New Orleans

Travel Guide

New Orleans
French Quarter featuring heritage architecture, a city and street scenes
New Orleans
New Orleans
New Orleans

New Orleans Travel Guide Video

Listen to jazz at its best, eat spicy Creole food and dress in costume for parades and festivities during Mardi Gras in this fascinating southern U.S. city.

Visit New Orleans during spring Carnival season for one of the world’s most exuberant Mardi Gras celebrations. Explore this exciting city in any season to enjoy its music and signature foods.

The “Big Easy” has more than 80 music clubs. Walk along the streets of the French Quarter to listen to jazz and other genres in the birthplace of music greats Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Harry Connick, Jr. and Wynton Marsalis. Preservation Hall offers intimate acoustic concerts more than 350 nights a year. Find a zydeco dance club and shimmy to the sounds of accordions and washboards.

In the restaurants around Jackson Square sample the city’s distinctive dishes, including spicy jambalaya, catfish po’boys, blackened Cajun specialties, sugar-covered beignets and sweet tea. Look up at the three spires of the St. Louis Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Church standing where worshippers have gathered since 1727. Next door, the Cabildo museum provides a look at important pieces of the history of New Orleans and Louisiana. Tour the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) and its Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Gardenin New Orlean’s City Park.

For a glimpse of the country’s past, visit the National World War II Museum. Listen to oral histories, see life-size photographs and inspect recovered artifacts. View tombs of local families at the gothic Lafayette Cemetery, established in 1833.

Have outdoor fun with boating or fishing on Lake Pontchartrain and indoor fun watching the New Orleans Saints playing football in the Superdome. See the exotic animals at the Audubon Zoo and watch colorful butterflies in its Butterfly Park.

Watch floats being made at Mardi Gras World overlooking the wide Mississippi River. Leading up to Easter every year, individual krewes of New Orleans stage more than 50 parades and concerts over several weeks in celebration of Mardi Gras. Put on a colorful costume and catch some beads thrown from floats to join the Carnival fun in the exciting city of New Orleans.

Where to stay in New Orleans

French Quarter featuring a city, heritage architecture and street scenes

French Quarter

4.5/5(151 area reviews)

Known for its fantastic nightlife and great live music, there's plenty to explore in French Quarter. Check out top attractions like Bourbon Street and Canal Street, and jump on the metro at Dumaine St Station or Ursulines Ave Stop to see more of the city.

French Quarter
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New Orleans Central Business District

4/5(98 area reviews)

Known for its fantastic nightlife and great live music, there's plenty to explore in New Orleans Central Business District. Check out top attractions like Canal Street and Caesars Superdome, and jump on the metro at Carondelet at Poydras Stop or Poydras Street Stop to see more of the city.

New Orleans Central Business District
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Garden District

5/5(2 area reviews)

Unique features of Garden District include the gardens and restaurants. Make a stop by Lafayette Cemetery or New Orleans Fire Museum Fire Station while you're exploring the area.

Garden District
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Arts/Warehouse District

4/5(6 area reviews)

Known for its abundant dining options and interesting museums, there's plenty to explore in Arts/Warehouse District. Top attractions like National World War II Museum and Confederate Memorial Hall Museum are major draws, and you can catch the metro at St. Charles at Julia Stop or Saint Charles at Saint Joseph Stop to see more of the city.

Arts/Warehouse District
St Louis Cemetery which includes heritage elements

Mid-City District

If you're spending time in Mid-City District, check out sights like Fair Grounds Race Course or Mahalia Jackson Theater and hop on the metro to see more of the city at Canal at White Stop or Canal at Salcedo Stop.

Mid-City District
Mardi Gras World featuring interior views and art as well as an individual female

Lower Garden District

4/5(13 area reviews)

Travellers love Lower Garden District for its beautiful gardens, and you can see more of New Orleans by jumping on the metro at St. Charles at St. Andrew Stop or St. Charles at Josephine Stop. You might spend time checking out top sights like Port of New Orleans and National World War II Museum.

Lower Garden District
Crowne Plaza New Orleans French Qtr - Astor
Crowne Plaza New Orleans French Qtr - Astor
4.5 out of 5
739 Canal Street at Bourbon, New Orleans, LA
The price is S$154 per night from 19 Mar to 20 Mar
S$154
includes taxes & fees
19 Mar - 20 Mar
Stay at this 4.5-star luxury hotel in New Orleans. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and a fitness center. Our guests praise the restaurant and the helpful ...
7.4/10 Good! (3,961 reviews)
Street of horrors.
"Adequate hotel. Good for an overnight, great location and good value. Parking valet is ia nightmare. valets have no idea of costs, service and are happy to leave you waiting forever on the street. I would seek another hotel."

