A New Orleans Itinerary for a Long Weekend

Most of my long weekend in New Orleans itinerary is focused on food and most unique spots in the city! Take half a day off on a Friday and use a Monday holiday (or take another day off) to easily explore everything. Besides being a city famous for music and jazz, New Orleans is also the stage of the book, The Confederacy of Dunces, which is hilarious. We found several odes to the main character in unique spots around the city included in this itinerary.

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Getting Around New Orleans

Getting around the city is pretty easy. Download the Le Pass app to ride the tram, bus, and ferry—rides are under $2. Ubers or Lyfts around town typically cost $8–$15.
The trams seem convenient, but they don’t run often and are usually full.

Most places are within 30 minutes’ walk—we did a mixture of walking, Ubering, and tramming around.

Getting to Town from the Airport

Take Bus 202 to the Main library or Bus E1 Veterans route.

Uber rides are about $30, but if it’s much higher, wait for the bus. When we landed in NOLA both Uber and Lyft were between $70-$100 for a ride into town. Instead, we took the bus to the main library and walked to our hotel since the tram wasn’t working.

The bus only runs every 1.5 hours so I’d say plan to Uber but for $100, we were in no rush to leave the airport. And, there was something odd going on when we arrived, so the bus ride ended up being free.

Where to Stay in New Orleans

The best location and most affordable hotel I found was the Frenchmen Hotel. The location in the French Quarter is perfect for walking to Bourbon Street, the Garden District, and Bywater.

The standard, “full” room didn’t have a window but was otherwise great for just $440 for 3 nights. There’s a pool (which we didn’t have time for), and it was relatively quiet (except for one man banging plastic drums occasionally). I suggest bringing earplugs if you’re a light sleeper, though.

Other hotels we considered were Oliver House Hotel and Place d’Armes.

New Orleans Itinerary

Friday: Drinks, Dinner, Casino!

Arrive

Get an uber or take the bus/tram to your accommodation. We actually ran into Ignatius Reilly, the famous protagonist of The Confederacy of Dunces, on our way to The Frenchmen Hotel.

Afternoon

Check in at the Frenchmen Hotel and refresh before heading out.

Evening

Get drinks at Napoleon House or Backspace on your way to dinner.

Napolean House

Napoleon House has a cute patio (that’s also heated on colder days). Ask for the patio when you get seated.

Have dinner at Compère Lapin. Make reservations in advance for this St. Lucian chef’s signature restaurant. The goat stew is the star dish, but we tried the chef’s tasting menu since she was in-house.

Then, walk 5 minutes to Caesars Palace to check out the casino. We spent $20 on slot machines (a waste, but I got a funny picture) and bet $100 on roulette—won and quickly cashed out!

Money feels fake in there, and some of the games look like they’re for kids. Entry is free, so it’s worth a look.

If you’re feeling rowdy, walk Bourbon Street and hit the bars. Or, uber back to your accommodation (as we did). Bourbon Street was not as wild as I thought it would be but, we only walked by before 10pm. There is plenty of loud music, street performances, and musicians around that is part of the classic New Orleans experience.

Even if you’re not into the late-night scene, I still recommend walking a couple blocks of it. And, there is so much around the street that you’ll probably come across it sooner or later during your New Orleans Itinerary.

I saved a couple of places on Bourbon Street to check out, though we didn’t end up going. Check out Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub for live music, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar for drinks, and NOLA Poboys for all day (and late night) poboys.

Saturday: Endless Food and Mansions

Today is your busiest day on your New Orleans Itinerary. Wear comfortable shoes and you may end up walking a lot (when the trams are full). Try not to overeat at each stop because you’ll be eating at (at least) 5 different restaurants today—stick to the highlights.

Morning

Start early with a crab beignet at Loretta’s in the French Market around  9am. They are $9 each but delicious). They also have crawfish beignets. Lines form quickly, so get there when it opens. As you get there, you’ll also walk through the weekend market. There are some souvenir stalls that may interest you.

Walk to Café du Monde by Jackson Square for chicory coffee and beignets. We skipped the beignets, but they’re piled high with powdered sugar. The restaurant is cash-only and tables are first-come, first-served, so hover until one frees up. Alternatively, there’s a takeaway line. There are several Café du Mondes around town, and inside the airport too. The Jackson Square location is the most classic spot.

Then, walk Jackson Square and take pictures.

Visit shops around Jackson Square. I liked the Faulkner House Books and Arcadian Books & Prints for unique bookshops.

