Paddle Wheel Boat Cruises in New Orleans
Ride a paddlewheeler for an afternoon, or start a week upriver.
Get Paddlewheel Cruise QuotesPaddle Wheel Boat Cruises in New Orleans
New Orleans is where many Mississippi paddlewheel cruises begin or end, and it is also the best place in the country to ride a paddlewheeler for an afternoon. Paddle wheel boat cruises in New Orleans range from a two-hour harbor jazz trip to the first night of a week-long voyage upriver.
Short Paddlewheeler Cruises on the Riverfront
The Steamboat NATCHEZ is a working steam-powered sternwheeler that runs daily harbor cruises with live jazz, river narration and a calliope concert, with optional lunch, brunch or dinner. A sister boat, the City of New Orleans, covers some sailings. It is an easy way to try the paddlewheel experience before — or after — an overnight voyage. For the steamboat’s history and other places real steam still runs, see Steamboating Cruises.
Starting an Overnight Cruise in New Orleans
- Plan at least one hotel night before sailing; ask whether it is included in your fare.
- Leave time for the French Quarter, the Garden District and live music on Frenchmen Street.
- Lower Mississippi itineraries from New Orleans often visit plantation-era towns and Civil War sites on the way upriver.
For things to do in the city before or after your cruise, our guide See and Do New Orleans covers neighborhoods, music and food.
New Orleans Questions
Where do the New Orleans day paddlewheelers leave from?
The Steamboat NATCHEZ sails from its wharf at the foot of Toulouse Street in the French Quarter. Check the operator’s site for current times, as schedules change seasonally.
Should I arrive in New Orleans early?
Yes. Arriving the day before an overnight cruise protects you from flight delays, and many itineraries include or offer a pre-cruise hotel night.
What the River Looks Like Leaving New Orleans
As your paddlewheeler pulls away from New Orleans, the city’s skyline gives way to busy industrial riverfront, then to levees, sugar-cane country and stately homes along the old River Road. Ships share the water with long tows of barges pushed by towboats — a reminder that the Mississippi is still one of the country’s great working rivers. The first stops on many itineraries are historic houses and gardens and the Louisiana capital, Baton Rouge, before the river carries you north into Mississippi.
If you are flying in, New Orleans has a major airport with nonstop service from many U.S. cities, and the cruise line or your advisor can arrange transfers to the hotel and the boat.
Many guests also end their trip in New Orleans on a southbound sailing, which leaves time afterward for a jazz brunch, a streetcar ride along St. Charles Avenue and one last evening paddlewheel trip on the riverfront.
Cruise From New Orleans
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will quote your paddlewheel cruise and add New Orleans hotel nights.
Quote From New Orleans