New Orleans Travel Forum

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I'm heading to New Orleans at the end of May on account of finding really cheap flights (200 all in CAD $) from Buffalo. I've never been so have some questions.

1. Is it safe. I will be by myself (although meeting a relative at some points)and would like to venture outside the French Quarter.

2. I'm think of staying for 4 or 5 full days - whatever time frame works out cheapest for flights - is this too many days or too little time?

3. Are there any good tours - some options I've seen are the katrina tours, swamp/bayou and plantation tours. Any recommended tour companies?

4. Where is the best and safest place to stay - French Quarter, CBD or Downtown

5. I'm looking for budget accomodation. Any thoughts or recommendations? How is Priceline or Hotwire for New Orleans?

6. Any food/restaurant/jazz club recommendations?

7. Shopping options?

8. Other must-see sights or things to do?

Thanks for your help.

1. New Orleans can be sketchy but as long as you in the main areas and don't go down any dark alleys at night, I think you will be fine. Be careful about venturing outside the French Quarter at night. During the day, you will be fine.

2. 4 or 5 days...this all depends on your personality. Some might find it too much, but I say enjoy your time there and relax. Do some tours and what not. Relax in the hotel. Go for walks. If you look at it as a getaway, you won't feel like it's too long. If you're looking to keep a blistering pace for 4-5 days, it might wear out it's welcome.

3. I did a great tour this past January- it was the tour of the aftermath of Katrina and the rebuilding efforts. I highly recommend it. It lasted a couple hours and was very, very interesting. You should be able to find information on tours like this very easily.

4. I'm not sure of the safest place to stay, but the French Quarter is probably a good bet.

5. I haven't done Priceline or Hotwire in N.O. specifically, but I have bid on Priceline for several other large cities in the US with great success. If I were you, I'd lowball on Priceline.com (bid) and see what you come up with.

6. There's many great steakhouses and nice places to eat. I wish I could remember the name of the steakhouse I was at in January! I do remember the Blues Bros restaurant/bar was great. If you peruse the area of Bourbon street (the little streets that jut off) there are many great restaurants. Of course you need to check out the famous Pat O'Brien's. It's a very nice place.

7 & 8. I wish I had time to shop there, but I didn't! Bourbon street is neat at night. Just bask in that, do some tours, and enjoy that southern cajun food. I'm sure you'll have a great time!

We were in NO just before Christmas for a week & had a great time. We stayed pretty much to the French Quarter & had no problems day or night.From what we experienced a common sense approach should keep you safe, ie don't do anything you wouldn't do in your home town.
We spent two days wandering around the french quarter, one day to do Dr Wagner's Honey Island swamp tour http://www.honeyislandswamp.com which was excellent & one day to do the plantations of
Laura "excellent historical tour" http://www.lauraplantation.com/
& Oak Alley "spectacular setting" http://www.oakalleyplantation.com/
We hired a car & drove to the plantations & swamp tour but you can arrange pickup from your hotel if you wish.
We also did the cemetery tour which was OK,plus the carriage tour of the french quarter was quite informative and a lot of fun.
As far as eats go highly recommend the Red Fish Grill for dinner, Johnny PoBoy's for lunch

I have never had a problem with safety in my many visits to New Orleans. As in any large city, you need to be alert when out and about at night. Walking around the French Quarter at night is safe -- take a cab if you're venturing out further at night.

Your homepage doesn't say where you're from, but if you're a city person, you already have street smarts. If you're from a sleepy village, you'll need to ramp up your antennae factor a few notches...

I have a lot of restaurant recommendations on my New Orleans page: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/38cf6/c19b6/

Hi, I've been to New Orleans 3 or 4 times, though not since hurricane Katrina.

Safety: If you stay in the French Quarter and financial districts you should be fine. It is typically recommended NOT to visit the cemeteries outside the Quarter without a large group or tour. I Have visited the cemetery that is just outside the Quarter during the day with a small group without incident, though there were many other tourists milling about. Just be sharp eyed and aware of your surroundings when on the outskirts.

