Hotels in New Orleans, LA

Best time to visit New Orleans

To enjoy the events, celebrations and cool weather, the best time to visit New Orleans is between February – May. This is also the peak tourist season and hotel prices tend to spike. You may have to book your accommodation several months in advance if you are visiting during the festival week. To avoid the Mardi Gras mania, plan your visit between December – January, when the city is relatively quiet and hotel prices are reasonable. If you don’t mind the humidity and temperatures as high as 33 degrees Celsius, plan your visit in the summer months from June – August, and get excellent bargains on hotel rates.

Getting around New Orleans

New Orleans neighbourhoods are quite compact, and can be easily explored on foot. To cover longer distances, hop on to the famous streetcars or buses operated by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA). A one-way fare is $1.25 USD, and a 1-Day Jazzy Pass for $3.00 USD allows you unlimited rides for 24 hours. Taxis are easily available so call one if you are exploring the city at night, or find yourself in an unfamiliar area after dark. The city streets are narrow, and one-way routes can be confusing, so if possible, avoid driving and stick to public transport or taxis to get around in New Orleans.

Best places to stay in New Orleans

With a unique culture and way of life, and its own style of food, music and art, New Orleans has a different rhythm and personality which is hard to find anywhere else in the world. You have to decide what kind of stay you wish to experience in this city. One where your day begins and ends in a luxury boutique hotel in a quiet, charming neighbourhood? Or one where you get back to a simple room in a historic property in a buzzing and fast-paced neighbourhood?

French Quarter

French Quarter is the old city hub and a historic neighbourhood. It is home to the boisterous Bourbon Street, one of the greatest nightlife streets in the world. You will be spoilt for choice with scores of restaurants and bars in the area. Steps away from Bourbon Street, you can enjoy chic, boutique accommodation at Hotel Le Marais on Conti Street. For luxury accommodation, stay at The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel which boasts a long, ornate, gilded lobby and plush rooms, just a 15-minute walk from Bourbon Street.

Garden District

A neighbourhood of imposing mansions and beautiful landscapes, the Garden District is an elegant, picturesque neighbourhood which will greatly appeal to architecture lovers and gardening enthusiasts. Here you have the chic Henry Howard Hotel housed in an 1867 double-gallery mansion, featuring stylish rooms with vintage furniture. Or just a 3-minute walk from the streetcar line, you can consider the Sully Mansion, a Boutique Inn, set in an 1890s mansion with bright, airy rooms and private balconies.

Central Business District (CBD)

The bustling CBD neighbourhood is usually where you will spot most business travelers or conventioneers. Choose this neighbourhood if you want a wider choice of budget hotels while still being close to the popular attractions in the French Quarter. Stay at International House hotel, a Beaux-Arts hotel with an elegant white frontage, and plush rooms that exude a rock n’roll vibe. In the heart of the CBD, you can try the Aloft New Orleans Downtown hotel which features a hip lobby and bright, modern rooms.

Faubourg Marigny

A young neighbourhood with a hipster vibe, Faubourg Marigny has plenty of cheap eateries and bars, and attracts young travelers and music-loving backpackers of all ages. Stay at the Balcony Guesthouse, a relaxed, eclectic bed and breakfast with individually decorated rooms set above a lively restaurant and bar. In the heart of the Faubourg Marigny neighbourhood, you have the Elysian Fields Inn, a charming bed and breakfast featuring elegant rooms with 14-foot-tall ceilings, and modern amenities.

Cheap hotels in New Orleans

New Orleans has plenty of guesthouses, bed and breakfast lodging, and hostel accommodation to choose from. Whatever you save on hotels will be well worth it when exploring the attractions, restaurants, bars, and nightlife at the French Quarter. Stay at The Frenchmen Hotel on Frenchmen Street, just steps away from the live music venues of French Quarter. Or check out The Fleur De Lis Mansion French Quarter Bed and Breakfast set in a historic mansion, and featuring vintage-chic rooms. You can also consider Jazz Quarters, an upscale bed and breakfast which occupies elegant Creole-style cottages linked by tree-lined courtyards in Faubourg Treme, just a 15-minute walk from the French Quarter. In an elegant building in the Garden District, you can stay in the simple, airy, dorm-style rooms of The Quisby hostel.

If you are in New Orleans, all you will want to do is eat, drink, and be merry! The city is a trailblazer in creating innovative culinary delights, celebrating seasons and festivals, and paying homage to jazz, rock, hip hop, and several other varieties of music. No matter how many times you visit New Orleans, you will always find something new to explore in this mystical city.

• Stroll around in the French Quarter to admire the heritage architecture of the area. At Jackson Square, learn about Louisiana’s history at The Cabildo Louisiana State Museum, and admire the beautiful structure of the landmark St. Louis Cathedral.
• Spend time at the New Orleans party hub of Bourbon Street, which is laden with street performers, fortune-tellers, vibrant bars and clubs.
• Opt for a walking tour in the Garden District to admire the historic residences and mansions, and picturesque landscaped gardens.
• In New Orleans CBD, check out the finest collection of Southern art at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. View an eclectic collection of costumes, photographs, and artifacts related to African-American culture at the Backstreet Cultural Museum.
• Spend an afternoon at the sprawling 1300-acre City Park where you can take a nature stroll through the 12-acre New Orleans Botanical Garden, be entertained at Storyland and Train Garden, or peruse through a large collection of art at the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA).
• In Faubourg Marigny, head to the lively Frenchmen Street which is a hipper but less crowded, and less expensive version of Bourbon street. Explore scores of restaurants, bars, art galleries and live music venues in this 4-block stretch. Also stop by at Frenchmen Art Market, an alleyway market where independent artists and artisans line up original artwork, handcrafted jewelry, and unique t-shirts.
• Even if you are not in town during the actual Mardi Gras festival, you can get a behind-the-scenes peek at the renowned celebrations of this festival at the Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World.
• Don’t miss a ride on a streetcar at St. Charles Avenue to enjoy a relaxed and scenic trip past the stately mansions and tree-lined streets of New Orleans.