Last updated September 2, 2026

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

New Orleans

Where to Stay in French Quarter, New Orleans

The French Quarter is New Orleans' original neighborhood, laid out in 1718 on the highest, driest ground along the river bend. Its wrought-iron balconies, courtyards, and narrow streets are mostly Spanish colonial in origin, not French — but the name stuck. Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, and Bourbon Street all sit within its compact grid, along with most of the restaurants, galleries, and live music that make up a first-time visitor's picture of New Orleans.

What it's actually like to stay here

Lively at almost any hour — street musicians and horse-drawn carriages by day, jazz spilling out of open doorways and a full-on party on Bourbon Street by night. It's touristy in the center and quieter and more residential toward its edges.

Stay here if

First-time visitors who want everything — Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, the riverfront, and dozens of restaurants — within a short walk, plus couples and architecture fans drawn to the balconies and courtyards.

Stay elsewhere if

Consider another neighborhood if you want a quiet night's sleep without earplugs, or if Bourbon Street's bar-and-crowd scene isn't your idea of a good time — it runs loud well past midnight most nights, especially Thursday through Saturday.

Walkability
Flat and compact — the Quarter is roughly 13 blocks by 6 blocks, and nearly everything in it is a 10-15 minute walk from anywhere else.
Noise at night
Loud on and around Bourbon Street at night, especially on weekends; streets like Royal, Chartres, and Dauphine, and the quieter end near Esplanade Avenue, are noticeably calmer.

Best Hotels in French Quarter, New Orleans

Hotel Monteleone

★★★★
  • 🏆 Our overall pick
  • 📍 Best location

Our take The grand-hotel choice in the French Quarter — big enough for a pool, spa and restaurant, but still one block from Bourbon Street and steeped in well over a century of New Orleans history.

Highlights

  • The revolving Carousel Bar is a genuine only-in-New-Orleans experience, not a gimmick added for tourists
  • Rooftop pool and sun deck with views across the French Quarter's rooftops
  • Family-run since 1886, with a real literary history: Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote wrote here

What to know

  • It's a large hotel by French Quarter standards, so it can feel busier than the neighborhood's small boutique properties
  • Rooms facing Royal Street can pick up street noise — ask for a higher or courtyard-facing room.
Check availability on Booking.com

Bourbon Orleans Hotel

★★★★

Our take A solid, well-located hotel that trades a few steps of Bourbon Street proximity for a quieter room and an actual pool — good for staying near the action without sleeping in the middle of it.

Highlights

  • One block off Bourbon Street, away from the loudest stretch.
  • Outdoor pool and rooftop deck, uncommon among French Quarter hotels this central
  • Built on the site of the 19th-century Orleans Ballroom.

What to know

  • Some rooms have French Quarter balconies — request one at booking if that matters to you
  • One block off Bourbon still means weekend evening noise — ask for an upper floor.
Check availability on Booking.com

Hotel Villa Convento

★★★
  • 💰 Best value

Our take A straightforward, well-kept way into the French Quarter at a fraction of what the bigger hotels charge — a few blocks from Bourbon Street, on a quieter residential stretch near Ursulines Avenue.

Highlights

  • A genuine French Quarter address at a price most of the neighborhood's hotels don't reach
  • A small courtyard keeps it quieter than hotels on the main tourist streets
  • Family-run for decades, with the kind of personal service a larger chain hotel doesn't offer

What to know

  • Some sections of the building have no elevator, worth knowing if stairs are an issue
  • It's a several-block walk to Bourbon Street and Jackson Square, longer than staying more centrally
Check availability on Booking.com

Transportation & practical information

Walking covers almost everything. The Riverfront streetcar line runs along the Quarter's river edge, and rideshare is the easiest way to reach 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

Is the French Quarter safe to walk around at night?
The main tourist streets are busy and well-lit well past midnight, which keeps them reasonably safe, but use normal city precautions — stick to populated streets and stay aware of your surroundings, especially a block or two off the main strips.
How far is the French Quarter from the airport?
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is about 30-45 minutes away by taxi, rideshare, or the airport shuttle, depending on traffic.

Related areas

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

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

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Best for: Nightlife, Couples, Architecture lovers

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