NEW ORLEANS GUIDE: THE BEST HOTELS, FOOD AND CULTURE TO EXPERIENCE
New Orleans Guide: The Best Hotels, Food and Culture to Experience
We usually stick to a three-night city break rule, but flying from the UK to the US calls for a little indulgence. It had been years since our last trip to New Orleans, and memories of one of our favourite American cities had us buzzing with excitement. For reasons still unclear, we booked a full week in mid-June.
This was never going to be a spa-and-serenity kind of getaway. We threw ourselves headfirst into NOLA life: meeting locals, sampling potent cocktails, devouring indulgent food, walking the soles off our shoes, and staying in four different hotels. We left hot, sticky, and a few pounds heavier, with a deeper appreciation for Creole culture alongside a list of must-dos (and a few to skip).
Take a Tour
If it’s your first visit, walking tours are the quickest way to fall into step with the city. We managed three in a week, a little excessive unless you’re both history-curious and nosy (we are).
French Quarter Tour
The Vieux Carré is New Orleans in microcosm: music on every corner, pastel shutters hiding serene courtyards, and balconies spilling with flowers and greenery. Randy, our guide for the morning, led us through pirate tales, colonial drama, Creole culture, and architectural gems, with plenty of local gossip woven in. We also met local celebrity Iko; a chatty cockatoo who offers short performances to paying folks passing by. There are plenty of ‘For Sale’ signs around the Quarter, a nod to ongoing gentrification, though to us, it looked a little less loved than we remembered. Book with tourneworleans.com.
Voodoo, Storyville & Treme
NuAwlons Natescott turned up at our meeting point at Backatown Coffee just off Treme, resplendent in a decorated top hat and feather-trimmed cane. His walking tour is part history lesson, part myth-busting, part spiritual experience. We heard the legend of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, stood at the Tomb of the Unknown Slave, and wandered into Congo Square, where jazz and drumming traditions began. We also heard (a lot) about our tour guides’ extracurricular movie activities and chance encounters with eccentric movie star Nicolas Cage. Book with tourneworleans.com.
Garden District Tour
Shaded by live oaks, the Garden District feels like another city entirely; slower, greener, and achingly pretty. Block by block, we explored Greek Revival mansions, Italianate balconies, and Victorian details, plus author Anne Rice’s former home. Our guide, Karen, wove in stories about urban slavery and pointed out some of the homes of the famous celebs who are lucky to have outposts in the neighbourhood. Luckily, Karen also came equipped with (Sazerac cocktail-shaped) fans to blow away the humidity. Book with twochickswalkingtours.com.
New Orleans Guide: The Best Hotels, Food And Culture To Experience
Culture & Attractions
Even in a city where food and music dominate, these spots give a deeper taste of New Orleans culture.
JAMNOLA – Joy, Art & Music
New Orleans’ vibrant cultural funhouse celebrates the city’s creativity through 29 immersive installations by over 100 local artists. Expect everything from glittering Mardi Gras backdrops to giant crawfish sculptures, each space blending art, music, and theatrical flair. Part gallery, part interactive playground, it’s a joyful, sensory journey through the sights, sounds, and spirit of NOLA—perfect for both art lovers and Instagram enthusiasts. It’s bonkers, but we loved it! jamnola.com
Sazerac House
Sazerac House is part museum, part cocktail experience, and part fancy liquor store, dedicated to New Orleans’ official drink. Beautiful on the outside and sleek on the inside, the interactive space takes visitors on a spirited journey through the history of the Sazerac, from its 19th-century origins to modern-day craft. Visitors can book onto the VIP guided tastings, which feature key ingredients Sazerac Rye, Peychaud’s Bitters, and Herbsaint, and offer up demos on how the cocktail came to be and, most importantly, how to mix your own.
There are three floors of exhibits to explore the city’s cocktail culture. It’s an engaging blend of history, flavour, and storytelling, making it perfect for anyone who loves a well-made drink. And, as an added bonus, the visitors who don’t choose the VIP tasting experience get to try the mini tastings on each floor as long as they register and pick up a wristband.
Vue Orleans
Vue Orleans is an immersive cultural attraction that brings the city’s history, music, and food to life through cutting-edge storytelling. Spread across multiple levels in the former World Trade Center, it features original films, interactive exhibits (we enjoyed the Mardi Gras dressing up experience), and a 34-storey (located at the top of the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans) rooftop 360° observation deck with unbeatable views of the Mississippi and French Quarter. The moveable viewing panels point out landmarks and neighbourhoods in the distance, and you can even try your hand at navigating a tug boat through the perilous Mississippi waters (we failed miserably).
Preservation Hall
Preservation Hall is a legendary French Quarter venue dedicated to keeping traditional New Orleans jazz alive. Established in 1961, it hosts intimate, acoustic performances over 350 nights a year, featuring a rotating collective of more than 100 master musicians. The simple, no-frills setting (no mics or sound systems, no flashing lights) lets the music shine, creating an atmosphere that feels timeless and deeply authentic. For an unforgettable night of pure, unfiltered jazz, Preservation Hall is as essential to NOLA as beignets and brass bands.
Dew Drop Inn experience
The Dew Drop Inn is a historic landmark of New Orleans’ Black music scene and Civil Rights history, and is now revived as a live venue and hotel. Its signature event, Legends of the Dew Drop, – one of our favourite experiences during our stay – combines electrifying R&B and rock ’n’ roll performances with rich storytelling, a delicious Creole brunch buffet, and a tour sharing the stories of the venue, which was once graced by icons like Little Richard and Ray Charles. It’s a soulful, immersive experience that celebrates the city’s musical legacy and is done with real style.
