New Orleans Travel Answers

NO is great! I was there for 5 days frm December 25 to 30 in 2007. Well, that's not the best period but anyhow it was a very good time! good weather (around 18 degrees during day) and cheap hotels. The French quarter is the best choice...many places where to have fun! then u can also visit the swamps and....take a visit of the garden quarter, with its many villas!

Hi and welcome to VT, Clarissa! I love New Orleans; so much to do and see - especially if interested in the fascinating history of this very unique city. We've spent over a week there and had no problem filling our time. As far as what to do, take a look at our NOLA travel guide: New Orleans Travel Guide Our members have written extensively about all the city has to offer and fun for every age and interest. I'd highly recommend staying in the French Quarter to be close the majority of the sights/action - you'll find accommodation suggestions in our VT NOLA hotels pages. I might caution that you'll probably find rates to be somewhat high because of the holiday: that's to be expected in any top destination during this period, and especially so in the warmer locations of the U.S. during our winter season. This is a very easy city to get around without car (should you be considering travel without one) as the Quarter is compact and there is easy transit to those areas outside of it - such as the Garden District - that are of interest.

>I feel a bit lost at the moment mainly because the only information i have access to at the moment is whats online and i dont know anyone who has been there personally. Forgot to mention that you've come to the right place as the reviews on the NOLA pages I gave you the link for have been written by members who have actually BEEN there; that's what this site is all about. I can't vouch 100% for every accommodation review coming from Trip Advisor - a sister site that we share hotel reviews with - as a sneaky owner manages to tout their own business there now and again but those are easily identified and ignored. I do use TA a lot for hotel reviews and it has yet to steer me wrong if I'm careful about sniffing out the fakes. Booking.com is another really good resource. An idea about your budget/comfort preferences may be helpful as far as personal recommendations on this thread?

Hi, I've also been to New Orleans a number of times over the years mainly for business, but I did take my wife one time 20 years ago with me when I had a convention to attend. You've gotten some good advice so far from other members. A few things I like about New Orleans is the food and the jazz. Also be sure to go to Cafe Du Monde for some hot little donuts (and I know I'm going to screw this name up) which are called Beneighs. If you do stay in the French Quarter and are flying in I would recommend a taxi from the airport. The city is easy to get around by either walking or taking taxis or the trolley cars. I think I might have some pictures on my page from my last 1 day visit back in 2009 of the trolleys.

Here is the website for the Cafe Du Monde. http://www.cafedumonde.com/beignet.html

I love NO also. Went for Mardi Gras and also covered that city for work so I have been many times. As stated, the French Qtr is the place to be. Great posts so far re ideas for you. I stayed at the W in the French Qtr and also the Faimont Hotel(which is a block away.) There are probably cheaper locations but the W was for work and the Fairmont(and W) was when I went on my own... Re feeling lost, I have planned trips to Madrid and Bangkok mainly using VT and didn't even really ask questions. I just looked at member's postings(this was before I was really a member) and had a great time. Some great members and their ideas/postings were/are top notch.

New Orleans is a great place & I would highly recommend that you do a swamp tour whist there. Check out honeyislandswamp.com/index.h... they do pick ups from your hotel or hire a car & drive there its not far. You can combine it with a tour of one or two of the plantations that used slaving as labour, we chose Oak Alley (just do the gardens & look at outside) oakalleyplantation.com/welco... & Laura Plantation -very informative & interesting tour of homestead & slave quarters http://www.lauraplantation.com/ Hope you have a great time I think 3 days would be worthwhile time to spend in NO but not sure how much time you have & where else you are going

