What to do once you land inNew OrleansFind your bearings
New Orleans runs on its own clock. Music pours from every doorway, second line parades appear out of nowhere, and the food is a religion. The French Quarter gets the fame but Frenchmen Street has the music, the Garden District has the beauty, and Bywater has the soul. Come hungry, stay late, and let the city's rhythm take over.
Neighborhoods
French Quarter — Historic heart of the city with iron balconies, Jackson Square, and Royal Street antique shops. Touristy on Bourbon, charming off it
Bywater — Artsy, colorful shotgun houses, indie galleries, and the best casual restaurants in the city. Locals' favorite neighborhood
Garden District — Oak-lined streets with antebellum mansions, Magazine Street shopping, and Commander's Palace. Feels like stepping back 150 years
Trem — America's oldest African American neighborhood. Birthplace of jazz, home to brass bands, and walking distance to the Quarter
Magazine Street — Six miles of boutiques, coffee shops, po'boy counters, and galleries stretching from the Warehouse District through the Garden District to Audubon Park
Best time to visit
October through November for mild weather, Jazz Fest, and Voodoo Fest. February for Mardi Gras (plan months ahead). March through May is pleasant. Avoid June through September unless you love extreme humidity and afternoon thunderstorms.
Getting around
The St. Charles streetcar runs 24/7 from the French Quarter through the Garden District. $1.25 exact change or Jazzy Pass on your phone
Walk or bike in the Quarter and Marigny. The city is flat and compact. Blue Bikes bike-share stations are everywhere
Uber and Lyft work fine but surge pricing during events (Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest) is brutal. Plan your exit strategy
Never leave valuables visible in a parked car, especially in tourist areas. Smash-and-grabs happen
Key areas
French QuarterBywaterGarden DistrictTremMagazine Street
Zero-dollar wins
1
Frenchmen Street live musicMost clubs have no cover charge. Walk in, listen to world-class jazz and brass bands, leave when you want. Tip the musicians
2
Jackson Square street performersBrass bands, tap dancers, fortune tellers, and painters set up daily in front of St. Louis Cathedral. Free entertainment all day
3
Garden District walking tour (self-guided)Walk Magazine Street to see mansions from the 1850s, including the setting of Interview with the Vampire. Free and stunning under the oaks
4
Besthoff Sculpture GardenFree outdoor sculpture park in City Park with 90+ works spread across lagoons and Spanish moss-draped oaks
5
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (exterior)View the above-ground tombs from the iron gates. Official tours are $20 but the exterior and neighboring streets capture the atmosphere free
6
French Market browsingOpen-air market with local art, hot sauce, spices, and pralines. Free to wander and sample. The flea market section has treasures
Treat yourself
(we think it's worth it)
Commander's Palace$50 to $90
Garden District institution since 1893. The weekend jazz brunch with 25-cent martinis is a legendary New Orleans experiencePreservation Hall$30 to $50
Intimate jazz venue in the Quarter where legends play nightly. No food, no fancy drinks, just pure traditional New Orleans jazz in a tiny roomBacchanal Wine$40 to $70
Buy wine inside, build a cheese board, then sit in the backyard under string lights with live jazz. The Bywater's best eveningSwamp tour by kayak$55 to $85
Skip the airboats. Kayak tours through the bayou let you get close to gators and herons in silence. Book with Kayak-iti-YatThe legendary bites
The dishes this city perfected
Café Du Monde$5 to $8
Open 24/7 since 1862. Powdered sugar beignets and chicory coffee at 2am is a New Orleans rite of passageBeignets (order of 3) with café au laitWillie Mae's Scotch House$12 to $18
America's best fried chicken in Trem. The batter is a closely guarded secret. Line forms early and they run out dailyFried chicken plate with butter beans and cornbreadDooky Chase's Restaurant$20 to $35
Legendary Creole restaurant in Trem where civil rights leaders once gathered. The gumbo z'herbes is unlike anything elseFried chicken and gumbo z'herbesCochon$25 to $45
Donald Link's Cajun-focused restaurant using whole-animal cooking. The boucherie plate is a tour of Louisiana pork traditionsCochon with turnips and cracklinsParkway Bakery & Tavern$10 to $16
The po'boy debate in NOLA is fierce, but Parkway's roast beef debris with gravy wins most arguments. Cash onlyRoast beef debris po'boy, dressedWhere locals eat
Where residents actually go
Dong Phuong Bakery$5 to $10
Vietnamese bakery in New Orleans East with the city's best king cake and banh mi. Worth the 20-minute drive from the QuarterDat Dog$6 to $10
Gourmet hot dogs on Frenchmen Street with toppings like crawfish touffe and andouille sausage. Late-night fuel between setsVerti Marte$8 to $14
24-hour French Quarter bodega famous for the 'All That Jazz' po'boy (grilled shrimp, ham, turkey, cheese). A drunken legendCoop's Place$12 to $18
Divey French Quarter joint with the best jambalaya in the city and local crowd that refuses to leave. Cash only, no reservationsTurkey and the Wolf$12 to $18
Wild sandwich shop in the Irish Channel that Bon Apptit named best new restaurant. The collard green melt defies explanationGo off-script
1
Second line parade (follow the brass band)Follow a brass band through the streets on Sunday afternoons. Check WWOZ radio's livewire page for schedules. Bring a handkerchief to wave
2
Swamp tour by kayakSkip the massive tourist barges. Paddle a kayak through the bayou with Kayak-iti-Yat for an intimate encounter with gators, herons, and cypress trees in silence
3
Live jazz on Frenchmen Street (not Bourbon)Three blocks of live music every single night with no cover at most spots. The Spotted Cat, d.b.a., and Maison are the local favorites
4
Beignets at Café du Monde at 2amSkip the daytime line. Show up at 2am after a night of music and eat hot beignets dusted in powdered sugar with barely a wait
Insider intel + tourist traps
Tips
- ✓Frenchmen Street is where locals go for music. Bourbon Street is where tourists go to get drunk. The difference is night and day (literally)
- ✓Get a go-cup. In New Orleans you can legally take your drink outside any bar in a plastic cup. Just ask for a go-cup when you're ready to leave
- ✓The streetcar costs $1.25 exact change. Or download the Jazzy Pass app for unlimited day passes. The St. Charles line is worth riding end to end
“Stumbled into a second line parade on a random Sunday, ate the best fried chicken of my life, and listened to jazz until 3am. NOLA is a whole different universe.”
Skip
- ✗Bourbon Street: overpriced Hurricane cocktails from powder mix, loud cover bands, and aggressive drink hawkers. Walk two blocks to Royal Street for charm without the chaos
- ✗Pat O'Brien's Hurricanes: $15 sugar bomb in a souvenir glass. Get a proper cocktail at Arnaud's French 75 bar or Cure on Freret Street
- ✗Plantation tours that romanticize history: choose Whitney Plantation, which centers the enslaved people's experience and tells the real story
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