I will be visiting New Orleans for seven days in September. I have already booked and paid for my room, now I just need to figure out how much money to bring.
I will be eating out for all meals, plus I will be taking some tours, and hopefully do some shopping.
Can anybody recommend how much spending money I should bring for seven days? Also, any recommendations for restaurants and places to go would be very cool...thank you!
How much money should I take to New Orleans?
that depends your eating/spending habits.
are you happy with a po-boy or you want bread pudding?
how much do you drink?
if your Rachel Ray you can eat on $40 a day, if your a real person it's more like double that.
Harrah's New Orleans Casino
www.harrahs.com
8 Canal St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 533-6000
http://www.patobriens.com/
Pat O'Brien's Bar, Inc.
718 St. Peter Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas Street
(504) 588-2123
www.cochonrestaurant.com
the pickles are house-made.
get the oyster and bacon sandwich
Guy's Po-Boys
5257 Magazine St.
(504) 891-5025
The Bomb
is a grilled catfish, shrimp and onion po-boy topped with melted cheddar and Swiss.
chicken parmesan.
"It's not on the menu, but people who know about it, know it's about the best thing you'll ever eat.
check this website
http://www.nola.com/
Riverwalk Marketplace
1 Poydras Street, Suite 101
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130-1694
(504) 522-1555
Mardi Gras World
233 Newton Street
http://www.mardigrasworld.com/
http://www.ddaymuseum.org/
World War Two Museum
945 Magazine Street
http://www.steamboatnatchez.com/
New Orleans Steamboat Company
#2 Canal Street, Suite 2500
(504) 586-8777
(800) 233-2628
Cafe Du Monde
1039 Decatur Street
http://www.cafedumonde.com/main.html
Reply:This very much depends on what level of travel you want to pursue. Want to go to high class restaurant? Ride in taxicab? Barhop? If yes you need plenty even just the tipping will set you back some. New Orleans has many high class venues that might equal the cost of any other US city. Eating and transportation might run around $200/day. More modest? I'd say $50 for food and drink, bus fare $!0, you can buy a daily pass. Admission to places that charge such and a tour or 2 might eat up another $10/day. Do you plan to get souvenirs? New Orleans has many good reasonable price restaurants, Maybe $7.50 breakfast and lunch $20 dinner. Clover grill in French Quarter. Betsy's on Canal St.
Mandina's for dinner also on Canal, Or Liusa's on Bienville. Us National park service has some very good offerings such as Jazz, and swamp tours. The City has a new tourist office near the Municipal Auditorium with freebies. Plan that the weather will still be sweltering in september
Reply:My husband and I was there last year for 7 days and I took 1000.00 spending money and we had some left to bring home even. We ate, drank, shopped and gambled and we was good to go. We are not big eaters or drinks so some toast and coffee for breakfast, a light sandwich for lunch and a nice dinner was good for us.
With all the suggestions on here where to go I would just ego that, don't forget to go to Cafe du Monde for Beignets and also don't forget to try the Fried Aligator and you must have a Muffilotta (I know I am spelling it wrong), and a Hurricane from Pat O'Briens, these where the things we remember and still talk about from our New Orleans trip.
Can not wait to go back
Reply:We were recently there for 6 days...and I think the other poster was right on with approximately $100-200 per day. It all depends on what types of restaurants you plan on going to. I definitely recommend going to one of the big name restaurants at least once during your trip (Emril's, Cochon, or one of the Brennan's restaurants...). You are looking at around $150 for two people in one of these places. But it's well worth the price!
Reply:you dont have a credit card? ATM card?
i dont recommend carrying that much cash on you.
i would bring $1000 for a week. that is more then enough.
unless you have expensive taste in "shopping" like at saks or louis vuitton store, then you should add whatever to the $1000 you would normally spend shopping.
Reply:You are much better off taking minimal cash and using a debit card. Just keep good track of your purchases. There are a lot of pickpockets in New Orleans, particularly in the tourist areas of the city.
Reply:no less than $1200. I would bring more.
Reply:Thank you for visiting New Orleans!
How much money to take depends on what you want to do. As another answer points out, dining in upscale restaurants will cost a lot more than in ordinary places (ex. Antoine's and Commander's Palace are $75 to $100 per person for dinner). Also, some tours (ex. "all day + lunch") cost $50 to $80 per person. However, $100 per day should comfortably cover everything else.
Despite another answer, pickpockets (while there are some) are NOT a huge problem in New Orleans. However, it is always best (everywhere in the world) to keep most of your cash %26amp; credit cards secure in an under-the-trousers security belt. The belts are basically a rectangular pouch that goes around your waist (under your clothes) via an elastic strap. They are sold in luggage shops and the luggage/travel departments of large stores. Note that ATMs are everywhere in New Orleans and you can leave the money in your account and take it out as needed.
If for some reason you are only able to bring cash or paper Travelers Cheques with you, then bring extra - it is always better to have some left over then to run out.
NOLA is one of the world's special places with an ambience unique in North America, and remains so even after Katrina devastated it in 2005.
