All Articles 4 perfect days in New Orleans

4 perfect days in New Orleans

By Jay Blades and Mark Sullivan25 Apr 2023 11 minutes read
Horse-drawn carriages lined against entrance to Jackson Square. with St. Louis Cathedral behind it
Jackson Square
Image: Tripadvisor

Updated August 22, 2024

Four days in New Orleans—that’s more than enough time for bar hopping through the French Quarter and along Frenchmen Street, right? And to scarf down po’boys or gumbo in Tremé and the Marigny? After-dark activities are a cinch, but on my first trip to New Orleans I wondered if I'd have enough to fill my days. After many happy returns, I know I could spend a lifetime exploring this city, from streetcar rides through the downtown streets (a must, especially if you’re a first-timer) to house-peeping in the oak-shaded Garden District.

To minimize your trekking time, I’ve organized this four-day itinerary by location. I’ve also built in stops along the way to rest (there are gorgeous gardens everywhere) and refuel (starting with longtime favorites like Cafe du Monde) so that you have enough stamina for busy days and fun nights. Even better, my picks are based on Tripadvisor ratings and reviews to make sure you see and taste the very best of this knockout city.

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Table of contents


Is four days enough in New Orleans?

Most newcomers start off with a whirlwind weekend in New Orleans, so you’ll feel less rushed if you have four days. You can go at a relaxed pace, strolling through the French Quarter on your first day, the Garden District on your second, and then spending the next two days riding a ferry across the Mississippi River or taking a day trip to the wild Louisiana Wetlands to spot alligators.

Places to visit

With four days, you'll be able to hit most of the city's must-see attractions: Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street, City Park, the Garden District, and so much more.

Where to stay in New Orleans for two days

French Quarter: If you want to be right in the action, this is your spot. It’s close to everything—and where we focus a good amount of our itinerary. A favorite of many Southern authors (including Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner), Hotel Monteleone has excellent service and a convenient location, especially for nightcaps at the Carousel Bar.

Uptown/Garden District: For a quieter vacation, choose the Uptown area (which covers the Garden District, a significant part of our Day 2 itinerary). Located in a 19th-century townhouse, Henry Howard Hotel feels like home-away-from-home, if that home was also unbelievably regal.

Central Business/Warehouse District: Close to the Quarter without being in the Quarter, the downtown area has some of the best museums, art galleries, and restaurants. Even if you’re not going to a Saints game, the CBD makes a solid home base, with hotels running from modern (Ace Hotel, The Troubadour) to historic (The Roosevelt).

DAY ONE

People looking up at building featuring wrought-iron balconies with Mardi Gras decor
French Quarter
Image: Tripadvisor

MORNING: Wander through the French Quarter

Ask a local where to get the best beignet, and you'll probably hear a bunch of different answers. But the iconic Cafe Du Monde gets our vote, particularly the original location in the French Market, which sits along historic Jackson Square. It’s been there for over 160 years and still serves just one food: beignets.

The 24-hour stand can get pretty crowded, but it’s one of the only places where you can have a piping-hot beignet and café au lait while watching portrait artists, tarot card readers, and acrobatic tumblers.

Once caffeinated and sugared up, wind through the streets of the French Quarter (Vieux Carré to locals), checking out its Creole townhouses, wrought-iron balconies, and hanging gardens. Be sure to venture off the main drags, but don’t miss Royal and Chartres Streets, which are known for their art galleries and antique shops. This is also a good time to check out Bourbon Street if you want to see it minus the crowds.

FRENCH QUARTER TOUR OPTIONS

  • The only way to visit New Orleans’ most famous—and haunted—cemetery is with a tour. (Technically, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 lies just outside the French Quarter, but many of the neighborhood’s most infamous residents, like voodoo queen Marie Laveau, are buried there.)
  • With its lax liquor laws, the city is best explored with a drink in hand. Drink & Learn’s Cocktail Tour keeps the cocktails flowing while you visit Jackson Square, the Pharmacy Museum, and other Quarter landmarks.
  • Learn about NOLA’s scandalous side with the fun and entertaining Saints and Sinners walking tour, which makes stops at places like Hotel Villa Convento and St. Louis Cathedral.

