Top 10 Must-Know Neighborhoods in New Orleans

Since the 1800s, New Orleans has been divided into seventeen numbered wards, but you’ll rarely hear a neighborhood referred to this way (the Seventh Ward and Lower Ninth Ward are two exceptions). The city is instead carved into smaller sections within wards — often with some overlap or debate on neighborhood borders.

New Orleans is a relatively small city with practically year-round warm weather (and a user-friendly streetcar system), so it’s easy to explore the many local pockets of personality beyond the main tourist districts. You can often travel neighborhood-to-neighborhood on foot, but some longer distances and areas are safer to reach by taxi or car, especially late at night.

Here are ten neighborhoods to explore in New Orleans.

01. The French Quarter

Address

French Quarter, New Orleans, LA, USA

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The oldest and most famous neighborhood in New Orleans is where you’ll find attractions like Bourbon Street, The French Market, Jackson Square, and the St. Louis Cathedral. These touristy, popular areas often intersect with quiet side streets full of historic charm, and there are many delights in the French Quarter beyond its flashiest sights. Explore the art galleries and antique shops of Royal Street, friendly pubs on Chartres Street, small museums, and some truly romantic restaurants.

Wandering the French Market for New Orleans souvenirs and culinary specialties is a somewhat cheesy, but essential experience for first-time visitors, as is sitting down for a beignet next door at Café Du Monde. Just beyond the café’s green-and-white awnings, the neighborhood meets with the Mississippi River, where a generous boardwalk and park let you enjoy the sights and sounds of this busy American waterway.

02. The CBD (Central Business District) & Warehouse District

Address

Central Business District, New Orleans, LA, USA

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These two centrally-located neighborhoods are often grouped together and both lie between the French Quarter and the Lower Garden District. If you visit New Orleans, it’s likely you’ll find yourself in the CBD, home to many big businesses, hotels, and government buildings in New Orleans, as well as the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Next door, the Warehouse District houses many of the city’s high-end art galleries.

Though not the most picturesque or exciting New Orleans neighborhoods, you’ll find some of the most prominent museums in the city here, the largest being The National WWII Museum. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Louisiana Children’s Museum, and the Confederate Hall Memorial Museum are all within walking distance of each other, as are several popular restaurants like Cochon, Peche, and Compere Lapin.

03. Bywater

Address

Bywater, New Orleans, LA, USA

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An artsy area of the Upper Ninth Ward, the Bywater is a mix of industrial warehouses, colorful street art, Creole cottages, charming cafes, and lively dive bars. Crescent Park stretches along the river from the Bywater all the way to the French Market, allowing visitors to stroll along the curve (crescent) of the river and watch the barges and ships chug along the Mississippi. Bywater sights are more spread out than in the neighboring Marigny or French Quarter, but some hip boutiques or little wine bars you’ll encounter are delightful, and the dive bars on its edges feature great local music acts.

04. Bayou St. John

Address

Bayou St. John, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA

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This picturesque neighborhood is nestled between The Treme, Mid City, Fair Grounds, and City Park, accessible on foot or bike via the Lafitte Greenway, a greenspace and pedestrian path extending from Armstrong Park to Bayou St. John. Life here centers around the bayou, a natural waterway and vital trade route in New Orleans history. Today, this area hosts kayakers, picnickers, the occasional music festival, and gorgeous sunsets.

The Pitot House, a preserved home and museum, exemplifies the Creole country estates that once lined the Bayou. You’ll also find charming restaurants, coffee shops, and neighborhood bars. Just beyond Bayou St. John lies the Fair Grounds, the oldest racetrack in the country and yearly host to The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

05. Garden District

Address

Garden District, New Orleans, LA, USA

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Known for its beauty featuring historic mansions and lush greenery, the Garden District lies beyond the Central Business District, leading into Uptown. It’s bordered by Magazine Street, Jackson, Louisiana, and St. Charles Avenues. Downriver from the Garden District, the Lower Garden District is less scenic overall but is dotted with trendy new businesses, restaurants, and local breweries.

In the Garden District, take a tour of historic mansions; walk through the charming and eerie Lafayette Cemetery No.1; or window shop and snack at the establishments on Magazine Street. A streetcar ride along St. Charles Avenue follows the traditional Mardi Gras parade route, granting views of grand houses surrounded by live oaks, ornate lawns, and wrought-iron gates.

06. Uptown

Address

Uptown/Carrollton, New Orleans, LA, USA

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New Orleanians often refer to a place by its orientation to the Mississippi River (“upriver,” “downriver,” or “riverside”) rather than by cardinal directions. This explains how Uptown — a neighborhood upriver from the French Quarter and older areas of the city — gained its name. Today, Uptown encompasses a large area of residential homes, 19th-century architecture, university campuses, and Audubon Park and Zoo, the neighborhood’s main attraction with over 300 acres of waterways, lawns, walking paths, and mossy live oaks, where you might spot birds that inspired painter John J. Audubon.

Though much quieter, Uptown’s best music clubs, Maple Leaf Bar and Tipitina’s, rival the finest venues downtown. Freret Street, around Tulane University, has become a hot dining and nightlife scene.

07. Algiers Point

Address

Algiers Point, New Orleans, LA 70114, USA

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This quaint neighborhood with a small-town feel sits across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter, easily accessible by a short ferry ride. Algiers Point is the second oldest neighborhood in the city, characterized by its cobblestone streets and ornate shotgun houses that reflect the architecture of the French Quarter. “The Point” is surrounded by a levee, and a walk/bike path along the levee provides stunning views of the river and downtown New Orleans. Charming coffee shops and bars are sprinkled throughout this area. Spending time at a local institution like the Old Point Bar offers a glimpse into this neighborhood’s colorful, quirky personality.

08. Mid-City

Address

Mid-City, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA

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Right in the middle of the map, this laid-back neighborhood is easy to reach from the French Quarter via the Canal St. Streetcar. There are two Canal Street lines: one ends in New Orleans City Park, the other takes you near several notable cemeteries. City Park features swampland, bayous, lagoons, and centuries-old live oak trees. It is also home to the New Orleans Museum of Art and its accompanying sculpture garden. Several excellent restaurants are found in Mid-City, with new establishments opening frequently, while bars and cafes maintain a pleasant local vibe.

09. Tremé

Address

Tremé / Lafitte, New Orleans, LA, USA

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One of the oldest areas of New Orleans, Tremé lies above the French Quarter between Rampart and Broad Streets. It was the early home of the city’s free people of color and has been a prominent African American neighborhood throughout U.S. History. Several museums in Tremé celebrate the neighborhood’s history and culture, including the New Orleans African American Museum, Backstreet Cultural Museum, and Free People of Color Museum.

Congo Square, located within Tremé’s Louis Armstrong Park, was historically a gathering place for enslaved individuals during French colonialism. The music and dance that emerged there were influential in the creation of jazz music. Today, concerts are frequently held in the Square, making Tremé a great place to enjoy the sounds of contemporary local jazz.

10. Faubourg Marigny

Address

Marigny, New Orleans, LA, USA

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The triangle-shaped Faubourg Marigny extends from St. Claude Avenue to the river, bordering the French Quarter at scenic Esplanade Avenue. Once a local’s secret, Frenchmen Street is now the Marigny’s main attraction and the most popular place to find live music in the city. This three-block section of the Marigny is filled with jazz clubs and music venues, alive with revelers spilling onto the streets. Additionally, a large concentration of lively gay bars can be found in the Marigny. Nightlife enthusiasts may opt to stay at one of the boutique hotels in the neighborhood, such as the Melrose Mansion or Hotel Peter & Paul.