Travel Guide · New Orleans, United States
New Orleans Travel Guide 2026
New Orleans is unlike any other city in America, and arguably unlike any other city in the world. The French Quarter's wrought iron balconies, the sound of live jazz drifting from a dozen bars simultaneously on Frenchmen Street, the smell of chicory coffee and beignets, and a food culture that has influenced American cooking more than almost any other region make it utterly singular.
New Orleans at a Glance
- Best For
- Live jazz and blues, Creole and Cajun cuisine, Mardi Gras, the French Quarter architecture, ghost tours, above-ground cemeteries, and Mississippi River cruises
- Must-See
- Jackson Square and St Louis Cathedral, Frenchmen Street at night, the Garden District, Café Du Monde beignets, the WWII Museum, a second line parade, a cemetery tour
- Food & Drink
- Beignets at Café Du Monde, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, a muffuletta, a po'boy, turtle soup, bananas foster, and a hurricane
- Ideal Stay
- 3 to 4 days
Best Time to Visit New Orleans
February to March · Mardi Gras Season
Mardi Gras is one of the world's great festivals and experiencing it in New Orleans is a bucket-list event. The city transforms completely. Book accommodation a year in advance and expect prices to be extremely high. Fat Tuesday is the main event.
October to November · Fall (Best Overall)
Arguably the best time to visit outside Mardi Gras. Temperatures drop to comfortable levels after the brutal summer, the Jazz & Heritage Festival runs in late October, and the city is at its most liveable. Halloween in New Orleans is spectacular.
April to May · Jazz Fest
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in late April and early May is one of America's finest music festivals. Book well in advance. Temperatures are warming but still comfortable for long outdoor days.
June to September · Summer
Hot, humid, and hurricane-season. Daily temperatures above 35°C with suffocating humidity make sightseeing genuinely difficult. The city is quieter and prices are lower, but the conditions are challenging and hurricanes are a real risk from August onwards.
New Orleans Travel Costs (Per Person)
Budget · $80–$130 / day
New Orleans is relatively affordable outside festival season. Hostels, po'boys and Creole food from casual restaurants, free live music on Frenchmen Street, and the free French Quarter experiences.
Mid-Range · $150–$250 / day
A mid-range hotel in the French Quarter or Garden District, dinners at proper Creole restaurants, the WWII Museum, cemetery tours, and music venue cover charges. Outstanding value for such a culturally rich city.
Luxury · $300+ / day
The historic French Quarter hotels, Commander's Palace or Galatoire's for dinner, private ghost and cemetery tours, and Jazz Fest VIP access. New Orleans luxury has genuine old-world character.
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New Orleans Neighbourhoods
The French Quarter
The historic heart of New Orleans: Jackson Square, St Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, Royal Street antique shops, Bourbon Street, and the best Creole restaurants in the world. Walk every street at least once.
Marigny & Bywater
The neighbourhood immediately downriver from the French Quarter is where the real music scene lives. Frenchmen Street has live jazz every night of the week at multiple venues simultaneously.
The Garden District
One of America's finest collections of antebellum mansions, the famous above-ground cemeteries, Magazine Street independent shops, and Commander's Palace restaurant.
Tremé
The oldest African American neighbourhood in the United States and the cradle of jazz. St Augustine Church, the Backstreet Cultural Museum, and some of the city's most deeply authentic live music.
Mid-City & Bayou St John
City Park with the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Sculpture Garden, and the beautiful Bayou St John waterway running through a peaceful residential neighbourhood.
Uptown & Tulane
The streetcar line, Audubon Park and Zoo, Tulane and Loyola universities, and some of the city's finest Creole and contemporary restaurants on Magazine Street and Oak Street.
Top Things to Do in New Orleans
Culture & History
- The National WWII Museum, one of the finest museums in America
- A guided cemetery tour of St Louis Cemetery No. 1
- The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
- A second line parade. Follow the band through the streets
- The Backstreet Cultural Museum in Tremé
- A Mississippi River cruise at sunset
Jazz, Food & Atmosphere
- Frenchmen Street at night: multiple venues, no cover, world-class jazz
- Beignets and café au lait at Café Du Monde at 2am
- The Garden District walking tour. The antebellum mansions are extraordinary
- Eat a muffuletta from Central Grocery on Decatur Street
- Commander's Palace for a Saturday jazz brunch, book weeks in advance
- A ghost tour of the French Quarter after dark
Book New Orleans experiences:
Sample 4-Day New Orleans Itinerary
Day 1
The French Quarter
Morning coffee and beignets at Café Du Monde. Walk Jackson Square and visit St Louis Cathedral. Royal Street antique shops in the afternoon. Dinner at Antoine's or Galatoire's. Frenchmen Street jazz in the evening.
Day 2
Garden District & Cemeteries
Morning streetcar ride to the Garden District. Walking tour of the antebellum mansions. St Louis Cemetery tour with a licensed guide. Commander's Palace for a long lunch. Afternoon nap. This city keeps late hours.
Day 3
The WWII Museum & Tremé
The National WWII Museum is a full day but an extraordinary one. Evening in Tremé, the Backstreet Cultural Museum if open, then find a second line parade or live music on a side street. The Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street for late jazz.
Day 4
City Park & Departure
Morning in City Park, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sculpture Garden. Bayou St John for a final coffee. Central Grocery muffuletta for lunch. Depart with enough time to resist getting drawn back to Frenchmen Street.
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