Top Things to Do in New Orleans and How to Get There

Plenty of "things to do in New Orleans" lists read like a tourism brochure and skip the part visitors actually need: how you get from one place to the next. This guide organizes the city's best attractions by neighborhood and adds the practical transportation detail each one calls for.

The French Quarter: Start Here, But Don't Stay Only Here

Jackson Square, the St. Louis Cathedral, the French Market and Bourbon Street itself are the obvious starting point, and most downtown hotels put you within walking distance. The Quarter's narrow one-way streets and nightly pedestrian zones mean a chauffeured pickup works best staged on a perimeter street rather than attempting a curbside stop deep inside — our French Quarter transportation guide covers exactly where that staging works best.

The Garden District and Uptown: A Different New Orleans

A short ride or streetcar trip from downtown, the Garden District's antebellum mansions and Uptown's university neighborhoods around Tulane and Loyola offer a quieter, architecturally rich contrast to the Quarter's energy. Magazine Street's miles of boutiques and restaurants make this an easy half-day or full-day addition. See our Garden District and Uptown guide for getting around the area efficiently.

City Park and NOMA

Larger than many small towns, City Park holds the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, City Putt, and the Carousel Gardens, spread across grounds big enough that parking at the wrong lot means a long walk to your actual destination. A chauffeur who drops you at the entrance closest to where you're actually headed saves real time here, especially with kids in tow.

The National WWII Museum

Consistently ranked among the country's top museums, the National WWII Museum on Magazine Street in the Warehouse District is worth a full day for history-minded visitors, and it pairs naturally with lunch or dinner in the Warehouse District's restaurant row before or after your visit.

Audubon Zoo and Aquarium

Family visitors with a day to spend on wildlife can combine the Audubon Zoo and Aquarium of the Americas into one day, with the zoo's Uptown location and the aquarium's downtown riverfront site a short, easy transfer apart by chauffeured car.

A Swamp Tour Outside the City

No New Orleans trip feels complete without seeing the actual Louisiana wetlands, and a swamp tour an hour or so outside the city delivers that in a half-day round trip, typically combined with hotel pickup and drop-off so you're not driving unfamiliar back roads yourself.

A River Road Plantation Day Trip

For visitors interested in the region's deeper history, the River Road plantation estates upriver from New Orleans make for a full-day excursion, best done with a chauffeur who knows the River Road route rather than attempting the drive and the tour schedule yourself.

Festival Timing, If You're Planning Around One

If your visit lines up with Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, French Quarter Festival or Essence Festival, plan transportation around street closures and parade routes specifically — our dedicated guides for Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest cover the logistics those events add on top of the ordinary city layout.

Putting a Multi-Stop Day Together

Rather than booking separate rides for each stop, a chauffeur on hourly service can move you between several of these attractions in one day, waiting between stops and adjusting the schedule as your actual pace through the city changes. Call (877) 609-1919 or book our hourly charter service to put together a day that covers more than one neighborhood without the hassle of separate bookings.