Things to do · New Orleans · United States
20 best things to do in New Orleans
20 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Krakers assumed (based on copyright claims). (Correct, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in New Orleans are Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral and Café du Monde and the French Market. Of the 20 picks below, 8 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Jackson Square
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- The Cabildo
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Square | French Quarter | 45 minutes | Free |
| St. Louis Cathedral | French Quarter | 30 minutes | Free |
| Café du Monde and the French Market | French Quarter | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Bourbon Street | French Quarter | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Frenchmen Street | Faubourg Marigny | An evening | Free |
| Preservation Hall | French Quarter | 45 minutes | Mid-priced |
| The National WWII Museum | Warehouse District | Full day | Mid-priced |
| St. Charles streetcar | St. Charles Avenue | About 45 minutes each way | Low cost |
| Steamboat Natchez river cruise | Riverfront | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| The Cabildo | French Quarter | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Garden District walk | Garden District | 2 hours | Free |
| St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 | Tremé | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| City Park and NOMA Sculpture Garden | Mid-City | Half a day | Free |
| Audubon Zoo | Uptown | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Audubon Aquarium | Riverfront | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Mardi Gras World | Warehouse District | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Ogden Museum of Southern Art | Warehouse District | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| The Historic New Orleans Collection | French Quarter | 1 hour | Free |
| New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint | French Quarter | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Congo Square and Louis Armstrong Park | Tremé | 45 minutes | Free |
The 20 best things to do
Landmark · French Quarter
1.Jackson Square
The former Place d'Armes, renamed after Andrew Jackson's 1815 victory at the Battle of New Orleans, is the French Quarter's central square, framed by St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytère and by the red-brick Pontalba Buildings of the 1850s. Artists hang their work on the iron railings, and brass bands, tarot readers and street performers set up on the flagstones.
Climb up to the Moonwalk riverfront promenade opposite the square for a view of the Mississippi and the cathedral together.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
Religious site · French Quarter
2.St. Louis Cathedral
The white, triple-spired cathedral facing Jackson Square is among the oldest Catholic cathedrals in continuous use in the US. The present building dates from 1789–94 and was largely rebuilt in 1849–50, on a site used for churches since the early 18th century. Entry is free outside services.
Walk round to St. Anthony's Garden behind the cathedral on Royal Street after dark, when the floodlit statue of Christ casts a giant shadow on the back wall.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Iconic
- After dark
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Market · French Quarter
3.Café du Monde and the French Market
Café du Monde has served beignets, square doughnuts buried in powdered sugar, with chicory café au lait under its green-and-white awning since 1862. Behind it, the French Market's open-air sheds stretch along Decatur Street with food stalls, a flea market and souvenir stands.
Table queues build by mid-morning; the takeaway window round the side usually moves faster. Avoid wearing black.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Iconic
- Kids
- Shopping
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Street · French Quarter
4.Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street's 13 blocks through the French Quarter are the city's party strip, with neon-lit bars, cover bands, daiquiri counters and balcony crowds throwing beads. Among the noise are historic buildings such as Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, said to be one of the oldest structures used as a bar in the US, and Galatoire's restaurant. Much of the street is closed to traffic in the evenings.
See it once early in the evening, then head to Frenchmen Street for better live music.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- After dark
- Free
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Street · Faubourg Marigny
5.Frenchmen Street
Three blocks of Frenchmen Street pack in live-music clubs such as the Spotted Cat, d.b.a. and Snug Harbor, with jazz, blues, funk and brass bands from late afternoon until late, often with no cover if you buy a drink. Brass bands also play on the corners, and the Frenchmen Art Market sells local crafts in the evenings.
Carry small bills for the band's tip bucket and a one-drink minimum, wander between clubs and stay where the music grabs you.
- Time needed
- An evening
- Cost
- Free
- After dark
- Free
- Iconic
Experience · French Quarter
6.Preservation Hall
Founded in 1961 to protect traditional New Orleans jazz, Preservation Hall is a bare, dimly lit room on St. Peter Street where house musicians play short, intimate sets several times an evening. There is no bar and seating is on a few benches or standing room, which is part of the appeal.
Stand near the front for the closest view of the band; sets are about 45 minutes, so it fits before a late dinner.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Capacity is small; buy tickets for a specific set online, especially at weekends and during festivals.
- After dark
- Iconic
- History
- Couples
Museum · Warehouse District
7.The National WWII Museum
Designated by Congress as America's official World War II museum, this campus of pavilions tells the story of the war through oral histories, personal artefacts, aircraft suspended in the Boeing Center and immersive galleries following the Road to Berlin and the Road to Tokyo. The 4D film Beyond All Boundaries, narrated by Tom Hanks, is an optional extra.
Allow at least five hours, and see the film early in the day before museum fatigue sets in.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Experience · St. Charles Avenue
8.St. Charles streetcar
Running since 1835, the St. Charles line is the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world. Its olive-green wooden cars rattle about 21 km from Canal Street through the Garden District and Uptown, past mansions, Loyola and Tulane universities and Audubon Park, to Carrollton Avenue.
Ride out to Audubon Park, walk through to the zoo or the river, and come back at dusk; have exact change or a pass in the Le Pass app.
- Time needed
- About 45 minutes each way
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
- Views
Experience · Riverfront
1.Steamboat Natchez river cruise
The Natchez is a steam-powered sternwheeler that sails from the Toulouse Street Wharf behind Jackson Brewery, with a calliope concert on deck before departure and a jazz band on board. The two-hour harbour cruise passes the port, Algiers Point and the Chalmette battlefield.
