New Orleans 3 Day Itinerary: A Local’s Guide to the Perfect Trip

A visit to New Orleans is always a good idea. I see a lot of questions about itineraries, and a New Orleans 3 day itinerary is a hot topic that I’m going to answer for you here. Because New Orleans has so much to offer, many different activities and neighborhoods to explore, planning can get overwhelming. If you only have a few days to spend here, you need to come with a succinct, efficient plan, and one that isn’t so crazy that it sucks the fun out of the trip. I’m a huge fan of laying out ideas and seeing how they fall into place. Everything on this list is going to be worth your while, so whether you do it all or pick and choose, you’re in good hands.

Sculpture Garden at City Park

New Orleans 3 Day Itinerary

The city of New Orleans offers it all, from culture to food to nightlife to relaxing. It’s going to be up to you how to decide to organize your trip and your New Orleans itinerary. What you won’t ever be missing is fun and enjoyment, especially if you have a plan of action, even if it’s a loose plan. Each neighborhood is different, each restaurant has its own twist of food, and each museum offers something unique to learn. I’m going to lay this out geographically for the most part so you can group your activities in each area together. Zipping from one area to the next is a waste of time, and we’re not doing that here. This will help you maximize your efforts and your ability to see the city, and it will leave you feeling good about your trip. It’ll also make you want to come back for more.

Where is New Orleans?

New Orleans is in the southeastern region of the United States, in the state of Louisiana, and between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. Our location is part of what makes the city unique, as our whole landscape is so diverse. We have bayous, swamps, coastal landscapes, and a full blown city (that looks a lot like a European city) in a very small area. You won’t find anything like this in the rest of the country. In one day, you can be watching a guide on a swamp tour point out alligators in the morning and dressed up sipping a cocktail and exploring the French Quarter that same evening. We’re a fascinating little place, and I am excited to introduce you to New Orleans.

Is 3 Days Enough in New Orleans?

Yes, 3 days is enough in New Orleans to get the highlights and do a bunch of awesome things. In 3 days, you’ll be able to knock several important things out, such as:

See the French Quarter and other nearby areas
Explore the Garden District
Eat a lot of delicious foods
Listen to live music, either on the streets or in a club on Frenchmen Street
Take a guided tour or two, or have a cultural experience

You could absolutely spend more time here, but I don’t want you to feel pressured if 3 days is what you can give us. You’re going to get your fill, enjoy yourself, and we’ll be waiting for you when you return. And I bet you will be back!

Metairie Lakelawn Cemetery

When is the Best Time to Visit New Orleans for 3 Days?

I wrote an entire guide on when the best time to visit New Orleans is, but I’ll break it down for you here since we’re already here and ready to book that trip.

February - March (Mardi Gras season): focused on Mardi Gras only if you come within that timeframe. High energy, exciting, can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re doing. Expect parades, parties, and a very different version of the city.
March - May: some of our better weather, and typically known as “festival season” here. Everyone is in a great mood, getting outside, and enjoying life.
October - December: debatable on the best time to come here and rivals springtime. We love Halloween here, and Thanksgiving and Christmastime is absolutely wonderful. It’s a beautiful time to be in our city.
Summer: Least favorable time to be in New Orleans. It’s hurricane season, hotter than heck, less going on (though still multiple options), but it is more affordable.

In summary, fall and spring are your clear winners, and I would aim for those times, especially if you want to be outside a bit.

Café du Monde at City Park

What to Do in New Orleans in 3 Days?

This is where we get into the nitty gritty of how to enjoy New Orleans in 3 days. Remember that this is a guide and not an instruction, so use it to assist in planning your best version of your trip to New Orleans. I’m writing this as a local and native of New Orleans, and giving you my very best advice on what to do. We’re all unique in our interests, and if you’re looking for me to tell you to spend 1/3 of your time on Bourbon Street, this will not be your favorite place to take advice. Without more yammering from me, let’s get started.

Beignets for Breakfast at Café du Monde

Though Café du Monde is not my favorite beignet spot, I do think it’s somewhat of a sin not to try it for one of your beignet runs. You’ll be surrounded by plenty of tourists, but hey, you’re a tourist too so who cares? You’ll get warm, fried dough, covered in powdered sugar, eating in an open air patio and probably hearing music from the Steamboat Natchez or a street performer. Relax, take your time, and take it all in. And don’t forget to dip your beignet in your hot chocolate or cafe au lait. Yum!

Insider tip: go to the local entrance. What is that, you ask? Don’t wait in the line and walk right in, find an empty seat, and act like you belong. Locals don’t wait, we just walk right in.

Explore Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral

Within walking distance of Cafe du Monde, you’ll find Jackson Square full of artists, musicians, and performers. From the carriage rides to the artists who set up daily, spend some time here. You might want to buy a piece of art or pop into the Presbytère to see the Mardi Gras or Hurricane Katrina exhibit. You could spend quite a bit of time in this concentrated area, and that’s totally ok. It’s a worthy and notorious place to be in New Orleans.

Walk Through the French Quarter

Strolling through the French Quarter is non-negotiable, particularly if it’s your first time in New Orleans. While you’ll want to see Bourbon Street, my local advice is to get in and get out as soon as possible. Bourbon Street is not where we shine as a city, and frankly it’s pretty raunchy. Royal Street, one street over, is a much better option, and one I’d encourage you to take your time on. Pop in and out of shops, galleries, and museums, and get the real feel of what we enjoy as locals.

