Where to Stay in New Orleans: Best Neighborhoods for First-Timers

Most first-time visitors should stay in the lower French Quarter or the Marigny, within walking distance of both Jackson Square and Frenchmen Street. Choose the CBD or Warehouse District for bigger rooms and pools, and the Garden District for quiet streets. Avoid any room that faces Bourbon Street. Book early for Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, when rates can easily double.

Where you sleep in New Orleans changes the trip more than in most cities. Stay on a quiet block in the lower French Quarter and you will wake to church bells and the clip-clop of mule-drawn carriages. Stay above Bourbon Street and you may hear brass and bass until 3 a.m. Choose the Garden District and your mornings will start under live oaks with the streetcar rattling past.

As a company based on Royal Street, we field this question constantly. This guide compares the best neighborhoods for visitors, who each one suits, the honest downsides, and practical advice on prices, festivals, parking and safety.

• French QuarterBest for first-timers
• MarignyBest for live music
• Garden DistrictBest for a quieter stay
• FestivalsBook months ahead

Quick answer

• First visit, short stay: the French Quarter, ideally the quieter lower Quarter or a block or two off Bourbon.
• Music lovers: the Faubourg Marigny, steps from Frenchmen Street.
• Families or business travelers: the Central Business District (CBD) or the Warehouse District.
• Romance and a slower pace: the Garden District or the Lower Garden District.
• Value and a local feel: Mid-City or Uptown, near a streetcar line.

The French Quarter (Vieux Carré)

Best for: first-timers, history, walkability.

The French Quarter is the city’s oldest neighborhood, laid out in the early 1700s, and the heart of most visits. You can walk to Jackson Square, the riverfront, museums, galleries, famous restaurants and music clubs. Many hotels occupy historic buildings with courtyards, balconies and plenty of atmosphere.

The Quarter has two personalities. The upper Quarter, closer to Canal Street and around Bourbon Street, is busy, loud and lively late into the night. The lower Quarter, toward Esplanade Avenue, is largely residential, quieter and more charming, with Creole cottages and gas lamps. Royal and Chartres streets are lovely compromises: central, but calmer than Bourbon.

Downsides: prices are high, parking is expensive or nonexistent, and rooms in historic buildings can be small or quirky. Avoid rooms overlooking Bourbon Street unless you want to be part of the party.

Faubourg Marigny and the Bywater

Best for: music, local atmosphere, guesthouses.

Just downriver from the French Quarter, across Esplanade Avenue, the Marigny is home to Frenchmen Street, the city’s best concentration of live music clubs. Streets are lined with colorful Creole cottages, and the neighborhood feels residential and creative. Further downriver, the Bywater has murals, art spaces, small restaurants and Crescent Park along the river.

Downsides: fewer large hotels, mostly guesthouses and boutique inns, and some streets are quiet at night. Use rideshares late at night if you are walking a distance.

Central Business District (CBD)

Best for: convenience, big hotels, families, conventions.

Across Canal Street from the French Quarter, the CBD has many large hotels, often with pools, more space and more reliable amenities than historic properties. You are a short walk to the Quarter and right on the streetcar lines. It is also close to the Caesars Superdome and the Smoothie King Center for games and concerts.

Downsides: it can feel corporate, and some blocks are quiet after business hours.

Warehouse District (Arts District)

Best for: museums, restaurants, modern hotels.

Next to the CBD, the Warehouse District was transformed from 19th-century warehouses into galleries, restaurants, condos and boutique hotels. It is home to the National WWII Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Contemporary Arts Center, and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is nearby.

Downsides: prices rise during conventions, and it is a 15-minute walk to the heart of the Quarter.

Garden District and Lower Garden District

Best for: couples, architecture, a slower pace.

Along the St. Charles streetcar line, the Garden District is famous for 19th-century mansions and gardens. The Lower Garden District, closer to downtown, has Magazine Street’s shops and restaurants. Lodging tends to be in historic inns and bed-and-breakfasts, with a few boutique hotels. The streetcar gets you to the CBD in about 20 to 30 minutes.

Downsides: farther from the Quarter and Frenchmen Street at night, so plan on rideshares for late evenings.

Uptown

Best for: a residential feel, Audubon Park, universities.

Further up St. Charles, Uptown is home to Tulane and Loyola universities, Audubon Park and Audubon Zoo, and great neighborhood restaurants. It is quiet and beautiful but a longer trip to the French Quarter.

Mid-City

Best for: value, City Park, local restaurants.

Along the Canal Street streetcar line, Mid-City offers good value, local eateries and easy access to City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art. It is also close to the Fair Grounds, where Jazz Fest is held.

Downsides: fewer hotels and a longer ride downtown.

