New Orleans · 3-day itinerary
3 Days in New Orleans: A Grown-Up Itinerary
Three days is the right length for a first grown-up visit to New Orleans. You'll eat three very different kinds of great meal, hear jazz the way it was played a century ago and the way it's played now, and have a drink at the bars where the city's writers and politicians drank.
- Day 1
- French Quarter: Napoleon House, Preservation Hall, Carousel Bar
- Day 2
- Garden District jazz brunch, Hot Tin, Frenchmen Street
- Day 3
- WWII Museum, Compère Lapin, Sazerac Bar
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The plan
Day 1: The French Quarter, the grown-up way
Walk, eat, listen. Keep Bourbon Street for crossing, not lingering.
Lunch
Napoleon House
Chartres St, French Quarter
A Pimm's Cup and a warm muffuletta in a 1797 building. Take your time.
A crumbling-beautiful 1797 building with classical music playing, famous for its Pimm's Cup and warm muffuletta. A good slow lunch between French Quarter walks.
Early evening
Preservation Hall
726 St. Peter St, French Quarter
Buy seats for an early set; each concert is short, so it fits before dinner.
The small, plain room that has kept traditional New Orleans jazz alive since the 1960s. Several short concerts run each evening with a rotating line-up of the Preservation All Stars and other house bands.
Dinner
Jewel of the South
1026 St. Louis St, French Quarter
Cocktails and serious food in an 1830s Creole cottage from one of America's best bartenders.
A tavern in an 1830s Creole cottage from bartender Chris Hannah, ranked #6 on North America's 50 Best Bars 2026. Classic New Orleans cocktails such as the Brandy Crusta, with a serious food menu to match.
Nightcap
Carousel Bar & Lounge
Hotel Monteleone, Royal St
The revolving bar at the Hotel Monteleone; the lounge has live music nightly.
The city's only revolving bar: a 25-seat carousel that turns once every 15 minutes, in the hotel where Faulkner, Capote and Tennessee Williams drank. Live music plays in the lounge nightly.
Day 2: Garden District and Frenchmen Street
A long, jazzy brunch, a lazy afternoon and the city's best music street at night.
Brunch
Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Ave, Garden District
Weekend jazz brunch with a trio at your table. Dress code is enforced (jackets preferred, never shorts).
The turquoise Victorian landmark of Creole fine dining. The weekend jazz brunch, with a trio strolling between tables, is the classic grown-up New Orleans meal.
Afternoon
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1
Washington Ave, Garden District
Heads-up: Reopening October 1, 2026 with guided tours only, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., groups of up to 16.
Across the street. From October 1, 2026 it reopens by small guided tour only, mornings until 1 p.m.; book ahead.
The Garden District's 1830s above-ground cemetery, across from Commander's Palace. It reopens on October 1, 2026 after seven years, by small guided tour only (no self-guided visits, no ghost tours).
Sunset
Hot Tin
Pontchartrain Hotel, St. Charles Ave
Up to the Pontchartrain Hotel's rooftop for a view back over downtown and the river.
A rooftop bar on the Pontchartrain Hotel's 11th floor, styled like a 1940s artist's loft, with a wide view of downtown and the river. First come, first served from 2 p.m.
Dinner and music
Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro
Frenchmen St
A seated jazz set on Frenchmen Street, with Creole cooking downstairs.
Frenchmen Street's seated listening room: modern and traditional jazz sets in a proper concert setting, with Creole cooking in the restaurant downstairs. Come to listen, not to talk.
Late
The Spotted Cat Music Club
623 Frenchmen St
Two doors down: swing and trad bands, dancing optional.
A small, crowded jazz club on Frenchmen Street with traditional and swing bands from late afternoon until late. People dance; nobody minds if you just listen.
Day 3: History, a modern dinner and a classic cocktail
Give the museum the day; save your appetite.
Day
The National WWII Museum
Warehouse District
Choose two or three pavilions; it's too big for one visit.
A huge, moving museum spread over several pavilions. Most people need at least half a day; pick two or three galleries rather than trying to see everything.
Dinner
Compère Lapin
Old No. 77 Hotel, Warehouse District
Nina Compton's Caribbean-meets-Creole cooking a few blocks away.
Chef Nina Compton's Caribbean-meets-New Orleans cooking in a brick-walled former coffee warehouse. A MICHELIN-recognised dinner that still feels relaxed.
Nightcap
The Sazerac Bar
The Roosevelt Hotel, CBD
End with a Sazerac or Ramos Gin Fizz under the Paul Ninas murals.
An Art Deco bar from 1938 with walnut panelling and Paul Ninas murals, once Huey Long's hangout. Order a Sazerac or a Ramos Gin Fizz.
Swaps
- On a Tuesday? Head uptown to the Maple Leaf Bar for the Rebirth Brass Band, a New Orleans institution (late start, cover charge).
- Prefer a river evening? The Steamboat Natchez jazz cruise runs two hours with an optional Creole buffet.
- Friday in town? Swap day 1's dinner for a long, lively lunch at Galatoire's.
Maple Leaf Bar
8316 Oak St, Carrollton
A 1974 music club with live bands every night. On Tuesdays the Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band has played here since 1990, starting late: a sweaty, joyous local night out.
Steamboat Natchez evening jazz cruise
Toulouse Street Wharf, French Quarter
A two-hour evening cruise on a paddle-wheeler, with live jazz from the Dukes of Dixieland and an optional Creole buffet dinner. Corny in the best way, and lovely at sunset.
Galatoire's
209 Bourbon St, French Quarter
French Creole cooking in a mirrored, paddle-fanned dining room that has barely changed in a century. Friday lunch is a long, lively local ritual; dinner is calmer.
Tip: Upstairs rooms take reservations; the first-floor room is still first come, first served.
Dress: Gentlemen need jackets after 5 p.m. and all day Sunday (loaners available)
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Music line-ups, hours and prices change often in New Orleans, so confirm before you go and bring cash for the bands.
Questions people ask
Is 3 days enough in New Orleans?
Yes for a first visit: one day for the French Quarter, one for the Garden District and Frenchmen Street, and one for the WWII Museum and the CBD's bars and restaurants.
What should I book ahead in New Orleans?
Commander's Palace jazz brunch, Preservation Hall seats if you want a reservation, dinner at Jewel of the South or Compère Lapin, and Lafayette Cemetery tours after it reopens on October 1, 2026.