Attractions
Things to do in New Orleans.
The places worth your days between events: the river, the museums, the swamp and the squares. Each one carries its address, opening pattern and admission basis, checked against its official site.
Bookable tours and tickets carry a booking button. Places that are free, or that sell their own tickets, say so plainly and link to the official site instead.
Jackson Square
The city's front porch: a fenced green facing the river, ringed by artists, musicians and some of the oldest apartment buildings in the United States.
Free to visit. Plan your visit
St. Louis Cathedral
The triple-spired cathedral on Jackson Square, the oldest continuously active Catholic cathedral in the United States.
Free to visit. Plan your visit
Café du Monde
Beignets under a drift of powdered sugar and café au lait made with chicory coffee, served at green-striped tables since 1862.
Free to visit. Plan your visit
French Market
Six blocks of open-air market along the river: farmers stalls, a flea market, food stands and shops, trading since 1791.
Free to visit. Plan your visit
The National WWII Museum
The official United States museum of the Second World War: vast, immersive and worth the better part of a day.
From US$39.29
Book museum ticketsvia Klook · affiliate linkSteamboat Natchez Evening Jazz Cruise
Two hours on the Mississippi aboard a working sternwheeler, with a live jazz band and the city lighting up behind you.
From US$58
Book the jazz cruisevia Klook · affiliate linkSteamboat Natchez Morning and Afternoon Jazz Cruise
The same big sternwheeler by day, with a live jazz band and the working river rolling past.
From US$43.50
Book the daytime cruisevia Klook · affiliate linkGo City New Orleans Pass
One digital pass covering entry to a long list of attractions and tours, bought for a run of consecutive days.
From US$84
Get the passvia Klook · affiliate linkSwamp and Bayou Boat Tour
Out by boat through cypress swamp and bayou, past alligators, herons and the fishing villages south of the city.
From US$65
Book the boat tourvia Klook · affiliate linkOak Alley Plantation and Swamp Boat Day Trip
The famous double row of live oaks at Oak Alley, a guided tour of the Big House, and a swamp boat ride in one day out of the city.
From US$131
Book the day tripvia Klook · affiliate linkAudubon Zoo
An oak-shaded zoo in Audubon Park, with a Louisiana swamp exhibit that doubles as a local education.
From US$37.60
Book zoo ticketsvia Viator · affiliate linkAudubon Aquarium
Sharks, rays and a walk-through tunnel on the riverfront, with the Insectarium under the same roof and the same ticket.
From US$42.77
Book aquarium ticketsvia Viator · affiliate linkLouisiana Children's Museum
A hands-on museum built for children in City Park: a miniature French Quarter, a Mississippi River to play with and acres to run in.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
Mardi Gras World
The warehouse where Mardi Gras floats are built all year: giant figures, working sculptors and a year-round answer to how the parades happen.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
City Park
A vast green at the top of the city: moss-draped oaks, gardens, a sculpture garden, boats, bikes and room to breathe.
Costs vary by what you do. See the details
New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA)
The city's art museum in City Park, with a free sculpture garden outside that is worth the trip on its own.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
Garden District and the St. Charles Streetcar
Ride the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world past the mansions and oak canopy of St. Charles Avenue.
From US$29.80
Book the Garden District tourvia Viator · affiliate linkThe Cabildo
The Spanish colonial landmark beside the cathedral where the Louisiana Purchase was signed over, now the state's flagship history museum.
Tickets from the venue. See the details
French Quarter Walking Tour
A guided walk through the oldest streets in the city: courtyards, balconies and three centuries of stories.
From US$29
Book the walking tourvia Klook · affiliate linkFrench Quarter Food Tour
Eat your way through the Quarter with a guide: gumbo, po'boys, pralines and the rooms they were invented in.
From US$79
Book the food tourvia Klook · affiliate linkFrench Quarter Ghost Tour
The Quarter after dark: haunted houses, old crimes and the stories the city insists on telling about itself.
From US$17.60
Book the ghost tourvia Klook · affiliate linkSt. Louis Cemetery No. 1
The city's oldest cemetery, from 1789: a walled city of above-ground tombs behind the French Quarter, open only on guided tours.
From US$41
Book the after-dark tourvia Viator · affiliate linkBefore you go
Three things that make the sightseeing days run better: how the streetcars charge, the pass worth pricing up if you are stacking attractions, and the day trip to book before it sells out.
Ride the streetcars
The St. Charles line runs from Canal Street through the Garden District to Carrollton, under the oak canopy the city is famous for. A single ride is $1.25 with exact change; a 1-Day Jazzy Pass at $3 covers unlimited rides and is easiest to buy in the RTA Le Pass app.
Fares and passes: norta.com
Go City New Orleans Pass
One pass that bundles the city's headline attractions, the Natchez cruise and the WWII Museum among them, for a run of sightseeing days you choose at checkout.
From US$84
Get the passvia Klook · affiliate linkOak Alley Plantation and Swamp Boat
The famous oak-lined drive at Oak Alley paired with a swamp boat ride, the classic day trip out of the city.
From US$131
Book the day tripvia Klook · affiliate linkPrices shown are the from-prices at Klook and Viator on 1 November 2026 and can change; the booking page always shows the live price. Opening patterns are checked against each place's official site and can change around holidays and Mardi Gras.