And Forever New Orleans had unique and fun souvenirs.

Next, take a loop in the garden at Armstrong Park. The park has some interesting art sculptures.

Head to Mother’s around 11:30am. for po’boys and crawfish étouffée. Expect a line—we waited 35 minutes but this seems totally normal, unless you arrive when it opens at 7am, because the restaurant has over 15k reviews! Insane. I was expecting it to be a lot more crowded inside as well but the line is well organized so there isn’t pure chaos inside.

Mother’s has a huge range of classic New Orleans dishes as well as “The World’s Best Baked Ham.” We tried a shrimp po’boy, red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, and their incredible Bloody Mary. The Bloody Mary was the best of the entire trip!

Afternoon

Then, walk or take a tram to the Garden District to check out the old mansions. The tram was full when we attempted to take it after eating at Mother’s, so we walked the pleasant 30 minutes.

On the way, browse and shops and cafes. The stretch of Magazine Street between Anthology and Stein’s Market and Deli is perfect to wander in and out of shops.

We stopped at Mojo Coffee on the way, though there are several cute-looking cafes all around. I couldn’t resist a pecan pie…

I liked the thrift shops Anthology, Vintage Market by Trashy Diva (unique finds!), and Century Girl Vintage (very girly vibe).

If you’re ready for another snack (we weren’t), go into Stein’s Market and Deli.  

Antiques on Jackson is an interesting art space that’s fun to take pictures of!

There are mansion tours like this one but we were happy walking around ourselves.

Start your own little mansion tour at Buckner Mansion, which was featured in American Horror Story.

From there, walk up and down Coliseum Street and Chestnut Street.

It was raining on and off when we were on our little tour so we didn’t feel like more than 30 minutes of exploring. Google Maps has all the mansions on its maps so you can use that as a guide too.

Try to get the tram back to the French Quarter. Another foodie opportunity: stop for charbroiled oysters at Mr. Ed’s. A half dozen was enough—they’re rich!

I also read about the charbroiled oysters at Drago’s Seafood Restaurant by the waterfront and Acme Oyster House (which had a line when we walked by).

Evening

Walk along the Mississippi River back to Frenchmen Street.

Music starts around 6pm at places like the Spotted Cat and Cafe Negril, or head to the hotel to rest (as we did…).

At 7pm, Uber to Clesi’s for a crawfish boil. There are no reservations and the indoor portion of the restaurant is small.

Plan to use the outdoor seating option because it’s the best to see the boils get made! Here, you pick your seafood and extras and it get served to you on a large platter. We also couldn’t resist the crawfish mac n’ cheese—soooo good!

We spent $45 for 1 pound of crawfish, ½ pound of shrimp, mushrooms, garlic, and corn.

Although there are boil restaurants in the French Quarter, we read that they are mostly too touristy to be good. It was worth it for us to uber out to Clesi’s to get some of the best in the city.

Late Night

After dinner, return to Frenchmen Street for jazz at Spotted Cat Jazz or Café Negril if you haven’t done that before. Frenchmen Street has a slightly more sophisticated vibe than Bourbon Street. The median age of people is a little older (probably 30+ instead of the recently 21-year-old college vibe of Bourbon Steet).

You should also check out the Frenchmen Art Bazaar, which is open between 7pm and 12am.

Stop in Frenchmen Art & Books before 12am and also walk by the poets on typewriters who will write you a poem (and you name the price).

Sunday: Jazz, Museums, and Algiers

Today you’ll get brunch, explore Algiers across the Mississippi, visit a museum (with a free drink!), and then end with dinner and a show—you’ll need your energy to through this New Orleans Itinerary. You probably won’t get back to the hotel before 12:30am.

Morning

Start the morning with a jazz brunch at Muriel’s on Jackson Square (book this in advance). The jazz band plays between dining rooms and visits some tables to play directly. I suggest making your booking at 11am because that’s when the band starts playing. Otherwise, you’ll get your food too quickly to enjoy it with the music if you arrive at 10:30am like we did.

I liked the crawfish benedict and the mushroom omelet. The food was good but nothing like the unique dishes we had yesterday.

As an alternative, have breakfast at AYU Bakery, then visit the Sunday Piety Flea Market (open between 12pm-5pm) and Baldwin Bookshop.

We were able to fit in Baldwin Bookshop in the evening.

