New Orleans 3-Day Itinerary

Activities

1. 09:00 Café du Monde (1862, 24/7) breakfast — beignets + chicory café au lait 1 hour

   The 1862-founded institution at Decatur + St Ann, across from Jackson Square. Three powdered-sugar beignets ($4.99) + chicory café au lait ($3.79). 24/7/365 open except Christmas. Best 07:00-10:00 (locals' breakfast hour, no queue) or 23:00-02:00 (no queue + magic). Avoid 11:00-15:00 = 30-60 min tourist line.

   Cost: $8 with tax TIP: Cash speeds the order (dedicated cash line). Don't wear black (sugar leaves permanent marks). Don't inhale before biting (sugar in lungs is real). Only the French Market flagship is the real one — airport/casino branches are franchises.
2. 10:30 French Quarter walking — Jackson Square + St Louis Cathedral + Royal Street 3 hours

   The 1718 colonial grid preserved as a 13×6-block walkable core. Start at Jackson Square (free street artists, tarot readers, horse-drawn carriages), enter St Louis Cathedral (1727, oldest US continuously active Catholic cathedral, free, daily 8:30-16:00). Walk Royal Street north to Esplanade for the elegant art-gallery + antique side of the Quarter — quieter than Bourbon.

   Cost: Free; carriage tours $20-25 TIP: Morning 9-11 AM is best (cool + no crowds). Royal Street 300-400 blocks for galleries + buskers. Cornstalk Hotel (915 Royal) + Lalaurie Mansion (1140 Royal) are signature photo stops. Cobblestones — wear sneakers.
3. 13:30 Lunch at Coop's Place (Cajun, locals' #1) 1.5 hours

   French Quarter Cajun canonical at 1109 Decatur — cash only + 21+ (no kids ever). The Coop's Taste Plate ($16) samples 5 dishes (rabbit + sausage jambalaya, Cajun fried chicken, smothered rabbit, crawfish étouffée, red beans + rice). 50% cheaper than tourist Quarter restaurants.

   Cost: $16-30 TIP: Cash only. 21+ only. Counter seating; queue 30-45 min Fri-Sat dinner but faster at lunch. Order the rabbit + sausage jambalaya — best in the Quarter.
4. 15:30 Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop (1722, oldest US bar) + Pat O'Brien's Hurricane 2 hours

   Walk 6 blocks north to 941 Bourbon for Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop — built 1722, the oldest continuously operating bar in the United States. Candlelit + no electric lights. Order a Voodoo Daiquiri ($12). Then walk back to Pat O'Brien's (718 St Peter, 1933) for the Hurricane cocktail invented here in the 1940s — $15 in the hurricane-lamp glass.

   Cost: $25-40 in drinks TIP: 21+ photo ID. Lafitte's atmosphere best after dark (candles). Pat O'Brien's St Peter Street patio with fire fountain is the canonical photo. Hurricane is sweet — order 1, not 3 (5+ oz rum).
5. 18:00 Carousel Bar pre-dinner cocktail (Hotel Monteleone) 1 hour

   Walk to Hotel Monteleone (214 Royal). The Carousel Bar (1949) is the world's first rotating bar — 25-seat circular merry-go-round completing one rotation every 15 minutes. Order the Vieux Carré cocktail (invented here 1937, $16, rye + cognac + sweet vermouth + Bénédictine + Peychaud's). Literary lore: Faulkner, Hemingway, Capote, Tennessee Williams.

   Cost: $16-22 TIP: Bar seats are the experience — wait 15-30 min weekend evenings. Hotel lobby open to non-guests. Vieux Carré is the bar's signature; Sazerac is the second pick. Free piano lobby music most evenings.
6. 19:30 Dinner at Antoine's (1840, oldest US family restaurant) 2.5 hours

   Walk to Antoine's (713 St Louis, 1840) — the oldest continuously family-run restaurant in the United States, now in its 5th generation. Order Oysters Rockefeller (invented here 1899, recipe still a Foucauld family secret, $16), Pompano en Papillote, soufflé potatoes, Baked Alaska. 14 historic dining rooms across one French Quarter block.

