French Quarter Walking Guide

The French Quarter, or Vieux Carré, is the old colonial city, a grid of about thirteen blocks by six set back from the river. Despite the name, most of what you see is Spanish or American: two great fires in 1788 and 1794 destroyed the French town, and it was rebuilt under Spanish rule with courtyards, arches and the famous iron balconies. People still live here, which is what keeps it from feeling like a theme park.

The route

About two miles, flat all the way. Morning is cooler and quieter.

1. Jackson Square. The old parade ground, with Andrew Jackson on horseback, artists hanging their work on the railings and tarot readers at folding tables.
2. St. Louis Cathedral. The white, triple-steepled church facing the square, one of the oldest cathedrals in the country. On either side stand the Cabildo, where France formally handed Louisiana to the United States in December 1803 (the Purchase itself was signed in Paris), and the Presbytère, now a museum about Mardi Gras and Hurricane Katrina.
3. The Pontalba Buildings. The red-brick apartment blocks along both sides of the square, from the 1840s, with some of the finest ironwork in the city.
4. Café du Monde and the riverfront. Beignets, then climb the steps to the Moonwalk, a riverside promenade, to watch the ships on the Mississippi.
5. The French Market. A long colonnaded market running downriver along Decatur Street, now mostly souvenirs and food stalls, with a flea market at the far end.
6. The residential streets. Turn inland along Ursulines or Governor Nicholls and walk the quiet lower Quarter, where Creole cottages with shutters and hidden courtyards line streets with almost no shops. The Old Ursuline Convent, from the 1750s, is one of the oldest buildings in the Mississippi Valley.
7. Royal Street. Walk back upriver along Royal, the Quarter's finest street, with antique shops, art galleries and balconies hung with ferns. Street musicians play in the pedestrian blocks in the afternoon.
8. Bourbon Street. One block over. See it once, ideally in daylight, to appreciate the old buildings under the neon. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, a candlelit bar in an eighteenth-century cottage at the quiet end, is the place for a drink.

Museums and tours

The Historic New Orleans Collection on Royal Street is free and excellent on the city's past. Ghost and Voodoo tours are everywhere at night. They're entertaining, if not always accurate. For something more serious, the National Park Service gives free ranger talks at its French Quarter visitor centre on Decatur Street on some days, and our music guide covers Preservation Hall, a few blocks away.

The walk fits the first morning of our 3-day itinerary.