Vacation Rentals in New Orleans, Louisiana

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New Orleans Lodging Guide

Instead of booking a forgettable, expensive hotel room, check out New Orleans vacation rentals, including Mardi Gras vacation rentals, beach villas, downtown condos, weekly cottages, pet-friendly cabins, historic French Quarter homes, luxury accommodations, and more. While browsing, you can also check out our mini guide to the area:

Rumor has it New Orleans is full of ghosts (eager to meet you on a ghost tour!). Ironic, as NOLA is such a lively destination. Haunted or not, the city one of those special places everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. A one-time visit is rare, though. You’ll probably return to the city again and again, maybe even for good. The Big Easy is made for watching, tasting, listening, laughing, lingering – the revelers draped in Mardi Gras beads… the Crawfish Etouffee … the jazz bands… the parties… the history!

Map Image Credit: Peter Fitzgerald, OpenStreetMap

What to See and Do

We offer up everything from beach condos to Downriver and French Quarter vacation rentals, so you can plop yourself down in any of NOLA’s vivacious neighborhoods. Book your vacation home in a spot you find the most enthralling, and then tackle the city one day and one area at a time. Here’s a beginner’s guide to New Orleans neighborhoods:

French Quarter Vacation Rentals – Can’t Miss

St Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cemetery, Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, Jean Lafitte Nature Preserve, Tipitina's (live music), the Cabildo Museum, the Presbytere Museum, Musical Legends Park

Downtown/Central Business District Vacation Rentals – Museum Central

National World War II Museum, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Louisiana Children's Museum, Warehouse District, Louisiana Superdome, Harrah’s Casino, Mardi Gras World

Downriver Vacation Rentals – For “Real” Music

Live music on Frenchman Street

Uptown Vacation Rentals – When You Feel Like a Stroll

Audobon Park and Zoo, historic architecture in the Garden District, antique shopping on Royal and Magazine streets

Middle Vacation Rentals – For a Well-rounded Visit

City Park, New Orleans Museum of Art, Storyland Amusement Park

Algiers Vacation Rentals – Along the Mississippi River

Algiers Ferry, Algiers Point

Where to Eat

Although New Orleans vacation cottages and villas offer up full kitchens and roomy dining areas, you’ll want to eat out as much as possible. Because you really can’t lose – along with good jazz music and good parties, good food comes standard in New Orleans. Here are a few of NOLA’s best restaurants:

French Quarter Restaurants

GW Fins – The food here is always fresh and seasonal. Entrees include Wood Grilled Mahi and Blackened Swordfish.
Acme Oyster House – Not just great oyster dishes, but great gumbo and po boys, too.

Uptown Restaurants

Commander’s Place, Uptown – Modern take on classic Creole. Save room for the Bread Pudding Soufflé.

Downtown Restaurants

The Joint, Downtown – Barbecue.
Cochon– Cajun at its best and most surprising: entrees range from Rabbit and Dumplings to Mushroom Salad.
Herbsaint– Italian and French fare. Why not try the slow cooked lamb, duck leg, or the Ribeye?

When to Book

Summertime delivers 90-degree temperatures, but if you can stand it, you’ll score great deals on New Orleans accommodations. Another slower, cheaper time of year to book New Orleans lodging is in December and January, when lows dip into the 40s. Hurricane season lasts from June through November, but despite Katrina’s recent visit, devastating storms are not common.

More importantly, the city is home to some of America’s favorite festivals, so you should plan around them. Will you join the crowds or avoid them? Here are upcoming dates for New Orleans’ most popular festivals:

Mardi Gras: February 12
Super Bowl: February 3
French Quarter Festival: April 11 – 14
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival: April 26 – May 5
Essence Music Festival: July 4 – 7
Tales of the Cocktail: July 17 – 31
Voodoo Experience: Nov 1 – 3

Getting Around

Because parking can be a hassle, and New Orleans is riddled with confusing, one-way streets, it’s not necessarily a good idea to rent a car. You can walk or bike around during the day and take a taxi by night. And don’t forget about the streetcars, a fun, scenic, and cheap way to hop around town. The St Charles, Canal Street, and Riverfront streetcars all start downtown and take you throughout NOLA, so you can take advantage of them no matter where you book your New Orleans vacation condo or home.

More Destination Info

Looking for more tips on visiting NOLA? Check out more of our travel guides:

Cheap New Orleans Lodging

Cheap lodging deals are easy to come by in New Orleans, thanks to the many vacation homes available in the area. Instead of booking a small, cramped, expensive hotel room (or block of hotel rooms, for that matter), book a large, amenity-packed, luxury, yet cheap vacation house that can accommodate your whole crew. New Orleans vacation rentals, and that includes Mardi Gras vacation rentals, come in a wide variety – luxury condos, weekly rentals, beach cottages, cabins, and more. So, no matter who you’re going with, when you’re going, or where you want to stay (French Quarter, Downtown?), there’s an awesome New Orleans accommodation with your name on it.

As you browse the many weekend cottages and vacation condos available in New Orleans, look out for last minute deals, cancellation specials, and deep discounts. For off season steals, book your accommodation during a slower time of year – December, January, or the summer months – and skip out on popular events like Mardi Gras.

When browsing New Orleans vacation homes and condos, consider your group and budget size, and other needs – for example, maybe you want a handicap accessible and/or pet-friendly rental. Unlike hotels, you have lots of options!