Today I want to bring you my itinerary for 4 days in New Orleans. Spending several days in NOLA will allow you to see the highlights of the city and give you a good overview of what it has to offer. From the French Quarter to the Garden District and beyond, this part of Louisiana has a lot to entertain visitors. I’m here with friends and I can’t wait to show you what we get up to. I’ve included a map, too.
4 Days in New Orleans
Famous for everything from Mardi Gras to Jazz Fest, New Orleans is one of the most exciting cities in the US. 4 days is a great amount of time to see the sights and experience the best of The Big Easy.
Whether you want to discover the top attractions, eat at the most delicious restaurants, or delve into the city’s past, you’ll find a lot to get excited about in NOLA.
My itinerary for 4 days in New Orleans is ideal for first-time visitors and those who haven’t traveled to the city in a while. It will show you the highlights and tempt you to come back and explore more on a future visit.
Where to Stay in New Orleans
When it comes to accommodation in New Orleans, you have no shortage of options. Whether you want to stay in a hotel or rent a house or apartment, the city has a range of places to choose from.
On this trip my friends and I are renting a house in the Lower Garden District. This beautiful residential area is full of colorful homes, and ours is right down the road from the cute cafes and boutiques on Magazine Street.
We love the house’s stylish decor, heritage atmosphere, spacious kitchen and living room, and swimming pool. There’s even a pool table. If that appeals, you can follow in our footsteps and book your stay here.
You can also find deals and book other accommodation in New Orleans here. With so many options, you’re bound to find somewhere that’s right for you.
Day 1
One friend and I arrive in New Orleans on a Thursday afternoon. We head to the house to drop off our bags and get settled in before going out in the French Quarter for the evening.
Dinner
Our first stop is dinner at Palm&Pine. This restaurant serves cuisine inspired by Louisiana, The South, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.
The chef proprietors have been James Beard Award SemiFinalists several years running, and we’re excited to try their food. The cocktail list looks tempting, too.
The restaurant has a relaxed vibe and colorful decor. We sit at the bar and order spicy margaritas before tucking into everything from corn babies to tamarind braised greens, fried broccoli, and gumbo. It all goes down a treat, and it’s a great introduction to NOLA’s famous food scene.
French Quarter
After dinner we take a walk around the French Quarter. Bourbon Street is buzzing, as is the legendary Carousel Bar in Hotel Monteleone. We pop in for a bit, then window shop our way down Royal Street and take in the colorful buildings as we go.
Day 2
The next morning I head out early to do some exploration on my own. I beat a path to Frenchmen Street and start with breakfast at Ayu Bakehouse. This place is famous for its bread and pastries, and my vegetarian muffaletta breadstick is as delicious as it looks.
French Quarter
Back outside, I walk down Frenchmen Street, taking in the colorful facades of the bars and shops as I go. From there I make my way to Jackson Square to see the famous facade of St. Louis Cathedral.
Afterwards I lose myself in the streets, photographing every pretty building I see. From the iconic one on the corner of Royal Street and St Peter Street to the ones on Pirates Alley, Exchange Place, and St Philip Street, I can’t put my camera down.
I snap and shop my way down Royal Street, admiring the cute facade of Cafe Beignet and stopping to pick up gifts before hopping on one of NOLA’s historic streetcars to get to the Garden District.
Garden District Tour
The streetcar takes me right to the heart of the area. I meet a friend to join a tour we’ve pre-booked tickets for. The New Orleans Garden District Architecture Tour is a 2-hour guided walk through one of the prettiest parts of the city.
Our friendly guide shows us everything from Lafayette Cemetery No.1 to the famous Commander’s Palace restaurant. She also takes us around the neighborhood to point out famous houses and explain the city’s unique architecture.
From the Italianate design of the Morris-Israel House and the Carroll-Crawford House to the narrow facades of the “shotgun” homes, we see a range of styles. We also admire the unique home of the Women’s Guild of the New Orleans Opera.
The tour wouldn’t be complete without seeing celebrity homes. Our guide shows us houses owned (or formerly owned) by notables like Sandra Bullock, John Goodman, Eli and Peyton Manning, and Zion Williamson.
