Weekend Getaway: Nonstop from San Francisco to NOLA

So you live in beautiful San Francisco and you’re looking to take a weekend trip to New Orleans—affectionately referred to as NOLA. We can’t blame you, it’s a fantastic city, and yes, it’s completely doable for you to take a weekend trip if you so desire, it just requires a bit of strategic planning. With that said, let’s talk about what you can do and how you can go nonstop from San Francisco to NOLA and still have time to see and do plenty in The Big Easy.

Make It a Three-Day Weekend
The first thing you should do in your planning of your weekend trip from San Francisco is to make it a three-day weekend (or even four!) if possible so you don’t waste a good chunk of one or two weekend days traveling. The flight is pretty quick, but nonstop flights between the two points are extremely limited, so it’ll make it easier while you’re planning as well. You also won’t have to panic and rush around trying to squeeze a lot in a little amount of time.

Consider When Mardi Gras Is
If you’re planning on going from San Francisco to NOLA to attend Mardi Gras, then you basically have your dates planned out, but if you have no interest in attending the event, then you already know what dates you may want to avoid. Make sure when you start your planning for your weekend away that it’s one of the first things you look into.

Stay Where Most of Your Activities Are
If you’re going for a weekend trip and you know that the majority if not all of your activities are going to be in one specific area, such as the French Quarter, then you may find that it’s better to stay in that area rather than having to spend extra time and money if you’re staying at a further distance. It also makes it easily accessible in case you need to run back really fast to shower, take a quick nap, or change your clothes.

Eat Traditional Dishes
When you go to NOLA, you absolutely need to get some traditional dishes. For example, consider trying Jambalaya, a Beignet, bread pudding, red beans and rice, and gumbo. Bring your appetite, because, in addition to being kind and welcoming, locals dish up some incredible food that you’re definitely going to want to try.

Listen to Jazz
Jazz truly is phenomenal, but just like with every genre of music, it isn’t for everyone. However, if you’re traveling across the country to visit the Birthplace of Jazz, it’s worth listening to some live jazz even if it’s not usually your thing. Sometimes it takes one song, one musician or band, to completely change your viewpoint. There are plenty of places in NOLA where you can listen to jazz, so you certainly have your options of where to go.

When you’re planning a weekend trip from San Francisco to NOLA, the best thing you can do for yourself—and your wallet—is to plan as far in advance as possible. Lastly, do as much of the ticket purchasing and reservation making online as you can including for restaurants so it could save you some time when you’re in the city.