Where to Stay in New Orleans for the Best Hotel Bar

This is where the Sazerac was invented and where the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street still rotates one revolution every 15 minutes. Stay between Royal and Chartres for the best mix of historic bars without the Bourbon Street stag-do crowd. The Bombay Club on Conti Street pours one of the strongest martinis in the city, and the Davenport Lounge inside The Ritz-Carlton on Canal hosts live jazz Thursday through Saturday. Avoid blocks west of Dauphine after 10pm if you want sleep. Royal and Chartres stay calmer than Bourbon by two full decibels.

Best for

First-timers who want history in their glass

Walk times

Jackson Square 6 min
Frenchmen Street jazz 12 min

Skip if: You are a light sleeper or hate crowds

Local tip: Order a Vieux Carre at the Carousel. It was invented there in 1937 and most bartenders elsewhere mix it wrong.

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$246per night

CBD / Warehouse District

Polished bars, fewer drunks

Luxury $190-$420/night

The Central Business District holds the Sazerac Bar at The Roosevelt on Baronne Street, arguably the prettiest bar room in the South with its African walnut walls and Paul Ninas murals. Walk five minutes to The Hot Tin rooftop at the Pontchartrain on St Charles for skyline views, or hit Compere Lapin on Magazine for rum cocktails by chef Nina Compton. This neighborhood gives you streetcar access on St Charles, quieter sidewalks at night, and a 10-minute walk to the French Quarter when you want chaos. Poydras and Lafayette Square are the calmest blocks.

Best for

Cocktail nerds who want sleep

Walk times

French Quarter edge 8 min
Superdome 6 min

Skip if: You want to stumble home from Bourbon

Local tip: The Sazerac Bar serves their namesake with Sazerac Rye and Peychaud's, the original 1850s recipe. Order it neat, no ice.

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$213per night

Lower Garden District

Rooftop pours, residential calm

Mid-range $160-$340/night

Stay along Magazine Street between Jackson and Felicity for boutique hotels with serious bar programs. The Pontchartrain Hotel anchors this stretch with both the Hot Tin rooftop and the Bayou Bar downstairs, where the murals of Louisiana swamps date to 1948. Hotel Saint Vincent on Magazine has two bars in a former 19th-century orphanage, including the San Lorenzo with espresso martinis worth the 15-minute streetcar ride from the Quarter. Walk Magazine for boutiques by day, then settle into a quieter cocktail scene by night. Coliseum Square Park sits two blocks away.

Best for

Repeat visitors who want neighborhood feel

Walk times

St Charles streetcar 2 min
French Quarter via streetcar 18 min

Skip if: You only have one night in town

Local tip: Hot Tin opens at 4pm. Get there by 4:15 to claim a sofa before the sunset crowd shows up at 5:30.

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$179per night

Marigny

Music first, cocktails close behind

Mid-range $140-$280/night

Just east of the Quarter across Esplanade, the Marigny puts you steps from Frenchmen Street where The Spotted Cat, d.b.a. and Snug Harbor host live music seven nights a week. Hotel Peter and Paul on Burgundy Street, a converted 1860 church and schoolhouse, runs The Elysian Bar with one of the best wine lists in the city. Stay between Royal and Burgundy for quiet streets and Creole cottage charm. You sacrifice some hotel polish here, but the trade for walkable jazz at midnight and a real neighborhood breakfast at Cake Cafe on Chartres is worth it.

Best for

Music lovers wanting boutique stays

Walk times

Frenchmen Street 4 min
French Quarter 8 min
Bywater coffee 12 min

Skip if: You need a 24-hour gym and room service

Local tip: The Elysian Bar at Peter and Paul takes walk-ins until about 7pm. After that the wait runs 30 minutes plus.

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$157per night