We also see houses that were used in movies like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Django Unchained.
Overall it’s a great introduction to New Orleans. From the city’s history to the architecture and culture, our guide does a great job bringing the Garden District to life. If you want to follow in our footsteps, you can book the tour here.
Lunch
After the tour my friend and I walk over to Parasol’s to try some of Louisiana’s famous po’ boy sandwiches. This no-frills place is famous for them, and we tuck into big fried shrimp ones at a table with a green checkered cloth. They’re delicious.
The Tarot Hearse
From Parasol’s we walk down Magazine Street to get back to the house where we’re staying. Others in our group start to arrive in town, and before long there are eight of us gathered inside.
Soon we’re enjoying one of the most unique things to do in New Orleans: The Tarot Hearse. A witched-out 1987 Cadillac named Persephone pulls up to our address and opens its doors to reveal jungle-like ceilings, a colorful table, and velvet seats.
For the next couple hours, we take turns having our Tarot cards read by Persephone’s human companion, Ali. From career decisions to relationship guidance and family interactions, Ali interprets the cards’ meanings for our lives.
Girls’ Night In
After waving good-bye to Ali and Persephone, we enjoy a night in. We kick off with a champagne-and-charcuterie happy hour. Then comes a Mediterranean feast from a local restaurant called Saba.
We sit around the house’s big dining table to enjoy it. Everything from the falafel to the fish is delicious, and the mezze platter is so good I want to lick the plates clean (I don’t).
Afterwards we settle in on the big couch and chairs in the living room to catch up, play games, and enjoy wine and cocktails.
Day 3
The next morning we’re up early to kick off a big day of sightseeing in New Orleans. Our first stop is the French Quarter, where we have breakfast at one of the most famous restaurants in the city.
Cafe du Monde
Cafe du Monde is an institution. This indoor-outdoor cafe on Decatur Street in the French Market has been serving classic NOLA chicory coffee and beignets since 1862.
The place is buzzing at 8:15am, but we manage to find a couple free tables outside. We settle in, ordering everything from cafe au lait to heaping plates of powdered sugar-laden doughnuts. They’re every bit as good as we’ve heard, and we love how light and airy they are.
Photo Shoot
We manage not to get covered in powdered sugar while eating the beignets (no small feat). It’s a good thing, too, as the next item on our itinerary is a photo shoot with a professional photographer in the Marigny district.
Karla meets us on Frenchmen Street by the famous Spotted Cat Music Club. After a quick greeting, she guides us around the local streets and snaps photos of us in front of the colorful buildings New Orleans is known for. It’s a fun time, and a great way to capture memories of our trip.
She even gets the photos to us the same day. We have fun seeing how they turned out, and we love that she did an amazing job editing them to show off NOLA’s bright hues (not to mention the colorful dresses we wore to compliment them). If you want to do a shoot of your own, you can book the one we did here.
Jazz Brunch
After the photo shoot we head to the Garden District for the famous jazz brunch at Commander’s Palace. This is one of the hardest reservations to get in NOLA, and one of my friends called a million times to get us a booking.
It was worth the effort. We’re seated in an upstairs dining room that has beautiful views of the trees outside. Inside there are balloons at each table and jazz musicians making their rounds to entertain us with the sounds of New Orleans.
As if that’s not enough, the food is excellent. We order everything from redfish croustade to Louisiana crawfish sardou and Creole bread pudding souffle. We enjoy it all with classic NOLA cocktails like the Sazerac and the French 75.
Swamp Tour
After brunch we stop at our house for a 5-minute outfit change before boarding a van for the 35-minute ride to a swamp tour near the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. This is one of the most famous things to do in New Orleans, and we’re excited to get out on the bayou.
We arrive with plenty of time to explore the gift shop and outdoor bar area before our tour. We pick up our wrist bands, wave hello to the albino alligator in the shop, browse the wares, then walk over to the covered waterfront picnic tables to put on sunscreen and watch the fan boats approach the dock.