Go below deck during the cruise to watch the steam engines working.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
- Iconic
Museum · French Quarter
2.The Cabildo
The Spanish colonial seat of government beside the cathedral, built in the 1790s, is where the Louisiana Purchase transfer took place in 1803. Now part of the Louisiana State Museum, it covers the region's history from Native American settlement through colonial rule, slavery and Reconstruction, and holds one of Napoleon's death masks.
Pair it with the Presbytère on the other side of the cathedral, which has exhibitions on Mardi Gras and on Hurricane Katrina.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · Garden District
3.Garden District walk
The 19th-century mansions of the Garden District, built by wealthy American newcomers in Greek Revival, Italianate and Victorian styles, stand in gardens of magnolias and live oaks between St. Charles Avenue and Magazine Street. Look for the cast-iron cornstalk fence of Colonel Short's Villa and the grand houses along Prytania and First streets.
Start from the Washington Avenue streetcar stop and finish with lunch or shopping on Magazine Street.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Couples
- Photo spot
Historic site · Tremé
4.St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
Opened in 1789, the city's oldest surviving cemetery is a maze of whitewashed above-ground tombs, including the one believed to hold Marie Laveau, the 19th-century Voodoo priestess. Since 2015 visitors may enter only with an authorised guided tour, which helps protect the fragile tombs from vandalism.
Never draw marks on the tombs; despite the old legend, it is vandalism and damages the plaster.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Only licensed tour operators can take visitors inside; book a tour in advance.
- History
- Architecture
Park · Mid-City
5.City Park and NOMA Sculpture Garden
At about 1,300 acres, City Park is larger than New York's Central Park and holds one of the world's largest stands of mature live oaks. It includes the New Orleans Museum of Art and its free Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, the New Orleans Botanical Garden, Storyland and the Carousel Gardens amusement park with its antique wooden carousel.
Take the Canal streetcar's City Park/Museum branch to the end of the line, which stops at the museum steps.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Art
- Nature
Zoo · Uptown
6.Audubon Zoo
In Uptown's Audubon Park, the zoo's Louisiana Swamp exhibit recreates a Cajun bayou with alligators, including rare white alligators, while other areas cover the African savanna, Asian animals and a jaguar jungle. The park around it has a shaded loop path under live oaks.
Ride the St. Charles streetcar to Audubon Park and walk through the park to the zoo; it takes about 20 minutes on foot.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
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Aquarium · Riverfront
7.Audubon Aquarium
At the foot of Canal Street by the river, the aquarium has a walk-through tunnel under a Caribbean reef, a large tank of Gulf sea life, a rainforest gallery and a penguin colony. It reopened after a major renovation in 2023.
Combine it with the riverfront walk and the Canal Street ferry to Algiers Point.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Experience · Warehouse District
8.Mardi Gras World
In riverfront warehouses near the Convention Center, Mardi Gras World is where Kern Studios builds and stores giant floats for many Carnival krewes. Guided tours show sculptors and painters at work on papier-mâché and foam figures, and include a slice of king cake.
Visit if you can't be in town for Carnival; it is the closest you will get to the floats up close.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Art
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Gallery · Warehouse District
9.Ogden Museum of Southern Art
The Ogden collects the visual art of the American South, from 19th-century landscapes and self-taught artists to contemporary painting and photography, in a five-storey modern hall attached to a 19th-century Romanesque library building.
Combine it with the WWII Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, all within a few blocks.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · French Quarter
10.The Historic New Orleans Collection
This free museum and research centre on Royal Street presents the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South through rotating exhibitions of maps, paintings, photographs and documents, spread across restored French Quarter buildings with quiet courtyards.
Step into the courtyards between galleries for a rare peaceful pause in the Quarter.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · French Quarter
11.New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint
Housed in the Greek Revival Old U.S. Mint of 1835 at the downriver edge of the French Quarter, the Jazz Museum displays instruments, recordings and photographs, including a cornet Louis Armstrong played as a boy, and its performance hall hosts frequent concerts.
Check the museum's calendar for concerts and talks, then walk across Esplanade Avenue to Frenchmen Street.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Historic site · Tremé
12.Congo Square and Louis Armstrong Park
Inside Louis Armstrong Park, just outside the French Quarter, Congo Square is where enslaved and free Africans gathered on Sundays in the 18th and 19th centuries to drum, dance and trade, a tradition widely recognised as one of the roots of jazz. The park also has statues of Louis Armstrong and other local musicians.
Pair it with a walk through Tremé and a meal at Dooky Chase's on Orleans Avenue.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | The National WWII Museum, The Cabildo, City Park and NOMA Sculpture Garden and Mardi Gras World |
| History | Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, The Cabildo and Preservation Hall |
| Views | St. Charles streetcar and Steamboat Natchez river cruise |
| Outdoors and nature | City Park and NOMA Sculpture Garden, Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium |
| Food and markets | Café du Monde and the French Market |
| After dark | St. Louis Cathedral, Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street and Preservation Hall |
| With children | Café du Monde and the French Market, St. Charles streetcar, City Park and NOMA Sculpture Garden and Audubon Zoo |
| On a rainy day | The Cabildo, The National WWII Museum, Audubon Aquarium and Mardi Gras World |
What to book ahead
- Preservation Hall: Capacity is small; buy tickets for a specific set online, especially at weekends and during festivals.
- St. Louis Cemetery No. 1: Only licensed tour operators can take visitors inside; book a tour in advance.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in New Orleans?
Jackson Square. The former Place d'Armes, renamed after Andrew Jackson's 1815 victory at the Battle of New Orleans, is the French Quarter's central square, framed by St.
+What can you do for free in New Orleans?
Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street and Garden District walk. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in New Orleans when it rains?
Head indoors to The Cabildo, The National WWII Museum, Audubon Aquarium and Mardi Gras World.
+What is there to do in New Orleans at night?
St. Louis Cathedral, Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street and Preservation Hall are best after dark.