This itinerary is not for the faint-hearted. New Orleans has a long list of attractions and a unique culture that you will only scrape the surface of in three days. However, you are in luck! This 3-day itinerary to New Orleans has the perfect layout to get the MOST out of your short stay.
This guide goes out to those particular travelers who love to fully immerse themselves in the culture and history of a city.
I recommend staying your 2-3 nights in a hotel near the French Quarter. Everything you need to see and do in this area will be within walking distance from your hotel. Ubers & Lyfts are inexpensive if you do choose to stay more than a mile away from the French Quarter.
Day 1: A Classic Louisiana Experience
Morning: Oak Alley Plantation
The best way to kick off your 3-day itinerary to New Orleans is to start your morning early at Oak Alley Plantation. Located about an hour outside of the city. Admission is 25 USD for adults and opens from 9 am to 5 pm daily. Upon first sight of the estate’s perfectly aligned grand oak trees, you will realize why this particular plantation is so special.
See also: The Best Photo Spots in New Orleans
Address: 3645 Highway 18(Great River Road)Vacherie, Louisiana USA70090
Tip: Grab a bite to eat at the delicious Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant serving cajun & creole food. The restaurant is open for:
Breakfast from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Lunch from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Afternoon: Cajun Pride Swamp Tour
You said you wanted to get the most out of your authentic New Orleans experience right? Well, Cajun Pride Swamp Tour is a must and will give you a taste of what the Louisiana deep south is really like! Just a 30-minute drive from the heart of NOLA you will get to see countless alligators and bayou critters.
If you are brave enough you will even get the chance to hold a baby alligator! The alligator-loving tour guides go above and beyond to make sure you have the best up-close experience. I highly recommend this tour!
Address: 110 Frenier Rd, Laplace, LA 70068
Tip: Book this tour online in advance for a discount.
Dinner: Muriel’s Jackson Square
To end your first day, head on over to the French Quarter and reserve a table at Muriel’s Jackson Square for dinner. Muriel’s celebrates authentic creole cuisine and the culture of New Orleans. Located right next to the St. Louis Cathedral, the renovated building dates back to the 1700s and has QUITE the history. (This restaurant is for all of you ghost story lovers out there!) Highly recommend.
Address: 801 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Tip: After dinner, make sure to take your time soaking in the nighttime ambiance of Jackson Square. If you listen closely to street Jazz musicians you just might be lucky enough to get swept back in time to the golden jazz era that was born in New Orleans.
Day 2: French Quarter Itinerary
Get ready to dedicate this whole day to the French Quarter. There is so much to see so put your walking shoes on and get to it!
Breakfast: Cafe du Monde
You can’t read a blog post about New Orleans without being recommended the beignets at Cafe Du Monde. Beignets are a deep-fried dough covered in powdered sugar and have been famous in New Orleans since the ’20s. Pair your beignet with a Cafe au lait and melt with its warm flaky goodness.
Tip: Cafe Du Monde is cash only and a popular attraction so get here early if you don’t want to wait in that ‘out the door’ mid-morning line.
Mid-morning: Explore Jackson Square
Grab your coffee to-go and stroll around Jackson Square, taking in all the surrounding historic buildings and beautiful St. Louis Cathedral.
Lunch Option 1: Ride the historic Steamboat Natchez! All departures begin and end at the Steamboat Natchez Ticket Office, just one block from Jackson Square in the French Quarter. The Jazz Cruise departs at 11:30 & 2:30 which will take you down the Mississippi roundtrip 2 hours. The price with lunch is 48 USD and 36 USD without.
Address: 600 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA, 70130
Lunch Option 2: Try the Taste of New Orleans sampler at The Market Cafe. This plate gives you a cup of every classic New Orleans dish including Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Jambalaya, and Red Beans & Rice.
Address: 1000 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Afternoon: Antique Shop on Royal Street / Visit Voodoo Museum on Bourbon
Spend the rest of your afternoon wandering Royal Street and Bourbon Street. There are numerous antique shops to browse through on Royal Street. Once you make your way to Bourbon Street (hopefully already hosed off from the night before) you can visit the Voodoo Museum to learn the history of Voodoo in New Orleans. It is $7 to enter and can be done in 20-30 minutes.
see also: how to spend 24 hours in new orleans
Evening: Ghost City Tours
If one of your goals is to get spooked when visiting New Orleans then you’re in for a treat. Ghost City Tours offers walking tours through the French Quarter every night at 8 pm where you can hear the history and the grueling stories that took place years ago at several “haunted” locations. The tour guides themselves are highly engaging and offer lots of knowledge about the history of New Orleans.
Tip: New Orleans allows open containers, so grab yourself a hurricane or hand grenade to-go before the tour.
Link to their website: Ghost City Tours. Book in advance for a discount.
Day 3: Explore the Garden District
Grab another beignet breakfast, why not! (Try Cafe Beignet this time) Then order your Uber/Lyft to the Garden District. If you’re feeling cheeky then try hopping on a streetcar from St. Charles street. (cash only)
Morning: Neighborhood Stroll / Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
There are incredibly beautiful and famous homes located in the Garden District. Buckner Mansion is on the list for any American Horror Story fans that want to see the shooting location of Season 3: Coven. You can type in 1410 Jackson Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130 into your Uber/Lyft app and you’ll be dropped off right in front.
There are available walking tour guides for this neighborhood if you wish to know more history behind the homes. For me, its pretty enough to ‘get lost’ in. (with google maps of course)
Walk over to the famous Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, the oldest of the seven cemeteries in New Orleans. You can walk right in and observe New Orleans’ unique above-ground crypts & tombs dating back to the middle 1800s.
Address: 1427 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Lunch Option 1: Right across the street from La Fayette Cemetery is the Commander’s Palace. This famous restaurant has up-scale creole food as well as a dress code.
Address: 1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Lunch Option 2: When you walk over to Magazine Street after you are done house hunting in the Garden District, you can eat a po-boy and home-style Creole food at Joey K’s.
Address: 3001 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115
Afternoon: Shop on Magazine Street
If time allows, you can end your three-day trip by shopping on Magazine Street. There are plenty of coffee shops, cafes, and restaurant pit stops!
See also: The Best Photo Spots in New Orleans
3-Day Itinerary to New Orleans: Final Words
There is your perfect 3-day itinerary to New Orleans! In all my years of travel, New Orleans is by far one of the most interesting cities I have been to.