Insider tip: the side nearer Canal Street is always more crowded and touristy. The side nearer Esplanade Avenue is what we call the “local” side of the French Quarter.

Ride the (Green) Streetcar to the Garden District

Download the app Le Pass, grab yourself a ticket, and hop on the streetcar (we DO NOT call it a cable car or trolley) headed for the Garden District. Not only is the streetcar an experience itself, it’s actually a great mode of transportation in the city. Hop off around Jackson Avenue and head towards Magazine Street. My recommendation is to take a tour with DuPont & Co for a couple of hours to get the best feel, but if you don’t have time, just take it all in and enjoy the walk. It’s one of my favorite things to do when I have time.

For a discount to the tour, use code RoamingWithRed

Walk Along the Mississippi

Now that the walkway has extended from one end of the French Quarter to the other along the river, I highly encourage you to grab a little cocktail or mocktail right before dusk and walk this path. It’s going to give you a relaxing reset, and you’ll get to see the steamboats, the bridge, and the Mighty Mississippi all at once. I’m a huge fan of this and have enjoyed it myself, so don’t sleep on this one. Make sure to snap a photo of the cathedral in the background, too.

Live Music on Frenchmen Street

You must hear some live music on Frenchmen Street, even if it’s simply walking down the street and hearing the musicians play from inside the club. My expert advice? Take your pick of one of the many establishments and go enjoy some music while you sip on your drink. Support our artists in that way, and you’ll get to be immersed in the New Orleans style jazz or other genres that are playing. I’ve been doing this since a young adult, and it never gets old. It’s a really special experience, and one I want you to not miss.

Take a Cemetery Tour or History Tour

There are no shortages of tours in the city. Every time I walk around, I see groups of people gathered and listening eagerly to their guide. I’ve not taken every single tour there is, but I can make some good recommendations of who I would encourage you to tour with. Cemetery tours are so fascinating, and I love how interested people are in them because ours are so unique to the rest of the country’s. And a history tour can be wrapped up in a ghost tour, or you could pick a good old fashioned French Quarter tour. You’ll be happy with any of these.

Insider tip: DuPont & Co. (use code RoamingWithRed for discount) for history, Garden District, and ghost tours. Orion Couling for ghost, cemetery, and French Quarter tours.

Eat Lots

We are a foodie city, no doubt. Food is so much a part of our culture and lives, and it’s totally necessary to figure out some great spots in which to eat. My guide on must eats in New Orleans will help you figure out what you want to eat, and I do have some recommendations of eateries in there. For unique things to do in New Orleans, I have several restaurants that I eat at as a local, and continue to go back to time after time. This will give you a deeper feel for the city.

Enjoying the Walk Along the River

New Orleans Three Day Itinerary

Day 1: French Quarter + River + Frenchmen Street

Morning:

Breakfast at Café du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait
Walk through Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral
Walk around the French Quarter (Royal Street mainly)

Afternoon:

Lunch at Sylvain or somewhere nearby
Walk along the Mississippi River
Hit a museum, like New Orleans Historic Collection or Storyville

Evening:

Dinner at Italian Barrel or somewhere nearby
Head to Frenchmen Street for music (Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor, d.b.a.)
Bar/club hop and hear loads of live music

Day 2: Garden District + Magazine Street

Morning:

Hop on the streetcar to the Garden District
Eat breakfast at Surrey’s
Either do a Garden District tour, food tour, or wander by yourself - use RoamingWithRed for discount

Afternoon:

Walk down Magazine Street towards Louisiana Avenue
Eat lunch at Joey K’s for delicious New Orleans style food
Shop at the many local shops along the way
If you want more beignets, go to The Vintage (one of my favorites)

Early Evening/Evening:

Ride the streetcar down to Oak Street
Walk down Oak and stop in one of the many delicious eateries
Take the streetcar back to the Garden District area, get off at Jackson Avenue, and finish the night at the rooftop bar Hot Tin

Day 3: Cemetery + Flexible Exploring

Morning:

Fuel yourself with breakfast at Izzat
Take a Blue Bike (download the app) down Esplanade Avenue all the way to City Park
Stroll the Sculpture Garden

Afternoon:

Lunch at Ralph’s on the Park or Parkway Bakery
Walk/bike along Bayou St. John and through the neighborhood/stop at St. Louis Cemetery #3
Head back to your hotel for rest/shower

Evening:

Ghost tour with Orion Couling (early one)
Later dinner at Jewel of the South
End with a drink at the Carousel Bar

NEW ORLEANS 3 DAY ITINERARY - LINK HERE.

The Perfect New Orleans 3 Day Itinerary

When you decide to come to New Orleans, you’ll want to make some sort of a plan. Each of us has our preferences as to how much and how little we want to do. My suggested itinerary will cover so much of the city that you’ll wonder if you actually missed anything, and the answer is yes, but you got a really good feel for New Orleans. Mixing the iconic, touristy, and off-the-beaten-path activities is what I planned for you, and I can’t wait for you to enjoy it. You’ll feel like you didn’t just come here as a tourist, but a seasoned New Orleans traveler. Enjoy your time in New Orleans, and laissez les bon temps rouler.

To download a printable link to the itinerary, click here.

If you found this helpful, you may also want to know the best hotels for walking everywhere, and know what to wear in New Orleans.

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