Hi everyone! Traveling to New Orleans, or hoping to in the future? Then this post is for you! Welcome to your New Orleans itinerary and travel guide!
New Orleans is such a fun city and it is full of amazing art, museums, tours and activities.
I had a wonderful time in the city, and in this post I’ll be sharing my itinerary for how to spend 5 perfect days in New Orleans! Although I chose to spend 5 days in New Orleans, this itinerary is fully customizable and can be adapted for any number of days in the city! Keep reading for you guide to New Orleans, complete with information on accommodations, tours, activities and restaurants!
How to get to New Orleans: There are tons of flights into New Orleans, and you can easily travel nonstop from cities like Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and NYC. I’ve found super reasonable flights, for as low as $70 round trip!
New Orleans is also easily accessible from many Southern cities, including Baton Rouge (Louisiana’s capital!) For more information about how to travel between New Orleans + Baton Rouge, check out Wanderu’s guide for bus travel between the two cities!
New Orleans Itinerary!
Sleep – AirBnbs and Hotels in New Orleans
When I travel I love to stay in AirBnbs, I think it’s a great way to feel like part of the community.
I also think that AirBnbs are a wonderful option for those who are traveling while working from home. You can set up your own little home office! We booked an AirBnb a few blocks outside of the French Quarter and it was perfect.
It was a quiet area, but just steps from all of the fun in the French Quarter. The apartment was clean and decorated very nicely! This one bedroom apartment is the perfect place for a couple or two friends traveling together. Click here to check it out!
If you prefer to stay in hotels, there are so many fantastic options in and around the French Quarter! Below are a few of my top recommendations!
- City House New Orleans – vibrant and highly rated hostel (budget option)
- Royal Sonesta Hotel
- Prince Conti Hotel
- French Market Inn
Eats – The Best Places to Eat in New Orleans
New Orleans is well known for the amazing food!
During my week long trip, I was able to eat at a ton of amazing spots! Below are a few of my absolute favorites!
Breakfast + Coffee in New Orleans
Cafe du Monde
Cafe du Monde is probably the most famous restaurant in New Orleans, and for good reason!
Beignets are a must-try when in New Orleans. I had never had them before, but I’m now a huge fan. They remind me of a fluffy fried dough, topped with tons of powdered sugar!
The wait time will likely be quite long, but overall it’s worth it. Their beignets and coffee are so good, and this is definitely a great place to start your day!
Cafe Beignet
Cafe Beignet is another delicious beignet spot with multiple locations throughout the city. In addition to serving coffee and beignets they also serve breakfast all day! Usually the line at Cafe Beignet locations is shorter than the line at Cafe du Monde, and I definitely recommend checking this place out!
Lunch in New Orleans
NOLA Poboys
We visited NOLA Poboys on Bourbon Street as part of a food tour, and it was really good! There are tons of poboy restaurants in the city, and this one is definitely a great option.
I recommend the shrimp poboy – I rarely eat meat/seafood, but it looked so good I just had to try it! It’s slightly spicy and really delicious.
Killer Poboys
Located on Dauphine Street, Killer Poboys serves up delicious sandwiches. What I like most about this restaurant, is that they have vegetarian poboys!
You won’t find vegetarian poboys at most restaurants, so I was super happy to find Killer Poboys. The sweet potato poboy was so good; I loved the addition of the collard greens – they really made the sandwich special! The portion sizes are huge, and perfect to share!
Dinner in New Orleans
Sylvain
This is my favorite restaurant in New Orleans! In addition to the wonderful food, their outdoor patio is beautiful. I highly recommend both the beet salad and the cornbread – they are great dishes to share. Everything we ate was delicious, and we almost went back two nights in a row, it was that good!
We weren’t able to spend as long at the restaurant as we would have liked, because we were running late for our ghost tour, so unfortunately, we weren’t able to try any of their desserts. They all sounded wonderful, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the menu and the experience!
Cafe Amelie
Cafe Amelie has a beautiful courtyard and absolutely delicious food! Although it’s right in the middle of the French Quarter, their courtyard offers an escape from the loud, busy streets.
This restaurant gives off elegant, romantic vibes and we really enjoyed our dinner here. The pan roasted brussels sprouts were the highlight of the meal – I think I could eat them every single day! Cafe Amelie also has wonderful desserts, and the chocolate melting cake was divine!
