New Orleans is the one American city where a person alone at a bar at midnight is the normal state of affairs. It's also the one where the blocks matter most. Both at once.
An itinerary alone#
Day one, the Quarter. Café du Monde early before the line, Royal Street's galleries, Jackson Square, the French Market, a po'boy at a counter, then Frenchmen Street from 9pm: three or four clubs on one block, a cover or a tip, a room that talks between sets.
Day two, uptown. The St. Charles streetcar to the Garden District, the houses and Lafayette Cemetery, Magazine Street for lunch and shops, Audubon Park, back by streetcar for a bar in the Marigny.
Day three, the water and the dead. A swamp tour in the morning (shared boat, instant group), a cemetery tour in the afternoon, the Bywater on foot before dark, Frenchmen again.
Frenchmen over Bourbon#
Bourbon Street is a group of nine on a bachelor weekend. Frenchmen Street is you, a brass band, and the person next to you who's also alone. Go once to Bourbon for the spectacle, then spend your nights where the music is.
Eating alone#
Counters and bars: a po'boy standing up, oysters at a bar, a plate lunch, a bar seat at the good restaurants, which all have one. New Orleans has no concept of eating alone being sad.
Safety, honestly#
New Orleans has real crime and a clear pattern: it happens on quiet streets, late, to people who walked instead of riding. Stay where the people and the lights are, take a rideshare for anything more than a few blocks after dark, never cut through a residential block to save time, and keep your drink and phone close on Bourbon. Do that and the city is one of the warmest in America to be alone in.
Meeting people#
New Orleans does most of this for you. The rest: post your trip on Roavi Community with your dates so travellers in town on the same weekend appear in one place, and a Local Friend, someone who lives here, paid by the hour, for the music that isn't on Frenchmen, the neighbourhood restaurant, a Sunday second line. Rent a friend in the USA explains how that works; solo travel in the USA covers the other cities.
Going to New Orleans alone? Post your trip and meet someone who lives there.
Meet a Local FriendFrequently Asked Questions
Is New Orleans safe to travel alone?
In the Quarter, the Marigny, the Garden District and Uptown by day, yes. At night the rule is strict: busy, lit streets only, a rideshare for anything more than a few blocks, no shortcuts through quiet residential streets, and watch your drink and phone on Bourbon. Most problems happen to people who wandered.Is New Orleans safe for a solo female traveller?
With the night rules above, yes, and solo women are a normal sight on Frenchmen Street and in the Quarter. Drink in hand, rideshare late, hotel in a busy area, and the city is one of the warmest in America to be alone in.Where should a solo traveller stay in New Orleans?
The French Quarter for walking to everything, the Marigny for Frenchmen Street and a quieter night, the Garden District for the streetcar and the houses. Hostels cluster at the edge of the Quarter and in the Marigny.How do I meet people travelling alone in New Orleans?
Easily: the bar next to you, a hostel, a walking tour, a second line if you're lucky, a music club on Frenchmen where the room talks between sets, and posting your trip on Roavi Community so travellers in town on your dates can find you. A Local Friend takes you to the music that isn't on Frenchmen.