New Orleans

The birthplace of jazz, with the French Quarter's wrought-iron balconies, Bourbon Street nightlife, Creole cuisine and Mardi Gras parades—America's most exotic city.

New Orleans lies in southeastern Louisiana, where the Mississippi River curves into a great crescent-shaped bend, earning it the nickname "the Crescent City." Founded by the French in 1718, the city later passed to Spain and then joined the United States through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803; the blending of French, Spanish, African and Caribbean cultures created its distinctive Creole character and gave birth to jazz. Key areas: ① French Quarter—Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Bourbon Street nightlife, Royal Street antique shops, the French Market and Café du Monde; ② Marigny—live jazz on Frenchmen Street and Crescent Park; ③ Warehouse District—the National WWII Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and Mardi Gras World; ④ Garden District and Uptown—ride the St. Charles streetcar past mansions, stroll Magazine Street and visit Audubon Park; ⑤ City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Classic day trips nearby include the River Road plantations (Oak Alley, Whitney) and swamp boat tours to see alligators. The best season is Feb–May: Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday," 47 days before Easter, with the densest parades in the two weeks before), French Quarter Festival in April, and Jazz Fest from late April to early May—hotels are expensive during festivals and must be booked early. Jun–Nov is hot and humid and coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season. Getting around: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is about 25 km from downtown; streetcars and walking cover the main sights, while plantations and swamps require a car or a tour. Plan to stay 3–4 days; at night, watch your personal safety and belongings and avoid deserted streets.

Top sights

• French Quarter – The historic core of the city, founded in 1718. Wrought-iron balconies, gas lamps, and Creole architecture surround it, and jazz and food a…
• Bourbon Street – America's most famous party street, with bars, live music, and neon lights along one stretch. You can walk around with a plastic cup in han…
• Jackson Square – The central square of the French Quarter, surrounded by the Andrew Jackson equestrian statue, St. Louis Cathedral, and the Pontalba Buildin…
• Café du Monde – An open-air coffee stand that opened in 1862. Its signature treats are powdered-sugar-dusted beignets served with chicory café au lait.
• Frenchmen Street – The street locals choose for live jazz. Within three blocks are more than a dozen small music bars and a nighttime art market.
• Garden District – A mansion district built by wealthy American merchants in the 19th century. Greek Revival and Italianate homes sit behind century-old oak t…
• The National WWII Museum – The National WWII Museum, designated by the U.S. Congress, presents the Normandy landings and the Pacific War. It consistently ranks among…
• St. Louis Cathedral – The oldest Catholic cathedral in the United States in continuous use. Its white facade with three spires is New Orleans' most classic postc…
• French Market – One of the oldest public markets in the United States, in operation since 1791, offering flea market finds, handicrafts, and Louisiana stre…
• Royal Street – The most elegant street in the French Quarter, lined with antique shops, galleries, and wrought-iron balconies, where street musicians ofte…
• Preservation Hall – A traditional jazz hall founded in 1961, where you can hear New Orleans traditional jazz up close in a simple old house.
• The Cabildo – The Spanish colonial city hall beside the cathedral, where the 1803 Louisiana Purchase was formally transferred. It is now a state museum.
• The Historic New Orleans Collection – A free history museum on Royal Street that tells three hundred years of the city's history through maps, paintings, and artifacts.
• St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 – The oldest cemetery in New Orleans, opened in 1789. Its above-ground tombs stand in rows like a 'City of the Dead', and Voodoo Queen Marie…
• Ogden Museum of Southern Art – A museum dedicated to Southern American art, from folk art and Newcomb pottery to contemporary photography, located next to the National WW…
• Steamboat Natchez – One of the few true steam-powered paddle wheelers left on the Mississippi. Board to hear jazz and see the city skyline.
• St. Charles Streetcar Line – The oldest street railway line in the world still operating, in service since 1835. Vintage green streetcars roll along an oak-lined avenue…
• Magazine Street – A shopping street about 10 km long, lined with antique shops, independent design boutiques, galleries, and small restaurants.
• City Park – A city park larger than New York's Central Park, with one of the world's largest mature live oak groves, plus a botanical garden and an amu…
• New Orleans Museum of Art & Besthoff Sculpture Garden – The city's oldest art museum, located in City Park. The free sculpture garden next door displays nearly a hundred modern sculptures.
• Audubon Park & Zoo – An Olmsted-designed uptown park. Along its oak-shaded lakeside trail is the zoo, known for its Louisiana swamp exhibit.
• Audubon Aquarium – A riverside aquarium at the end of Canal Street, with Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean exhibits, penguins, and white alligators.
• Mardi Gras World – A studio warehouse where Mardi Gras parade floats are built. Guided tours show giant floats and props, and you can try a slice of king cake.
• Louis Armstrong Park & Congo Square – A park named after the jazz master, containing Congo Square, regarded as the birthplace of jazz, where enslaved Africans once gathered to p…
• Crescent Park – A linear park along the river in Marigny and Bywater, with rusty arch bridges and a promenade overlooking the downtown skyline.
• Caesars Superdome – One of the largest permanent domed stadiums in the world, home to the New Orleans Saints and host of multiple Super Bowls.
• Oak Alley Plantation – A grand avenue of 28 Southern live oaks, around 300 years old, leads to a Greek Revival mansion. It is also a place to learn about the hist…
• Whitney Plantation – The first museum in the United States devoted to the history of slavery on plantations, telling the true story through the voices of enslav…
• Barataria Preserve – The wetland section of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park, with free boardwalks leading deep into cypress swamps where alligators are of…
• Honey Island Swamp – A pristine swamp along the Pearl River where you can glide by flat-bottomed boat or airboat to spot alligators, raccoons and cypress forest…

Where to eat

• Commander's Palace – A legendary Creole restaurant in the Garden District established in 1893, renowned for its Jazz Brunch and turtle soup.
• Dooky Chase's Restaurant – A historic Creole restaurant in Tremé operating since 1941, famous for Leah Chase's gumbo and fried chicken.
• Café Du Monde (French Market) – A century-old coffee stand in the French Market, serving beignets and chicory coffee since 1862, a true New Orleans ico…
• Domilise's Po-Boy & Bar – A family-run corner joint in Uptown recognized by the Michelin Bib Gourmand, where the fried shrimp po-boy is highly ac…
• Cochon – A modern Cajun favorite in the Warehouse District featuring whole-pig butchery and a wood-fired oven, with rabbit dumpl…
• Dakar NOLA – Chef Serigne Mbaye's Senegalese fusion tasting menu restaurant, awarded its first Michelin star in 2026.

Itineraries

• Deep South Music Road Tour – Drive from Nashville along Highway 61 through the Delta, passing Natchez to New Orleans.
• Louisiana Cajun Country – Head west from New Orleans to explore River Road plantations, swamps, and Tabasco Island.