Faubourg Marigny, New Orleans: neighborhood guide

Faubourg Marigny sits downriver from the French Quarter, northeast by compass, on one of the city's older ridges of high ground. It came through the post-Katrina flooding better than most of the city, which is part of why its housing stock survives so intact.

The architecture is the draw for daytime wandering: block after block of 19th-century Creole cottages in several styles, painted in strong colors, with shutters and side galleries. The neighborhood's heart is Washington Square Park, bounded by Frenchmen Street, Royal Street, Dauphine Street and Elysian Fields Avenue.

Frenchmen Street is the nightlife spine — roughly half a dozen live music clubs and about as many restaurants packed into four short blocks. Around it are coffee shops, corner bars and small businesses that serve residents as much as visitors.

The population is small, around 2,100 people, and the mix leans toward artists, musicians and long-term renters. Locals split the area into the "triangle," from Esplanade Avenue to Elysian Fields Avenue, and the "rectangle," from Elysian Fields to the railroad tracks on Press Street, where the Marigny meets Bywater.

Stay in the Marigny if live music is the point of your trip and you want to walk home from it. Frenchmen Street clubs are a few minutes from most beds in the triangle, and the French Quarter is a 10–15 minute walk downriver on Royal or Dauphine. Do not walk to the Marigny on Bourbon Street: it does not intersect Frenchmen Street, and it is an easy way to get turned around.

The trade-off is hotel infrastructure. The Marigny has a few small hotels and many bed-and-breakfasts rather than large properties, so expect stairs, shared walls and fewer amenities. If you want a pool, a gym, a doorman and a taxi rank at the door, the Central Business District or a French Quarter hotel fits better.

Choose the triangle for the shortest walk to music and food. Choose the rectangle toward Press Street for quieter blocks and easier parking, at the cost of a longer walk to the clubs. Noise is the main complaint: Frenchmen Street plays late, and sound carries into nearby streets.

Frenchmen Street carries most of the neighborhood's restaurants, from casual po-boy counters to sit-down Creole kitchens, and they fill up before the first music sets. Book or arrive early on weekends; walk-ins work better on weeknights.

Coffee shops and small cafes spread through the residential blocks and along St Claude Avenue, which is where you will find breakfast away from the French Quarter crowds. Corner bars in the triangle stay open late and are usually cheaper than the clubs.

For a wider choice, the French Quarter is a short walk and the Bywater is a short ride or a 20-minute walk downriver. Tipping follows US norms: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants and about US$1–2 per drink at bars.

Walking is the default. The neighborhood is small and compact, and the grid makes it easy to reach the French Quarter, Washington Square Park and the riverfront on foot.

RTA buses cover the area. Route 55 on Elysian Fields is the most useful, running through the French Quarter along Decatur to Canal and the Central Business District, and north toward the University of New Orleans. Route 5 runs Dauphine Street through the Marigny and Bywater to Poland Avenue, returning along Royal Street. Routes 88 and 57 pick up on St Claude and run down Rampart to Canal and the CBD, and route 91 stops at Rampart and Esplanade, heading upriver to the CBD and Uptown or back along Esplanade through Mid-City. Check current schedules and fares with RTA before you travel.

Taxis are easy to find on the busy stretch of Frenchmen Street at night. Driving is manageable and parking is easier the further east you go, but Frenchmen Street jams during events. Rideshare pickup points can be crowded when clubs let out.

Music first: Frenchmen Street clubs run sets most nights, with a mix of brass, jazz, funk and rock. Cover charges vary by venue and night, so check at the door.

In daylight, walk the cottage blocks between Esplanade Avenue and Press Street, and stop at Washington Square Park, which is bounded by Frenchmen, Royal, Dauphine and Elysian Fields. The Louisiana Music Factory record shop on Frenchmen Street at Decatur Street is a standard stop for local recordings.

Cafe Istanbul, at 2372 St Claude Avenue near St Roch, is a theater and bar space inside the New Orleans Healing Center, hosting live theater, music, dance and film. Check its listings for what is on during your dates.

Mardi Gras is a local affair here rather than a tourist one. Crowds gather at Royal and Kerlerec and at Royal and Franklin for costumes, brass bands and drummers. About two weeks before Mardi Gras, the satirical Krewe du Vieux parade starts in the Marigny, with small floats drawn by members and mules.