New Orleans Guide: The Best Hotels, Food And Culture To Experience
Where to Eat & Drink
The Elysian Bar
The Elysian Bar is tucked next to the beautifully restored Hotel Peter & Paul in the Marigny, and is a serene escape from the city’s bustle. Bathed in soft light, its church-inspired interiors set the stage for seasonal dishes, inventive cocktails, and warm, attentive service. Part restaurant, part bar, and part café, it’s a place to linger over brunch, sip something artfully mixed, or simply soak in the refined yet relaxed atmosphere. At the suggestion of our server, we enjoyed a great dinner of fried oysters with heirloom tomatoes and basil aioli, a main of littleneck clams in a delicious guajillo cream (that just needed a little more bread to soak up the tasty juice), and a dessert of rich chocolate tart with lavender sugar and pistachio.
Frenchmen Street
Frenchmen Street is New Orleans’ live music soul—two buzzing blocks in the Faubourg Marigny where brass bands, jazz quartets, and funk groups spill their sound into the night air. Just a short walk from the French Quarter, it’s a more authentic, local alternative to Bourbon Street. There’s a lot less craziness here, and you’ll get a decent beer too.
Café Beignet
Café Beignet on Royale serves up one of New Orleans’ sweetest traditions in charming, laid-back style. Established in 1990, it blends French café flair with local flavour, offering fresh, hot beignets that are crisp on the outside, soft inside, and generously dusted with powdered sugar. Best enjoyed with a creamy café au lait, these treats rival—and in our opinion, outshine—the more famous Café du Monde. It’s a must-stop for a morning pick-me-up or an indulgent afternoon break. If sweet treats aren’t your thing, then the crawfish omelette made us very happy indeed.
Bourbon Street
Loud, neon, and unapologetically touristy—but sometimes that’s exactly the point. Highlights: jazz at Fritzel’s, frozen Irish coffees at Erin Rose, and the delightfully grotty Absinthe House. Skip the famous Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop unless you enjoy surly service. If you’re not a drinker, then no problem, the spectacle is all around with street performers willing to take your dollars and hustlers able to gather a crowd of 100 for 15 minutes with just the gift of the gab.
Carousel Bar – Hotel Monteleone
A bar that rotates slowly while you sip. The Carousel Bar, inside the historic Hotel Monteleone, is a New Orleans icon where the seats slowly rotate around a circular bar. Open since 1949, it’s part spectacle, part sanctuary for cocktail lovers. Sip a classic Vieux Carré or a seasonal creation as the room glides gently by, offering a playful twist on people-watching. Seats are coveted—arrive early or, if you are staying at the hotel, you can book a special package for guaranteed access to this whimsical, only-in-NOLA experience.
New Orleans Guide: The Best Hotels, Food And Culture To Experience
Where to stay
We’re big fans of moving around a city so we can explore different neighbourhoods.
For the Design-Led Traveller: The Eliza Jane’s Historic Style & Southern Flavour
Once a printing house and bitters factory, now a boutique hotel between the French Quarter, CBD, and Arts District. The leafy courtyard and book-lined lounge make it tempting to linger longer than planned, but our lasting memory (as well as the dusky pink guest room walls) was the delicious brunch at Couvant, where we ordered Shrimp & Grits. Perfection. Find out more here.
Hotel Monteleone – For the Traveller Who Wants to Be in the Heart of It All
This New Orleans landmark is where literary history meets French Quarter elegance. Family-owned since 1886, it’s hosted writers from Hemingway to Capote. Its crown jewel, the Carousel Bar, slowly revolves as guests sip classic cocktails. With opulent rooms, a rooftop pool, and a location steps from Bourbon Street, it’s a blend of old-world charm and vibrant city energy—perfect for soaking up the spirit of NOLA. Read more here.
The Windsor Court – For the Traveller Who Seeks Quiet, Uncompromising Luxury
Experience a different side of New Orleans at the Windsor Court Hotel—an oasis of calm, elegance, and understated luxury. With sweeping skyline views, a sense of serene stillness, and refined Southern sophistication, it’s less about flashy theatrics and more about timeless grace. Think quiet mornings watching the mist rise over the city and evenings wrapped in hushed grandeur—luxury that feels both effortless and richly considered. Find out more here.
The Pontchartrain – For the Traveller Who Dreams in Velvet & Chandeliers
The Pontchartrain Hotel is a soul‑soaked vintage gem in the Garden District, half time capsule, half theatrical set. It delivers layered, atmospheric charm with rich period details like terrazzo floors, velvet drapes, and chandeliers. The hotel’s spirit feels gloriously eccentric, drawing you into a bygone era with rooms that whisper stories. It’s a place with personality, vintage flair that’s both lovingly preserved and delightfully theatrical. Read more here.
Getting Around
Downtown walking is great to tick off all the key highlights, and Ubers are easy to call, but our favourite way to get around was to ride the vintage streetcars for the slowest, most charming city tour you’ll ever take.
A Week in New Orleans – The Takeaway
A week here is indulgence on tap; rich Creole food, dangerously strong cocktails, and music at every turn. By day five we were equal parts blissed-out and exhausted. The city is both polished and frayed, with a patina of grit you can’t scrub off.
New Orleans doesn’t aim for perfection; it’s too busy living out loud. And that’s exactly why we’ll be back. But maybe just for 2 or 3 nights.
