Where to Stay in New Orleans, LA (2026): Best Neighborhoods and Hotel Prices

Where to stay in New Orleans

Most visitors stay in or next to the French Quarter, the original colonial city between Canal Street, Rampart Street, Esplanade Avenue and the Mississippi. Jackson Square, Café du Monde and Preservation Hall are a few blocks apart, the Frenchmen Street music clubs start just past Esplanade, and the bigger downtown hotels begin across Canal. The St. Charles and Canal streetcars reach the Garden District, Uptown and City Park for $1.25 a ride.

The colonial-era grid between Canal Street and Esplanade Avenue holds Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Café du Monde and Preservation Hall. Hotels run from the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street, home of the Carousel Bar, to small courtyard inns like the Place d'Armes and the Provincial. The Riverfront streetcar runs along the river side and the Canal lines along the upper edge.
The catch: Bourbon Street stays loud into the early morning, rooms in the old buildings run small, and valet parking costs about $50 a night.
Rooms in French Quarter tonight
The office district across Canal Street from the Quarter has most of the city's big chain hotels, including the Hyatt Regency by the Caesars Superdome, plus boutique hotels like the NOPSI and the Troubadour. The St. Charles streetcar starts at Canal and Carondelet, and the 202 Airport Express bus stops along Poydras Street.
The catch: Many blocks go quiet after office hours, and rates jump on Saints game weekends and during big Superdome events.
Rooms in Central Business District tonight
Brick warehouses around Julia Street now hold galleries, restaurants and loft hotels. The National WWII Museum is at 945 Magazine Street with the Higgins Hotel at 1000 Magazine, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art is on Camp Street, and Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and Hyatt Place towers cluster near the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center along the river.
The catch: Large conventions fill the area and push prices up, and Frenchmen Street is a long walk or a cab ride at night.
Rooms in Warehouse District tonight
Bernard de Marigny's 1806 subdivision just downriver from Esplanade Avenue is mostly Creole cottages and shotgun houses, with the Frenchmen Street music clubs in its first few blocks. Lodging is mostly guesthouses and small hotels, including Hotel Peter and Paul, set in a former schoolhouse, rectory and convent. The Rampart streetcar runs along its back edge on St. Claude Avenue.
The catch: There are few full-service hotels, and Frenchmen Street noise carries until late on weekends.
Rooms in Faubourg Marigny tonight
A residential area along Canal Street and Bayou St. John that ends at City Park, the New Orleans Museum of Art and its free sculpture garden. Both Canal streetcar branches run through it, Parkway Bakery is on Hagan Avenue, and the Fair Grounds Race Course, where Jazz Fest is held, is a short ride away on Gentilly Boulevard. Lodging is mostly bed-and-breakfasts and a few small motels.
The catch: Every trip to the Quarter is a streetcar or car ride, and rates jump during both Jazz Fest weekends.
Rooms in Mid-City tonight

Prices are typical mid-range hotel rates per night before tax, rounded to $10. Times are to Jackson Square. Booking links open tonight's real prices.

When to go

Come in late October, November, or March to early April for highs between 70 and 80°F. Skip Mardi Gras, French Quarter Festival and both Jazz Fest weekends unless you're going for them, and book months ahead if you are. July and August are the hardest months for walking around, with highs near 91°F and storms most afternoons.

Spring Mar–May

Highs 72°F in March to 85°F in May

Festival season. French Quarter Festival comes in April and Jazz Fest runs the last weekend of April and the first of May, which are some of the hardest weeks to book.

Summer Jun–Aug

Highs 90 to 91°F, lows near 75°F

Humid, with frequent afternoon storms; August averages 12 rain days. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and Essence Fest fills downtown over the Fourth of July weekend.

Fall Sep–Nov

Highs 88°F in September to 71°F in November

The tourism board calls fall the busiest season, with Saints games and Southern Decadence on Labor Day weekend. October highs drop to about 81°F.

Winter Dec–Feb

Highs 62 to 66°F, lows in the upper 40s

Mild but damp. The Sugar Bowl fills hotels in January, and the parade weeks before Fat Tuesday (February 9 in 2027) are the most crowded of the year.

On the calendar

January (January 15, 2027)Sugar BowlThe 2027 game is a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Caesars Superdome, and fans fill CBD and French Quarter hotels.
Fat Tuesday is February 9, 2027Mardi GrasMost of the big parades roll down St. Charles Avenue toward Canal Street in the final weeks, and rooms near the routes book up months ahead.
April (April 8 to 11, 2027)French Quarter FestivalFree, with more than 20 stages around Jackson Square, Woldenberg Riverfront Park and the Quarter's streets.
Late April to early May (April 22 to 25 and April 29 to May 2, 2027)New Orleans Jazz & Heritage FestivalEight days at the Fair Grounds Race Course, 1751 Gentilly Blvd., with the Jazz Fest Express shuttle from the Natchez dock, the Sheraton on Canal Street and the Hyatt Regency.
Fourth of July weekendEssence Festival of CultureConcerts at the Caesars Superdome; downtown hotels fill and the streetcars run crowded.
Labor Day weekendSouthern DecadenceAn LGBTQ festival centered on the French Quarter that raises Quarter rates for the long weekend.
September to JanuarySaints home gamesNFL games at the Caesars Superdome push up CBD and French Quarter rates on game weekends.

