Last updated August 29, 2026

The hand-painted sign for The Spotted Cat Music Club lit up at night on Frenchmen Street in Faubourg Marigny

Jeremy Thompson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

New Orleans

Where to Stay in Faubourg Marigny, New Orleans

Just downriver from the French Quarter across Esplanade Avenue, Faubourg Marigny was platted in 1806 as New Orleans' first suburb outside the original colonial grid. Its streets of Creole cottages and shotgun houses are quiet and residential, except for a two-block stretch of Frenchmen Street, the city's best-known strip for hearing live jazz and brass bands without Bourbon Street's crowds.

What it's actually like to stay here

Local and music-driven — bars and clubs cluster tightly on Frenchmen Street, with people spilling onto the sidewalk to listen, while the surrounding blocks are quiet streets of colorful 19th-century cottages.

Stay here if

Couples and music lovers who want New Orleans' live-jazz scene without Bourbon Street's crowds, and anyone who wants a more local, residential feel a short walk from the French Quarter.

Stay elsewhere if

First-time visitors who want to be right next to Jackson Square and the riverfront's major sights should stay in the French Quarter instead — Marigny trades some of that central convenience for a quieter, more neighborhood feel.

Walkability
Compact and flat. Frenchmen Street's clubs sit within about two blocks, and it's a 10-15 minute walk into the French Quarter along Esplanade Avenue or Decatur Street.
Noise at night
Live music spills onto the sidewalk on Frenchmen Street most nights; a block or two off Frenchmen, the residential streets are genuinely quiet.

Best Hotels in Faubourg Marigny, New Orleans

Hotel Peter and Paul

★★★★
  • 🏛️ Best for architecture & design
  • ❤️ Best for couples

Our take One of the more original hotel concepts in the city — four religious buildings turned into rooms, a restaurant and event space without erasing what they used to be. A splurge, but a distinctive one.

Highlights

  • Rooms spread across a former church, schoolhouse, rectory and convent, each different
  • A four-year restoration that kept the original bones: soaring ceilings, church windows
  • A few minutes' walk from Frenchmen Street's live-music clubs, but quiet enough to sleep well

What to know

  • This is a design-forward, higher-priced boutique hotel — look elsewhere in Marigny if you want a simpler budget option
  • It's a genuine walk, 10-15 minutes, from the French Quarter's main sights
Check availability on Booking.com

Lamothe House

★★★★
  • 🤫 Best for a quiet stay

Our take A quiet, old-New-Orleans alternative to staying inside the French Quarter itself — the same easy walk to Jackson Square and Frenchmen Street, without the crowds right outside your door.

Highlights

  • A restored 1849 mansion on Esplanade Avenue, one of the city's grandest tree-lined streets
  • Genuinely quiet at night despite being a five-minute walk from Frenchmen Street's clubs
  • A courtyard and small pool that most hotels at this price in the area lack

What to know

  • Rooms vary in size and layout in a converted historic mansion, so ask what to expect when booking
  • It's a guesthouse-style property, so don't expect full hotel services like a restaurant or 24-hour room service
Check availability on Booking.com

Melrose Mansion

★★★

Our take A genuinely handsome Victorian mansion turned into spacious suites, with a real pool and garden — a good pick for a couple who wants more room than a standard French Quarter hotel.

Highlights

  • Suites larger than most French Quarter and Marigny rooms — the building was a private mansion
  • One of the bigger pools at any small hotel in this part of the city
  • On Esplanade Avenue, an easy walk to both the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street

What to know

  • A small property, so it books up — reserve ahead for weekends and festivals
  • It's a guesthouse-style property without a restaurant or round-the-clock front desk — check in/out times before you book
Check availability on Booking.com

Transportation & practical information

Walking covers the neighborhood and reaches the French Quarter easily. Rideshare is the practical option for the Warehouse District, Garden District, or the airport.

Skip the rental car for a trip centered on these three areas — parking is scarce and expensive, streets are narrow and often one-way, and everything here is walkable or a short rideshare away. Rent one only if you're planning day trips outside the city, like the River Road plantations or Cajun Country.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between Frenchmen Street and Bourbon Street?
Frenchmen Street is smaller and more locally driven, with a tight cluster of live-music clubs and fewer large tour groups. Bourbon Street is bigger and louder, and geared more toward bars and walk-up drinks than live music.
Is Faubourg Marigny within walking distance of the French Quarter?
Yes — it borders the Quarter along Esplanade Avenue, and it's about a 10-15 minute walk between the two.

Related areas

The wrought-iron balconies of Bourbon Street, with the Bourbon Street Blues Company sign hanging over the sidewalk in the French Quarter

Chris Waits / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

French Quarter

Best for: Nightlife, Architecture lovers, First-time visitors, Couples

The glass entrance facade of the National WWII Museum, marked with its name, in New Orleans' Warehouse District

Nolabob / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Warehouse District

Best for: Architecture lovers, First-time visitors, Families

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