Two Days in New Orleans: French Quarter and Garden District

Two days is the point where a New Orleans trip stops being only the French Quarter. The first day stays inside the old city on foot; the second swaps the grid of the Quarter for the leafy, curving stretch of St Charles Avenue, reached by the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world. No car changes hands at any point — this is a plan built entirely around walking and the streetcar.

Why two days works this way

A single day in New Orleans has to stay inside the French Quarter, because that is as far as most visitors can comfortably cover on foot in a few hours. A second day changes the shape of the trip rather than just adding more of the same: it moves the centre of gravity from the tight, 13-by-6-block grid of the Quarter to the wide, tree-lined avenue and antebellum mansions of the Garden District, several kilometres upriver.

The two days are meant to feel different — one dense and historic, the other slower and residential — and neither one needs a car. Tremé, the Faubourg Marigny and Frenchmen Street, and every day trip outside the city, are left out here on purpose; they belong to longer itineraries once the two anchor days above are in place. For anyone still weighing how much time to set aside before booking, the how many days in New Orleans guide lays out what each extra day tends to add.

New Orleans itself sits on a bend of the Mississippi River, in the far south of Louisiana, with much of the city built at or below sea level between the river and Lake Pontchartrain. That geography does not change how these two days run — both stay well inside the historic core — but it explains why the French Quarter and the Garden District, some of the oldest and driest ground in the city, are also its most walkable neighbourhoods.

Day 1: The French Quarter on foot

The French Quarter is compact enough to walk end to end, and a full day gives enough time to do it without rushing.

Morning. Start at Jackson Square, the historic heart of the Quarter, facing St Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytère. Beignets and chicory coffee at Café du Monde nearby are as close to compulsory as New Orleans gets. From the square, walk the few blocks of Royal Street, known for its galleries and antiques rather than its bars, then loop back toward Decatur Street and the French Market for a browse.

Midday. Have lunch in or near the Quarter — this is the place to try a po’boy or a muffuletta, two dishes that belong specifically to New Orleans. If cemeteries and the darker side of the city’s history interest you, the early afternoon is a good slot for a guided visit: St Louis Cemetery No. 1 cannot be entered independently, only with an authorised guide, and its above-ground tombs are one of the city’s true signatures.

a combined cemetery, French Quarter and voodoo walking tour is a practical way to cover the cemetery, the neighbourhood’s history and its voodoo lore in one guided outing, without trying to arrange separate entries.

Afternoon. Spend the rest of the day working through the Quarter’s grid at an easy pace: the antique shops of Royal Street, the shopfronts and street performers around Jackson Square, and the Presbytère’s exhibits if museums appeal. This is also a good time for a walking-history tour if you have not booked one for the morning.

a guided walk through the Quarter’s ghost stories and history works well as a late-afternoon or early-evening outing, once the heat of the day has eased.

Evening. Bourbon Street is the loudest option and the one every visitor has heard of; New Orleans allows open containers of alcohol on the street here, in a plastic go-cup, never in glass. For a quieter and more musical evening, note that Frenchmen Street in the nearby Faubourg Marigny is where locals actually go — but on this itinerary it is left for a future, longer trip rather than squeezed into day one. Dinner near the Quarter, ideally something built around gumbo or jambalaya, closes out a long first day.

For a fuller breakdown of this neighbourhood, see the French Quarter walking guide and the wider list of things to do in the French Quarter.

Day 2: St Charles Avenue and the Garden District

The second day changes pace and mode of transport entirely. Rather than walking out from the Quarter, the day is built around the St Charles streetcar — the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world — which runs from Canal Street out along St Charles Avenue, through Uptown and past the edge of the Garden District.

Morning. Board the streetcar on Canal Street or further along St Charles Avenue. A Jazzy Pass covering a day, or several, is the simplest way to ride it more than once without buying individual fares each time. Ride it out past the university area and the grand homes that line the avenue — this stretch of track is as much the point of the morning as any single stop.

Midday. Get off in the Garden District and continue on foot. This is a neighbourhood best explored slowly: antebellum mansions behind wrought-iron fences, live oaks overhanging the sidewalks, and a noticeably quieter, more residential feel than the Quarter. It rewards wandering rather than a fixed route.

a guided walk through the Garden District’s mansions and historic tombs is a good way to get context on the architecture and the families who built it, rather than admiring the houses from the sidewalk without knowing their history.

