Bywater, New Orleans: neighborhood guide

Bywater sits downriver from the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny, inside the bend of the Mississippi. Most people draw its edges at St Claude Avenue to the north, the Industrial Canal to the east, Press Street to the west and the river to the south — the same area the city lists as the Upper Ninth Ward. It is mostly houses, corner bars and workshops, with artists and musicians who moved here as the Quarter got expensive, alongside families who have lived here for generations.

The feel is low-rise and slow. You come here for a handful of music rooms, neighbourhood restaurants and the riverfront, not for a checklist of sights. Streets such as Royal, Dauphine and Chartres run the whole way from the Marigny, so the walk in is flat and shaded in parts.

Choose Bywater if you want to sleep away from Bourbon Street noise, you like walking, and you are happy to take a bus or a rideshare when you go out. It suits repeat visitors, music fans and anyone staying several nights who wants a kitchen and a quieter street.

Look elsewhere for a first trip of two or three nights, or if you want to walk out of your hotel into bars and restaurants at midnight. The French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny put you in the middle of things; the Central Business District is the practical choice for a short stay with a car or a conference. Uptown and Carrollton are quieter still but farther out.

Food here is neighbourhood food: po-boys, plate lunches, Creole standards and bar kitchens, at prices below the tourist core. St Claude Avenue and the blocks around it carry most of it, with a cluster near the river end of the neighbourhood. Vaughan's Lounge on Dauphine Street is the best-known music room, with brass-band nights and boiled crawfish or shrimp on Fridays; hours and line-ups change, so check before you go.

Sankofa Marketplace at 3819 St Claude Ave runs a weekly market on Saturdays, 10am–2pm, with produce and prepared food, and music on some weeks (check). For a wider choice, walk into Faubourg Marigny or take the bus to the Quarter.

On foot or by bike it is a straight run down Royal, Dauphine or Chartres through the Marigny — roughly 10 blocks from Esplanade Avenue, the downriver edge of the French Quarter. By car from the Quarter or CBD, take Rampart Street, which becomes St Claude Avenue near Elysian Fields; parking on the street is usually straightforward.

The RTA 88 St Claude–Delery bus runs along St Claude and Rampart to the Marigny, French Quarter and CBD, and east to the Lower Ninth Ward. The 5 Marigny–Bywater route follows Dauphine and Royal but runs so rarely that you should not plan around it (check). Fares are cheap; pay exact change or use the app (check). Taxis are the weak point: drivers often will not stop for a hail in Bywater, so book by app or phone, or ask a driver you like for a direct number.