Things to do in the French Quarter

The French Quarter is the city's oldest neighbourhood, a compact grid roughly thirteen blocks by six, and it is built for walking rather than driving: parking is metered and tightly enforced.

Jackson Square, ringed by St Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytère, is the obvious start, with Royal Street's galleries and antique shops running parallel to Bourbon Street's bars. Decatur Street and the French Market line the riverside edge, and Café du Monde serves beignets around the clock.

Open containers are legal here in a plastic go-cup, not glass. This is the historic core, not the whole city: the Garden District's mansions and the music of Tremé and Frenchmen Street belong to other neighbourhoods entirely.