Duration of stay: I typically stay for 3-4 nights, as the French Quarter can be exhausting, yet I always wish I had one more night :)

There are tons of tours. The plantation tour is nice. I recommend AGAINST the ghost or haunted tours of the French Quarter. BOOOORING.

The French Quarter is the safest place. I usually stay at the Bourbon Orleans and have always had a great time.

Food: Even the bad restaurants are pretty good in new Orleans. I try to avoid dining in the restaurants on Bourbon. Check out the streets that run perpendicular to it and down towards the waterfront for many a hidden gem. Some great cheap eats are Poppy's diner and The Gumbo Shop. Two of my favorite bars there are The BlackSmith on Bourbon and Mollys at the Market.

Music: I'm not an expert, but on Bourbon, many music clubs advertise no cover, but expect you order a round of drinks every hour or during every set that the band plays. Often you can just hang out and listen outside, and there are many talented buskers.

Shopping: Royal Street, which runs parallel to Bourbon, is full of nice antique shops and art galleries. Also there is much shopping near the waterfront, including the famous French Market. Also look out for some cool voodoo shops.

Have fun!

-DonPaul

Lucky You!!!! We were in New Orleans for a week (just before Katrina) and never ran out of things to do. While I know a few things have changed, travelers who've been there since tell that the French Quarter is still great, and most of the museums and other attractions we enjoyed so much are still going strong.

We stayed in the business district - about 2 blocks from the convention center - and didn't feel unsafe. The Quarter is safe too - just don't go any farther than Rampart St.

We took a walking tour with a recommended tour company and it was great. Our guide was a retired teacher and he was was really knowledgeable. Here's the website: www.tourneworleans.com
As a previous poster noted, skip the "haunted" tours - New Orleans architecture and history is so much more colorful and interesting! Many of these tours include one or more of the famous cemeteries near the French Quarter. I agree that normally you shouldn't visit them alone as they're a maze of tombs that can be easy to get lost in but during peak tourist hours, there can be so many tours running around that if you just stay within sight of one and follow their path, you should be OK. NEVER try to go to one alone after dusk or even daylight, if there are too few people around.

Take the St. Charles streetcar line to the Garden District for a self-guided tour of the wonderful old houses and Lafayette cemetery. I walked this one by myself and didn't feel spooked. There is a Welcome Center at 2020 St. Charles Ave. that may still have a good pamphlet for self guided walks, or Frommers has this one you can print out. :
www.frommers.com/destinations/neworleans/0020020034.html

Terrific museums! We did the art museum and historic Cabildo/Presbytere - both were great. The Cabildo has a fascinating exhibit on New Orlean's history and the Presbytere, another on the history of Mardi Gras: Here's a couple good websites:
http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/cabildo/cab4.htm
www.neworleansmuseums.com

Take the FREE Algier's ferry across the Mississippi and back. There's more to see across the river; google Algier's Ferry.

And finally, here's a couple of great websites with up-to-date info, downloadable coupons and more:
www.neworleanscvb.com
www.neworleansonline.com

You didn't mention having a car? Good - you won't need one and it'd be nothing but a headache. Public transport is good and the tourist area is not that large.

There's fun shopping, terrific music - both indoors and out - and it's just a great town for a walkabout.
My VT pages are a few years old but the basic info is still good, and other VTer's have great NO tips too - check them out as they might be helpful?

The CBD is a good area to stay in, its walking distance from the Quarter and you can typically get a better hotel for a better price than you can in the Quarter. But if you are out late at night, in the Quarter, for safety sake, I would take a cab back to your hotel.

There is also a company that rents scooters on Decatur St, a few blocks from Cafe du Mond. By scooters, I dont mean the type used for the handicapped. Its a fun, casual way to explore the Quarter and Uptown.

Also at the end of May is the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience. I believe its $80 a ticket this year and a great sampling of local food.