Afternoon. Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 sits inside the Garden District and, unlike St Louis Cemetery No. 1, can be visited independently during opening hours — its rows of above-ground family tombs are one of the most photographed sights in the city. A guided option adds detail on the families and burial customs behind the tombs.

a guided tour that takes in Lafayette Cemetery’s gates and the surrounding Garden District streets pairs the cemetery visit with the neighbourhood walk in a single outing.

Late afternoon and evening. Ride the streetcar back down St Charles Avenue toward Canal Street and the Quarter as the light softens — it is a pleasant way to close the loop on the two days, and a good moment to note how different this second day has felt from the first: an avenue instead of a grid, a streetcar instead of pavement, mansions instead of shopfronts. Dinner can go back into the Quarter or the Lower Garden District, depending on which side of the ride you end up closer to.

More detail on this half of the trip is in the Garden District and streetcar guide and the Garden District walking tours listing.

Two days at a glance

Day	Focus	How you get around	Highlights
Day 1	French Quarter	On foot	Jackson Square, Royal Street, St Louis Cemetery No. 1 (guided only), Bourbon Street
Day 2	Garden District and St Charles Avenue	St Charles streetcar, then on foot	The streetcar ride itself, antebellum mansions, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

What this itinerary leaves out

By design, this plan does not reach Tremé, the birthplace of much of the city’s music, or the Faubourg Marigny and its Frenchmen Street live-music strip — both are better suited to a third day. It also leaves out every day trip beyond the city limits: the River Road plantations, the swamps and bayous, Lafayette and Cajun country, and the Gulf Coast all require their own dedicated time and are covered in the River Road plantations two-day itinerary and other longer plans.

If two days turns into more, the natural next step is three days in New Orleans or a four-day itinerary that adds a plantation.

Practical basics for these two days

Landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is the standard way in, and the trip from the airport into the French Quarter is covered in the airport transfers guide — worth reading before you land so the first hour of day one is not spent working it out. Since this itinerary runs entirely on foot and the St Charles streetcar, where you stay matters more than usual: a base in or near the French Quarter keeps day one simple, while anything close to the St Charles line makes day two easier to start.

A few practical habits carry across both days. Tipping is expected in restaurants, bars and for guided tours, and sales tax is added at the till rather than built into the price shown — both are covered in more detail in the tipping and sales tax guide. New Orleans is generally a safe city to visit, but like any large city it rewards ordinary caution, particularly after dark; the safety guide for visitors goes through what that means in practice. Given how much of both days is spent outdoors — walking the Quarter’s grid on day one, riding an open streetcar and wandering the Garden District on day two — checking the packing guide before the trip is worth the few minutes it takes, especially for footwear and sun protection.

FAQ: two days in New Orleans

Do I need a car for this two-day itinerary?

No. Both days stay inside the city, and the whole plan works on foot plus the St Charles streetcar. A car adds parking hassle in the Quarter and is not needed for the Garden District either.

How do I get from the French Quarter to the Garden District?

The St Charles streetcar is the way most visitors do it. Catch it on Canal Street or St Charles Avenue and ride it uptown into the Garden District; a Jazzy Pass covering a day or more is worth it if you plan to hop on and off.

Can I visit Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 on my own?

Yes, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 can be visited independently during its opening hours, unlike St Louis Cemetery No. 1, which can only be entered with an authorised guide.

Should I add Tremé or Frenchmen Street to this two-day plan?

This itinerary deliberately leaves them out to keep two days focused and unhurried. Tremé, the Faubourg Marigny and any day trips outside the city fit better into a three-day or longer itinerary.

What should I wear for a day on the St Charles streetcar and in the Garden District?

Comfortable walking shoes matter most: the Garden District is best explored on foot between streetcar stops, on uneven brick and stone sidewalks. In summer, light clothing and water are essential given the heat and humidity.

Is the Garden District safe to walk around?

The Garden District is a quiet, well-off residential area and is generally safe to walk in daylight. As anywhere in New Orleans, stick to the main routes after dark and take a ride rather than walk back late at night.