   Cost: $80-150 per person TIP: Reservation 2-4 weeks ahead. Jacket required for men at dinner. Request the 1840 Room (original). Try the 25¢ classic-cocktail lunch special at lunch if you'd rather lighten the bill. Alternate pick: Brennan's (1946, $80-120) for Bananas Foster invented 1951.
7. 22:00 Frenchmen Street live jazz (Marigny) — Spotted Cat + dba + Three Muses 2.5 hours

   10-min walk east from Jackson Square along Decatur into the Marigny neighborhood. 4 blocks with 12+ live-music venues. Spotted Cat (623 Frenchmen, no cover, traditional jazz), Snug Harbor (626 Frenchmen, modern jazz $25-35), dba (618 Frenchmen, eclectic, no cover most nights), Three Muses (536 Frenchmen, jazz + small plates).

   Cost: Free entry most; $5-15 drinks; $5-10 tip jar per band TIP: Best after 21:00 when second sets begin. Cash $20 in singles for tip jars. The real-deal jazz Bourbon Street pretends to be. Walk back in a group after 23:00.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 09:30 St Charles Streetcar (1835, world's oldest) — Canal Street to Garden District 45 min

   Board at Canal + Carondelet ($1.25 one-way, or $3 Jazzy Pass day-pass on the RTA Le Pass app). 50-minute end-to-end ride to Audubon Park; get off at Washington Avenue (35 min) for the heart of the Garden District. The 1835 line is the world's oldest continuously operating streetcar. Sit on the right (outbound) for the best mansion views.

   Cost: $1.25 / $3 day pass TIP: Buy Jazzy Pass on the RTA Le Pass app before boarding (saves coin fumbling). Pull cord at the stop before yours (drivers don't auto-announce). Service runs 24/7.
2. 10:30 Garden District walking — Anne Rice mansion + Sandra Bullock + 1830s antebellum 2 hours

   1832-platted neighborhood of Greek Revival + Italianate antebellum mansions. Anne Rice's 'Witching Hour' setting + her actual former home at 1239 First Street. Sandra Bullock (2425 Coliseum), John Goodman, Trent Reznor (2727 Coliseum) still own homes here. Self-guided walk: 1st Street + 3rd Street + Prytania (3 hours covers it).

   Cost: Free; guided tours $25-35 TIP: Best mornings 10-12. Pair with Garden District Book Shop (2727 Prytania) for the literary stop. Take Magazine Street parallel for boutique shopping after.
3. 12:30 Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 guided tour (1833 above-ground tombs) 1 hour

   1833 above-ground tomb cemetery a block from Commander's Palace — Anne Rice set 'Interview with the Vampire' burial scenes here, her own family tomb is the most-visited. Closed for restoration 2020-2024, reopened with guided-tour-only access via Save Our Cemeteries (the preservation nonprofit, proceeds fund restoration).

   Cost: $20-30 guided tour TIP: Book Save Our Cemeteries 1-2 weeks ahead. Modest dress (cemetery). Do not touch tombs or leave Xs (vandalism is why it closed). Tour ends right at Commander's Palace front door.
4. 13:30 Commander's Palace (1893) Sunday jazz brunch + 25¢ martinis 2.5 hours

   1893-founded turquoise Victorian mansion — Brennan family flagship since 1974, James Beard Outstanding Restaurant 1996 + 2018. Sat-Sun jazz brunch with table-side trio. 25¢ martini lunch special (3 limit). Order turtle soup au sherry, pecan-crusted Gulf fish, bread pudding soufflé.

   Cost: $50-80 brunch (vs $80-150 dinner) TIP: Reservation 4-8 weeks ahead (Sun brunch books out monthly). Smart-casual; jacket suggested after 18:00. Request the Garden Room (courtyard view). Lunch is the value play — same menu, 30-40% cheaper than dinner.
5. 16:30 Magazine Street boutique walk + Sucré macarons 2 hours

   Walk down Magazine Street 6 miles of pre-Civil War shotgun shops + Italianate storefronts + 500+ boutiques, antiques, art galleries, cafés. Best stretches: 2800-3700 (Garden District boutiques) and 4500-5500 (Audubon area antiques). Stop at Sucré (3025 Magazine) for the city's best macarons ($3 each).

