Romantic New Orleans: Jazz, Steam, Cocktails

Romance in New Orleans is mostly a matter of sound and light: a brass band drifting from an open door, river air on a deck, a bar glowing at the end of a long evening. The city has more than enough for a couple, and nearly all of it happens after dark.

A dinner cruise on the Mississippi

The Steamboat Natchez runs an evening dinner jazz cruise, with the Dukes of Dixieland on the bandstand, from the Toulouse Street Wharf. It sails daily with dinner, and it is priced well above the daytime fare, so look up the evening schedule and rates on steamboatnatchez.com . Dinner, live jazz and the river sliding past make it the most complete evening on this list.

A Preservation Hall set

Preservation Hall at 726 St Peter Street is an acoustic room with wooden benches, where each ticket covers one 45-minute set. Tickets are sold online in advance only, from about $25, and the Preservation Hall calendar shows seated and standing options. It welcomes all ages and does not allow photography, which keeps the room focused on the band.

The Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone is open daily from about 11:00 to midnight after a multi-year restoration, and Food & Wine named it in 2026. Classic drinks such as the Sazerac, French 75 and Ramos Gin Fizz run about $16 to $22. Go early for a seat.

Frenchmen Street after dinner

Frenchmen Street in the Marigny is where locals go to hear jazz. The Spotted Cat, Snug Harbor (shows at about 20:00 and 22:00) and the Blue Nile are all within a few blocks, and the Frenchmen Art Market runs nightly from about 18:00 to 01:00. Some bars have no cover, so tip the band.

Slower hours

Take the green St. Charles streetcar for $1.25 and watch the oaks and mansions slide past. On the Canal Street ferry to Algiers Point, the $2 crossing gives skyline views, and the quiet Victorian cottages of Algiers Point reward a walk. The ferry runs about every 30 minutes until roughly 20:45 on Sunday to Thursday and 22:45 on Friday and Saturday. The Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park is free every day and has more than 90 sculptures beneath old live oaks. The riverfront Moonwalk between Jax Brewery and Woldenberg Park is a good place to see ships round the bend.

Where to stay

The French Quarter puts you on foot to Jackson Square and Royal Street, while the Marigny is quieter and closest to Frenchmen Street. Check hotel rates on Booking.com and book early for 2027 Carnival, with Mardi Gras Day on 9 February 2027, and for Jazz Fest weekends on 22 to 25 April and 29 April to 2 May.

Walking home

Petty theft is the usual risk on Bourbon Street and around Jackson Square, so keep bags zipped. After a late set, take a taxi or rideshare instead of walking empty side streets in the lower Quarter or Treme. Hurricane season peaks from mid-August to mid-October.

For daytime ideas in the same area, browse the sightseeing guide .

Reserve the Preservation Hall set first, then fit dinner around it.