AFTERNOON: Soul food, sculptures, and second lines

Hungry? Head north into Tremé, the oldest African-American neighborhood in the U.S., walking past candy-colored cottages and shotgun houses to Creole-soul institution Dooky Chase. Late owner Leah Chase, a.k.a. the queen of Creole cooking, passed away several years ago, but her sought-after recipes for gumbo and fried chicken live on.

If you’re lucky, you might catch a second line as you’re leaving lunch. The brass band-led parades pop up often in Tremé (usually for weddings and funerals, but other times just because). You can’t miss ‘em: The brightly dressed participants all sing, dance, and wave handkerchiefs as they march through the streets. Feel free to join in—that’s part of the fun.

Next up, head to The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, just a short streetcar ride away. Situated in lush, sprawling City Park, this garden is free (even the audio guide) and can be a nice break from the congestion of the Quarter. Pro tip: There’s a second Cafe Du Monde location just around the corner, in case you haven’t had your beignet fix yet—or you need another dose of powdered sugar.

Travelers say: “You cannot afford to miss out on seeing this area of City Park. Get the Canal streetcar up from the French Quarter—it’s only $1.25 each way. These gardens are beautiful; all the sculptures are so different. It’s just a pleasure to walk around this garden area. Afterwards, pop into the Café Du Monde for the famous coffee and beignets, without the long lines like on Canal Street.” —@363cymru123

EVENING: Dinner in an old rectory followed by Dixieland jazz

Plan on getting to the Marigny—the artsy neighborhood that borders the French Quarter—before dark so you can see some of the large-scale murals that blanket its buildings. Then, stroll over to The Elysian Bar, a buzzy hotel restaurant in a former rectory. Instead of one big dining room, it’s made up of smaller nooks, like a homey parlor decked out in gingham and a cozy midcentury bar. (There’s also a lovely courtyard if the weather is nice.)

The decor isn’t the only thing that makes this place a destination. The ever-changing menu of small-to-medium plates (crab and ricotta gnocchi, crispy pork belly) and cocktails (the house spritz is a crowd fave) is worth the trip alone.

Close out the night on lively Frenchmen Street, where divey jazz clubs host both legendary and up-and-coming musicians. Pop in and out of Snug Harbor, d.b.a., and The Spotted Cat—or do as the locals do and hang in the street. Frenchmen is a party in itself, filled with street poets, craft markets, and spontaneous concerts.

Worthy detours along the way

DAY TWO

Light-pink, two-story home with wrought-iron balconies, hanging plants, and hedge-lined gate
Garden District
Image: Tripadvisor

MORNING: A streetcar ride through antebellum mansions

Climb aboard the vintage St. Charles Streetcar for a ride through the Garden District’s palatial mansions and live oak-lined streets. There’s a lot to see, so consider buying a one-day Jazzy Pass, which will allow you to hop on and off for a single price.

Highlights include Buckner Mansion, which starred as a boarding school for witches in American Horror Story; the Carroll-Crawford House, where Mark Twain often partied; and the Brevard-Clapp-Rice House, the former home of Gothic novelist Anne Rice.

If you have extra time, take the full trip out to Audubon Park. Behind the zoo, you’ll find a green space known as The Fly, where you can rest your feet while watching the boats on the Mississippi River.

GARDEN DISTRICT TOUR OPTIONS

  • Sure, you could Google every beautiful home you come across, but we suggest taking a walking tour to get the real backstory on the neighborhood’s most colorful residents.
  • Seeing the Garden District by bike is a great way to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
  • The Homes of the Rich and Famous Tour mixes history and celeb gossip for a fun look at one of New Orleans’ most-filmed neighborhoods.

AFTERNOON: Southern sandwiches and a stroll down Magazine Street

For lunch, get off at the Jackson Avenue stop and walk a few blocks southeast to Turkey and the Wolf. Their fried bologna sandwich gives New Orleans’ other iconic sandwich—the po’boy—a run for its money. That said, everything on the menu (divided into “Sandwiches” and “Not Sandwiches”) is worth trying, especially the collard green melt and deviled eggs.

Afterward, stretch your legs on charming Magazine Street, stopping off at Sucre for king cake, Mignon Faget for jewelry, Home Malone for Southern-made gifts, and Octavia Books for indie titles. Or gallery-hop your way through the six-mile stretch. You’ll find everything from pop-culture portraits to abstract wildlife paintings.

