The French Quarter has a lot to offer round the clock in terms of sightseeing, food, cocktails, nightlife, history, and old-world charm. For over 300 years, it’s been a cultural medley of Spanish, French, Caribbean, and African influences, and it’s evident in every cobblestone, wrought-iron balcony and lush tropical courtyard.
In the French Quarter, you can sample uniquely New Orleans dishes prepared by award-winning chefs, walk the streets steeped in over three centuries of volatile and magical history, witness only-in-New-Orleans traditions playing out in the street, and catch a performance of a world-class musician. There’s no other city like New Orleans, and its heart, the French Quarter, distills everything that makes New Orleans so alluring, and dishes it out 24/7, with flair.
Needless to say, finding your way through the French Quarter can be a little overwhelming to a visitor. We would like to make sure that you experience the best of the Quarter’s many sights, sounds and tastes, so if you need help locking in a perfect itinerary and choosing a room that would best suit your needs, read on! Here, we offer our recommendations on what to see, do, eat, and drink, and give you a little more information about our well-appointed rooms.
Choosing the perfect room at the Prince Conti
Our historic hotel is a cool oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter, featuring an old-world southern atmosphere yet with modern amenities. The Prince Conti Hotel is also very close to a plethora of renowned historic sites and fun destinations. The always-hopping Bourbon Street is only a block away, and the historic St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square are six blocks away. The shopping and dining destinations of Canal Street are close by, and the museums and world-class restaurants of the CBD are a short ride away. New Orleans is also known for its exciting nightlife, and the Prince Conti Hotel puts you close to some of the best nightlife destinations, like Harrah’s New Orleans Casino, Pat O’Brien’s, House of Blues, and more.
The hotel also houses The Bombay Club Bar & Restaurant, an elegant New Orleans favorite featuring creative cocktails and bar bites. The Bombay Club serves up dozens of varieties of martini and nightly live music. In the morning and afternoon hours, dine in style at the Cafe Conti, also located in the Prince Conti Hotel. Serving a variety of breakfast and lunch fare daily, Cafe Conti’s menu gives special attention to Creole and French cuisine.
There are five room types, with either a king or a queen bed, and we also have rooms with two queen beds. The one-bedrooms are ideal for solo travelers, couples, or besties who don’t mind sharing a bed. The rooms with two queen beds are well suited for families, friend trips, girl trips, and any small groups that are OK with sharing a room.
Minimalists will love the petite room, it’s well-appointed and offers great value. If you treasure your privacy and are sensitive to noise, the windowless interior room with two queen beds also offers great value and all the peace and quiet you need. Our beautiful deluxe room offers more space and features elegant decor. The junior suite, with its sitting area, and the suite rooms with a separate elegant parlor, offer the most space.
Keep in mind that due to the historic nature of our property, we have some variations in our room sizes.
Getting around
The Prince Conti Hotel is located within walking distance from the many attractions the whole family will love, such as the Riverwalk along the scenic Mississippi River, where you can enjoy watching the boats go by, have a picnic, or just stroll and people-watch. The Aquarium of the Americas features an IMAX theater and is located on the river, too.
There are plenty of shopping areas to visit as well, including the historic open-air French Market. New Orleans is known for its amazing food, and your trip would not be complete without having an order of beignets and a cafe au lait from Cafe Du Monde. Enjoy live music next door, and try not to get that powdered sugar all over yourself!
You can pretty much walk to all of your destinations in the French Quarter from the hotel as the terrain is flat, the area is just 78 square blocks, and the street layout makes sense and is easy to navigate. The next best thing would be to bike or hail a pedicab. If you want to go outside the Quarter, try a cab or rideshare, or the streetcar.
The historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar stops across Canal Street and will take you through the CBD, the Garden District, Uptown, and all the way to the Riverbend for just $1.25. Riding the famous green streetcar is a rite of passage for many a visitor, and one of the easiest ways to get around and see the nearby neighborhoods. It stops on almost every block, and you can explore at your own pace.
Similarly, the City Sightseeing New Orleans Hop-On, Hop-Off double-decker bus tour is another flexible and convenient way to travel from the French Quarter to the Garden District and Magazine Street shopping district. Your ticket includes three free walking tours, and the buses come to each stop every 30 minutes. You can hop and off anytime, as the name suggests, allowing you to travel and sightsee on your own terms.
Wondering what’s on Conti Street? A nod to the city’s multicultural history, it connects the Mississippi River and Rampart Street. Named for French royalty, a prince in the Bourbon family, Conti Street today is home to numerous restaurants, bars, and other attractions. Check out the free Irish Cultural Museum, which explores the rich history of the city’s Irish residents dating back to the 1700s, and has a whiskey and coffee bar on-site; or the Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes and Culture, which has one of the largest personal collections of Mardi Gras costumes in the city.
Where to eat
Besides the casual Cafe Conti which makes a great breakfast or dessert stop, and the elegant Bombay Club, both located inside the Prince Conti Hotel, a few popular restaurants call Conti Street home. Those include the Gulf seafood haven Oceana Grill, the cocktail pro standout Kingfish, the 24-hour burger and breakfast mainstay Deja Vu Bar & Grill, and Broussard’s, the grande dame of Creole dining that’s been delighting New Orleanians with oysters Broussard, crawfish remoulade, Gulf shrimp, and other local delicacies since 1920.
If you’re out late and need a bite, don’t miss the family-owned agave bar and restaurant Cuñada (open till midnight), or head to the local fave, Erin Rose. This beloved Irish bar dishes out Guinness on tap, very good frozen Irish coffee, and hosts a po-boy popup in the back, Killer Poboys.
What to do
The many attractions of the French Quarter are located within walking distance and just waiting to be explored, including the antique store-packed Royal Street, the 18th century (and still operating) Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop bar, and such notable landmarks as the Old Ursuline Convent, the oldest surviving example of the French colonial period in the country, circa Louis XV.
There’s plenty to do in the Quarter, whether you’re short on time, on a limited budget, working during your visit, or facing a rainy day. We have suggestions on how to stay fit during your New Orleans stay, or where to celebrate a romantic occasion. The French Quarter is a simply perfect backdrop for your romantic getaway! Need some local tips on how to spend a perfect girls’ day in the Quarter, including getting glam? We have recommendations, too!
And, of course, the Quarter (and the adjacent Marigny with its incredible club-hopping destination, Frenchmen Street) never really sleeps, so we hope you take advantage of the abundant nightlife, with its live music, burlesque, karaoke, and all kinds of late-night entertainment.
Where to shop
The one-of-a-kind boutiques of Chartres Street, the souvenir shops blasting zydeco that pepper the long strip of Decatur Street, the daily flea and food markets at the French Market and Shops at the Colonnade, plus three malls (including the upscale Shops at Canal Place), are all within walking distance from the hotel.
Gifts and souvenirs as distinctive as New Orleans itself can be found in many local shops, but also any of the last-minute essentials should you find you forgot to pack a toothbrush, need an umbrella, or want to stock up on snacks for your hotel room. The French Quarter also packs an impressive number of women’s shops, including some vintage gems.
The best time of the year to visit
If you can handle the heat, anytime, really, is a good time to visit. The city’s event calendar is staggeringly full all year, though the fun intensifies, if that’s possible, in the fall and leading up to the holidays, and stays that way through Mardi Gras and the spring festival season. Even when the heat and humidity descend on the city in late spring and till mid-fall, Crescent City still parties hard. Just to give you an idea, here are just a few highlights of all that’s going on in New Orleans year-round.
No matter when you visit, we’d love to have you. Book your room today and take in all the wonderful and delicious things the French Quarter has to offer!