Hotels near Jackson Square and St Louis Cathedral

Jackson Square was laid out in 1721 as the Place d'Armes, the military parade ground of the colonial city, and renamed after Andrew Jackson following the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. His equestrian statue stands at the centre of a fenced garden, flanked by the Pontalba Buildings - red-brick rows from 1850 that are among the oldest continuously occupied apartment blocks in the United States.

St Louis Cathedral closes the northern side. The current building dates from 1850 and is the oldest continuously operating Catholic cathedral in the country, with free entry outside services. The Cabildo and the Presbytere on either side house Louisiana State Museum collections covering the Louisiana Purchase and the history of Mardi Gras. Tarot readers, brass players and portrait artists set up along the pedestrian perimeter from late morning.

Pro Tip: Cross Decatur Street and climb the steps to Washington Artillery Park for the standard head-on view of the cathedral, then continue up onto the levee behind it for the Mississippi and the passing container ships.