New Orleans: The Big Easy made easy – the hippest hotels, the coolest bars, the finest dining, the dandiest dance clubs

You’ll want to get the best out of New Orleans in Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz, the home of Mardi Gras and Cajun and Creole cuisine, when you visit

No trip would be complete without spending time in the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, but there are many other places to visit, and to escape the crowds

5-MIN READ5-MIN

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and a “second line” jazz band parades seeking donations from tourists and locals. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:00pm, 4 Jan 2020Updated: 10:09am, 6 Jan 2020

Languid, sultry, and imbued with a kind of ancient tropic mysticism, New Orleans is a city apart. “The Big Easy,” as it is known (or its better nickname, “The City that Care Forgot”) boasts a rich cultural heritage and vibrant public life that make it a must-visit.

Still, the secret is out: tourists flock to New Orleans year-round, especially for Mardi Gras in early March and the Jazz Festival in late April.

Tourists in New Orleans are also not known for being the best behaved. So if you are hoping to visit and want to avoid the most egregious scenes of public drunkenness and craven tourist haunts, do as the locals do: take your time, get off the beaten track, and let pleasure be your guide.

One of the most striking differences between New Orleans and the rest of the United States – other than being able to drink outdoors – is the prevalence of French cultural influences. New Orleans acted as the capital of French-owned Louisiana before it was bought by the United States in 1803, and in subsequent years, became the capital for the state’s vibrant Cajun and Creole communities.

Brennan’s in the French Quarter, New Orleans. Photo: Chris Granger

“I consider New Orleans not a part of the United States but the most northern point in the Caribbean,” says James Williams, a local jazz trumpeter and vocalist. “From the food to the music, the architecture and – most importantly – the people, it’s the most vibrant place in the world.”

For a visitor, the Cajun-Creole divide will be most apparent in the food, and you should preserve time in your itinerary to try both.