Empress Hotel

Stretched along Ursulines Avenue in the Treme, one block off Esplanade, the Empress Hotel occupies a row of shotgun-style buildings with a shared courtyard garden and sun deck between them. It's a ten-minute walk to the French Quarter and a few blocks from the St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, a quieter entry point than Bourbon Street offers.

Rooms keep tile floors, balconies or patios, and window-unit AC rather than central air — a nod to the building's age. Guests handling their own trips will find parking on site and a tour desk for day trips beyond the Quarter.