Louisiana
3
Day Itinerary •
USA
Three days in Louisiana gives you the essential Pelican State experience, from the extraordinary French Quarter and jazz clubs of New Orleans, the most extraordinary city in the American South, to the magnificent cypress swamp bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin and the extraordinary Creole and Cajun food culture of the state. This route covers the heart of Louisiana. The extraordinary Bourbon Street and Frenchmen Street jazz scene of New Orleans, the finest beignets in America at Cafe Du Monde, the remarkable Garden District antebellum mansions, the extraordinary Avery Island Tabasco factory and the magnificent alligator-filled Atchafalaya swamp.
Best Time To Visit
October to May. Summer is brutally hot and humid.
Getting There
Fly into Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY)
Getting Around
Streetcar in New Orleans. Rental car for Cajun Country.
Budget Per Day
Approx $120 to $200 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, mostly walking and driving
DAY 1
NEW ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER
MORNING
JACKSON SQUARE AND CAFE DU MONDE, THE HEART OF THE FRENCH QUARTER
Jackson Square is the most extraordinary public square in the American South, its extraordinary 1856 St Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States, flanked by the Cabildo and Presbytere state museums and surrounded by tarot card readers, street musicians and portrait painters in a scene unlike any other in America. Cafe Du Monde beside the square has served beignets and chicory cafe au lait since 1862. Square free, beignets $3.50. Drive: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
GARDEN DISTRICT ANTEBELLUM MANSIONS AND MAGAZINE STREET
The Garden District is the most extraordinary antebellum neighborhood in New Orleans, its extraordinary oak-shaded streets of Italian Renaissance, Greek Revival and Gothic Revival mansions built by wealthy Americans in the 1840s and 1850s giving the finest collection of 19th-century residential architecture in the South. Commander's Palace, the Lafayette Cemetery and the extraordinary mansions of Prytania Street are unmissable. The St Charles streetcar gives the finest approach. Free to walk. Drive: St Charles streetcar
AFTERNOON
FRENCHMEN STREET, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY LIVE MUSIC STREET IN AMERICA
Frenchmen Street in the Marigny neighborhood is the most extraordinary live jazz street in America, its extraordinary three-block strip of intimate clubs including the Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor and dba giving live traditional jazz, bebop, funk and brass band music every night from 9pm to 4am. The Spotted Cat alone may be the finest jazz club in the world. The extraordinary Marigny neighborhood surrounding Frenchmen Street is the finest creative neighborhood in New Orleans. Most venues free before 10pm.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary St Louis Cemetery No. 1 in the French Quarter is the finest hidden historic cemetery in America, its extraordinary above-ground oven tombs of whitewashed plaster giving the most extraordinary funerary landscape in the United States. Tours required since 2015. Save Our Cemeteries tour approx $20. The most extraordinary hidden gem in the French Quarter.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Du Monde, French Quarter The most legendary breakfast in New Orleans since 1862. Extraordinary beignets and chicory cafe au lait. | Lunch: Dooky Chase's Restaurant, Treme The most legendary restaurant in New Orleans. Extraordinary Creole cuisine since 1941. | Dinner: Commander's Palace, Garden District The most extraordinary restaurant in New Orleans. Extraordinary Creole cuisine. Book weeks ahead.
DAY 2
NEW ORLEANS CULTURE
MORNING
TREME, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY AFRICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN AMERICA
Treme is the most extraordinary African American cultural neighborhood in America, its extraordinary Congo Square where enslaved Africans gathered to play music on Sundays, the Backstreet Cultural Museum preserving the finest collection of Mardi Gras Indian suits in existence and the extraordinary St Augustine Church, the oldest African American Catholic church in the United States, giving a cultural experience of extraordinary depth. The extraordinary second line parade tradition began here. Museum entry approx $10. Drive: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY MUSEUM IN THE SOUTH
The National WWII Museum in New Orleans is the most extraordinary World War II museum in America, its extraordinary collection of artifacts, oral histories and immersive experiences across multiple pavilions giving the finest single museum experience in the American South. The Solomon Victory Theater 4D film narrated by Tom Hanks is extraordinary. The BB's Stage Door Canteen gives the finest wartime entertainment experience. Entry approx $30. Drive: 20 min walk
AFTERNOON
BYWATER AND THE NEW ORLEANS ART SCENE
Bywater is the most extraordinary emerging arts neighborhood in New Orleans, its extraordinary streets of colorful Creole shotgun houses converted into galleries, coffee shops and the finest independent restaurants in the city giving a creative neighborhood entirely different from the tourist-focused French Quarter. The extraordinary Crescent Park on the Mississippi River gives the finest elevated view of the New Orleans bend in the river. The Holy Cross neighborhood nearby is extraordinary. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Mardi Gras World on the New Orleans riverfront is the finest hidden attraction in the city, its extraordinary working warehouse of float-building artists creating the magnificent Carnival parade floats year-round giving the most extraordinary behind-the-scenes Mardi Gras experience. Entry approx $22. Open daily. The finest hidden gem in New Orleans.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Willa Jean, CBD The finest Southern breakfast in New Orleans. Extraordinary biscuits, local eggs and strong Louisiana coffee. | Lunch: Domilise's Po-Boy, Uptown The most legendary po-boy in New Orleans since 1918. Extraordinary roast beef debris and hot sauce. | Dinner: Peche Seafood Grill, Warehouse District The finest seafood restaurant in New Orleans. Extraordinary Gulf fish, oysters and Gulf shrimp.
