New Orleans cityscape
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New OrleansUSA

No American city cooks, celebrates, or plays music quite like New Orleans. The French Quarter's jazz-soaked streets, Creole cuisine, and Mardi Gras spirit make it unlike anywhere else in the country.

Best from February to April, October to November. A hotel night usually costs $193, food, transport and sights about $55 a person a day, and a round-trip flight from New York usually costs about $368.

What a trip costs

Flights from where you live, the hotel and daily spend, then whether to book now.

Travellers2 travellers
Nights7 nights
Travel style
Changes daily spend only; the hotel night stays the same.
  1. Fare · New York to New Orleans × 2
    Economy round trip, usually about $368 each
    $736
  2. Hotel night · $193 × 7 nights
    What a night here usually costs, from hotel prices we check every week. 2 travellers share a room.
    $1,351
  3. Daily spend · $55 × 2 travellers × 7 days
    Restaurants, transport and paid sights, per person per day. The hotel isn't in it.
    $770
Trip cost: flights + hotel + daily spend$2,857

7 nights, 2 travellers, mid-range, flying from New York. Usual prices we track ourselves, not a price you can book.

How we know
  • Fare: the middle price of the economy round trips we found from New York on our latest check (half were cheaper, half dearer), for departures in the coming weeks.
  • Hotel night: the middle nightly price of the New Orleans hotels we check three times a week (see our hotel price index).
  • Daily spend: food, local transport and sights per person, from our city guide, by travel style. The hotel isn't in it.
  • Total: fare × travellers + hotel night × nights × rooms + daily spend × travellers × days. Prices move, so treat it as a guide, not a quote.

Should I book now?

Price check

The fare from New York is high by our own history; no hotel verdict yet. The fare may come down: check back before you book it.

  • Hotel night $193No verdict yetWe changed how we measure hotels on Sep 24; a verdict appears once we have 8 weeks (around Nov 19).
  • Fare from New York $368HighPricier than every one of the 17 days we checked fares on this route, by our own fare checks since Jun 2026. How we know

Our ranges aim to catch 4 in 5 prices; the first are graded on Oct 27.

  • Fare from New York in 4 weeksusual round trip, by Nov 6$276–$438today $368
  • How we know: our hotel forecast

    We forecast one stay we track, the Jan 22–24 weekend: $171–$218 a night by Nov 6. It's a different stay from the usual night above, so it isn't a verdict on it.

Cheapest dates to fly

Cheapest from New York around Nov 9 at $156; fares range $156–$605 for departures through Jul 5.

The lowest fare we saw for each departure date, not the usual fare in your trip cost.

Busy months

Busiest: Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov. Quietest: Jan, Jun, Jul, Aug.More visitors come in the months with the most comfortable weather.

Price alert

One email if New Orleans's usual hotel night price falls 8% or more in a month (from $193 today to $177 or less). It watches hotels, not fares. No account needed.

When to go

The best months, and the weather this week.

The best time to visit New Orleans is February to April, October to November.

Month by month: the best time to visit New Orleans →

Things to do

Local tips, the places we've checked, and tours.

New Orleans culture and identity

Where the Mississippi bends and the brass never sleeps, A city draped in jasmine, jazz, and ancient, humid dreams.

Local tips

  • Eat a proper po'boy at Parkway Bakery, beignets at Cafe Du Monde at 2am, and a muffuletta at Central Grocery
  • Frenchmen Street in the Marigny is where locals go for live jazz — far better than Bourbon Street
  • Take a streetcar on St. Charles Avenue through the Garden District for stunning antebellum mansions
  • Book ahead for Jazz Fest (late April/early May) — the city sells out months in advance
Places we've checked

Getting around

The map, and getting in from the airport.

3-day sample itinerary

Here's a suggested 3-day route through New Orleans that covers the highlights while leaving room for spontaneous discoveries. Customize this plan with our AI trip planner.

Day 1

French Quarter walking tour, Cafe Du Monde, Jackson Square, Frenchmen Street jazz

Day 2

Garden District mansion tour, Commander's Palace lunch, Magazine Street shopping

Day 3

National WWII Museum (one of America's best), Treme neighborhood, po'boy crawl

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