EVENING: From craft cocktails to a Christmas-themed dive bar

Make your way north—you’ve earned a cab ride at this point—to Cure. Once an old firehouse, this exposed-brick bar was ground zero for New Orleans’ craft cocktail scene (which is saying a lot in a city overrun with famous cocktails). The menu changes often, but you’ll always find well-done riffs on the classics, like a rum twist on a French 75 or a minty old-fashioned.

Farther into Uptown (about a 10-minute cab ride), the Carrollton-Riverbend neighborhood is popping with restaurants, coffee shops, boutiques, and bars. Its most popular drag, Oak Street, is home to Jacques-Imo’s, a quirky, colorful spot with mismatched plastic tablecloths and swamp murals. The move here is ordering shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake, blackened redfish, and crawfish etouffee. Just be prepared to wait—it’s always busy. Wash it all down with an ice-cold Schlitz at dive-bar fave Snake and Jake’s Xmas Club Lounge.

Travelers say: “[Snake and Jake’s is a] real NOLA experience. Unique, unpretentious and definitely off the beaten path. [They have] a great outdoor patio where no one is a stranger and two friendly dogs who will eat their kibble at the bar for a $2 donation to the Humane Society.” —@dirk82kate

Worthy detours along the way

DAY THREE

Tour guide holding food above alligator during a swamp tour
Swamp Tour by Louisiana Tour Company
Image: Tripadvisor

MORNING: Indulge in a white-tablecloth breakfast

You have a day of gator-watching ahead of you, so get to Brennan’s early. And bring your appetite—the French Quarter destination treats breakfast like a three-course dinner.

Whether you sit in the pink-and-green dining room or leafy courtyard is up to you, but the turtle soup (a Creole staple) and eggs Hussarde (a richer version of eggs Benedict) are a must. As is the milk punch. (Brandy at breakfast?! Why not?) If you save room for dessert, you’ll be able to check another signature New Orleans dish off your list: bananas Foster. It was invented at Brennan’s back in the ‘50s, and they still flambé it tableside. It’s a real showstopper.

AFTERNOON: Boat down the bayou

Arrive back at your hotel (or your chosen pickup location) in time for your swamp tour. After a 35-minute drive out to the bayou, you’ll board a small airboat, which will zip you through narrow swamps and marshes that other boats can’t reach.

The tour drivers are great—both at knowing where alligators are lurking and at explaining the ecosystem and the animals that live there. While it’s worth doing for the scenery alone (picture moody cypress-filled swamps and lush Spanish moss), your chances of spotting blue herons, owls, eagles, turtles, and, of course, gators are also pretty good.

OTHER TOUR OPTIONS OUTSIDE THE CITY

  • For a slower-paced, up-close-and-personal view of Louisiana’s wetlands, opt for a kayak swamp tour instead. You’ll paddle by gators and cypress knees while learning about the history of the area, its plants, and its wildlife.
  • The New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Harbor Cruise offers a different kind of boat ride. The paddlewheeler takes you on a leisurely ride down the Mississippi to the tunes of a three-piece jazz band. There’s also helpful narration if you’re curious about the sites passing by.
  • Prefer to sightsee on land? The Whitney Plantation Tour takes you out to an old sugar plantation, where you’ll get a no-holds-barred look at what life was like for enslaved people in the South. Tripadvisor reviewers call it “powerful” and “eye-opening.”

EVENING: Wine, cheese, and choose-your-own nightlife

Once back in the city, hitch a ride to the Bywater, a colorful (both literally and figuratively) neighborhood along the Mississippi River. Get dropped off at Bacchanal, a wine shop with small plates, make-your-own cheese boards, and live music in the twinkly backyard. If you’re there in time for sunset, order your chèvre and rosé to-go and have a picnic in Crescent Park.

If you need something more hearty, grab a slice (or two) of New York-style pizza at Pizza Delicious, or sit down to a proper meal of crab beignets and griddled salmon at The Country Club. Both are just a 15-minute walk down the street.

From there, you have a few choices. If it’s Thursday, beeline it to Vaughan’s, where there’ll probably already be a crowd lined up to hear trombone player Corey Henry. Saturn Bar is another good option—it’s a punky, divey sort of place that often has bands (everything from cumbia to indie dance rock). Or grab a cab to Hi-Ho Lounge for bluegrass, psychedelic rock, or even a comedy show.

