Magical New Orleans. An ideal place for lovers of music, delicious food and… voodoo. Cradle of jazz music and… black magic.

The city boasts the most lavish Mardi Grass festival in all of America, and the famous French Quarter is besieged by tourists not only from around the world, but also Americans who absolutely love this city.

Besides this, New Orleans is a place, with beautiful mansions, an amazing City Park, and the Mississippi River. Learn about 12 places you absolutely have to visit during your stay in this amazing city.

Let’s be honest, French Quarter, more specifically Borboun Street so beloved by tourists, was not our favorite place. In the morning when the streets are empty it was quite creepy and did not convince us. We definitely liked Royal Street better.

However, aside from this little morning mishap, we loved New Orleans. This city is loud, full of people, delicious beignets and jazz music.

Our favorite place in NOLA (short for New Orleans and Louisiana) is definitely the Garden District and City Park, with its amazing Oak trees. But all the places mentioned in this post are, in our opinion, worth a visit.

#1 Canal Street

Canal Street separates the French Quarter from the more modern part of New Orleans. This is where the unique green trolley (but not only these) run. Palm trees grow in the middle of the street, and the buildings around are very pretty and richly decorated.

#2 St. Charles Trolley

Take a ride on this amazing, century-old green trolley. The cost of a one-way ride is only $1.25, and the experience is truly one to remember. Besides, the streetcar will take you to the next beautiful destination.

#3 Garden District

One of the most beautiful neighborhoods in New Orleans. This is where celebrities such as Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage and John Goodman have their special mansions.

In addition to the beautiful 19th century homes, the district also boasts amazing Oak trees, which give it extra charm and shade on sunny days. On many of the houses you’ll find plaques with the dates the house was built and who the owners were.

There are proud American flags flying here, and on the porches in front of the houses there are rocking chairs and hanging ferns in pots, this place really looks like in the movies. The district is incredibly green, and the houses are painted in either strong, vibrant colors or pastels.

After sightseeing, drop by the Garden District Book Shop for coffee or tea, it’s a place with several charming stores, not only with books, and a coffee shop.

#4 Cemetery Lafayette No. 1

New Orleans also boasts some unique cemeteries. Cemetery Lafayette No. 1 is probably one of the most popular among them. The old cemeteries in New Orleans are characterized by peculiar tombstones.

Instead of the classic headstone and coffin underground, the deceased is buried in a tomb above ground. This practice is designed to avoid water logging. About seven thousand dead are buried in the Lafayette cemetery.

If that’s still not enough for you, book a guided walk through the cemetery; it’s said that even the bravest felt goosebumps on their bodies during this tour.

 #5 French Quarter & Bourbon Street

Bourbon Street is the most popular street in the French Quarter, but it isn’t the most pleasant street. Even less so in the morning, when bags of trash from the previous day are still lying on the street, were a few drunk and screaming people are still wandering around, and the smell in the air is not-so-pleasant.

But do not completely remove this street from your sightseeing plan, maybe just go there in the afternoon, or in the evening when the place is bustling with life and you can hear music everywhere. It is a completely different place then.

Right next to the Burbon Street, there is the Royal Street, which is well-kept, full of beautiful stores including antiques, and with seemingly fewer tourists. Even the characteristic red brick buildings with balconies with beautifully carved metal railings seemed nicer here. There are hanging ferns on the balconies, which are adding even more charm to the buildings.

French Quarter is a place where you’ll find bars, restaurants, as well as souvenir stores, and, what surprisingly, with all kinds of sauces for meals.

#6 Jackson Square

Full of greenery, Jackson Square is located in the middle of the French Quarter. The place is a quiet oasis, especially in the morning, full of trees, flowers and a statue of General Jackson in the middle. From here you will see the famous New Orleans Cathedral.

#7 St. Louis Cathedral

This is the oldest cathedral in America, with a beautiful white facade and tapered towers. From a distance it looks like a princess’ castle.

The best view of the cathedral is, behind Jackson Square, after climbing the stairs leading to the Missisippi River.

#8 Café De Monde

This legendary café was established in 1862, making it one of the oldest French style cafés in New Orleans. It funds some of the best and most popular beignets in the city.

The queue to grab something is long, even early in the morning, and the coffee and beignets are made more pleasant by those local musicians who regally station themselves in front of it.

Beignets are truly delicious there, especially still warm, sprinkled with an amazing amount of powdered sugar. Don’t skip this place when visiting, even if you are on a diet. These beignets are worth the sin! 😉
There are two queues at the café, one to sit down, eat and drink coffee on the spot, and another to take away. The price for coffee and three beignets (per person) is $8.50.

#9 Mississippi River

Take a walk along the Mississippi River, or get on aboard a Steam Boat for a river cruise. You can also choose options with dinner on the ship and a concert.

