Hi there! New Orleans is such a fun city to visit, and, in my opinion, it’s somewhere that everyone should visit at least once! That being said, there are definitely some essential New Orleans travel tips that all travelers should know in order to have a fun and stress free trip.
Ready for my top tips for visiting New Orleans?
Keep reading for my 6 essential tips for visiting New Orleans so you can have an amazing trip!
Tips for Visiting New Orleans
1: Stay near/in the French Quarter
The French Quarter, in my opinion, is the most fun part of the city. Other people like the Garden District because it’s calm and quiet – but if you’re visiting New Orleans for bars and music then the French Quarter is the place for you. I also really liked walking around the French Quarter during the day and visiting the many museums in the area.
Hotels directly in the French Quarter can be pretty expensive during the high season, but if you stay a block or two outside of the quarter you may find a better deal.
Being able to walk to the French Quarter instead of taking an Uber or street car was important to me – and the best decision I made was staying so close by!
Click here for hotels in the area, and also check out the map below! If you want to check out the adorable AirBnb I stayed in, click here!
Booking.com2: Visit in the Spring or Fall
I visited New Orleans in March, just after Mardi Gras, and it was perfect. The weather was warm and sunny, without being too hot and humid. In the summer the heat can be pretty brutal, so, if possible, I recommend visiting in the milder months – like spring and fall!
3: New Orleans is safe – but use common sense when walking at night
Before visiting New Orleans so many people had told me how dangerous the city was. There are also tons of articles online stating that the city is unsafe.
This is certainly, in some ways, true; however, I did not get this feeling at all – and the major tourist areas felt perfectly safe during the day, especially the French Quarter and the Garden District.
During the daytime, especially, you are totally fine to walk around alone in major tourist areas. Personally, I didn’t feel particularly comfortable walking around alone after dark – but that’s the case for me in most major cities.
Use common sense, and remember that it’s always safer to take an Uber at night!
4: If you don’t like crowds, visit the French Quarter on a weekday, in the morning
Bourbon Street is almost always a party – no matter the day of the week or the time of day.
However, if you want to avoid crowds in other parts of the French Quarter, a weekday morning is your best bet! Keep in mind that not all museums are open on Mondays, so be sure to double check what’s open if you plan to visit on a Monday.
5: Don’t rent a car
If you’re flying into New Orleans, and planning on spending most of your time in the city, don’t rent a car.
New Orleans is relatively small and easy to get around, so there is no need to rent a car. Additionally, street parking isn’t always easy to find, and parking garages can be quite expensive.
An Uber from the airport to New Orleans takes around 20 minutes and costs around $40. Once inside the city, you can easily walk or take the streetcar.
6: Don’t forget the museums and tours!
Of course New Orleans is famous for the bars on Bourbon Street, but don’t miss out on all of the amazing museums and tours in the city. New Orleans has so many interesting museums, like the Pharmacy Museum and Mardi Gras World and I definitely recommend checking them out. I also went on some amazing tours, like a French Quarter Food Tour and a Ghost Tour!
To check out my post about my top museum and tour recommendations in New Orleans, click here!
Fun Tours in New Orleans:
- New Orleans Sightseeing City Tour
- Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour
- Haunted Pub Crawl in New Orleans
- New Orleans Garden District Walking Tour
I hope you found my 6 essential New Orleans travel tips to be helpful! New Orleans is one of the most fun cities I’ve been to, and you’re sure to have a blast!
If you have any questions, or anything to add to this post, let me know in the comments below!
Lastly, I appreciate you sharing this post on social media!
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Other posts to check out:
- The Best Tours and Museums in New Orleans
- Itinerary for 5 Days in New Orleans
- New Orleans Vegetarian Restaurant Guide
- New Orleans Packing Guide
♡Kate
Note: This post includes affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
Great tips, coming from someone from New Orleans! I would agree that New Orleans isn’t the safest city, even I am very cautious, but of course use common sense and definitely sticking to the popular areas is important – I would suggest to never go venturing off!
Thank you, Sarah!! That is great advice!
These are really good tips!
One of my favorite cities! Always a blast and so much great food!!!
Ahh i love New Orleans! These are really great tips!
Wow, didn’t realize there were so many things to see and do in New Orleans! Thanks for this suggestion. Perfect for first-timers. Lovely photos
I haven’t been to New Orleans in a long time. Are things back up and running again?
Yes! The city is open and most things are operating as normal.
I’ve never been to New Orleans, but the more I learn about it, the more I realize I need to go! It’s good to know you felt safe while there.
Great tips! I’ve been for Mardi Gras but would love to go back with my family and spend more time getting to know the city at a quieter time.
Way too old for Mardi Gras now, so I love the tip on visiting right after. Spring is such a beautiful time to travel in the South!
I’m visiting New Orleans soon and these are great suggestions. I would love to do a swamp tour and visit Marduk Gras world.
Those are some great tips! Never thought New Orleans is unsafe but now I’d stick to the touristy places as you’ve mentioned. Thanks a lot.
No. 5 is PERFECT for me! I still can’t drive (😖) so anywhere that can be explored on foot is exactly where I want to be 😅
Great tips. New Orleans is somewhere that has always really appealed! AS for safety, I think everywhere has it’s safe and not safe zones. I once got mugged in the safest town, place and time of the day! It happens, you just need to be sensible wherever you are!
Thanks for sharing these tips!! I’m always wondering the best area to stay in cities, so this was super helpful! 🙂