Where to stay in New Orleans

What a night costs

Budget

$140

Mid-range

$190

Luxury

$430

The dearest of the 5 areas, about $55 a night more than CBD.

Where we'd book

• Hotel Monteleone ↗LuxuryGrand family-run hotel on Royal Street with the revolving Carousel Bar.
• The Royal Sonesta New Orleans ↗LuxuryBig hotel on Bourbon Street with balconies, a pool and a jazz club.
• Hotel Provincial ↗BoutiqueFamily-run Creole buildings with courtyards and pools in the quieter lower Quarter.
• Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter ↗Mid-rangeCourtyard pool and balconies right on Bourbon Street.
• Dauphine Orleans Hotel ↗Mid-rangeCourtyard hotel a block from Bourbon, often good value.
• Best Western Plus French Quarter Courtyard Hotel ↗BudgetSaltwater pool and courtyard on North Rampart Street.

The verdict

The historic heart of New Orleans, with Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Bourbon Street, the French Market and streets of iron-lace balconies by the river.

Minutes to the sights

• Bourbon Street2 minwalk
• Preservation Hall2 minwalk
• Jackson Square4 minwalk
• St. Louis Cemetery No. 112 minwalk
• French Market14 minwalk
• Frenchmen Street15 minwalk

Stations and airports

5 min to Jackson Square. Riverfront and Canal streetcars along the edges of the Quarter, and the Rampart streetcar on its northern side; inside, you walk.

What a night costs

Budget

$105

Mid-range

$135

Luxury

$440

The cheapest of the 5 areas, about $55 a night less than French Quarter.

Where we'd book

• The Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans - Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts ↗LuxuryGilded 1893 grand hotel with the Sazerac Bar and a rooftop pool.
• Drury Plaza Hotel New Orleans ↗Mid-rangeHighly rated hotel on Poydras with free breakfast and a rooftop pool.
• DoubleTree by Hilton New Orleans ↗Mid-rangeReliable hotel at the river end of Canal Street.
• Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG ↗BudgetGood-value hotel by the Superdome with a rooftop pool.

The verdict

The Central Business District across Canal Street from the French Quarter, with the city's big hotels, the Superdome, the Saenger Theatre and streetcar lines in every direction.

Minutes to the sights

• The National WWII Museum16 minwalk
• Bourbon Street17 minwalk
• Preservation Hall17 minwalk
• Audubon Aquarium18 minwalk
• St. Louis Cemetery No. 118 minwalk
• Caesars Superdome19 minwalk

Stations and airports

12 min to Jackson Square. Canal streetcar to City Park and the river, St. Charles streetcar to the Garden District, and the Loyola-UPT line to Union Passenger Terminal for Amtrak.

What a night costs

Budget

$95

Mid-range

$140

Luxury

$230

2nd cheapest of 5 areas, about $50 a night less than French Quarter.

Where we'd book

• The Higgins Hotel New Orleans, Curio Collection by Hilton ↗Boutique1940s-style hotel run with the WWII Museum, next door to it.
• Cambria Hotel New Orleans Downtown Warehouse District ↗Mid-rangeModern hotel on Tchoupitoulas Street.
• Hampton Inn and Suites New Orleans Convention Center ↗Mid-rangeWell-rated hotel with a pool by the convention centre.
• Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans Convention Center ↗BudgetGood-value rooms and a rooftop pool near the river.

The verdict

Former cotton and coffee warehouses turned into museums, galleries, loft hotels and some of the city's best restaurants, between the CBD and the convention centre.

Minutes to the sights

• The National WWII Museum8 minwalk
• Audubon Aquarium18 minwalk
• Jackson Square24 minwalk
• Preservation Hall27 minwalk
• Bourbon Street28 minwalk
• St. Louis Cemetery No. 130 minwalk

Stations and airports

18 min to Jackson Square. St. Charles streetcar along the western edge, the Riverfront streetcar by the convention centre, and buses on Magazine Street.

What a night costs

Budget

$105

Mid-range

$150

Luxury

$330

3rd cheapest of 5 areas, about $40 a night less than French Quarter.

Where we'd book

• Hotel Peter and Paul, an Ash Hotel ↗BoutiqueDesign hotel in a former church, school and rectory.
• The Frenchmen New Orleans By Kasa Living ↗BoutiqueSmall hotel with a courtyard pool, right on Frenchmen Street.
• Hampton Inn New Orleans French Quarter Market Area ↗Mid-rangeNewer hotel with a pool on Elysian Fields Avenue.
• Madame Isabelle's House ↗BudgetHighly rated adults-only hostel in a historic house.

The verdict

The colourful neighbourhood just downriver from the French Quarter, with live music on Frenchmen Street, Creole cottages, guesthouses and a local feel.

Minutes to the sights

• Frenchmen Street2 minwalk
• French Market7 minwalk
• Jackson Square15 minwalk
• Preservation Hall17 minwalk
• Bourbon Street18 minwalk
• Audubon Aquarium26 minwalk

Stations and airports

10 min to Jackson Square. Rampart–St. Claude streetcar along the northern edge, and the French Quarter a short walk away.

What a night costs

Budget

$150

Mid-range

$185

Luxury

$300

4th cheapest of 5 areas, about $5 a night less than French Quarter.

Where we'd book

• The Pontchartrain Hotel ↗Boutique1927 hotel on St. Charles with a rooftop bar.
• Garden District Hotel ↗BoutiqueHighly rated hotel with a pool on Prytania Street.
• Hotel Tonnelle New Orleans, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel ↗Mid-rangeStylish hotel on St. Charles Avenue with a restaurant and bar.
• Creole Gardens Guesthouse and Inn ↗BudgetColourful guesthouse with free parking on Prytania Street.

The verdict

Leafy streets of 19th-century mansions upriver from downtown, with Lafayette Cemetery, Magazine Street's shops and the St. Charles streetcar running under the oaks.

Minutes to the sights

• Lafayette Cemetery No. 114 minwalk
• The National WWII Museum21 minwalk
• Audubon Aquarium42 minwalk
• Caesars Superdome42 minwalk
• Bourbon Street46 minwalk
• Jackson Square47 minwalk

Stations and airports

25 min to Jackson Square. St. Charles streetcar to the CBD and Canal Street, and buses along Magazine Street.