New Orleans on a Budget
When to go, what’s actually free, and where the costs actually are, so you’re not paying more than you need to.
New Orleans has a reputation for indulgence, and Mardi Gras season can be pricey, but the city’s best free experience, Mardi Gras itself, plus the French Quarter and the Garden District, cost nothing to walk through. Here’s how to keep the costs down without cutting the trip short.
Visit June-September, or January
Summer overlaps with hurricane season and the city’s hottest, most humid stretch, exactly why it’s the cheapest, hotel rates drop significantly once the heat sets in. January is the other genuine value window, a brief lull between New Year’s and the start of Mardi Gras season, cool and quiet with real discounts on rooms.
Mardi Gras itself is free, and so is a lot else
Mardi Gras, despite its reputation, is free to experience on the street, one of the great free spectacles anywhere in the world if your dates line up with it. Walking the French Quarter, Jackson Square, Royal Street and the Garden District all cost nothing, and City Park’s Botanical Garden and grounds are free to wander too. The National WWII Museum and guided cemetery tours are the main paid stops most visitors add.
Walk the Quarter, take the streetcar for the rest
The French Quarter is compact and entirely walkable, saving on transport for most of a typical visitor’s list. The St. Charles Streetcar costs $1.25 a ride and covers the Garden District cheaply and reliably, a car is rarely worth the hassle or the parking cost.
Po-boys and beignets beat a Bourbon Street tourist meal
A proper po-boy from a neighbourhood spot costs a fraction of a sit-down Bourbon Street meal, and beignets at Café du Monde remain genuinely cheap despite being one of the city’s most famous experiences. COOLinary New Orleans, running through August, offers special prix-fixe menus at some of the city’s best restaurants, worth timing a summer visit around if food’s the priority.
Consider the CBD or Mid-City over the French Quarter
Hotels right in the French Quarter sit at the top of the price range given the location and the nightlife on the doorstep. The Central Business District offers modern hotels at better value while staying an easy walk from the Quarter, and Mid-City, near City Park, runs cheaper still if you don’t mind being a short streetcar ride from the action.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