Katrina flooded about 80% of New Orleans with salt water, and the water stayed for almost a month. Much of the city is still struggling to recover and all you have to do to see devastation is drive around. It will take years for NOLA to fully recover from Katrina.
However, the parts of the city that tourists usually visit were not flooded. It's not a coincidence - the French Quarter and other old parts of the city were built on relatively high ground and only suffered wind damage from Katrina. Almost all of the damage has been repaired and you have to look closely in the FQ and city center to see that Katrina happened at all. You should visit and see for yourself.
Note that the City of New Orleans is only part of the greater New Orleans area. The GNO area had a population of about 1,400,000 before Katrina and is estimated at about 1,200,000 now (July, 2007). The absent 200,000 are mostly from the City of New Orleans and the parishes of Plaquemines and Saint Bernard, which were the worst-flooded parts of the metro area. Jefferson Parish - just to the west of the City - suffered relatively minor flooding and has fully recovered.
You can drink the water, the electricity %26amp; phones work, and services like the post office, hospitals, schools, and police/fire/EMS are operating. Restaurants, stores and shopping centers are open.
Municipal services like street cleaning %26amp; trash collection collapsed after Katrina. Those services were fully restored in late 2006 and it is no longer an issue.
I recommend staying in the French Quarter (Vieux Carre") if you can. There is a very wide range of selections available, from moderate guest houses to very exclusive "boutique" hotels. Search Yahoo Travel and Travelocity for ideas and also check the hotel websites. Go to www.frenchquarterhotels.com for some non-chain hotels.
A very inexpensive option is the India House hostel: http://www.indiahousehostel.com/
You don't need a car to get around in the French Quarter, Central Business District, or Warehouse District. Also, the parking regulations are Byzantine and there are lots of Parking Control Agents. If you drive or rent a car, leave it in a lot or garage unless you are traveling away from downtown.
The regional transit authority (www.norta.com) sells 1 and 3 day passes that offer unlimited use of buses and streetcars for the day(s) you select. There are also lots of taxicabs.
Regarding crime, use the same common sense necessary in every major city in the world and there is little chance you will be a victim of anything except a need to visit the gym.
New Orleans has mild weather from late October to early May and the city stays green all year most years (rarely freezes and almost never snows). We pay for the mild winters with hot, humid summers – particularly in July %26amp; August. The good news for summertime visitors is that hotel rates are lower.
Things to do:
There are many sightseeing opportunities in the greater New Orleans area, including carriage rides/tours, plantation tours, swamp tours, ghost tours, and even Katrina disaster tours. The steamboat Natchez also does a harbor tour. There are numerous tour companies and your hotel can help with the arrangements. Try to avoid scheduling an outdoor tour until you know the weather forecast for the day in question.
The Saint Charles Streetcar is the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world and is a "tourist attraction" in its own right. It is part of the public transit system, as are the Canal Street and Riverfront streetcar lines: http://www.norta.com/
There is always music, but the bands change: Go to www.bestofneworleans.com and click on Music then Listings or to www.offbeat.com and click on Listings, then Music. Note that music clubs often advertise "No Cover", meaning there is no charge for entering. However, clubs with "No Cover" often require that customers buy a beverage each for every "set " of music (which can be every 20 minutes) so know the price before you sit down. The clubs do that because some people will sit in the club all evening drinking water or nothing. It is also a good idea to pay for each round of drinks (in clubs on Bourbon Street) as it s delivered so there can't be any confusion at the end of the evening.
About certain alcoholic beverages: Realize that some famous drinks are VERY potent compared with regular cocktails that have only 1 to 1 ½ ounces of alcohol. For example, a Hurricane is basically 3 or 4 ounces of rum in something like red Kool-Aid, and a Hand Grenade has at least 4 ½ ounces of Everclear + rum + vodka mixed with melon liquor. They don’t necessarily taste like an alcoholic beverage and it is easy to over-indulge.
Wander around the French Quarter, enjoy the architecture, watch the street entertainers (do tip), and visit some of the historic buildings that have been turned into museums (go to www.frenchquarter.com and click on Historic Attractions).
Assuming the weather is good, you can collect a sandwich lunch and eat in the riverfront park (watch the shipping) or in Jackson Square (a very nice park).
The Riverwalk shopping center has an air-conditioned food court with dining overlooking the river (www.riverwalkmarketplace.com). The Canal Place shopping center is in the French Quarter and has a cinema and higher-end shopping (Saks 5th Avenue, Brooks Brothers, etc.)
The lobby for the Westin Canal Place Hotel is on the 11th floor and overlooks the French Quarter. It is a great place for an afternoon drink/snack:(www.westin.com).
Cafe du Monde is in the French Quarter and you shouldn't miss having cafe au lait %26amp; beignets (www.cafedumonde.com). Another great coffee shop is the Croissant d'Or (at 615 Ursulines Street), which is open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and has food in addition to pastry.
The Palm Court restaurant is very nice, has moderate prices, and traditional live jazz starting at 8:00pm: 1204 Decatur Street, tel 504-525-0200 (reservations are important and they are not open every day). The Palm Court is closed from about July 25th to about September 25th each year.
