A cultural guide to New Orleans
Round-the-clock nightlife, Creole cuisine, modern art—and a whole lot of jazz. Welcome to the Big Easy
Your essential guide to the best things to see and do in New Orleans. Find more travel inspiration for more amazing cities here.
“In other places, culture comes down from on high. In New Orleans, it bubbles up from the streets.” So said the late Ellis Marsalis, jazz pianist and NOLA native, and it’s just as true today. Colonized by the French in 1682 and sold “back” to the U.S. government in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase, New Orleans retains a distinctly European vibe.
The impact of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina can still be felt (visit the Living with Hurricanes exhibit at the Louisiana State Museum), but NOLA has now largely reinvented itself, and doubled down on its charm. Visitors still descend en masse for its world-famous Mardi Gras in February or early March, and Jazz & Heritage Festival in April—but are won over by the warm Southern welcome, the ever-present music scene, and unique Creole and Cajun cuisines.
Expert tips
The essentials
Fly into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). RTA bus 202 Airport Express arrives in downtown in around 30 minutes. Follow the pink Airport Express signs for easy location. Union Passenger Terminal (NOL) connects New Orleans to other U.S. cities by Amtrak train, and is a 15-minute walk from the center. Metro bus stations are nearby.
Getting around
Taxis and rideshares are the most common way to get around. If using RTA bus or streetcar, download the RTA Le Pass app to plan your journey. The Jazzy Pass offers unlimited trips on RTA services, including bus and streetcar. Purchase a one, three or seven-day pass online or at ticket machines. Explore the Garden District on foot or by streetcar, with one of the best-preserved collections of historic mansions in the South. Flag a pedicab to explore Canal Street and the French Quarter.
LGBTQ+
New Orleans attracts LGBTQ+ visitors with its lively bar scene. Pride takes place in June, when a parade travels from Elysian Fields to Bourbon Street. Find LGBTQ+ bars and clubs on the French Quarter’s “Lavender Line,” where Bourbon Street and St. Ann Street intersect.
Accessibility
All RTA bus lines are fully accessible; most streetcars are accessible, although only some Green Streetcars are. The National WWII Museum offers a discount to visitors with accessibility needs. For vision-impaired visitors, guided tours must be booked a week in advance.
Art & architecture
The French Quarter feels like a living, breathing museum, with a charming meld of French, Spanish, and Caribbean architectural influences. At the New Orleans Museum of Art, with its grand Greco-Roman columns, find paintings by artists from John Singer Sargent to Joan Miró. Make time for NOMA’s oak and magnolia tree-lined Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, with over 90 works by Anish Kapoor, Henry Moore, Frank Gehry and more.
If you’re into the city’s occult side, there are plenty of cemetery tours, but equally evocative (and free) is The Historic New Orleans Collection. If you’re looking to spend some time outdoors after museum-hopping, don’t miss a swamp tour, with airboats taking you down canals teeming with inquisitive alligators; you’ll also see raccoons, egrets and pelicans. Just be careful: “If you fall in,” said our captain, “I can’t help you.”
Jazz, brass and much, much more
The big date on the cultural calendar is the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in spring, drawing crowds and artists from around the world (and from genres beyond jazz). But live music is ever-present in the city, from brass bands in the street to live acts in steamy bars.
Sample jazz, reggae, and blues at the bars and restaurants of Frenchmen Street, which also has a nighttime street art fair. And if you’re in the French Quarter on a Saturday, you might witness a roving wedding party, known as a second-line parade.
Experience New Orleans Jazz Festival
Food & drink
New Orleans is famous for its Creole cuisine, influenced by European, African, and Native American roots: Try gumbo (a rich, heavy stew), jambalaya (a spiced rice dish) and pack-a-larger-pair-of-pants Po’ Boys (massive baguette-style sandwiches). Fried chicken is also iconic here—head to Neyow’s for meltingly soft buttermilk chicken and a vast range of sides.
For something more upscale, try Brennan’s, with its innovative Creole cuisine (the Bananas Foster is flambéed at your table), Commander’s Palace (reputed to have the city’s best turtle soup), and the James Beard-nominated La Petite Grocery.
If you’re in the mood for Vietnamese, Lilly’s Café offers powerful bowls of pho, while for brunch we loved the “Baked Eggs in Purgatory” at the The Elysian Bar, housed in a converted church. This town takes coffee seriously, pairing it with its famous beignets. The iconic place to try this combo is Café Du Monde, but be warned: The lines get long. The city’s must-try cocktails include the Sazerac, a local Old Fashioned with rye whiskey, or the sweet and boozy rum-based Hurricane.
The French Quarter is where most tourists stay, as that’s where you’ll find many of the city’s top attractions: Think Café Du Monde, Jackson Square, Steamboat Natchez, iconic Creole eateries like Broussard’s and Galatoire’s, museums and, of course, booze-soaked Bourbon Street. Some of the city’s finest hotels are located here, too, from Hotel Monteleone with its revolving carousel bar to One11 Hotel, with its outdoor pool and fire pit.
Consider the leafy and quiet Garden District for its gorgeous 19th-century mansions; join a walking tour to hear more about the area’s history and architecture, plus a bit of gossip about its rich and famous residents, both past and present. If you make the district your base, we love The Ponchartrain Hotel, a refined but eclectic property on the historic St. Charles streetcar line.
A great spot for a morning meander is the six-mile-long Magazine Street for vintage shops, pottery stores, galleries, reflexology parlors, and the very strange Alligator Museum stuffed full of quirky gator-related curios. Stay at The Eliza Jane, housed in a former printing house, where the courtyard’s many cozy nooks will warmly welcome you and your morning coffee.
Rachel Sullivan is Expedia Group’s Executive Creative Director of Editorial. Before joining Expedia, she had a career in magazine publishing, writing for titles from Condé Nast Traveler to Brides, Red Magazine and The Sunday Times.
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