Hotels near Frenchmen Street and Preservation Hall

Three blocks of Frenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny hold more live music per square metre than anywhere else in New Orleans. The Spotted Cat, d.b.a., Blue Nile and Snug Harbor run sets from early evening until well past midnight, most with either no cover or a modest door charge, and the crowd skews local in a way that Bourbon Street stopped doing decades ago.

For traditional jazz, Preservation Hall at 726 St Peter Street is the other essential stop. It seats around 100 people on cushions and wooden benches in a bare room with no bar, no amplification and no air conditioning, and runs several 45-minute sets a night. Tickets from USD 25 sell out days ahead, so book online rather than turning up and queueing on the pavement.

Pro Tip: Frenchmen Street peaks around 10pm. Arrive at 7pm instead, catch an early set at Snug Harbor while there is still room at the bar, then work down the block as the night builds. The Frenchmen Art Market in the open lot stays open until 1am.