denise

OK, we are all booked up and ready to go and trying to work out best itinarary for one week! any suggestions for the 'top ten' sights to see while we are there? Anyone know anything about the French Quarter Courtyard Hotel, N Rampart St? whats it like? And is safety an issue generally? Many thanks!!

Cindy

Do a search on New Orleans - there's a load of good information you can check out. Safety is the same as in any large city - use your smarts and you'll be fine.

denise

thanks, cindy. I have searched for stuff and there is so much! it takes ages to sift through. I just think its interesting to hear from others like myself who have travelled there so I can be prepared.

J Correa

We spent a week in New Orleans last May and had a terrific time. We will definitely go back for another vacation in the future. The weather was pretty nice while we were there. We had about 4 days of sunshine and relatively low humidity and it only rained 2 of the days we were there.

I would suggest getting a transit pass which is good on all streetcars and buses. I think it's about $8 for 3 days. Parking is tough and expensive in New Orleans, esspecially in the French Quarter. We rode public transportation and took cabs while we were there.

Here are my "Top 10" suggestions for sightseeing and tours:

1. Ride the St. Charles Streetcar through the Garden District up to Riverbend.

2. Walk through the Garden District - either on your own or with a walking tour. We enjoyed going on our own, at our own pace.

3. Cemetary/Voodoo Tour - this is in the French Quarter and I recommend The Historic New Orleans Walking Tour company. The guides are very knowledgable.

4. Riverboat Cruise -there are dinner/jazz cruises and afternoon cruises.

5. Bourbon Street at night - this is a must see at least once. In May it wont be as crazy as Mardi Gras of course, but there are still a lot of crazy people around.

6. Swamp Tour - we took a tour with Capt Nick's company and really enjoyed it. Ours was a private tour so it was more expensive than the average. I have heard that Honey Island Swamp Tours is also very good.

7. French Quarter - just wandering around, looking at architecture, shops and people kept us entertained. There is a lot in this relatively small area. Go to the French Market for some cheap souveniers. There are also many museums. We really enjoyed the 1850 House on St. Ann at Jackson Square. It's a museum which shows how a middle class Creole family in New Orleans would have lived in the 1850s. Don't forget to stop at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. It's a New Orleans institution.


8. Plantation Tour - we went with Spinato Tours. I have heard Tours by Isabelle is quite good too. I recommend taking a tour that includes Laura Plantation. I found this one the most interesting. There are also tours which combine plantation tour with a riverboat cruise.

9. Haunted New Orleans Tour - We didn't have a chance to take one of these tours - just ran out of time - but it sounds pretty fun.

10. Preservation Hall - This is an old music hall where they play Jazz at night. I think the cover charge is around $5 and they don't serve drinks there, but you can hear some good Jazz

denise

thanks for the above advice, J! excellent - confirms what we were intending to do.

Sheila

Just back from New Orleans for the second time this year. We did the Tours by Isabelle which included a swamp tour and tours of both Laura and Oak Alley plantations. I recommend them. We had a great day. A couple of more fun places we enjoyed on our trip last week was Mulates - live band, good food and cajun dancing - very lively place and Mid-City Rock and Bowl - bowling with a live band and dance floor. Nothing fancy but great fun. We also enjoyed watching the street performers around Jackson Square and taking a carriage ride through the Garden District.

Kate

I have only heard terrible reviews on the hotel you mentioned as well as Rampart St...please do a search and you should come up with some stuff.
When we were checking into it last year NOONE had anything good to say about it.
Plus Rampart St. is not suppose to be a very safe area to walk at night..fine with a taxi, though.

J Correa

Good point about Rampart Street. It isn't a good area. I would recommend staying somewhere in the Quarter between Bourbon and the river. We stayed on Royal and the location was perfect - close to the action, but not loud like on Bourbon. We stayed at the Cornstalk Hotel, which was ok, but I wouldn't really recommend it. From the outside it looked great, but the rooms needed some serious refurbishing. It's listed as a B&B, but the "breakfast" consisted of coffee, juice and a small muffin.

Sheila

We stayed at the Quarter House on Chartres. It was a great location and we had a small kitchen that was convenient for snacks, etc. We walked everywhere except the night we went to Mid-City Rock and Bowl. The cab one way to Rock and Bowl was $10. Also, the cab from the airport to the French Quarter was $12 per person one way.

Ben

I have to agree on a concern about the Rampart St location. I have previously given my opinion as a resident about that area. The hotel might be fine but the area surrounding it is less than desirable. You would be a bit removed from the "action" of the Quarter & committed to taking cabs even in daylight. I would seriously consider a 2nd look. Other than that I think you will have a great visit. Bring comfortable shoes & an extra suitcase for the things you want to take back. The cheapest place to get souvenirs is the French Market stalls on the weekend.

Have a great time & diet before you come!!