Charleston VS New Orleans [Who Wins For Your Next Trip]

You can decide Charleston VS Orleans on the basis of popular activities, cost comparison, some best parts for both places. Also, you can choose any of them based on good accommodation, weather, culture, food habits, and the suitable time for travel.

If you are worried about where you should go for your next trip, don’t go anywhere else. Our travel comprehensive comparison guide between Charleston and  New Orleans will definitely help you to make the best decision. Let’s get started.

 Charleston VS New Orleans Overview

Charleston is the largest South Carolina port city in the United States. It was founded in 1670 as Charles Town. The town is mainly known for its best tourism industry. Many beautiful and gem-like places of the city attract travel lovers every year.

New Orleans is a Louisiana city, stands on the Mississippi River. The city is well-known for its distinctive music, festivals, and annual celebration. New Orleans is also described as the unique city of the United States. Scroll down to learn in-depth.

Note: You can also read Tybee Island vs Hilton Head comparison guide.

4 Popular Activities In Charleston

Now, have look through some popular activities of Charleston:

1. Fort Sumter National Monument

Fort Sumter is a famous sea fort in Charleston. Every year lots of tourists visit this monument due to its historical significance. You can gain a great learning experience, and your visit will be worth it back.

2. Joe Riley Waterfront Park 

It is a bright green public space, great for picnics, lounging, and photo shooting. The place is perfect for relaxing in the shade of a southern live oak tree. You will get an experience by walking along the Charleston Harbor. 

3. Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

It is a famous landmark in Charleston. An outstanding place for visiting the longest cable-stayed bridge with two diamond-shaped towers which stand to span the Cooper River. This is a perfect architecturally stunning place and superb for traveling.

4. Charleston City Market 

It is a historic and vibrant market complex situated in South Carolina. One can enjoy fantastic strolling with a visiting of loaded stalls, mainly selling handmade goods. This can be perfect for shopping. 

4. Popular Activities In New Orleans

Here we have included some popular activities of New Orleans:

1. The National WWII Museum

This is one of the most focused historical places. These historical tours will take you on a journey through iconic World War II. You will see a variety of dioramas, videos, animated displays, so much of the battles. 

2. French Quarter

If you come to New Orleans, you must go to this place. It is the oldest section of New Orleans city and has much more to see. 

3. Jackson Square

It is called the heart of New Orleans. Most probably, this is the pace that turns New Orleans into the most prominent tourist place in the US. 

 4. Frenchmen Street 

This is the most tourist-focused place in New Orleans city. One can enjoy live local music. The pace is officially designated as the arts of the city.

 Cost Comparison Between Charleston And New Orleans

The below cost comparison description of new orleans and charleston will give the best idea for your next trip:

If you plan a trip to Charleston, you will have to cost around $136 per day per person. On the other hand, you should plan to spend about $191 per day per person if you want to go to New Orleans. 

The costs are mentioned based on the average daily expenses. That means including accommodation, food, transportation, and many more. 

Charleston And New Orleans: (The Best Parts)

Read through the best parts of charleston or New Orleans

Charleston: 

The city has lots of reasons for visiting. First of all the city is loaded with many attractive places, perfect for photography. The restaurant and the foods are no less apart.

You will embrace with history of this city. Starting from plantation to parks, all are great places to have fun. Also, the festival and the celebrating style will be far enough to see another part of the world. 

New Orleans: 

New Orleans, nicknamed “Big Easy,” is mainly known for its visiting compatible atmosphere, amazing music scene, and unlimited significant events.

The city is immensely famous for its extravagant Mardi Gras celebration. They celebrated it with loud music, quirky costumes, and awesome shows. 

The other best thing is its foods in restaurants, especially boiled crawfish will surely allure you. The tradition of voodoo is hardly seen in other parts of the world.

5 Tips For Visiting Charleston

Here, we are going to suggest to you some best tips that you may take in mind before traveling to Charleston:

1. Book A Hotel First

You have to pick a hotel with lots of amenities and a good reputation. Go for such a hotel that offers you more facilities. It will be best to check the last updated guest reviews, which will provide you best ideas. 

2. Take Your Walking Shoes 

You will be able to get the best experience when you walk through the streets of the city. Traveling by car will not be much admirable in this case. So, you must bring a good pair of walking shoes.

3. Go For A Plantation Tour 

The idea will be for enjoying iconic scenes of Charleston. There are lots of plantations that will provide you with captivating experiences.

4. Visit The Beaches

You will miss a lot if you come to visit Charleston and don’t go to the beach. Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms, Kiawah Island, Sea brook Island are outstanding beaches of the city having a touristy atmosphere.

5. Go For Shopping

Don’t forget to buy exceptional things for your family and friends. Your guide will suggest some best shopping malls in Charleston, where you’ll find everything good.

5 Tips For Visiting New Orleans

Have a look at some effective tips for visiting New Orleans:

1. Choose French Quarter For Staying 

The French Quarter is one of the main attractions of Orleans. Walking around the French Quarter, visiting museums in the area will be the most attractive for any tourist.

But choosing the outside of the quarter will be good if you are unwilling to spend more to stay. 

 2. Enjoy Live Music

The whole trip to Orleans will go in vain if you don’t listen to the live music of the local lounge or street corner almost in all areas. The Live sweet sounds will be enough to mesmerize you. 

3. Go For Restaurants

There are many more delicious foods to taste in Orleans according to their traditions. You may go to various popular restaurants to eat. Moreover, don’t forget to taste street foods as well.

4. Walk Or Hire Bike

If you want to enjoy Orleans in detail, you may go for a walk in various places, but not all. But in case you want to cover many locations in shorter, we recommend hiring a bike. Or renting a bicycle will also be the best substitute for visiting the sites with a shorter budget. 