Algiers Point: the secret across the river

Few visitors know about Algiers Point, a quiet historic neighborhood on the West Bank of the Mississippi, directly across from the French Quarter. It has Victorian cottages, a riverfront levee path with the best skyline view in the city, a handful of bed-and-breakfasts and neighborhood bars. A short passenger ferry connects it to the foot of Canal Street, so you can be in the Quarter in minutes during ferry hours. It suits travelers who want a calm base with a view and don’t mind planning around the ferry schedule or a rideshare late at night.

Comparison table

Festivals and prices

New Orleans hotel prices are driven by events. Rates can double or triple, and minimum-stay requirements appear, during:

• Mardi Gras, especially the final long weekend.
• French Quarter Festival in April.
• Jazz & Heritage Festival, two weekends from late April into early May.
• Essence Festival around the Fourth of July.
• Major sporting events at the Superdome, including the Sugar Bowl around New Year’s.
• Large conventions at the Morial Convention Center.

For the best prices, visit in summer, when it is hot but hotels are cheap, or in the quieter weeks of early December and January. For festivals, book many months ahead. Our hotel savings guide explains how to rebook when prices drop.

Vacation rentals: know the rules

New Orleans regulates short-term rentals closely, and the rules have changed several times in recent years, with tight limits in many residential neighborhoods and the French Quarter. Legal rentals should display a city permit number in the listing. If a listing doesn’t show one, or the host asks you to keep quiet to neighbors, choose a different place. Hotels, inns and licensed bed-and-breakfasts avoid the uncertainty entirely.

Parking and getting around

• Hotel parking in the French Quarter and CBD often costs $40 or more per night. If you don’t need a car, skip it.
• Street parking in the Quarter is limited, heavily ticketed, and some blocks restrict parking to residents.
• The streetcars, especially St. Charles and Canal lines, connect most visitor areas cheaply.
• Rideshares are plentiful and useful late at night.

Safety tips

• Choose well-reviewed lodging on busy, well-lit streets, and read recent reviews about the specific block.
• At night, stick to areas with people and use rideshares for longer distances rather than walking down empty streets.
• Keep valuables in the hotel safe and never leave anything visible in a parked car.
• During hurricane season, from June through November, check the forecast and your hotel’s cancellation policy.

Hotel style: historic or modern?

Part of the fun of New Orleans is sleeping somewhere with a story: a former townhouse with a courtyard fountain, an old cotton warehouse, or a grand hotel with a famous bar. Historic properties offer atmosphere but can mean thin walls, creaky floors, small bathrooms and limited elevators. Modern hotels, mostly in the CBD and Warehouse District, offer reliable soundproofing, larger rooms and pools, which matter in the summer heat. Many travelers split the difference with a stay in the French Quarter for atmosphere and a modern hotel for a festival weekend.

Where to stay for specific trips

Mardi Gras

For Carnival, location is everything. Many of the biggest parades roll along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, so hotels in the CBD, the Warehouse District and the Lower Garden District put you close to the routes. The French Quarter is the center of the party but is not on most major parade routes, and getting across parade routes can be tricky. Book as early as possible, often a year ahead, and expect minimum-night stays and nonrefundable rates.

Jazz Fest

Jazz Fest is held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in Mid-City. Staying in Mid-City or near Esplanade Avenue lets you walk or bike to the festival, while the French Quarter and Marigny are a short rideshare or shuttle away. Evening club shows during Jazz Fest weeks are spread around the city, especially on Frenchmen Street and in the Marigny.

Business and conventions

The CBD and Warehouse District, near the Morial Convention Center, are the most practical. You can walk to meetings and still be a few minutes from the French Quarter for dinner.

Families

Larger CBD hotels with pools are a good fit, along with suites in the Warehouse District. Kids enjoy the riverfront, the aquarium and streetcar rides, all within easy reach.

Romantic getaways

A historic inn in the lower French Quarter or a bed-and-breakfast in the Garden District, with a courtyard, a balcony and a quiet street, makes a trip feel special.

Questions to ask before you book

• Is the room on a street that is busy at night, and does it face the street or a courtyard?
• Is there an elevator, or will you carry bags up historic stairs?
• How much is parking per night, and is it valet only?
• Is there a resort or amenity fee in addition to the room rate?
• What is the cancellation policy during hurricane season or festival dates?
• Is breakfast included, and is the pool open year-round?

Our recommendation

For most first-time visitors, we recommend the lower French Quarter or the edge of the Marigny. You can walk to the sights by day and to Frenchmen Street by night, and you’ll get a taste of the residential city that most visitors miss. If you want more space, a pool and easier logistics, choose a hotel in the CBD or Warehouse District within a few blocks of Canal Street.

Then plan your days with our 48-hour New Orleans itinerary and eat your way through our New Orleans food guide.

Frequently asked questions