Royal Street is the elegant side of the French Quarter — a corridor of antique shops, art galleries, and street musicians that runs parallel to Bourbon Street, one block over, and operates in an entirely different register. Where Bourbon is loud, sticky, and unapologetically hedonistic, Royal is refined, beautiful, and just expensive enough to keep the go-cup crowd on the other side of the block.
The architecture on Royal Street is some of the finest in the Quarter. The buildings date to the early 19th century — rebuilt after the fires of 1788 and 1794 that destroyed most of the original French Colonial structures — and the Spanish Colonial replacement architecture, with its thick stucco walls, interior courtyards, and cast-iron galleries, is what gives the French Quarter its character today. The irony that the 'French Quarter' is actually Spanish architecture is one of New Orleans' better historical jokes.
The antique shops and galleries are genuine — M.S. Rau has been dealing in museum-quality antiques since 1912, and the galleries between Toulouse and St. Ann represent some of the best fine art dealing in the South. The street musicians are among the city's finest — Royal Street is where the serious jazz musicians play, and on a quiet afternoon the sound of a solo trumpet echoing off the stucco walls creates an atmosphere that Bourbon Street's amplified chaos can't touch. Between Iberville and Dumaine, the street is closed to vehicular traffic on weekend afternoons, turning it into a pedestrian promenade that is the most civilised stroll in the city.
Verified Facts
Royal Street runs parallel to Bourbon Street in the French Quarter
Most buildings were rebuilt in Spanish Colonial style after fires in 1788 and 1794
M.S. Rau Antiques has been operating on Royal Street since 1912
The street is closed to vehicles on weekend afternoons for pedestrians
Get walking directions
Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116
