemetery founded in 1789 just outside the French Quarter, with above-ground tombs including the crypt linked to Marie Laveau; visits are by guided tour…
Café
The original French Market coffee stand, serving beignets under powdered sugar and chicory coffee since 1862, open from early morning until late.
Café
A contemporary bakery, bar and restaurant in the Central Business District serving Southern comfort food, pastries and brunch from 7am to 3pm every day.
Café
A Vietnamese bakery in New Orleans East, founded in 1982, known for its banh mi bread, pastries and king cakes, and named a James Beard America's…
Café
The original Café Beignet, opened on Royal Street in 1990, serving beignets cooked to order with café au lait in the heart of the French Quarter.
Café
A Sicilian-style ice cream parlour and pastry shop founded in 1905, now in Mid-City, known for torroncino, Italian ices and cannoli.
Café
A Bywater breakfast and brunch restaurant serving Creole and Southern cooking for more than 20 years, open every day from 8am to 2.30pm.
Hotel
A luxury hotel in the Central Business District, open since 1984, with a large collection of British and European art, afternoon tea and a rooftop saltwater…
Hotel
A luxury hotel in the restored 1968 World Trade Center tower at the foot of Canal Street, with river views, a rooftop pool and the Chandelier…
Hotel
A family-owned French Quarter hotel on Royal Street since 1886, home of the revolving Carousel Bar, with a rooftop pool and literary-themed suites.
Hotel
A grand hotel opened in 1893 as the Hotel Grunewald and now part of Waldorf Astoria, home of the Sazerac Bar and a block-long lobby famous…
Hotel
A 14-storey hotel from 1927 on St Charles Avenue, where Tennessee Williams wrote part of A Streetcar Named Desire, with the Jack Rose restaurant and a…
Hotel
A family-owned French Quarter hotel set across five restored buildings on Chartres Street, with courtyards, a pool, a bar and on-site parking.
Bar
A small French Quarter music hall founded in 1961 to protect and promote traditional New Orleans jazz, with live performances every night.
Bar
The revolving, carousel-themed bar inside Hotel Monteleone, turning since 1949, with craft cocktails and live music seven nights a week.
Bar
An Uptown music club opened in 1977 and named after a Professor Longhair song, hosting R&B, funk, rock and jazz shows for audiences aged 18 and…
Bar
A jazz club and restaurant on Frenchmen Street with a seated music room hosting two sets every night and a dining room serving dinner.
Bar
A historic French Quarter bar and café in the Mayor Girod House, known for its Pimm's Cup, warm muffulettas and classical music.
Bar
A bar in one of the oldest surviving buildings in New Orleans, a French Colonial cottage on Bourbon Street linked by legend to the privateer Jean…
Restaurant
A Garden District institution run by the Brennan family since 1974, serving what it calls New Haute Creole cooking, with weekend jazz brunch and a strict…
Restaurant
A French Creole restaurant on Bourbon Street founded in 1905 by Jean Galatoire, known for Gulf seafood, classic sauces and its long Friday lunches.
Restaurant
Founded in 1840 and still run by the founding family, Antoine's is the birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller and has historic dining rooms in the French Quarter.
Restaurant
A family-run Creole restaurant in Tremé, open since 1941, linked with the chef Leah Chase and with civil rights history in New Orleans.
Restaurant
A French Quarter Creole restaurant founded in 1946, now in a 1795 Royal Street mansion, and the place where bananas Foster was created.
Restaurant
Donald Link's St Charles Avenue bistro, open since 2000, serving seasonal French-Southern cooking with Italian touches, including a dark roux gumbo.
Thing to do
A historic riverside market district in the French Quarter, with a farmers market of food stalls, a daily flea market, local shops and a riverfront park.
Thing to do
A ride on the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, running green 1920s cars from Canal Street past the Garden District mansions to Carrollton.
Thing to do
A 19th-century residential district of Greek Revival mansions and Victorian houses between St Charles Avenue and Magazine Street, best explored on foot.
Thing to do
Behind-the-scenes tours of Kern Studios on the riverfront, where floats, props and giant sculptures are designed and built for Mardi Gras parades.
Thing to do
A three-block stretch in the Faubourg Marigny, just downriver from the French Quarter, lined with small clubs and bars known for nightly live music.
Tour operator
Two-hour French Quarter history walks led by volunteer guides from Friends of the Cabildo, starting daily from the 1850 House on Jackson Square.
Tour operator
The riverboat operator behind the Steamboat Natchez, running daytime and evening jazz cruises on the Mississippi from the Toulouse Street dock in the French Quarter.
Tour operator
A tour company running two-hour boat trips into the Honey Island Swamp, plus plantation, city and ghost tours, with an office on Decatur Street.
Tour operator
A New Orleans tour company running ghost, vampire, voodoo, cemetery and Garden District tours since 1995, most lasting about two hours.
Tour operator
A New Orleans tour company running three-hour food history and cocktail history walks, plus a four-hour combination tour, every day.
Three or four days is enough for the French Quarter, the Garden District, a major museum and some live music. Allow a week if you want to add day trips or festivals.
The French Quarter puts you closest to the main sights and nightlife. The Central Business District and Warehouse District are convenient and often quieter, while the Garden District suits a slower stay on the streetcar line.
Taxis and ride-share are the simplest options for the drive into the city, and a public bus also links the airport with downtown. Check current services before you travel.
Hotel prices rise sharply during Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and other big events. Outside those times the city can be good value, with plenty of inexpensive food and free music on the streets.
Most visits are trouble-free, but take normal city precautions. Stay in busy, well-lit areas at night, watch your belongings in crowds and use a taxi or ride-share late in the evening.