Our busy season are spring and fall. The summers are brutal, August, lots of thigns close for weeks ore the month…
Winter is a fantastic time to visit, assuming you don’t arrive during a cold spell. If the country plunges into a deep freeze we get it too. But it’s a damp cold that feels colder and bites worse than the thermometer might indicate – it’s not Colorado cold. Don’t seel that short, bring proper clothes.
the humid cold is a thing, and the wind definitely bits
passing through the alleys of the French Quarter.
And since the cold spells are brief there is not infrastructiure for cold. Everyone here just hibernates like bees ….single pain glass, and zero insulation rule this caribean town.
If the entire country gerst a cold spell we get upper 20s, and snow every few years.Water pipes break everywhere…
But, if you don’t catch those cold spells, it’s a great time to visit. Very slow, not hot, affordable rates….Thanksgiving is a ghost town here, great time to visit.
NYE is still a thing, but around that time it’s slow…..
Jazz fest the energy is that direction, French Quarter Festival is 2 weeks prior and is our best festival…all locla music, all free, plenty of food to sample, stages down by the river – do it!
I get the travel idea of staying where the locals live, but locals live in the French Quarter..I don’t blame anyome for staying in a 200 year old building in the FQ – maybe older…You’re part of it, your’e int, and you’re close to lots of options stumbling distance options. People have been staying those buildings for hundreds of years, many speaking a variety of languages and cultures. Consider the hotesl on the outskirts of the Quarter, there are quieter parts.
If you’re near Bourbon, get a room off that street within the interior….I can’t imagine wanting a room with a balcony on Bourbon…you won’t be sleeping in, there are plenty of balconies to loiter on down Bourbon, make sure that’s important to you. Maybe for a passing parade, I suppose, but sleep is still a thing.
I love the old hotels, you are staying in history….But some people the shabby chic aspect of them. Some are more shabby then chic, but the feel of your trip will be different. It will feel like New Orleans. Staying at the Hilton feels like staying at a Hilton.
The boutique tours and chain hotels in the business district are close to the action, and if you are into haunted buildings, well can’t get more in the action than those buildings…
This is a small city, you easily avoid wheels. Renting a car is a fine idea if you are wanting to explore the region. But if you are here for the first time, you have plenty to do before venturing further out – so maybe next time. This is one of the shittiest cities you’ll ever visit for airport transit. No train, obtuse bus, that I can’t imagine being a true option. Expect to pay a bit to get back and forth. French Quarter is completely walkable, i can’t imagine why you would hire a mule drawn cart and tie up traffic, as you punish a mule in a place you should be burning off Po Boy bread. If you are eager, blue bike is a fine idea to get you around just about anywhere. Street Cars (we don’t say trolley) can be used for transit, but are unreliable, as are the buses. If you need to be somewhere, they are poor choices unless you like waiting on corners. Taxis near worthless, if the rideshare is affordable, it’s your best investment.
Ferry to Algiers are reliable, but don’t run 24 hours. if you get stuck on the other side, late, a rideshare back will be your only option and it will be pricey.
This is a dangerous city, because it;s a small city and so it’s a lot of life swimming close to each other – the good and bad. Keep your wits about you, and don’t become a target you will be fine. Take the rideshare back if it’s late, why mess around on your visit. The money is well spent to avoid any problems.