5. Visit Museums And Tours

There is some amazing museum that you must visit. New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, The Cabildo, Mardi Gras World are the best of them. Besides, you must go to Ghost and True Crime Walking Tour, Grand Garden District Tour, and Food Walking Tour of the French Quarter.

 Accommodations In Charleston And New Orleans

There are good quality hotels in Charleston, where you may stay during your traveling days. If you want to stay at a 5-start hotel, you have to pay $613 per night. In the case of 3-star and 4-start, the average cost for double occupancy will be $200-$300 having high-end amenities.

According to high ratings, the best hotels are Hyatt Place North Charleston, Francis Marion Hotel, and Best Western Charleston Inn. 

In New Orleans, they also have good accommodation facilities for visitors. For 5-star hotels, you have to pay around $478 per night. $274 will be for 3-star and up to $311 for a 4-star hotel.

Some renowned hotels are Holiday Inn New Orleans, Wyndham French Quarter, and DoubleTree by Hilton.  

 Foods In Charleston And New Orleans

If you are confused about the taste of Charleston and New Orleans, have a look through the below charleston vs new Orleans food description with average costs:

Foods In Charleston: 

For your information, Charleston is the best place to eat in various forms. They have a good food scene. Starting from street to seafood will never go against your appetite.

You will have to spend around $46 per person, per day for food here. Here we have listed some of the best food that you must try:

• Shrimp and Grits
• Soul Food
• She Crab Soup
• Sweet Tea
• South Carolina Barbeque
• Frogmore Stew
• Southern Cocktails
• Southern Bread Pudding
• Hummingbird Cake
• Fresh Charleston Oysters

Foods In New Orleans: 

New Orleans is mostly famous for its traditional food. You have to spend $36 per day in New Orleans for food, depending on the type of restaurant you will choose.

Here we have listed what you should try on your next trip:

• GUMBO
• Jambalaya
• Red Beans and Rice
• Beignets
• Po-boys
• Snowballs
• Crawfish
• BBQ Shrimp
• A Muffaletta
• Bananas Foster.

 Culture In Charleston And New Orleans

Charleston is mainly known as a cultural hotspot. They are great in hospitality and offer their visitors all facilities starting from old to sophisticated performances.

The city has a mixed culture including French, Creole, African American, Caribbean, Irish, Haitian, German and Vietnamese

The culture of New Orleans is the hybridization of African-American, French, and Spanish influences. New Orleans always bears a great significance for their music.

If you choose your next trip to New Orleans, it will not be wrong. The city is the most famous for its culture, architecture, and cuisine 

 Weather In Charleston And New Orleans

Charleston will be the best place for your next trip because of its comfortable, calm, and year-round weather. Charleston has mainly a subtropical climate. The summer is hot and sticky, whereas the winter is relatively mild.

But the place is highly humidities about 50% to 65% average throughout the year. In spring which lasts from March to May, it has beautiful weather. In summer, it is slightly hot, but beaches are the best places to relax and cool down.

On the contrary, the climate of New Orleans is subtropical. The summer is hot and humid, with frequent thunderstorms. In winter, the weather is mild.

Based on average temperate, the coldest month is January, whereas July and August are the warmest months. The snowfall is quite rare in New Orleans. In spring, there has warm weather with frequent rains. 

 Charleston VS New Orleans: Best Time To Visit

If you plan to go to Charleston, March to May will be the best time to visit. Also, you may go from September to November. In both seasons, the temperatures are mild and perfect for traveling.

Apart from mild weather, you will be able to enjoy several popular food events in those times.

The best time for visiting New Orleans is from February to May. You will get a pretty comfortable temperature this time. Also, the city is full of celebrations and events during this period. But you may face trouble with hotel reservations this time.

Additionally, if you favor clam place, we recommend you go in December or January. There will be no worries about hotel booking at this time. 

 How Long To Stay In Charleston And New Orleans

Charleston is the perfect one and a quick gateway with great amusement. If you want to enjoy all the places, including plantations and beaches, you have to plan for 4-5 days.

This will be far enough with relax visiting. Also, if you are going downtown, then 2-3 days are perfect. 

On the other side, New Orleans is such a big city. “The Big Easy” is the truth saying is about it. You will need up to 4-5 days to visit the entire place. In that span of time, you will be able to see the most interesting places comfortably. 

 Charleston VS New Orleans [Who Wins]

Charleston and Orleans, each of them are significant as world-famous tourism places. In both cities, you will find lots of living history, the best places to visit, good food sense, appreciable architecture.

In fact of safety, Charleston is a bit safer than New Orleans. Visiting New Orleans is a little bit expensive than Charleston. Lastly, the decision is entirely up to you on which type of enjoyment you want to get depending on your budget.

FAQ:

How much bigger is New Orleans than Charleston?

The land area of New Orleans is about 169.42 sq mi whereas the land area of Charleston is 110.6 sq mi. That means New Orleans is 58.8 sq mi bigger than Charlestone. 

Is Charleston SC worth visiting?

Charleston is one of the top-level travel destinations in the world. There are so many exciting activities and popular places to visit. So, Charleston SC is surly worth visiting

 Is New Orleans or Charleston older?

Based on various historic signs Charleston (Founded in 1670) is older than New Orleans (Found in 1718).

 Is New Orleans Low Country?

New Orleans is considered Lowcountry as it is surrounded by water. Even half of the land of this city is below sea level. 

Final Verdict:

Hopefully, our comprehensive discussion has been much informative for you, and you can make the right decision about your next trip. Still, if you have any questions, feel free to ask us in the comment box.