Looking for the best New Orleans itinerary? These are some of the most recommended places to visit and must-do’s for a 5 day travel adventure!
Planning a trip to New Orleans is super exciting! If you’re anything like me, you’re here because you love to research and plan your trip ahead of time. As an avid traveler, I am giving you the best places to fill a 5 day New Orleans itinerary.
You are going to learn about places to visit like the French Quarter, Warehouse District, Garden District, and more. After learning about these places, you are going to be ready for your next New Orleans adventure!
This post is my 5 Day New Orleans itinerary.
Day 1: Warehouse District and French Quarter
Warehouse District Hotel
First, we checked into the The Old No. 77 Hotel in the Warehouse District. This is a boutique style hotel with a lot of charm and character as it was once a coffee warehouse and chandlery. Personally, I prefer staying in the Warehouse District. I love this neighborhood, with its art galleries, unique restaurants, and warehouse architecture. It’s quieter then other neighborhoods but still close enough to walk to the popular French Quarter.
Lunch in the French Quarter
After checking in, we walked the three blocks from The Old No. 77 Hotel to the French Quarter for dinner and drinks. Our first stop was Coop’s Place. It’s a typical New Orleans bar and restaurant serving up cajun dishes by “snarky” wait staff. We enjoyed their traditional red beans and rice and jambalaya.
Drinks on Bourbon Street
Next in the New Orleans itinerary, we made our way to Bourbon Street, the most famous street in the French Quarter. We stopped in a bar and ordered a traditional frozen “grenade” drink. Although we aren’t the drinking and partying type, it was still fun to walk down Bourbon Street, enjoy the scenery, and the entertainment.
Day 2: Central Grocery & Deli, Cafe Du Monde, and Ghost Tour
Central Grocery & Deli Muffuletta
In the afternoon, we walked back to The French Quarter and had lunch at Central Grocery & Deli for their world famous muffuletta sandwich. This sandwich originates from Italy and has a variety of cured meats, cheese, and incredible olive spread.
The sandwiches are huge! I recommend sharing a half sandwich or expect to have leftovers. After eating, we bought a jar of olive spread to take home and enjoy later!
Cafe Du Monde
After lunch, it was time for something sweet! It isn’t a New Orleans itinerary without stopping at Cafe Du Monde for their delicious beignets. The lines can get quite long here, so expect to wait a bit before ordering.
Secret tip: There are two places to order, one on each side of the building. The back side is not as visible from the street, so it is not typically as long of a line as the front/street side. In my opinion, the best beverage to go along with the beignets is their hot chocolate!
Ghost Tour
Another must do New Orleans itinerary item, is going on a ghost tour. Our tour was the Ghost & Vampire Tour by French Quarter Phantoms. This guided tour takes you throughout the streets of the French Quarter, re-telling historical events and stories of real ghostly encounters. This tour meets at the Voodoo Lounge and includes a two for one Hurricane drink special. I’ve had the privilege of doing this tour twice, and I love it! I enjoy learning about the spooky historical events and touring the French Quarter in the evening.
Day 3: Cajun Pride Swamp Tour and Frenchmen Street
Cajun Pride Swamp Tour
We drove about 30 minutes away to the Cajun Pride Swamp Tour. This place is so cool! I chose this specific swamp tour because it’s on a privately owned portion of the swamp, so they are able to regularly feed the alligators, making more of them come out during tours (aka feeding time). During the tour, we got to hold a live baby alligator! This experience was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it if you’re able to drive to it or pay a little extra for the included shuttle ride.
Upon our return to the city center, we stopped at Mother’s Restaurant for lunch. It is very close to The Old No. 77 Hotel. It’s a cafeteria style restaurant serving up popular southern dishes including fried chicken, grits, corn bread, and sweet potato casserole. This is a very popular restaurant, so expect to wait in line for a table.
When you arrive to the restaurant, be sure to go inside first to put your name on the waitlist before waiting in line.
Later, we walked down Frenchmen Street, enjoying the live music coming from each venue. We made our way through a couple of places, listening to a variety of jazz and blues music. This is where having a car came in handy. It was nice to be able to drive a little further outside of the popular centrally located areas of the city and experience what other wards (nieghborhoods) have to offer.
Day 4: Sazerac House and Historic Tour
Sazerac House
With our daily walks from the Warehouse District to the French Quarter, we often passed by the Sazerac House. One day we decided to go in, and wow! It ended up being one of our favorite activities from the entire trip! I highly recommend checking it out. They offer free tours of the distillery which includes tastings along the way. They use fun, interactive technology to learn about the history of the Sazerac cocktail and the Sazerac company.
Historic Walking Tour
Following the Sazerac House tour, we went back to the French Quarter for a historic walking tour. Again, with minimal tourists, we ended up being the only people signed up for the tour! This gave us the opportunity to have a private tour for the price of a group tour! The historic tour is unique, learning more about the history of the city and some of the architecture. If you go to the Omni Royal Orleans hotel, you can take the elevator up to the rooftop and see spectacular views of the French Quarter from above.
Later, we ate dinner at Cafe Amelie. Their courtyard is romantic, with glowing lights, a beautiful fountain, and plenty of green foliage. They offer a variety of dishes on their menu including short ribs, fish, and pasta.
Day Five: Garden District Tour
On our last day we squeezed in one more guided tour before heading out. We again used French Quarter Phantoms for the Garden District Tour. They offer a discount when booking multiple tours. The Garden District is the best neighborhood to soak in the unique architecture of New Orleans. This is also my second time on this tour, and it’s one of my favorites. I highly recommend this tour in your New Orleans itinerary, especially in the spring and summer when flowers are in bloom and you can take in the beautiful gardens of each home. I love the variety and combinations of types of architecture that each house has. Many of the homes on the tour are owned by celebrities including John Goodman, The Manning family, and Sandra Bullock.
The famous Commander’s Palace restaurant is located in the Garden District, where world renowned chefs like Emeril Legasi start their careers. They have won seven James Beard Foundation Awards. It can be difficult to get a reservation (we did not eat here this trip) and their dinner service is on the higher end. However, our tour guide told us that if you want to save a few bucks, you can make a reservation for lunch.
After completing our Garden District tour, we said goodbye to New Orleans. This was such a fun trip, despite all the rain we had! New Orleans is always a great city to do, there’s something for everyone. Check out the list below for more recommendations!
Free Things to Do to Stay on a Budget
As you create your own New Orleans itinerary, here are a few free things to do to help you save some money:
- Walk around Jackson Square
- The Sazerac House Tour
- Walk down Magazine Street to window shop
- Explore Frenchmen Street and listen to live music. Some bars require a cover fee.
- Walk through the French Quarter district
- Walk through the Garden District and enjoy the beautiful architecture of the homes, maybe spot a celebrity!
- Stroll along the riverwalk next to the Mississippi river
Other Restaurants For Your New Orleans Itinerary
Unfortunately, we were not able to make it to Brennan’s for their famous banana’s foster. If you want to eat here, I recommend booking a reservation in advance. Note they are closed on Tuesday and Wednesday each week.
Another famous New Orleans restaurant is Antoine’s. A fine dining establishment in the heart of the French Quarter. You’ll want to make reservations ahead of time.
In the Warehouse District, check out Cochon for traditional cajun southern dishes. They use locally sourced pork, fresh produce, and seafood to create their authentic flavors of cajun country.
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