All of the famous restaurants (Antoine's, Arnaud's, Brennan's, Commander's Palace, etc.) have reopened. The Pelican Club (on Exchange Alley in the FQ) is not as well known but is the same type experience. Reservations are a good idea, and probably essential on weekends. Tujaques Restaurant (823 Decatur Street) is very traditional and has moderate prices: http://www.tujaguesrestaurant.com/
Cafe Degas is a very French restaurant near City Park at 3127 Esplanade - which is not within walking distance of downtown (5 to 10 minutes by taxi). They are closed on Mondays %26amp; Tuesdays (504-945-5635).
The Napoleon House restaurant is at 500 Chartres Street in the FQ, and has a menu of great local dishes: http://www.napoleonhouse.com/
There is a free ferry across the Mississippi at the "foot" of Canal Street. It is a short trip but like a harbor cruise w/o a guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/canal_stree...
The Aquarium and Audubon Zoo are world-class attractions (www.auduboninstitute.org) and you should see them if you can. The Zoo is several miles from downtown. You can drive to the Zoo (which has free parking) or take public transit from the French Quarter.
The Louisiana State Museum is in the French Quarter: http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/ New Orleans is also home to a number of other museums, such as the National World War II Museum (www.ddaymuseum.org) and the New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org). Both can be reached by public transit: The WWII museum is in the central business district but a long walk from the French Quarter. NOMA is not within walking distance of downtown but has free parking.
Harrah’s Casino is in the Central Business District: http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-n...
New Orleans City Park has an amusement park with rides and attractions for children + free parking (www.neworleanscitypark.com).
Check www.frenchquarter.com for ideas about other things to do.
Hope you have a great time!
Reply:Hi, I live in the French Quarter of New Orleans, so I'll try to give you some advice. I would say at the bare minimum $60 a day for food at cheap places. But on average, which many restaurants are, go with $100 a day for food. Not sure what restaurants you plan to go to, but some can be very pricy. Ex. Antoine's, Brennan's, Galatoire's, etc.
I'm also not sure if you are gonna do the Bourbon Street scene. But if you do, probably $30-$50 a day. Of course, this depends if you're a heavy drinker, partier, stuff like that.
Some places that you'll want to see or either free or cheap. Jackson Square, the St. Louis Cathedral, Madame John's Legacy are free and are beautiful! Also, the Historic New Orleans Collection at 533 Royal Street is free, open to the public, and is currently showing an exhibition called Surrounded by Water (which is extremely neat). The Cabildo, Presbytere, Ursuline Convent, Hermann-Grima House, Gallier House, and the U.S. Mint all offer cheap tours for about $5.
The Audubon Zoo, Aquarium, and brand new Insectarium are all must-see attractions. Strolling on the Moonwalk along the Mississippi is also a must-do. You'll need to take the streetcar just for the experience. The fare is $1.25 one way, or you can pick up a visitors pass for $5 a day and get unlimited rides on streetcars and buses for the day. You can pick this up at some places listed at this website: http://www.norta.com/passes/buyvisitourp...
Audubon Park and City Park are perfect places to take a stroll on a sunny day. And both are accessible by the streetcars. The New Orleans Museum of Art, World War 2 Museum, all good picks. There are numerous swamp and Hurricane Katrina tours available in the city. The Riverwalk has many shops and restaurants and is another must-see.
As far as shopping, Magazine Street and Royal Street are must-sees. While Royal Street may be way too expensive for most people, Magazine will have EVERYTHING you can imagine for a fairly reasonable price.
OK! Time for restaurants. In the French Quarter, I think you'll be happier with smaller, off the beaten path restaurants better. Irene's Cuisine on the corner of Chartres and St. Philip Street is Creole Italian cuisine, and it is insanely good! Port of Call on Esplanade Avenue has the best hamburgers in the world. I think that Antoine's and Galatoire's are kind of relying on their good names, but if you have the money, it's worth the experience. Other good restaurants, though somewhat touristy, are Napoleon House, Muriel's Jackson Square, Cafe Gumbolaya, The Gazebo Cafe, French Market Restaurant and Bar, Palace Cafe. I found Cafe Giovanni delicious too!
A good brunch idea is to ride the St. Charles Streetcar to Riverbend (the intersection of St Charles Avenue and Carrollton Avenue) and go to the Camellia Grill. It's small, kinda retro, but cheap and delicious. There are many restaurants Uptown, but I haven't been to many of them. Mandina's and Venezia's in Mid-City are also very tasty.
Sorry to unload on you, but there is just so much to do and see in New Orleans! I haven't even stratched the surface! Hope this helps! Best bet 200-300 dollars a day. More if you want to do all kinds of stuff. Try to do some research. There's so much here. Let the good times roll.
http://www.auduboninstitute.org/site/Pag...
http://www.hgghh.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audubon_Par...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Park,_...
http://www.noma.org/
http://www.riverwalkmarketplace.com/html...
http://www.venezianeworleans.com/
http://www.mandinasrestaurant.com/
http://www.antoines.com/
http://www.galatoires.com/
http://www.ogdenmuseum.org/
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/
http://www.napoleonhouse.com/
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