French Quarter: the oldest, most famous, and most visited section of the city. Most tourists will want to center their visit here. Those who explore other parts of town as well will find the city offers additional treats. Many old-line restaurants are in the Quarter, along with music clubs, museums, antiques shops, and drinking establishments.

Central Business District: What many cities call "Downtown" (though in New Orleans this term is often used to refer to a different part of town downriver). Adjacent to the French Quarter; has many attractions. The "CBD" has high-rise hotels and some excellent restaurants, along with many museums (the National D-Day Museum, the Louisiana Children's Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the Contemporary Arts Center) and a gallery district on and around Julia Street. Includes the "Arts District" and the "Old Warehouse District" .

Faubourg Marigny: This hip, bohemian neighborhood is on the other side ("down") from the French Quarter. Locals come here for authentic (read: non-touristy) nightlife, though tourists are certainly welcomed. Along with the section of the French Quarter east of St. Ann Street, this is the residential hub for the gay/lesbian community.

Bywater: Downriver from Marigny.

Treme: Historic Franco-African (Creole) neighborhood inland from the French Quarter.

Mid-City and Esplanade Ridge: The central part of town is home to the New Orleans Museum of Art, City Park, and the New Orleans Fair Grounds (a racetrack that hosts the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival every spring).

Uptown: 19th century residential section upriver, take the St. Charles Avenue streetcar. Uptown includes the "Garden District", which is more noted for its Victorian architecture than gardens. Also contains some of the City's best local restaurants, and the Audubon Zoo. Magazine Street hosts some 80 blocks of antique stores, art galleries, interior designer studios, and clothing stores ranging from funky thrift shops to upscale boutiques.

Carrollton: At the other end of the St. Charles Streetcar line from the Central Business District; pleasant neighborhood with a concentration of good restaurants, along with students from nearby Tulane and Loyola universities.

Algiers: The part of New Orleans across the Mississippi River.
Lakeview and Lakefront: Along and near Lake Pontchartrain.

Eastern New Orleans: North east part of the city; includes Little Vietnam neighborhood, as well as historic Lakefront Airport and Fort Pike.

Lower 9th Ward: The Lower 9th Ward is a section of New Orleans, east of the Bywater neighborhood (from which it is separated by the Industrial Canal), north of the Mississippi River, and west St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana.

Central City: is a section of New Orleans to the west (upriver) of the Central Business District and north (lakewards or away from the river as locals say) from the downriver section of Uptown. Some locals also call it "The 3rd Ward", although legally that designation includes a wider area including much of the Central Business District.