New Orleans Sightseeing in 2, 4 or 8 Hours
Two hours, half a day or a full one: each gets a different New Orleans. The city is compact enough that the order of stops matters more than the number. Here is what fits in each window and how to move between them.
Two hours: Jackson Square and the river
Start at Jackson Square and look at St. Louis Cathedral, founded in 1789 and the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. The Cabildo and the Presbytère flank it, and Louisiana’s state museums charge about $11 for an adult.
Walk Royal Street to see Spanish-colonial brick and cast-iron balconies. Finish with beignets at Café du Monde, then follow the Moonwalk on the levee to Woldenberg Park. The Pontalba Buildings along the square are the oldest continuously rented apartment buildings in the United States.
Four hours: add the Garden District
Take the St. Charles streetcar, $1.25 a ride, from Canal Street out past Loyola and Tulane universities. Get off near Prytania Street and Coliseum Street and walk the Greek Revival and Italianate mansions, including the Buckner Mansion and Colonel Short’s Villa with its cast-iron cornstalk fence.
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 reopened on 1 October 2026 with guided visits only, run by the Preservation Resource Center in morning sessions of 16 people or fewer. Book via prcno.org if you want it, and plan your streetcar leg around the slot.
Eight hours: a full day
Spend the morning at the National WWII Museum in the Warehouse District, where B-17 and B-24 bombers hang in the Boeing Center. Adult admission is from about $37, and film theaters cost extra. The museum is open 9:00 to 17:00 daily.
After lunch, walk to Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square in Treme, where enslaved Africans gathered on Sundays to drum and dance, then see St. Augustine Church. Alternatively, take a guided St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 tour from Basin Street Station at 501 Basin Street; it leaves about every 15 minutes between 9:00 and 15:45, runs about 45 minutes and costs around $25 to $33.
For an overview from the water, browse city tours on Viator or look at the official visitor site for current listings.
Heat and rain
Summer afternoons are hot and humid, so schedule indoor stops from midday. Hurricane season peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
Reading the streets
The French Quarter and Garden District are generally comfortable by day. Petty theft is the realistic risk on Bourbon Street, around Jackson Square and on Canal Street. Late at night, avoid dark side streets in the Lower Quarter and Treme. During Carnival, from 6 January to Mardi Gras on 9 February 2027, parades roll along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, while Bourbon Street stays a pedestrian party.
Tip
If you only have two hours, do the Quarter at 8:00 before the crowds arrive. For longer stays, a 1-day Jazzy Pass costs $3. The 3-day itinerary strings these windows together, and the walking tours page covers guided options.