The Complete New Orleans Travel Guide: Food, Music, and Everything You Need to Know
New Orleans is unlike any other city in the United States. The French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and Creole influences have created something singular — a place where the food, music, architecture, and attitudes toward life operate on their own terms.
I've been eight times across different seasons. Here's everything I've learned, organized so you can plan a trip that goes beyond Bourbon Street.
Overview
New Orleans sits in a crescent-shaped bend of the Mississippi River in southeastern Louisiana. The French Quarter is the historic core — 13 blocks of 18th-century architecture with wrought-iron balconies — but the city's real character extends into neighborhoods like the Marigny, Bywater, Garden District, and Treme.
Population: 383,000 in the city, 1.3 million in metro. Small enough to feel intimate, big enough to have world-class everything.
Best Time to Visit
February to May is the sweet spot. Here's the season-by-season breakdown:
February-March: Mardi Gras season. Temperatures 15-22°C. The city's biggest event with 2+ weeks of parades. Crowded and expensive, but unforgettable. Book hotels 6+ months ahead.
April-May: Jazz Fest (late April-early May, $85-95/day). Perfect weather (20-28°C). Post-Mardi Gras prices are more reasonable. This is when I'd recommend a first visit.
June-September: Brutally hot and humid (33°C+ with 80% humidity). Afternoon thunderstorms daily. Hotel prices drop 30-40%. If you handle heat well, it's the cheapest time to visit.
October-November: Warm (20-27°C), fewer crowds, Halloween in NOLA is surprisingly huge, and the French Quarter Festival (free, mid-October) is excellent.
December-January: Mild (8-17°C). Christmas in the Quarter is beautiful. New Year's Eve on Bourbon Street is chaos.
Getting There
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) is 20 km west of the French Quarter.
Taxi: Flat rate $36 to CBD/French Quarter for 1-2 passengers
Where to Stay
French Quarter: Walking distance to everything. Noisy on Bourbon Street side — stay on the Royal/Chartres side for charm without the 3AM karaoke. Mid-range: $150-250/night.
Garden District: Elegant, quieter. Connected to the Quarter by the St. Charles Streetcar ($1.25). B&Bs in antebellum mansions: $120-200/night.
Marigny/Bywater: Walking distance to Frenchmen Street music scene. More local, artsy vibe. Boutique hotels and Airbnbs: $100-180/night.
CBD/Warehouse District: Modern hotels, walkable to the Quarter and museums. Best for chains (Marriott, Hilton): $130-220/night.
Avoid staying on Bourbon Street itself unless you enjoy being woken by a trombone at 2AM.
Getting Around
New Orleans is remarkably walkable for a Southern city.
Walking: French Quarter, Marigny, and CBD are all walkable between them (20-30 min)
St. Charles Streetcar: $1.25 (exact change) or Jazzy Pass ($3/day unlimited). Runs from Canal Street through the Garden District to Carrollton. The ride itself is an attraction.
Canal Street Streetcar: $1.25. Runs from the river to City Park along Canal Street.
Uber/Lyft: Plentiful and cheap ($8-15 within the city)
DO NOT rent a car. Parking is scarce ($25-45/day), streets are narrow, and everything you need is reachable by foot, streetcar, or rideshare.
What to Do
Must-Do
Frenchmen Street live music (nightly from 5PM, most clubs free or $5-15 cover)
Cafe Du Monde beignets ($5 for 3, open 24/7, 800 Decatur St.)
Garden District walking tour (free self-guided, St. Charles Streetcar to get there)
Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral (free)
Commander's Palace lunch (25-cent martinis, book 2 weeks ahead)
Worth It
Cajun swamp tour ($30-55, 2 hours, best March-June for alligators)
National WWII Museum ($32, allow 4+ hours, one of the best museums in America)
Cemetery tour (Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is free; guided tours of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1: $25, required for entry)
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (free concerts most days at 2-3PM)
Pat O'Brien's Hurricane ($15 for a tourist trap cocktail — make your own at any bar for half the price)
What to Eat
New Orleans has one of America's greatest food cultures. Here's what to eat and where:
Beignets: Cafe Du Monde ($5 for 3). Accept no substitutes.
Po'boys: Parkway Bakery & Tavern ($10-14, the roast beef debris po'boy is legendary). Also try Domilise's ($8-12, shrimp po'boy).
Gumbo: Dooky Chase's Restaurant ($15, a Treme institution and Leah Chase's legacy).
Red beans and rice: Any local restaurant on Monday — it's the traditional Monday dish. Willie Mae's Scotch House serves it alongside the best fried chicken in America ($15-18).
Muffuletta: Central Grocery ($16, since 1906, feeds 2).
Crawfish (in season, February-June): Any crawfish boil spot — Bevi Seafood ($12/lb boiled crawfish) or catch a neighborhood boil.
Fine dining: Commander's Palace (lunch, $40-55 with martinis), Galatoire's ($50-80, jacket required Friday lunch), Compere Lapin ($30-50, modern Caribbean-Creole).
Budget Breakdown
Category
Budget
Mid-Range
Splurge
Accommodation
$80-120/night (hostel/basic)
$150-250/night
$300-500/night
Food (per day)
$25-40
$50-80
$100-200
Activities
$0-30
$40-80
$100+
Transport
$3-10
$15-25
$30-50
Daily Total
$108-200
$255-435
$530-950
Safety
The French Quarter, Garden District, Marigny, CBD, and Warehouse District are safe during the day. At night:
Stick to well-lit, populated streets
Take Uber/Lyft back to your hotel after midnight
Bourbon Street has heavy police presence and is safe (if annoying)
Don't wander into poorly lit side streets, especially east of the Quarter
Pickpocketing is common in crowds during Mardi Gras
Useful Phrases
New Orleans has its own vocabulary:
"Where y'at?" = How are you? (This is where "yat" as a local accent name comes from)
"Lagniappe" (lan-YAP) = A little something extra, a bonus
"Neutral ground" = Median strip (what the rest of America calls a median)
"Second line" = The spontaneous parade followers who dance behind a brass band
"Making groceries" = Grocery shopping
"Parish" = County (Louisiana is the only state that uses parishes)
What to Pack
Comfortable walking shoes (cobblestones and uneven sidewalks everywhere)
Light, breathable clothing (humidity is no joke, even in spring)
A light rain jacket (afternoon showers are frequent)
Cash for street food, tips, and small shops
A go-cup (bars give you plastic cups to take your drink on the street — legal in NOLA)
Sunscreen and a hat for daytime walking
New Orleans is the kind of city that makes you rethink what you want from a vacation. It's not polished. The sidewalks are cracked, the buildings lean, and the humidity will ruin your hair. But the music is real, the food is extraordinary, and the people have a philosophy about enjoyment that the rest of America could learn from.
For more Southern culture meets Latin flavor, Oaxaca shares that same intersection of food, tradition, and music. If you're doing a US food tour, pair NOLA with Chicago for deep-dish and blues.
Go. Stay in the Marigny. Eat everything. Follow the music.
