New Orleans French Quarter Walk
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
The French Quarter is the oldest part of New Orleans, laid out by French engineers in the 1720s and rebuilt under Spanish rule after two great fires. Locals still call it the Vieux Carre, the old square. On this walk you will see how French, Spanish, African and Caribbean people each left their mark on its streets, from the cathedral and the government house to the gathering ground where Sunday drumming helped plant the roots of jazz.
The loop has 12 stops and covers about 3 kilometers (2 miles) on flat sidewalks. Allow around two hours, including a few minutes at each stop and time to wander. Walk on the shady side when you can, carry water in warm months, and watch for uneven brick pavement.
Start in Jackson Square, facing St. Louis Cathedral. The route heads upriver along Chartres and Royal streets, crosses to Congo Square on Rampart Street, comes back through the quieter lower Quarter to the Old U.S. Mint, and finishes with beignets beside the square where you began.
12 stops on this tour:
Jackson Square - The Old Parade Ground
St. Louis Cathedral - Three Spires on the Square
The Cabildo - Where Louisiana Changed Hands
Pharmacy Museum - America's First Licensed Pharmacist
Royal Street - Galleries, Ironwork and Street Music
Preservation Hall - Jazz in a Plain Room
Congo Square - Where the Drums Kept Sunday
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - A Legend in Brick and Timber
Old Ursuline Convent - The Quarter's Oldest Survivor
Old U.S. Mint - Coins, Then Jazz
French Market - Two Centuries of Trading
Cafe du Monde - Beignets by the Square
Stops on this tour
- Jackson Square - The Old Parade Ground
- St. Louis Cathedral - Three Spires on the Square
- The Cabildo - Where Louisiana Changed Hands
- Pharmacy Museum - America's First Licensed Pharmacist
- Royal Street - Galleries, Ironwork and Street Music
- Preservation Hall - Jazz in a Plain Room
- Congo Square - Where the Drums Kept Sunday
- Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - A Legend in Brick and Timber
- Old Ursuline Convent - The Quarter's Oldest Survivor
- Old U.S. Mint - Coins, Then Jazz
- French Market - Two Centuries of Trading
- Cafe du Monde - Beignets by the Square