You’ll find all the cruise information at the port, right by the beautiful Steamboat Sanchez. The Steamboat is beautifully carved and nicely painted, so don’t forget to take a photo!

#10 Café Beignet

The second very popular café in the city. One is located on Royal Street and it’s really charming. The beignets there are delicious. Soft, warm, melt-in-your-mouth. Nowhere else in the world you can try this Creole delicacy.

The second cafe is located on Canal Street. Here you have to stand in line, but believe it is worth it. On site you can also listen to piano music. It is really very pleasant.

#11 City Park

The green heart of the city, the City Park, is even bigger than Central Park in New York. It is 1’300 acres of green space.

In addition to the lakes, ponds, children’s train, scalptures garden, botanical garden, it’s also a place where you’ll find beautiful old Oak trees covered with moss, which adds to their incredible charm. Oak Grove is absolutely magical. The old trees have incredible charm, and the whole space is simply magical.

In addition, in the park you will meet water turtles, ducks, geese, and various other birds. You can really feel like in a fairy tale here.

To get to the park you just need 20 minutes on a bus from the city center and $2. You can find the bus schedule for example on Google Maps. Most of the park is free, but there are places (botanical garden, scalpture garden) where you have to pay for entry.

#12 Oak Alley Plantation

A 200 year old plantation that was many things. A sugar cane plantation, a cattle ranch, a country home, a chicken farm. Also, the owners have changed over the years. Americans, Germans, Italians, Portuguese, French Creole, Congolese and Senegalese have walked the land at Oak Alley.

Today Oak Alley is a historical site, dedicated to preserving and interpreting each of these chapters, sharing the history of its inhabitants left behind.

This place is beautiful. Full of flowers, trees, huge oak trees and short mowed, incredibly green grass. It looks just perfect. But let’s not forget the sad past of this plantation.

The first family to inhabit the place, the Roman family, “owned” 220 slaves who lived in tiny wooden huts with several people per room. Food rations were small, so the slaves, although they had to work all day for the Roman family, had to grow their own vegetables and care for their animals after work. Otherwise they would have died of starvation.

It was thanks to slave labor that the “Big House” was built, the slaves first made bricks and then built a house for the Roman Family. The house is huge, it has 28 columns in a circle, 28 Oak trees grow in front of the house. It took the slaves only three years to build this house.

The history of this place is truly fascinating and during a trip to New Orleans, it is an absolute must-see. The Oak Alley Plantation Tour was great, for which we paid $70 incl. tax!

If you have a rental car you can get to Oak Alley on your own. Entry to the plantation plus a tour of the “Big House” costs $28, or $25 without the “Big House”.

We strongly recommend you the option with the “Big House”. You will learn a lot of interesting facts about the first and last family living in Oak Alley. You will see how the owners of the estate lived and you will be able to compare with the living conditions in the slave houses, which you can also visit on the plantation.

The easiest and fastest way to get to New Orleans is by plane. Louis Armstrong airport is only 20 minutes outside the city and you can get there from Europe and the United States. Flights from Europe unfortunately involve a connecting flight, while flights from the States are direct and short.

If you are already in the States, and you don’t mind losing some more time for your trip and want to save a little, you can easily get to New Orleans by AMTRAK train.

The trains, are very comfortable, spacious and have a toilet. You can choose from Coach, which is a cheaper option and has very comfortable, large reclining seats with a footrest, or bedroom, with a comfortable bed that will surely let you sleep through the journey.

Most attractions are within walking distance (French Quarter, Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, Café De Monde, Café Beignet), the rest of the city (Garden District, Lafayette Cemetery, City Park) can be easily reached by bus or streetcar.

Only Oak Alley Plantation is an hour away from the city center by car, so it’s best to get there by rental car, or with an organized tour.

If you want to get somewhere faster, you can easily use the Uber or Lyft app.

Depending on the size of your wallet, New Orleans has a very well-developed accommodation base. If you want to be close to the center, look for a hotel in the French Quarter or on Canal street. However, if you want quiet and beautiful surroundings, Garden District will be the perfect place for you.

We decided to go downtown and the most convenient option for us was the Sonder Hotel , which is located on Canal Street. Unfortunately, we had a little trouble there with the air-conditioning that could not be turned off, because it was set for the whole building and we got very cold, despite the high temperatures outside.

They even brought us a heater to keep us warm because the air conditioning was cooling us down so much. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Other than that, it can be recommended.

Since New Orleans is a year-round destination. There is no time frame when it is best to plan your trip. Nevertheless, if you want sunny and warm weather, book your vacation in spring or early fall.

Most passport holders will need to apply for the ESTA form. This will give you the permission to stay up to 90 days in USA.

The prices are per person, except for the accommodation and Taxi, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $94 / night

Snack: $4 – $10 / meal

Pleasure: $3 – $7 / event

Taxi: $8 – $14 / ride

Trolley: $1.25 / ride

Activity: $70 / event