Louisiana, Deep South
New Orleans
Give it three or four nights, base a few streets off Bourbon so you hear the music without sleeping above it, and come in spring or autumn rather than the swampy summer.
Best length
3-4 nights, or a 2-night add-on to a wider US trip
Airport
Louis Armstrong (MSY), ~13 miles / 21km west of the centre
Airport to centre
Flat-rate taxi $36 for 1-2; RTA 202 bus $1.25; 20-30 min
Best base
Lower French Quarter or Marigny for atmosphere without the Bourbon Street noise
In short
New Orleans at a glance
New Orleans works as a 3- or 4-night stop, either on its own or bolted onto a wider Deep South or Florida trip. British Airways flies direct from Heathrow on a 787, but frequency is thin, so a one-stop connection through Atlanta or Charlotte is often cheaper and just as quick door-to-door. Base yourself a few streets off Bourbon Street, come in spring or autumn rather than the swampy summer, and treat the food and live music as the main event.
The short version
- BA flies Heathrow to New Orleans direct on a 787 (about 9.5 hours out), but only a few times a week; a connection via Atlanta or Charlotte is usually cheaper and easy to book.
- Stay in the quieter end of the French Quarter, the Marigny or the Warehouse District rather than the Bourbon Street blocks, which are loud until dawn.
- Come in March-May or October-November: summer is brutally humid, hits hurricane season, and many afternoons are unbearable for walking.
- Mardi Gras (17 Feb 2026, 9 Feb 2027) and Jazz Fest (late April-early May) are spectacular but mean packed streets and steep hotel prices, so book a year out or avoid them deliberately.
- You do not need a hire car: the Quarter is walkable, the St Charles streetcar reaches the Garden District, and rideshare covers the rest.
New Orleans is a city you visit for the things that don’t photograph well: the brass band that turns a Frenchmen Street corner into a party, the smell of chicory coffee and frying beignet dough at Café du Monde, the way a po’boy or a bowl of gumbo costs less and tastes better than the equivalent in any UK city. The French Quarter is the postcard, but the Bourbon Street blocks are the least interesting part of it — loud, sticky and aimed squarely at stag and hen crowds. The good version of the Quarter is the quieter lower end, Royal Street’s antique shops and the Creole cottages of the Marigny next door, where the music is better and the hotel bills are lower.
Getting there is the planning call most UK travellers get wrong. British Airways does fly direct from Heathrow on a 787, which is the comfortable option, but it runs only a few times a week and often costs a premium; a single connection through Atlanta or Charlotte is frequently cheaper and barely slower once you count the wait for the limited direct service. Either way you arrive at Louis Armstrong (MSY), about 13 miles west, where a flat-rate taxi into the Quarter is a fixed $36 for one or two people.
The other call is timing. Avoid high summer — the humidity is genuinely oppressive, it overlaps hurricane season, and the heat will wreck a walking-based trip. Come in spring or autumn instead, when the days are warm but walkable. The structured planning below — where to stay, what to book, airport transfers and a realistic budget in pounds — picks up from here.
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in New Orleans
French Quarter
The French Quarter is free to walk and that is most of the point — the grid of Spanish-built balconied streets, Jackson Square and the riverfront cost nothing. Spend the day on Royal Street (galleries, antiques, street musicians) and Decatur, save Bourbon Street for a quick after-dark look, and book one real jazz set: Preservation Hall on St Peter Street is the one to prioritise. Allow most of a day, and treat beignets at Café du Monde as a stop, not a destination.
French Quarter on foot
The French Quarter is best walked early, before the bars open. At around 8am the Royal Street balconies, Jackson Square and St Louis Cathedral are quiet, cool and photogenic, and you have the lacework verandas largely to yourself. It's free to wander — no ticket, no fixed hours. Bourbon Street is a ten-minute curiosity by daylight, not a day plan, so save it for one quick look and spend your time on the prettier, quieter streets.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Lower French Quarter
£££ premiumThe Quarter below Dumaine Street keeps the wrought-iron balconies and walkability without the Bourbon Street noise. You can stumble home from dinner and still sleep. The most atmospheric first-timer base, if not the cheapest.
Best for: First-timers, couples, atmosphere
Faubourg Marigny
££ mid-rangeJust downriver of the Quarter and home to Frenchmen Street's music clubs. Creole cottages, guesthouses and a local evening rhythm. Better value than the Quarter and a five-minute walk to the best live jazz.
Best for: Music-led trips, value, local feel
Warehouse / Central Business District
££ mid-rangeModern hotels, the WWII Museum and Julia Street galleries, with the Quarter a 10-minute walk away. The easiest area for larger or chain hotels and a quiet night's sleep, though it empties out after dark.
Best for: Business-style hotels, families, museum-first stays
Garden District / Uptown
££ mid-rangeResidential, leafy and quiet, reached by the St Charles streetcar rather than on foot from the Quarter. Choose it for mansions, Magazine Street shopping and calm, but accept a 20-30 minute streetcar ride to the action.
Best for: Repeat visitors, calm, longer stays
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat-rate taxi to the Quarter / CBD | ~20-30 min | $36 for 1-2 people; $15pp for 3+ | Official MSY rate; rank at Door 7 |
| Uber / Lyft | ~25-35 min | usually $35-$55 depending on demand | Designated rideshare pickup zone |
| RTA 202 Airport Express bus | ~40-50 min | $1.25 | Cheapest; drops near the CBD/Quarter edge |
| Shared airport shuttle | ~45-60 min with stops | around $26 return | Slower but predictable with luggage |
When to go
Sweet spot: Mid-March to May and October to November are the sweet spot: warm but walkable days, jacaranda and festival season in spring, and the swampy summer humidity gone by autumn. February is festival-busy but pleasant; December is mild and good value once the parades are done.
Summer (June-September) is brutally hot and humid, overlaps hurricane season, and is the one window to avoid unless you only want pool time and low room rates. Mardi Gras (17 Feb 2026, 9 Feb 2027) and Jazz Fest (late April-early May) are extraordinary but mean sold-out hotels and doubled prices, so commit early or sidestep them on purpose.
What it costs
UK return flights to New Orleans are typically £450-£700 booked a few months ahead: the BA Heathrow direct sits at the top of that, while a one-stop connection via Atlanta, Charlotte or New York is often £100-£200 cheaper. Spring festival weeks and Christmas push fares well past £800.
Daily budget per person
Two things inflate a New Orleans bill: the 12-13% sales-and-occupancy tax that is added on top of every quoted price, and tipping at 18-20% on meals and bar tabs. Budget both in from the start so the final number is never a surprise.
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