Just came back from New Orleans last week and loved it! It's a city to be heard (lots of jazz everywhere) and to be tasted (amazing cajun specialties like jambalaya, gumbo, bread pudding and rice and beans in most restaurants). Most tourists stay in the French Quarter, but I stayed in a guesthouse in the Marigny area, which is a 10-minute walk from the French Quarter. It is a safe area and good value, since it was not as insanely expensive as accommodations in the French Quarter. I was there for two full days and was enough to walk up and down the French Quarter, the Garden District and Lafayette Cemetery. In that time I could also do the Mississippi cruise, take the trolley around the city, visit any museum / house I was interested in (e.g. Tennessee Williams house, Edgar Degas house), and enjoy the jazz and drinks in Bourbon St and Frenchmen St in the evening. If you are interested in adding up the swamp/plantation tour (I didn't do it), probably 3-4 days would be enough to enjoy the city. My only recommendation is to be cautious at night. During the day the city is pretty safe, especially in the touristic, populated areas, but at night local people usually recommend to avoid dark/empty alleys and to be better accompanied than alone. Having said that, I have been by myself in NOLA and I never had or saw any problems in the French Quarter and Marigny. Enjoy your trip! Flor de Maria

Omg Thankyou so much everyone! The flights are all booked :) I'm so excited I could wee! December 5th to December 15th. Im teeny bit worried that 10 days is too long but my bf and I are very chilled people and I can't see us doing all those activities in much less than 10. I pretty much just want to eat and drink my way through New Orleans :) We are planning to trying to do our accommodation as cheap as possible. Every$ saved is more spending money! Do u guys recommend any hotels that are on the cheaper side in the French Quarter? Or is it worth our while staying in a different area?

You will have a wonderful time - and the food is amazing! I know we said to stay in the Quarter but I'll throw out Prytania Oaks and Prytania Park in the Garden District if you can't find something to fit the budget otherwise. I haven't stayed in these myself but have seen good reviews on both as well as recommendations from some of our members. They are both very attractively priced and provide New Orleans-flavored small-hotel ambiance versus a chain hotel, and the St. Charles streetcar ($1.25 per ride to Canal St. and edge of the Quarter) is only a block away. http://www.prytaniaoakshotel.com/ tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review... http://www.prytaniaparkhotel.com/ tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review...

Take a look at Le Richelieu too - also consistently gets good reviews and is in the Quarter (although I'd love to see some firsthand feedback from members on all 3 of my suggestions). Good rates can be had right now but no promises what they will look like for any of these properties around the holiday season: likely quite a bit more but run your dates... booking.com/hotel/us/le-rich...

Here's another thought? For a 10-days stay you might want to consider a small apartment? It may be very nice to have a bit more space and some extra amenities for a stay this long. In our experience, flats are often more economical than hotels and offer more stuff we actually use instead of room service, spas and whatnot. Just as an example, take a look at this studio apartment on VRBO: http://www.vrbo.com/392011 Very attractive rates at150 for the first night and100 for every night after. It also has a kitchen and laundry. Balcony is tiny but... You could look through the other offerings to see if anything jazzes ya? vrbo.com/search/usa/louisian... Be sure to look at weekly rates - they're usually a better bargain than shorter stays. We've used VRBO and been very happy with our rentals although I would caution to look only at rentals with pictures and reviews, and read the fine print for each accommodation carefully for extra taxes, cleaning fees, etc. Also check location carefully on the maps as owners can sometimes embellish a bit about what area a flat is actually in.

Agreed with the others who have posted. My perspective is from having lived in New Orleans 4 years. There are several different themes you might like to pursue during your vist- my thought is that 5-7 days is enough, of course if you are going out to the plantations and Cajun country you can spend more time. Naturally, one theme might be Mardi Gras- Though of course you wont be in town for it. i dont know if you can arrange a tour that will show you where the floats are made and gives you a bit of history about the parades. There is nothing like seeing them live though:) Jazz/Music- The usual place is of course the French Quarter. Make very sure to go to Preservation Hall, the guys that play in there are excellent blues players. New Orleans has a long history of musical excellence-jazz, blues, zydeco. check for festivals going on, go to Tiptitina's. Don't just stay in the quarter. There are tours exploring the darker side of new orleans- the voodoo and ann rice themes. Plantations- There are lots of great plantations around the city itself but you will want to go up toward Baton Rouge to see some of the larger ones. Oak Alley is one i particularly remember, though i have heard it said that it has become somewhat touristy. If you can get a ticket to a Saints home game by all means DO! IF you do get a ticket make sure to bring earplugs, it is one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL and you will be in the midst of some of the most passionate people on earth Hope this helps regards Val