Soon we’re out on the water ourselves. Our guide is an animated local who tells us all about the flora and fauna of the Louisiana bayou. From swamps to gators and trees, we get an overview of what makes this part of the world unique.
We spend the better part of two hours speeding across the water, seeing alligators up close (and I mean close), and enjoying the Southern sunshine. If you want to do the same, you can book the swamp tour we did here.
Dinner
Back in New Orleans, we head to the house to change for dinner. Soon we’re off to Peche Seafood Grill, an acclaimed seafood restaurant in the Warehouse District.
We start with drinks at the bar before settling in at a table in the airy dining room. The vibe is rustic chic, and the menu is inspired by the cooking of South America, Spain, and the Gulf Coast.
We order everything from raw oysters to jumbo shrimp, crawfish croquettes, and hush puppies. Every dish is cooked to perfection, and we can see why one of the chefs was honored with the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: South (not to mention why the restaurant won a James Beard award for Best New Restaurant in America when it opened).
Cocktails & Dessert
After dinner we head to Jewel of the South in the French Quarter. This modern tavern has been given the Best Bar Program award by the James Beard Foundation. It’s also been named the #1 bar in the South and one of the 50 best bars in the world. We can’t wait to try its cocktails.
We’re seated at a table in the upstairs dining room, and we order a round of drinks. Soon everything from a Jewel Sazerac to inventive libations like the Righteous Harlot and Twisted Tea Negroni fill the table.
The cocktails go down a treat paired with a dessert of rhubarb fool, and we can see why this place is so famous.
Bourbon Street
After cocktails we head to Bourbon Street. We do the classic walk for a block or two, marveling at how busy it is. The pedestrianized street is packed with partiers, and there are people from all walks of life and all corners of the world here.
From Bourbon Street we make a quick stop at the famous Pat O’Brien’s to try another New Orleans classic: the Hurricane. This strong drink tastes like fruit punch, and we’re happy to try a sip and move on.
The place we move on to is more to our taste. Peychaud’s is just off Bourbon Street, but it feels like a world away from the vibe there.
The narrow bar leads out to a big garden with a central fountain and a smattering of tables. We settle in at one and order a round of cocktails. It’s the perfect way to end our night.
Day 4
The next morning we sleep in, pack up, and get ready to check out of our house. A few girls head to the airport, but the trip isn’t over for most of us. We still have a fun day ahead.
Shopping on Magazine Street
We start with some shopping on Magazine Street. There are great stores here, and we love the dreamy dresses at Century Girl vintage boutique.
Across the street, we take pictures in front of the Greetings from NOLA mural before swooning over the clothing in Elle Boutique, Monomin, and other shops.
Drag Brunch
At 1pm five of us head over to the cool Bywater district for the legendary drag brunch at The Country Club. This place serves classic Southern food in a series of wallpapered dining rooms. Queens go with the cuisine, and the result is fabulous.
We settle in at our table, ordering a brunch of fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, and other famous dishes. Music plays and drag queens entertain us with their sequined gowns and over-the-top dance moves.
Wine Garden
After brunch we wave good-bye to both the queens and some of our friends. There are two of us left, and we spend the afternoon exploring the Bywater.
This colorful part of New Orleans is full of artistic details, from historic cottages with funky art in the gardens to local cafes and music venues.
Eventually we find ourselves in the expansive wine garden at Bacchanal. We find a table, order glasses of wine, and listen to live music as big oak trees shade us from the Southern sun.
It’s the perfect place to wind down after a big trip to New Orleans, and we want to stay forever.
But soon we’re off to pick up our luggage and head to the airport. The security lines are so long I nearly miss my flight, but no girls’ trip is complete without a dramatic ending, right?
Itinerary Map
As promised, I created an interactive Google map of all the places I included in this blog post. You can find it here. I hope it helps you plan a fun trip to NOLA.
4 Days in New Orleans
I hope you’ve enjoyed this 4-day New Orleans itinerary and that it’s given you good ideas for things to do in the city. Whether you visit with friends, family, a partner, or on your own, The Big Easy is an amazing place to be.
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