Reviewed on 19 Feb,2025

Crowne Plaza New Orleans French Qtr - Astor
Wyndham New Orleans - French Quarter
Wyndham New Orleans - French Quarter
4 out of 5
124 Royal St, New Orleans, LA
The price is S$184 per night from 24 Feb to 25 Feb
S$184
includes taxes & fees
24 Feb - 25 Feb
Book a stay at this business-friendly hotel in New Orleans. Enjoy free WiFi, a fitness center, and valet parking (surcharge). Our guests praise the pool and ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (3,549 reviews)
"Hotel is in a good location for visiting the French Quarter. Rooms are decent and fairly clean. In my room the bath tile walls hadn't been cleaned recently and the headboards did not look very clean at all. Like they had been wiped with dirty rags or something. Also the room heat/ac unit was pretty ..."

Reviewed on 20 Feb,2025

Wyndham New Orleans - French Quarter
Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Bourbon Orleans Hotel
4 out of 5
717 Orleans St., New Orleans, LA
The price is S$257 per night from 24 Feb to 25 Feb
S$257
includes taxes & fees
24 Feb - 25 Feb
Book a stay at this historic hotel in New Orleans. Enjoy free WiFi, breakfast (surcharge), and a fitness center. Our guests praise the pool and the bar in our ...
8.8/10 Excellent! (3,520 reviews)
"The hotel is beautiful and the staff is top notch. Kenny, at the door, was the best host and helped me get acclimated to the hotel and to the French Quarter. The room, was clean and had a gorgeous balcony. The heat, however, wouldn’t get above 62 degrees the first night. After I called maintenance, ..."

Reviewed on 19 Feb,2025

Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Sonder at 1500 Canal
Sonder at 1500 Canal
3.5 out of 5
Canal Street, LaSalle, New Orleans, LA
Stay at this 3.5-star aparthotel in New Orleans. Enjoy a rooftop terrace, valet parking (surcharge), and concierge services. Our guests praise the helpful staff ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (1,368 reviews)
"This property was in the perfect location. The apartment was super clean and nicely decorated. I will be staying with Sonder again when I return to Nola."

Reviewed on 19 Feb,2025

Sonder at 1500 Canal
Sonder The Schaeffer
Sonder The Schaeffer
3.5 out of 5
201 North Rampart Street, New Orleans, LA
Stay at this 3.5-star aparthotel in New Orleans. Enjoy an outdoor pool, a rooftop terrace, and concierge services. Popular attractions Canal Street and Bourbon ...
8.6/10 Excellent! (174 reviews)
"We had a great stay with our family. The property was spacious, clean and quiet with easy parking options across the street. I would highly recommend."

Reviewed on 20 Feb,2025

Sonder The Schaeffer
Spacious Modern Condos near French Quarter
Spacious Modern Condos near French Quarter
4 out of 5
925 Common St, 100, New Orleans, LA
Stay at this 4-star aparthotel in New Orleans. Enjoy free WiFi, a 24-hour fitness center, and parking (surcharge). Popular attractions Canal Street and Caesars ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (39 reviews)
"Great location, apartment was clean, welcoming, and cozy. Unfortunately the lobby, elevator, and hallways smelt awful. This did not change throughout our entire stay, despite seeing several cleaning ladies in the common spaces. Also, the water in the bathroom sink pooled and nearly overflowed, which ..."

Reviewed on 19 Feb,2025

Spacious Modern Condos near French Quarter
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Things to do

Reviews of New Orleans

4.6
Top destination
5 - Excellent
133
5 - Excellent 65%
4 - Good
65
4 - Good 32%
3 - Okay
4
3 - Okay 2%
2 - Disappointing
3
2 - Disappointing 1%
1 - Terrible
1
1 - Terrible 0%

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Everything I thought it would be and more! I think highlight of the trip was Frenchmen St. Make sure to go!

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Full of life, character (s) and history. Beautiful French Quarter and Garden District.

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

New Orleans is a wonderful place. There are lots of things to see and do and there’s always bourbon street, I highly recommend Frenchman’s though, more civilised.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Only be very careful booking a hotel which looks so attractive. Our holiday was spoilt by the accommodation at St.Pierre Hotel which didn't even have a bar. Never ever go there again. Awful apart from staff.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Take your time to see as much as possible. Get out of the French Quarter to see the wider opportunities the. City has to offer.

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

Great vibe, especially near Halloween!