Activities – Fun Things to do in New Orleans
Explore the French Quarter
Explore the French Quite
We stayed just a few blocks away from the French Quarter, and the location was perfect! The French Quarter is beautiful, and it is a lovely place to walk around and take photos.
The French Quarter is primarily Spanish Colonial architecture, and all of the lovely colors are truly beautiful to look at. You can spend hours wandering the streets and taking in the sites.
Visit the French Market
Close to Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter, this 5 block long open air market is a fantastic place to visit for yummy food and souvenir shopping. The market was originally a Native American trading post, and today the market offers everything from paintings, to t-shirts to snoballs (a yummy treat!)
Take the Streetcar to the Garden District
Taking the streetcar in New Orleans is a must! The streetcar is so fun to ride, and it’s also super convenient. I recommend taking the streetcar from the French Quarter to the Garden District. It’s a quick ride, and there are lovely views along the way. You can hop on the streetcar at the corner of Canal Street and Carondelet Street, and the streetcar is $1.25 per ride, requiring exact change.
Once you’re in the Garden District, you can explore on your own – checking out the beautiful buildings – or take a tour to learn more about the area!
Listen to Street Musicians
While in New Orleans, especially in the French Quarter, you will come across tons of super talented musicians playing on the streets. They are so fun to listen to, and they definitely add to the lively feel of the city.I recommend carrying around some cash so that you can tip them!
If you get the opportunity, I also highly recommend listening to Tuba Skinny, an amazing group that plays both on the streets of the French Quarter as well as in venues around the city. You can check out their schedule here!
Take Fun Tours!
There are so many amazing tours in New Orleans that run day and night! While in New Orleans I went on a food tour, a street art tour and a ghost tour! I highly recommend all of them, and you can read more about the tours and my top recommendations here.
Visit Unique Museums
New Orleans is home to a plethora of amazing, unique museums. I took a couple days to visit as many as I possibly could, and, for the most part, they were amazing!
My top three recommendations are the Pharmacy Museum, the 1850 House and Mardi Gras World! However, there are so many to choose from, and there’s really something for everyone. Click here to read more about my favorite museums in New Orleans!
Take Day Trips
Day trips are a great option when visiting New Orleans, especially if you’re spending more than a few days in the city.
During my trip to New Orleans, I planned three day trips – two as part of my 50 state challenge. I planned two trips to visit cities in Mississippi and Alabama, as well as a trip to Oak Alley Plantation, located about 1.5 hours away from New Orleans. Renting a car is quite easy in New Orleans, so these day trips are very doable!
Looking for more fun things to do New Orleans? Check out Syd Abroad’s New Orleans City Guide, filled with tons of things to do and great places to eat and drink!
Thank you so much for reading my New Orleans itinerary and my recommendations for how to spend 5 perfect days in the city! If you have any questions, or anything you’d like to add to this post, let me know in the comments below!
For even more New Orleans post to help plan your trip, check out my packing guide, my guide to the best vegetarian restaurants, and my top tips for visiting the city!
Lastly, I was recently interviewed about my experience in New Orleans by Magnificent World – be sure to check out my New Orleans itinerary and travel guide on their awesome site!
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♡Kate
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I’m going in a few months . There’s so much to do and I can’t wait . I’ll definitely try a ghost tour and Cafe du Monde . I also would love to ride the streetcar.
I have never been to New Orleans. It looks so charming and fun! I love the AirBnB with that cool brick wall. And very efficient of you to plan day trips to other states 🙂
New Orleans looks like such a good time! Have yet to go, but of course it is on the list. Sounds like there’s some great day trips from there too!
I’ve never been to New Orleans but it’d be awesome to get to visit someday! I’d definitely love to check out the food/museums + do a few tours! :]
Easily one of my favorite cities in the US. And – my favorite restaurant in the whole country is there, Pesche.
How great does all of that food look?! I would love to wander around the French Quarter as well – so pretty!
New Orleans is so much fun! Love it! I especially love the French Quarter, the charming courtyards for dining, and the French market. Would love to visit it again. You brought back great memories.
One of the places I would love to visit. Hopefully one day soon…