Afternoon

Take the ferry from Canal Street across the Mississippi to Algiers for coffee and a neighborhood walk. You can buy tickets for the ferry ($2 per ride) on the Le Pass app.

Algiers has a totally different vibe than across the river. The streets are wide, there are small, cute houses. The New Orleans website says it has “loads of 19th century village charm.” And I felt that!

There is enough to do for 2 hours in Algiers.  Take a walk on the Jazz Walk of Fame as you exit the ferry. This will have some great views of New Orleans.

Then, walk into the Bargeboard antique shop.

And get a coffee at Congregation Coffee Roasters before heading back across the river—the ferry runs every 30 minutes.  

Once you’re back, visit the Ogden Southern Art Museum or the WWII Museum. The art museum’s exhibits were enough to see in about an hour and featured unique pieces.

Then, by 4pm walk to the Sazerac Museum for a history of New Orleans’ famous drink and three free tastings!

At this point, you’re probably exhausted like we were. We took an uber back to the Frenchmen Hotel and rested for a bit before dinner.

Evening

Around 7pm, get dinner at Bennachin for West African flavors. I loved the veg jollof rice.

Then, walk to the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone. Seats are limited but worth the wait for this unique spinning bar. Drinks are around $18.

Uber to the Howling Wolf to see the Hot 8 Brass Band. Buy tickets in advance online and arrive by 10pm. To get the best view, stand by “The Den” entrance so you’re at the front row or too. It’s almost impossible to see the band from the back of the room.

The Hot 8 Brass Band is a New Orleans institution. They are Grammy-nominated and blend s hip-hop, jazz, and funk styles with traditional New Orleans brass sounds. It was formed in 1995 and band members have changed over the years. I really enjoyed the performance and recommend it while in New Orleans. The band often does tours as well so check them out in your city.

Monday: Explore Bywater and Fly Out

Hopefully, you have half a day on Monday as part of your New Orleans Itinerary to explore this quirky side of town.

Morning

If your flight is later, spend the morning exploring the artsy neighborhood of Bywater. This area seemed liked a hidden gem to us but it was probably because were exploring on one of the coldest days of the year—when many places were planning to shut down the next day for the anticipated snow day.  In the summertime, I’m sure the area feels a lot more alive.

Walk along Crescent Park to Bywater. There are bridges that cross the railroad. The neighborhood is so funky!

Get breakfast at Elizabeth’s or Satsuma Café. We opted for Elizabeth’s but the food at Satsuma seemed a little more unique. Elizabeth’s was such a fun diner vibe. I suggest sitting on the first floor with the Confederacy of Dunes artwork (which we only saw as we were leaving).

I ordered the Boudin breakfast to try the classic spicy New Orleans patty.

Then, walk to Bywater Bakery for a brownie or slice of king cake (which they also serve stuffed with spinach or boudin.

Next, visit the Bargain Center for weird antiques and vintage clothing. Honestly, most of it seems like total junk but it was fun to explore the alleys of tapes, sequins, books, and old kitchen appliances. There is also a Confederacy of Dunes sign above the exit!

Explore the streets of Bywater. There are funny signs and designs all over.

Next, check out JAMNOLA. It’s moving soon to the French Quarter but if it’s still in the area, it’s a good place to see some cool street art and classic Mardi Gras outfits.

If time allows, visit Lucullus Antiques, Dr. Bob’s Folk Art. And, if you’re in the area Thursday-Sunday, then Tiger Rag Vintage looks cool.

Afternoon

Finally, head to the airport to end your New Orleans Itinerary!

Other activities for your New Orleans Itinerary

New Orleans is such a popular destination. In addition to what we’ve already done, here are some other suggested activities you might consider fitting in or swapping out for your New Orleans Itinerary:

• My friend suggested going on a Ghost Tour and this one has over 11k reviews online. Each night we saw at least 3 groups of people on Ghost Tours. Or, you can go on a carriage tour as well—this seems like a steal because the carriage rides themselves are expensive.
• And the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 Walking Tour to view tombs of famous residents and view the burial structures. You can’t view the cemetery without going on a tour. They leave every 15 minutes and you can book online directly.
• It was too cold during our visit, but we originally planned to go on this swamp and bayou tour.  
• Another suggestion is visiting Turkey and Wolf for lunch.
• As you walk by the waterfront, you’ll pass the Steamboat Natchez. Instead of dinner in town on your first night, you could kick off your New Orleans Itinerary with a jazz cruise with dinner!