Travelers say: “We saw a lot of amazing musicians and places while in New Orleans for jazz fest recently, but the highlight of our musical adventures was at Vaughan's for Corey Henry's Thursday night set. The place was jam-packed, like seriously packed, so you need to get there early. Sardine-like atmosphere aside, the music that Corey and his band are putting down is epic. The real deal.” —@JCrenshaw

Worthy detours along the way

DAY FOUR

Jazz band performing on small stage with piano, hung photos, and flags of various countries
Fritzel's European Jazz Bar
Image: Tripadvisor

MORNING: Time hop to World War II

Head to the Arts (or Warehouse) District. You’ll want to carve out a good chunk of your morning to see The National World War II Museum. This institution tells the story of the war through short films (including a 4D movie narrated by Tom Hanks), oral histories, immersive exhibits, and an incredible selection of artifacts. (Don’t miss the shark-faced fighter plane.) You can get through most of it in about three or four hours, but history and museum buffs may want more time to linger.

THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM TOUR

  • With so much to see, it can be helpful to tack on a guided tour of the museum’s Road to Berlin and Road to Tokyo Exhibits. The super-knowledgeable guides may point out details you’d otherwise miss.

AFTERNOON: Ferry across the Mississippi

The museum’s restaurant is solid, but Cochon Butcher, just two blocks east, does New Orleans’ classic dishes really well. Start with boudin (Cajun rice sausage), then follow it up with a muffuletta. (Central Grocery may have invented this sandwich, but Cochon’s version is also excellent.)

Walk off lunch by strolling 20 minutes northwest to the Canal Street Ferry Terminal, next to the Audubon Aquarium. Here you’ll pick up the Algiers Ferry, which leaves every 30 minutes at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. Take the short, $2 ride over the Mississippi River to Algiers, New Orleans’ second oldest neighborhood.

Algiers is small-town living with big-city culture. Check out the skyline view and the Italianate-style courthouse, then stroll along the paved levee path for a stretch. Inland, be sure to wander down Olivier, Vallette, and Pelican Streets, where you’ll find everything from Creole cottages and Victorian houses to a Carpenter Gothic church and a 1930s gas station. If your feet need a rest, drop into local hangout Old Point Bar for a beer or a snack.

EVENING: A proper night out in the Quarter

End your trip where you started: the French Quarter. Tucked inside Hotel Monteleone, the Carousel Bar is known for inventing the Vieux Carre cocktail—but it also makes a mean Sazerac (considered the official cocktail of New Orleans). Time it right, and you may be able to secure a seat at the bar’s other claim to fame: the revolving merry-go-round bar.

For a true New Orleans dining experience, make Arnaud’s your next stop. The legendary restaurant has been serving well-dressed locals for over 100 years. Between courses of souffle potatoes and shrimp Arnaud, pop your head into the award-winning French 75 bar or sneak upstairs to see the old Mardi Gras paraphernalia.

By this time, Bourbon Street should be in full swing. As you’d expect from America’s party street, Bourbon gets loud, crowded, and messy. It can also be a whole lot of fun. At night, the entire street is closed to traffic, so you can walk up and down with your go-cup—that’s New Orleans’ speak for a to-go cocktail—and see everything from drag queens to tap dancers. (Just watch your stuff; there are also pickpockets.)

If you need a breather, drop into the Old Absinthe House, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (the purple voodoo daiquiri is delicious—and dangerous), or Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub. Or walk four blocks east to Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29 for a more civilized (but still really fun) option. Then try not to miss your flight home.

Travelers say: “The thing you have to get [at Arnaud’s] is the café brulot. Coffee mixed with brandy and orange curacao, sugar, and cinnamon that has been set aflame and poured down an orange peel pierced with cloves. Yep. It's a great visual and a lovely way to end the evening.” —@El-Cholestero

Worthy detours along the way

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Jay Blades
Jay Blades is a writer, content strategist, and design-led nomad. When she's not eating fish tacos in Baja, she's usually hiking in upstate New York, driving cross-country, or drinking rosé piscines in the other South of France. She's also the founder of Upstate & Elsewhere, where she and her husband document their adventures and daily life.
Mark Sullivan
Mark Sullivan is a longtime travel and lifestyle corespondent. He has written dozens of articles and has contributed to more than 200 travel guides.