Planning a cruise from New Orleans? Make sure you spend at least 24 hours in New Orleans before your cruise to sample a little of what New Orleans has to offer!
New Orleans is a historic, vibrant city with tons of things to do. 24 hours is definitely not long enough, but sometimes one day is all you have and you have to make the most of it!
We recently took a five night cruise out of the port of New Orleans and we had one full day before the cruise to explore New Orleans. We certainly didn’t make it to everything but this is what we were able to cram into that single day.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. That means that, at zero extra cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Best Grits in New Orleans?
We were up early and headed to breakfast for our one day in New Orleans. We got in relatively late the night before and completely crashed, but I had heard that New Orleans is really at it’s best (and cleanest) first thing in the morning so we were up early to experience the city before the heat and the crowds!
Our super-cute breakfast spot, Fleur-de-lis, was right on Bourbon Street, but Bourbon Street was calm and quiet in the morning sunshine. Around 9:00 in the morning there were plenty of open tables and we were seated upstairs right away. I wasn’t sure about the coffee – I suspected it had chicory in it, but the food was very good!
The waitress tried to tell us they would be the best grits we had ever had. The grits were stone ground so that made them unique. They were creamy and cheesy and really good. Best I’ve ever had? I’m not sure, but I think in the South there is a pretty steep competition for that. The grits were absolutely worth going to Fleur-de-lis just to try them!
For our actual food we got eggs benedict and a large traditional breakfast with pancakes. Everything was very good and it was a pleasant restaurant. Definitely recommend!
Free Walking Tour New Orleans
After breakfast we headed over to Jackson Square for our *free* walking tour. I really enjoy the concept of Free Tours By Foot. The idea is you go on the walking tour and then you pay what you think is fair at the end.
In recent years they have added a booking system where you pay a few dollars basically to hold your spot on the tour so the groups aren’t so big. The tour group was really large so we were split into two groups, but because everyone reserved online they knew and planned for that in advance.
We learned about St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, a little about the Mississippi River and flooding. We went past the Ursuline Convent and the LaFitte Blacksmith shop, which are the oldest buildings in New Orleans. The tour lasted about an hour and a half, which was long enough. The website said two hours, but we were both ready for a break from walking and standing because we had stood most of the time on the tour. We paid (tipped?) and headed back to Jackson Square to figure out what was next.
We sat on a bench in the shade for a while and enjoyed the beautiful weather of Jackson Square in April.
Lunch at the French Market
We walked from Jackson Square to the French Market. There were different types of food stalls serving everything from traditional New Orleans cuisine, to an oyster bar, to smoothies and drinks but the lines were too long and there were not good seating options so we kept walking.
We ended up in a little restaurant at the end of the French Market that looked like a nice place to sit and enjoy our food. We sat outside on the patio. It was warm, but there were fans going. In true New Orleans fashion, there was a jazz band playing.
After lunch we walked through the stalls of the French Market. The first part of the market had a bunch of traditional New Orleans food and drinks. Once you pass the food stalls, there are vendors selling all types of New Orleans souvenirs, jewelry and other items you find at an outdoor market.
When we had done enough shopping, we walked up to the streetcar line (which at this point runs along the river, making it easy to find) and hopped on the streetcar!
Streetcars in New Orleans!
Streetcars are a fun way to get around New Orleans. A one day pass is super cheap (only $3) and they are a form of transportation and entertainment rolled into one. They definitely don’t go all over the city and we still had to walk a couple of blocks at either end of our journey, but the streetcar turned a 12 block walk into a 3 block walk. Totally worth it.
Plus, they’re a lot of fun!
We used the jazzy pass app to ride, but you can also buy tickets in certain stores in advance or pay on the streetcars if that is easier.
The Canal streetcar took us close to our hotel. We went to the hotel and rested for an hour before we headed back out to achieve the most important New Orleans goal – beignets!
Beignets! A New Orleans Food Tradition
We went to Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street and sat in the jazz courtyard out front. It wasn’t busy and it was very pleasant to sit out there. We each got an iced cafe au lait and an order of beignets. We knew the beignets came three to an order, but we did not realize they were so incredibly huge! They were each like the size of my hand!
We quickly realized we were not going to finish them so we got some to-go bags and put the rest in my purse and took them with us.
Looking for a travel purse large enough for a bottle of water, a full sized camera and a bag of beignets? Check out my favorite travel purse here. It’s comfy and fits way more than you think!
(In case you were wondering, yes you can eat beignets cold and a day old. It’s like getting hot donuts at Krispy Kreme – they melt in your mouth and are amazing when you first buy them, but nobody is mad about a day old Krispy Kreme. The beignets made a good addition to our hotel breakfast the next morning!)
Historic Green Street Cars & The Garden District
After our beignets, we walked back to Canal Street and hopped on the historic green street car line. We had to wait for a few minutes to get the streetcar, but at least we were able to get a seat.
The ride out to the Garden District was actually longer than I was expecting, but the windows were open and it was a nice day so it was a pleasant ride. Plus we got to see a different side of New Orleans as we rode.
We got off the streetcar at Washington Street, which my guide book told me was the best place to find beautiful historic homes. We followed the Frommer’s Travel Guide Book Walking Tour that I had downloaded on my phone. It gave us a map to walk to see some of the most interesting and historic sites and then gave us a little information about them.
We saw the cemetery (it’s closed without a tour) and a whole bunch of old and historic houses. We had fun just walking around and looking at the beautiful, and sometimes unusual, architecture of the historic houses.
Check out the guide book we used for our self-guided walking tour here! It would not have been nearly as entertaining without knowing what we were looking at!
Evening in New Orleans
We are not partiers. I think I need to say that before I go any further. If you are, well, New Orleans at night is the place for you. We really enjoyed New Orleans during the day, but at night, it’s a little much for us.
The dinner spot we had recommended to us was pretty far off Bourbon Street and was exceptionally calm. It was close to the riverfront and probably more popular at lunch, but Cafe Maspero was a great family dinner place. It felt old school and classic. The service was good. The food was good without being pretentious.
And there was no wait.
At all.
We rode the streetcar a ways down the street to get to dinner, but still ended up walking several blocks to make it to Cafe Maspero for dinner. It was very close to the river and not at all close to Bourbon Street and it was very pleasant.
We did a little shopping on our way back to the hotel. We also walked down Bourbon Street. It was chaotic and hectic and pretty much as advertised.
How would you spend one day in New Orleans?
We all prioritize different things when we travel. Some of you reading this probably think we made all the wrong choices and we missed out on so much. We did miss out on so much and there are plenty of lists out there of Top 10 Things To Do In New Orleans, but I’m not that New Orleans expert. Plus those lists tend to leave out timing. How long does it take to do those 10 things? How long does it take to get across the city?
You have to choose your own itinerary. Stealing someone else’s itinerary probably won’t be absolutely everything you want it to be.
But hopefully the story of what we were able to see and do (and eat – I think we ate about every 3 hours) in one day in New Orleans will help you plan your time.
Recommended Reading:
Frommer’s Easy Guide to New Orleans
What to read next:
Tips For Cruising Out Of New Orleans
What do you need to bring on your first cruise?