DAY 3
CAJUN COUNTRY
MORNING
ATCHAFALAYA BASIN AIRBOAT TOUR, THE LARGEST SWAMP IN AMERICA
The Atchafalaya Basin is the most extraordinary swamp wilderness in America, its extraordinary 1.4-million-acre expanse of cypress and tupelo swamp forest alive with American alligators, great blue herons, wood ducks, river otters and the extraordinary Spanish moss-draped cypress trees giving a wildlife experience unlike anywhere else in the United States. An airboat tour through the bayous at dawn gives the most extraordinary alligator encounter in Louisiana. Tours approx $25. Drive: 2 hr drive
MIDDAY
AVERY ISLAND AND THE TABASCO FACTORY
Avery Island is the most extraordinary food production site in America, the birthplace of Tabasco hot sauce where Edmund McIlhenny developed his original recipe in 1868 and where McIlhenny Company still ages its pepper mash in white oak barrels before blending with Avery Island salt and white wine vinegar. The factory tour is free and gives extraordinary access to the aging barrels. The extraordinary Jungle Gardens with the Bird City heron rookery is unmissable. Gardens entry $8. Drive: 45 min drive
AFTERNOON
LAFAYETTE AND CAJUN ZYDECO CULTURE
Lafayette is the most extraordinary Cajun cultural city in Louisiana, its extraordinary Cajun music halls, zydeco dance clubs and the remarkable Vermilionville living history park preserving the finest Cajun and Creole heritage in the state. Breaux Bridge, the Crawfish Capital of the World, gives the finest authentic Cajun dining experience in Louisiana. The extraordinary Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette is the finest zydeco venue in the world. Vermilionville entry approx $10.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Lake Martin near Breaux Bridge is the finest hidden cypress swamp in Louisiana, its extraordinary Great Blue Heron and Great Egret rookery of thousands of nesting birds in the bald cypress trees visible from the free roadside viewing area without a boat tour. Free. The most extraordinary hidden wildlife spectacle in Cajun Country.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Dwyer's Cafe, Lafayette The finest Cajun breakfast in Lafayette. Extraordinary boudin, grillades and grits and strong Louisiana coffee. | Lunch: Cafe Des Amis, Breaux Bridge The most legendary Cajun restaurant in the Atchafalaya. Extraordinary crawfish etouffee and zydeco brunch. | Dinner: Don's Seafood, Lafayette The finest seafood restaurant in Lafayette since 1934. Extraordinary local Gulf shrimp, crab and crawfish.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
French Quarter, Nights 1 to 2 Hotel Monteleone or The Roosevelt New Orleans. Approx $150 to $300 per night. Lafayette or Breaux Bridge, Night 3 Hotel Juliet Lafayette or Maison Des Amis. Approx $100 to $180 per night. Budget option India House Hostel or NOLA Hostel from $35 per night. Streetcar access to French Quarter.
Top Tips
1. Frenchmen Street in the Marigny neighborhood is the finest live jazz street in America. Go after 9pm, free.
2. Cafe Du Monde beignets are best at 2am when the French Quarter is quiet. Open 24 hours. $3.50 for three.
3. The Atchafalaya Basin airboat tour at dawn gives the most extraordinary alligator encounter in Louisiana.
4. Commander's Palace Saturday jazz brunch is the most extraordinary restaurant experience in New Orleans.
5. Avery Island Tabasco tour is free and the most extraordinary hot sauce factory visit in America.
6. New Orleans second line parades happen every Sunday in different neighborhoods. Free and extraordinary.
Total Budget
$120 to $200/day