Hi
I go to New Orleans at least once a year.A daughter went to Loyola University there. I had been there as a youngster with my mom. Anyway, love it!I am heading there for a last minute April 24 for 3 nights. It is Jazzfest so I really had to look hard for the budget. And, I am flying in/out of Baton Rouge for best air and car price.I have used Bookit.com for hotels before.You get the best price midweek.The cheapest I have done is the Frenchmen on Esplanade- a little sketchy late at night. Accommodation choices do depend on if you will have a car. Parking is expensive and they tow/ticket quickly. I have done all of the tours and loved them. One that wasn't mentioned is the cooking school tour- fun.The food is fab everywhere. Make sure you go to Pat O'Brien's for the Hurricane drink. It is friendly at the bar and OK food. You can't miss Cafe DuMonde- 24/7! Any questions just ask.

What others have said here about safety pretty much states it as it is. Be alert. Don't be in dark, isolated places alone. Taxi cabs are life-savers. Take the St. Charles street car for a ride (both ways), in the daytime. Go to the art museum in City Park, including the sculpture park behind it. Take the Magazine Street bus up to the clubs and restaurants around Louisiana Avenue, Napoleon Avenue and Jefferson Avenue. Stay at a bed & breakfast. The Sunburst Inn is pretty good. http://www.sunburstinn.net/

Here are some places you might like for food and music.

RESTAURANTS:

Commander’s Palace
1403 Washington Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
504/899-8221
Expensive

Clancy’s
6100 Annunciation Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
504/895-1111
not cheap

Galatoire’s
209 Bourbon Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504/525-2021
not cheap

Tujague’s (pronounced "Two Jack's")
823 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504/525-8676
relatively easy on the wallet

Mandina’s
3800 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
504/482-9179
easy on the wallet

Napoleon House
209 Bourbon Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504/524-9752 cheap

Franky & Johnny’s
6100 Annunciation Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
504/899-9146
cheap

Liuzza’s By The Track
1518 North Lopez Street
New Orleans, LA 70119
504/218-7888
cheap

MUSIC:

Snug Harbor
626 Frenchman Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
504/949-0696
http://www.snugjazz.com

Spotted Cat
623 Frenchman Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
504/943-3887
(No website)

Blue Nile
532 Frenchman Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
504/948-2583
http://www.bluenilelive.com/

New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
916 North Peters Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
504/589-4806
http://www.nps.gov/jazz/

Fritzel's European Jazz Pub
733 Bourbon Street
New Orleans, LA
504/561-0432
http://fritzels.tripod.com/

Preservation Hall
726 St. Peter Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
http://www.preservationhall.com

Maple Leaf Bar
8316 Oak Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
504/866-9359
(No website)

See also WWOZ music calendar, http://www.wwoz.org/new+orleans+community/music+calendar

As far as music goes, we also liked the Gazebo Bar and Cafe on Decatur, not far from the French Market. It's an outdoor venue and and had consistently good jazz groups in the afternoons and evenings. Order one of their killer frozen daiquiris (Pina Colada - yum!) from the bar kiosk, grab a table and enjoy the music. There's no cover but be sure to tip the band when they pass the hat - help keep NO music traditions alive and well! No kidding, I ended up there for 3 hours one afternoon (fabulous Ellen Smith and her band) and it's still a favorite memory of that trip. They also have food but we didn't eat so not sure how good it is. Go for the tunes.

Toronto: June 09
Hi!
I am full of questions!
We are senior citizens.My wife and myself are passing thro New Orlans this winter.
We would like to stay in a safe, clean hotel..not too far from the french Q & action.
I have selected the Days inn @ Metairie (I-10 service rd) (about $60/day). The reviews sounds ok.
What will be the the cost of the taxi from Metairie to Canal st/Elk Pl (Greyhound bus ). It is roughly about 10 Km (6 miles) distance.
Are the main streets in the French Q safe till say 8pm.
What are the best shopping area (curios , boutiques ,small shops and good malls with character.

Quack, you might want to re-post this in the New Orleans forum as its own question. You've added onto an old posting, where it will reach only the people who responded to the original question.

Quack, the amount of money that you will pay for cab fare between Metarie and the French Quarter would be better spent staying closer. You can get a less expensive room in the CBD (Central Business District) or Warehouse District, which is walking distance to the Quarter.