The hip, local, music-filled quarters just downriver from the French Quarter — the Faubourg Marigny, home to Frenchmen Street's live-music clubs, and colourful, arty Bywater with its street art, cafés and creative scene. Lively, authentic and walkable to the Quarter, with the best local music and a genuine bohemian vibe; the base for travellers who want the real New Orleans music scene without Bourbon Street's tourist crush. The city's soulful, creative heart. Cool and characterful.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
$280–450
typical per night in United States
The sensible middle
Typical prices for New Orleans — neither steal nor splurge.
Where it sits
The circle is Marigny & Bywater and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- Café du Monde & beignets14 min walk1.1 km
- Live jazz & brass bands15 min walk1.2 km
- The French Quarter16 min walk1.3 km
- The above-ground cemeteries21 min walk1.7 km
- Creole & Cajun food21 min walk1.8 km
- The National WWII Museum9 min taxi2.9 km
- The St Charles Streetcar11 min taxi3.7 km
- The Garden District15 min taxi5.0 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 2.Live jazz & brass bands — New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, and hearing it live is the soul of any visit — from the historic Preservation Hall (a tiny, sweaty shrine to traditional jazz) to the clubs of Frenchmen Street and the spontaneous brass bands and second-line parades in the streets. The music is everywhere, raw and joyous, and utterly woven into the city's being. Squeeze into Preservation Hall, wander Frenchmen Street's clubs, and follow a brass band; it's a magical, essential, only-in-New-Orleans experience. Soulful and unforgettable. Don't miss it.
- 4.Frenchmen Street — The locals' answer to Bourbon Street — Frenchmen Street in the Marigny, a two-block strip packed with live-music clubs where you can bar-hop between brass, jazz, funk and blues bands almost any night, plus a nightly outdoor art market. It's where New Orleanians go for the real music, without the drunken tourist chaos of Bourbon. Wander from club to club, catch a few sets, and soak up the authentic, joyous music scene; it's a highlight of any night in the city. The heart of the real New Orleans nightlife. Brilliant and unmissable.
- 12.Bywater & street art — The city's most bohemian, creative quarter — Bywater, downriver from the Marigny, with its colourful shotgun cottages, vivid street art and murals, hip cafés and restaurants, craft-beer bars, and the lovely Crescent Park along the river with skyline views. Wander the arty streets to hunt out the murals, café-hop, and enjoy the laid-back, creative vibe far from the crowds. A great window into the young, artistic side of New Orleans, and endlessly photogenic. A lovely, offbeat afternoon. Cool and colourful.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Marigny & Bywater; flights via Google Flights.