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New Orleans

No reviews yetCity Louisiana, United States
New Orleans, Louisiana, United StatesIronwork balconies on Royal Street are typical of the French Quarter's nineteenth century architecture, New Orleans, LouisianaCafe du Monde has served beignets and chicory coffee at the French Market since the nineteenth century, New Orleans, LouisianaFrenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny is known for its cluster of live music clubs, New Orleans, LouisianaThe St. Charles streetcar line is one of the oldest continuously operating street railways in the world, New Orleans, Louisiana

About New Orleans

New Orleans grew up in a bend of the Mississippi River, founded by the French in 1718, later governed by Spain and then absorbed into the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. That layered past, along with African, Caribbean and Creole influences, produced a city unlike any other in America, the birthplace of jazz and home to a cuisine of gumbo, red beans and po'boys.

The French Quarter is the natural starting point. Street performers gather in Jackson Square beneath St. Louis Cathedral, Royal Street is lined with galleries and antique shops, and Bourbon Street turns loud after dark. Beignets at Cafe du Monde go well with a stroll through the French Market. For music, locals point to the clubs of Frenchmen Street and the intimate concerts at Preservation Hall. The St. Charles streetcar rolls past oak-shaded mansions to the Garden District, where Magazine Street offers miles of shops. The National WWII Museum can fill most of a day, City Park holds ancient live oaks and an art museum, and St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, with its aboveground tombs, is visited on guided tours.

New Orleans suits music lovers, food travelers and anyone who enjoys a city that celebrates freely. Late winter and spring bring Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, while summer is hot, humid and falls within hurricane season. The Marigny, Treme and Uptown reward exploring beyond the Quarter.

Best seasonFebruary through May brings pleasant weather and major festivals, including Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.
Ideal stayThree to four days covers the French Quarter, the Garden District, a museum and plenty of live music.
ArrivingLouis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, west of the city in Kenner, is the main gateway.
New Orleans Louisiana Frenchmen Street Jazz and Creole FoodWiserMap travel guideNew Orleans Louisiana Frenchmen Street Jazz and Creole FoodExplore New Orleans: Jackson Square, the French Quarter, Frenchmen Street jazz, the Garden District by streetcar, City Park, Creole food and festival timing.Read the guide

Your New Orleans Bucket List: 12 Top Picks

Landmarks 2

Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral

The old Place d'Armes of the French colony was renamed for Andrew Jackson after his 1815 victory at the Battle of New Orleans, and...
The St. Charles streetcar, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The St. Charles streetcar

Running since 1835, first with horse and steam power, the St. Charles line is the oldest continuously operating street railway in...

Neighborhoods 3

Royal Street and Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Royal Street and Bourbon Street

Two parallel French Quarter streets could hardly feel more different. Royal Street is the gracious one, lined with antique dealers...
Garden District and Magazine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Garden District and Magazine Street

Laid out by wealthy Americans in the 19th century who settled upriver of the Creole French Quarter, the Garden District is a showc...
Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Frenchmen Street

Just downriver from the French Quarter in the Faubourg Marigny, these few blocks hold the city's densest cluster of live music clu...

Food and Drink 1

The French Market and Cafe du Monde, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The French Market and Cafe du Monde

Trading has taken place along this stretch of the riverfront since the 18th century, making the French Market one of the oldest pu...

Entertainment 1

Preservation Hall, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Preservation Hall

Founded in 1961 to protect and celebrate traditional New Orleans jazz, this tiny, weathered hall on St. Peter Street feels unchang...

Museums 1

The National WWII Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The National WWII Museum

Originally founded as a D-Day museum because Higgins landing craft were built in New Orleans, this museum has grown into a large c...

History 2

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

St. Louis Cemetery No. 1

Established in 1789, this is the oldest surviving cemetery in the city, a maze of whitewashed above-ground tombs and family vaults...
Whitney Plantation, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Whitney Plantation

About an hour's drive upriver along the River Road, Whitney is a plantation museum that focuses on the lives of enslaved people ra...

Family 1

Mardi Gras World, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Mardi Gras World

Behind the giant floats that roll during Carnival stands Kern Studios, founded by Blaine Kern in 1947, and Mardi Gras World is whe...

Parks 1

New Orleans City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

New Orleans City Park

At about 1,300 acres, City Park is larger than New York's Central Park and contains one of the largest collections of mature live...

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Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Infrogmation, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Infrogmation, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Infrogmation, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Infrogmation of New Orleans, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0