New Orleans: Five Days of Music, Food, History and Streetcars

New Orleans: Five Days of Music, Food, History and Streetcars: free sample chapter

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Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

Things change. We checked every fact in this guide on October 9, 2026 against official sources. Hours, fees, event dates, streetcar routes and closures move. Confirm them on the official page (and the agency's official Facebook, X or Instagram for same-day closures) before you book or go.

Cover block

• The promise: a walkable, rideable New Orleans built around music, history and food, with the most expensive things (museum, day trip) planned first and the free things (squares, riverfront, sculpture garden, street music) doing most of the work.
• Trip length: 4 to 5 days (the plan runs 5; cut Day 4 or Day 5 for four).
• Best months: typically October through April for comfort. Mardi Gras (Feb 9, 2027) and Jazz Fest (late April to early May) are the peak and priciest weeks.
• Budget band: built from the cost sheet in chapter 8. Fixed fees for five days of transit, the museum, NOMA and a plantation tour add up to roughly $100 to $140 per adult before lodging and food, based on the fees we verified; your lodging and food lines are blanks you fill.
• Best for: first-timers, couples, culture and history travelers, and anyone who prefers transit and walking to a rental car.

At a glance

• Airport: MSY. Airport Express bus $1.25; taxi $36 flat for 1-2 riders; $15 per person for three or more (checked Oct 9, 2026).
• Getting around: walk the Quarter; ride streetcars for St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street; use buses or rideshare for Tremé, Marigny and Bywater at night.
• Where to base: French Quarter (walkable, loud), CBD/Warehouse District (museums, transit), or Garden District (calm).
• Must-book: WWII Museum tickets (days ahead in busy periods), plantation tours (a week or more ahead on holidays), any hotel for Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest (typically many months ahead; check hotel booking windows).
• The one thing most visitors get wrong: treating Bourbon Street as the whole city. Frenchmen Street, Tremé and the Garden District are where locals send you.
• Money: a 3-Day Jazzy Pass is $8.00 and covers buses and streetcars; the 1-Day is $3.00 (checked Oct 9, 2026).
• Current disruption: Barataria Preserve's visitor center and most trails closed February 2, 2026, with repairs expected to take about two years; the Wetland Trace Boardwalk stays open (checked Oct 9, 2026).
• Weather: hot and humid for much of the year; hurricane season is June 1 to November 30 officially.

When to go, month by month