6 Days: New Orleans and the Bayou
Six days adds a beach day, Gulfport or Biloxi, 90 minutes down I-10, after the swamp tour, River Road, Baton Rouge and Lafayette. For less driving, see the 5-day itinerary ; for a second, wilder swamp tour too, jump to the 7-day version .
Book these before you go:
- Book a Barataria swamp tour on GetYourGuide
- Oak Alley tour options on Viator
- Compare rental cars on Discover Cars
| Day | Stop | Drive time from NOLA | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans | - | Basecamp, arrival, one night in the city |
| 2 | Jean Lafitte Swamp | 25-30 min | Barataria Preserve pontoon tour, no car needed |
| 3 | Oak Alley and Whitney Plantation | ~65 min each | River Road, two distinct plantation stories |
| 4 | Baton Rouge | 60-90 min | State Capitol, Old State Capitol, LSU, USS Kidd |
| 5 | Lafayette and Cajun Country | ~2h15m | Vermilionville, Acadian Village, boudin and zydeco |
| 6 | Gulfport and Biloxi | ~90 min | Gulf Coast beach day, casinos, seafood |
Day 1: New Orleans basecamp
Land at MSY, 25-30 minutes from the Quarter by taxi ($36 flat rate for one or two riders) or rideshare ($35-55). Base yourself in the French Quarter or Garden District; our New Orleans guide covers the city in full, since this itinerary is only about what’s outside it. Hold off on renting a car, tomorrow runs on a guided van.
Day 2: Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours in Marrero, 25-30 minutes from downtown, runs a 1h45m pontoon tour through Jean Lafitte National Historical Park’s Barataria Preserve: $32 adult, $12 for kids 3-12, departures roughly 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm. Book ahead March through August. Check nps.gov/jela for current conditions.
Do you need a rental car for this trip?
Not for the first two days, the swamp tour is a guided van. From day 3 through day 6, yes: River Road, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and the Gulf Coast all require one, since none of them sit on public transit.
Day 3: Oak Alley and Whitney Plantation
Pick up a rental car this morning (compare rates on Discover Cars , $38-83 a day) and take Highway 18 to Vacherie, about 65 minutes. Oak Alley’s live-oak canopy fronts the 1839 mansion: $27 grounds-only or $30 with the Big House tour (oakalleyplantation.org ). Whitney Plantation, a similar drive on the same corridor, centers its tour on the enslaved people who worked the land: $25 self-guided audio or $32 guided (whitneyplantation.org ). Pairing both takes 3-4 hours including driving and both visits.
Oak Alley or Whitney, or both?
Both if time allows; they tell different stories, not variations of one tour. Oak Alley is the photograph and the mansion. Whitney is the harder, fuller account of who actually built and worked River Road. One only, take Whitney.
Day 4: Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge is 80 miles and roughly 60-90 minutes up I-10, same rental car. The Louisiana State Capitol, the tallest state capitol building in the country, is free and self-guided; its 27th-floor observation deck is currently closed for renovation, so verify reopening before you count on the view. The Gothic-style Old State Capitol and LSU’s campus (Mike the Tiger) round out a free morning. The USS Kidd Veterans Museum adds a WWII destroyer for $12.53 adult and $8.36 for kids 5-12, 9:30am-3:30pm (usskidd.com ); the ship itself has been away for repairs, so confirm it’s back before planning to board it.
Day 5: Lafayette and Cajun Country
Lafayette is 135 miles and about 2h15m direct via I-10, or 194 miles and roughly 3h12m routed through Baton Rouge, as this itinerary does. Vermilionville ($12 adult, 10am-4pm, closed Mondays) and LARC’s Acadian Village ($10 adult, 10am-4pm, closed Sundays) both cover Acadian living history; boudin, cracklins and zydeco are the region’s own food and music, not a New Orleans variation. The opposite closure days mean a Tuesday-through-Saturday visit is the only way to catch both open.
Is two hours fifteen minutes each way actually worth it?
Only for readers who want Cajun food and music specifically, not more Creole cooking under a different name. Lafayette’s cuisine has no real equivalent inside New Orleans; treat the drive as a separate region, not a suburb of the city.
Day 6: Gulfport and Biloxi
Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi sit about 90 minutes east via I-10, an easy day trip on the way back toward New Orleans. Casinos, seafood and a rebuilt post-Katrina beachfront are the draw; the beach itself is free. This is a lighter day by design, a break from three straight days of driving and museums before you head home.
Return the rental car in New Orleans before departure. Six days covers swamp, River Road, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and a Gulf Coast beach day; only the 7-day version adds a second swamp tour on top.