   Cost: $15-50 in shopping + treats TIP: Magazine Street bus #11 runs the length back to Canal ($1.25). Coquette (2800 Magazine) is the chef-driven Southern alternative for late lunch. Boutique stores 10:00-18:00 most days.
6. 19:00 Casual dinner at Mother's (1938) — debris po'boy + jambalaya 1.5 hours

   Streetcar back to CBD or 15-min walk. Mother's Restaurant (401 Poydras, 1938) — the canonical debris po'boy ($14, slow-cooked beef in gravy on French bread) + jambalaya + red beans + rice. CBD walking-distance casual after Commander's.

   Cost: $14-25 TIP: Cafeteria-style queue moves fast (30 min standard). Cash + card OK. Mother's has been a NOLA institution since 1938 — Anthony Bourdain-approved. Alternative: Acme Oyster House (724 Iberville) for chargrilled oysters.
7. 21:30 Preservation Hall (1961, traditional NOLA jazz) 1 hour set

   Tiny 100-seat candlelit hall at 726 St Peter (French Quarter) — founded 1961 specifically to keep traditional New Orleans jazz alive. No drinks served, no AC, hard wooden benches. 45-min sets at 17:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00 nightly with rotating Preservation Hall Jazz Band lineups.

   Cost: $25-50 advance online TIP: Book the 17:00 or 18:00 set online 1-2 weeks ahead (smaller crowd) or the 21:00 set for after-dinner. Walk-up line forms 60+ min before show. Phones off, no talking. The most authentic jazz hour in America.

Meal Recommendations

Activities

1. 09:00 National WWII Museum opening (TripAdvisor #1 US museum) 5 hours

   TripAdvisor + USA Today #1 US museum since 2018. 5 pavilions covering Pacific, European, Home Front, Road to Berlin, Road to Tokyo. Founder Stephen Ambrose chose New Orleans because the Higgins Boats used at D-Day were built here. Free shuttle from French Quarter (Decatur St every hour).

   Cost: $35.50 + $7 4D film; 2-day pass $40 (best deal) TIP: Buy the 2-day pass ($40, only $4.50 more) — 1 day rushes it. Beyond All Boundaries 4D film at 10:00 or 13:30 essential. Final Mission USS Tang submarine simulation +$7. Liberation Pavilion (2023) is the new must-do.
2. 14:00 Lunch at American Sector (Emeril Lagasse, on-site) 1 hour

   Museum's on-site restaurant by Emeril Lagasse. Pulled-pork po'boy $14, gumbo $12, fried chicken sandwich $16. Avoid leaving the museum complex — you'll lose 1+ hour to walking.

   Cost: $20-30 TIP: Outside dining seasonal. Beat 12:30-13:30 lunch crowd by eating at 14:00.
3. 15:30 Honey Island Swamp tour (alligators + Spanish moss + Cypress) 4 hours total with transit

   Pre-booked Honey Island Swamp tour with hotel pickup (Cajun Encounters $50-70). 45 min east of NOLA. 90-min flatboat with Cajun guide. Alligators (3-10 sightings average), herons, snapping turtles, Spanish-moss-draped Cypress swamp.

   Cost: $50-80 with hotel pickup TIP: March-October is peak (gators sluggish below 16°C). Bring sunscreen, hat, DEET bug spray. Long sleeves. Don't dangle fingers in water. Hotel pickup is the simple way.
4. 20:00 Steamboat Natchez sunset dinner cruise (Mississippi + Dixieland jazz) 2 hours

   Last authentic Mississippi sternwheeler (built 1975) — 2-hour sunset cruise from Toulouse Street Wharf with live Dukes of Dixieland jazz, Creole buffet, Calliope steam organ pre-departure concert (audible across the French Quarter).

   Cost: $90-130 dinner cruise TIP: Reservation 1-2 weeks ahead. Board 15 min before departure. Walk 10 min from Jackson Square. Sunset cruise is the honeymoon pick over the day cruises. Alternate cheaper option: Acme Oyster + Frenchmen Street final jazz walk.
5. 23:00 Final Café du Monde + Mississippi Riverfront walk 45 min

   Walk back to Café du Monde for the final 23:00 beignet visit (no queue at this hour) + sit on the Moonwalk steps facing the Mississippi for one last NOLA moment.

   Cost: $8 TIP: 23:00 is the quietest Café du Monde hour. Moonwalk is the official name of the riverside promenade. Steamboat Natchez's calliope concert may still be audible if you pause to listen.

Meal Recommendations