New Orleans in 2 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
Two days in New Orleans: the budget version
Two days means the French Quarter’s free core on day one, and the Garden District plus the one real splurge, the National WWII Museum, on day two. Skip any thought of a swamp tour or a plantation day trip, neither fits a 2-day city trip; both belong to a longer stay or the separate New Orleans-USA itineraries . Day one runs $35-55; day two, museum included, runs $75-95.
| Day | Focus | Rough spend (1 person, excl. lodging) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Jackson Square, St Louis Cathedral, French Market, Frenchmen Street | $35-55 |
| Day 2 | St Charles streetcar, Garden District, National WWII Museum, Preservation Hall | $75-95 |
Book these before you go:
- National WWII Museum ticket : a multi-building campus, not a quick stop; buy ahead to skip the box-office line.
- St Louis Cemetery No. 1 guided tour : optional on a tight 2-day trip, but book ahead if you add it, there’s no walk-in option at any price.
- Preservation Hall: no advance ticket exists for general admission, arrive 30-45 minutes early instead (preservationhall.com ).
- Your French Quarter hotel : rates spike hard around Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest.
Getting in without overspending
MSY airport sits about 15 miles from the Quarter. A taxi runs a flat $36 for 1-2 riders (dropping to $15 a person for 3+), rideshare runs $35-55, and the cheapest option is the RTA 202 Airport Express bus, $1.25 flat fare, about 43 minutes to Canal Street, though it’s a daytime-only service with departures roughly every 70-90 minutes, so check the schedule against your flight time on norta.com . Skip renting a car entirely; both days of this plan sit inside walking-and-streetcar range.
Day 1: French Quarter, free and cheap
Start at Jackson Square, free, any hour, with street performers and a straight view of St Louis Cathedral’s three spires. The cathedral itself is free, open 9:30am-4pm daily (last entry 3:45pm). Walk the French Market for a free browse, then get beignets at Cafe du Monde, $3.60-5.43 for an order of three, cash only; it is not a 24-hour spot, it closes nightly (11pm Sunday-Thursday, midnight Friday-Saturday). Lunch is a po’boy, $8.50-15 depending on the filling, roast beef runs cheaper than fried shrimp. Spend the afternoon on Royal Street’s free gallery-and-antique window shopping rather than Bourbon Street’s daytime bar strip. In the evening, walk to Frenchmen Street in the Marigny for free-door live music at most clubs; tip the band $5-10 a set, cash, and you’ve spent less than one Bourbon Street cover charge.
Day 2: Garden District, streetcar, and the one paid splurge
Ride the St Charles Streetcar into the Garden District, $1.25 single or a $3 one-day Jazzy Pass if you’re making more than two rides. Walk Prytania Street and Washington Avenue’s mansions for free; Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is closed to independent access in 2026 for repairs, viewable only from the gates on a guided Garden District walking tour, skip that add-on if the budget’s the priority. Browse Magazine Street’s shops at no cost, then spend the afternoon at the National WWII Museum , $36 adult, a half-day-minimum campus covering the Pacific and European theaters. In the evening, choose Preservation Hall, $15-20 standing at the door, arrive early, or a budget dinner and an early night before departure.
Is two days enough for New Orleans?
Enough for the highlights, not for the city’s depth. Two days covers the French Quarter’s free core and one Garden District afternoon with the WWII Museum, but leaves out the cemetery choice, City Park, and a second live-music neighborhood. The 3-day plan adds exactly that without re-doing day one or two.
Do you need a rental car for this itinerary?
No. Every stop across both days sits inside walking distance or a single $1.25 streetcar ride, and French Quarter parking is scarce and expensive enough that a car is a cost, not a convenience, on a trip this short.
Keep cash on hand for the Frenchmen Street tip jars and Cafe du Monde’s register; both days work fine without a car, and the New Orleans budget guide has the full free-and-cheap list if two days leaves you wanting a longer version, alongside our New Orleans key facts page .