Getting around

From the airport

From Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), taxis charge a flat $36 to the CBD or French Quarter for one or two people, or $15 each for three or more; they load outside Door 7 in baggage claim. Uber and Lyft pick up on the middle curb outside baggage claim, with fares to the Quarter from about $45. RTA's 202 Airport Express costs $1.25 and takes about 30 minutes to Loyola Avenue downtown, but it only leaves every 70 to 90 minutes.

Trains and buses

RTA runs the streetcars, buses and the Algiers Point ferry. A ride costs $1.25 ($2 on the ferry), and a Jazzy Pass costs $3 for one day, $8 for three or $15 for seven. Buy passes in the Le Pass app and show the activated ticket when you board, or carry exact change, since drivers don't make change.

Driving

Skip the car if you're staying in or near the Quarter; walking, streetcars and cabs cover most trips. Overnight hotel valet runs about $50 a night (Hotel Monteleone charges $50 plus tax).

Worth your time

Preservation Hall
French Quarter
Nightly 45-minute sets of traditional New Orleans jazz at 726 St. Peter St., all ages, with tickets sold online only and no cash taken at the door.
The National WWII Museum
Warehouse District
Several buildings on Magazine Street that easily fill half a day, open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with adult admission at $37.
St. Charles streetcar
CBD to Uptown
About 40 minutes and $1.25 from Canal Street past the Garden District mansions, Audubon Park and Tulane to Carrollton Avenue.
Frenchmen Street
Faubourg Marigny
Three blocks of live music clubs that grew up in the 1980s as the locals' alternative to Bourbon Street.
New Orleans Jazz Museum
French Quarter
In the Old U.S. Mint at 400 Esplanade Ave., $15 for adults and closed Mondays.
The Historic New Orleans Collection
French Quarter
Free galleries on the history of the city and the Gulf South at 520 Royal St.; pick up a timed ticket at the desk or online, and note it's closed Mondays.
Besthoff Sculpture Garden
City Park, Mid-City
Free and open daily beside the New Orleans Museum of Art, which charges $23 for out-of-state adults and is closed Mondays.
Algiers Point ferry
Foot of Canal Street
A $2 ride across the Mississippi to the old houses of Algiers Point, with a view back at the downtown skyline.

What to eat

Beignets at Café du Monde
Square doughnuts under powdered sugar with chicory café au lait, served at the open-air stand at 800 Decatur St. since 1862; there are no reservations.
Muffuletta at Central Grocery
Salvatore Lupo, who opened the shop at 923 Decatur St. in 1906, is credited with this round loaf of Italian meats, cheese and olive salad.
Po-boys at Parkway Bakery & Tavern
Roast beef and fried shrimp po-boys at 538 Hagan Ave. since 1911; it's closed Monday and Tuesday.
Dooky Chase's Restaurant
Leah Chase's Creole restaurant at 2301 Orleans Ave. in Tremé, open since 1941, serves lunch Tuesday to Friday and dinner Friday and Saturday.
Commander's Palace
The Garden District restaurant at 1403 Washington Ave. is known for its jazz brunch and for 25-cent martinis at Wednesday to Friday lunch.
Red beans and rice
The traditional Monday dish, once cooked with the Sunday ham bone on washday, and still a Monday special at many neighborhood restaurants.

Before you go

Tip 18 to 20 percent at sit-down restaurants and a dollar or two per drink at bars. You can walk the street with a drink in a plastic go-cup, and bars will pour yours into one when you leave, but glass isn't allowed outside. The grassy median is called the neutral ground. Streetcar and bus drivers don't make change, so carry exact fare or a pass in the Le Pass app. Preservation Hall only sells tickets online, so book before you go.

How New Orleans got this way

The French Mississippi Company founded New Orleans in 1718 under Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville and named it for the Duke of Orléans. Spain took over in the 1760s, and most surviving 18th-century buildings in the French Quarter date from Spanish rule. The US bought the city in the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Refugees from the Haitian Revolution arrived in 1809 and doubled the population, and Andrew Jackson beat the British here in January 1815. By 1840 it was the country's third-largest and wealthiest city, built on river trade and the country's largest slave market. In 2005, levee failures during Hurricane Katrina flooded most of the city.

Questions people ask

What is the best area to stay in New Orleans for a first visit?

The French Quarter. Jackson Square, Café du Monde, Preservation Hall and Frenchmen Street are all walkable, and the Canal and Riverfront streetcars stop at its edges. Ask for a room away from Bourbon Street if you want to sleep.

How much is a taxi from the New Orleans airport to the French Quarter?

A flat $36 for one or two people, or $15 per person for three or more. The RTA 202 Airport Express bus costs $1.25 but leaves only every 70 to 90 minutes.

Do I need a car in New Orleans?

Not if you stay in the French Quarter, CBD or Marigny. Streetcars cost $1.25 a ride, and hotel valet parking runs about $50 a night.

When is Mardi Gras 2027?

Fat Tuesday falls on February 9, 2027, with parades in the weeks before. Rooms near the St. Charles Avenue route and in the Quarter book up months ahead.

Can you drink on the street in New Orleans?

Yes, as long as the drink is in a plastic cup. Glass bottles and containers aren't allowed on the street.

Checked against 40 sources. Updated October 16, 2026.

New Orleans