Nana's Tour of New Orleans: The No-Backtracking French Quarter Loop
New Orleans is more than Bourbon Street. This is how locals do it. Follow this order and you’ll walk 6 miles instead of 12.
I’ve taken grandkids, sisters, and lost Yankees on this exact route for 30 years. We start with beignets and end with hurricanes. And we never, ever walk the same block twice unless it’s for more pralines.
This is 2 days.
Day 1 = French Quarter loop.
Day 2 = WW2 Museum + Poboys.
Wear real shoes. Leave the flashy jewelry at home. And for heaven’s sake, don’t rub your eyes after powdered sugar.
Day 1: French Quarter Walking Loop – 3.2 Miles Total
Nana’s Rule: Do this in order. Each stop is 2-8 minutes from the last. You’ll be done by 4pm with time for a nap before Pat O’Brien’s.
8:00 AM - Cafe du Monde
Address: 800 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Why first: Line is shortest before 9am. Cash only. Get beignets + cafe au lait. Sit by the river. Watch the city wake up.
Nana Tip: Powdered sugar shows up in photos for days. Lean over the table.
8:45 AM - St. Louis Cathedral
Address: 615 Pere Antoine Alley, New Orleans, LA 70116
Why next: 2-min walk. Free to enter. Oldest cathedral in US. Light a candle for Aunt Joyce. Open 8:30am.
Nana Tip: Photos from Jackson Square: get the whole cathedral + you.
9:30 AM - Ride the Algiers Ferry
Address: Canal Street Ferry Terminal, 1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Why next: 6-min walk from Cathedral. $2 each way. Best skyline photo of New Orleans. 30-min round trip. You don’t even have to get off in Algiers.
Nana Tip: Ferry runs every 30 min. Check RTA app for times.
10:30 AM - Shop at Jax Brewery
Address: 600 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Why next: 3-min walk from ferry. It’s not a brewery anymore. It’s shops + clean bathrooms. Buy pralines here.
Nana Tip: Riverwalk upstairs has A/C and more skyline views.
11:30 AM - Lunch at Maspero's
Address: 440 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Why next: 4-min walk. Oldest family restaurant in Quarter. Get the jambalaya or muffuletta. Dark, cool, full of locals.
Nana Tip: If the wait is long, walk 1 block to Central Grocery for original muffuletta to-go.
1:00 PM - French Quarter Phantoms Cemetery Tour
Meeting Point: 941 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Why next: 7-min walk from Maspero's.
Book 1pm "Haunted Cemetery Tour" ahead. They take you to St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. See Marie Laveau’s tomb.
Nana Tip: You can’t enter cemeteries without a guide anymore. Worth every penny.
3:00 PM - Street Car Tour
Start: Canal Street at Bourbon St Stop ID 108
Why next: 8-min walk from tour end. Take St. Charles Streetcar #12. $1.25 cash or Le Pass app. Ride through Garden District. Get off at Washington Ave for mansions. Get back on to loop home.
Nana Tip: Sit on the right side going uptown for best house views.
6:00 PM - Pat O'Brien's
Address: 718 St Peter St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Why last: 2-min walk from streetcar stop at Canal. Home of the Hurricane. Sit in the courtyard. Flaming fountain starts at dusk.
Nana Tip: 1 Hurricane limit if you’re walking. They’re strong.
Day 2: WW2 Museum + Real New Orleans Food – 1.5 Miles Walking
9:00 AM - The National WW2 Museum
Address: 945 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Why: Streetcar or 10-min Uber from Quarter.
#1 museum in US. Buy tickets online.
See the 4D film Beyond All Boundaries narrated by Tom Hanks. Plan 4-5 hours.
Nana Tip: Eat lunch at The American Sector inside museum. John Besh is the chef. Get the fried chicken.
2:00 PM - Poboys at Danny & Clyde's
Address: 1429 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130
Why next: 8-min walk from WW2 Museum. Gas station poboys are law in Louisiana. Get fried shrimp or roast beef "dressed."
Nana Tip: "Dressed" means lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo. Say yes. Cash preferred.
December Bonus: Christmas in City Park
If you’re here in December: Celebration in the Oaks.
Address: 1 Palm Dr, New Orleans, LA 70124. Take the Canal Streetcar labeled "City Park/Museum" to the end. Horse-drawn carriage rides through 1 million lights. Book ahead. Worth the Uber back to hotel after.
Nana's New Orleans Safety Tips
This is a city. Stay alert & safe so you can have fun:
1. Crossbody bag, front of body. No back pockets. No open totes. Pickpockets work Bourbon St.
2. Stay in groups after dark. Royal Street and Decatur are fine. Avoid side streets alone past 9pm.
3. Streetcar over Uber at night. $1.25 and well-lit. Runs till midnight.
4. Heat + Hurricanes = bad mix. 1 drink = 2 waters. June-Sept is no joke.
5. Cemetery tours only. St. Louis No. 1 requires guide. Don’t hop fences. Police will find you.
6. Shoes with straps. Cobblestones eat flip flops. I’ve seen tourists lose toenails.
New Orleans will either hug you or mug you. Walk like you belong here and she’ll hug you.
Nana's Map: Do It In This Order
Copy/paste these addresses into Google My Maps for a custom walking route:
Cafe du Monde, 800 Decatur St, 70116
St. Louis Cathedral, 615 Pere Antoine Alley, 70116
Canal Street Ferry Terminal, 1 Canal St, 70130
Jax Brewery, 600 Decatur St, 70130
Maspero's, 440 Chartres St, 70130
French Quarter Phantoms, 941 Bourbon St, 70116
Canal St at Bourbon St Streetcar Stop, 70116
Pat O'Brien's, 718 St Peter St, 70116
National WW2 Museum, 945 Magazine St, 70130
Danny & Clyde's, 1429 Magazine St, 70130
Total walking: 4.7 miles over 2 days.
New Orleans is more than Mardi Gras.
It’s beignets at 8am. It’s a ferry at 9:30. It’s a cathedral that’s seen 300 years of prayers. It’s a gas station poboy that beats any $40 entree.
Follow this order. Save your steps. Save your money. And you’ll see the city that raised me, not the one on the postcards.
P.S. Have fun, stay alert & be safe!
Comment below and tell Nana when you get to Pat O’s. I want to know what color your Hurricane was.
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