New Orleans from Columbus, 16 – 18 Oct: £965 for two, all in
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The verdict
Our verdict
Worth it, if
- £342 per person below the highest fare we saw for these dates
- Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG, rated 8.5 by 2,280 guests
- Free cancellation at Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG
The catch: Not nonstop: a stop on the way, 9h 53m in all.
Worth it if you want to walk, eat and see things; skip it if you want to switch off.
Round-trip flights from Columbus to New Orleans are $430 per person ($860 for two) for Oct 16–18, 2026, a 2-night weekend on Frontier with one stop. The forecast shows highs of 77–89°F and little rain. The best-value hotel, Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG, is $420 for the stay.
The total, before you go
£965 for two · 2 nights · flights, hotel, taxes & fees
| For two | |
|---|---|
| Flights for two, return | £648 |
| Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG, 2 nights, two guests, taxes in | £317 |
| The total, before you go | £965 |
| Hold luggage each, return (not in the total) | about £181 |
£342 per person below the highest fare we saw for these dates.
Not in it: seat selection on basic fares and hold luggage (about £45 each way per bag on Frontier, £181 for two return); a resort fee, if the hotel has one, is collected at the desk. Prices are what we found at the time shown; the booking site’s checkout is the binding one.
The flight
£324 per person, return
£648 for two, taxes and fees included · Frontier · 1 stop · 9h 53m
Out Fri, Oct 16, 11:17 AM – Fri, Oct 16, 8:10 PM
| Airline | Per person | Stops | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | £324 | 1 stop | 9h 53m |
| F9 + MX | £614 | 2 stops | 36h 17m |
| F9 + MX | £624 | 2 stops | 31h 7m |
Prices checked 12 Oct 2026, 16:43 GMT-4. Prices change; the binding price is the one on the booking site.
Paid links: when you book through a link on this page, the booking site pays us a referral fee. Your price does not change. How we earn
Tweak this trip
Why now
$430 per person round trip, or $860 for two, is the Frontier fare we found for Oct 16–18, 2026. That's $454 below the highest fare we saw for these dates, a 51% gap across the 12 offers we checked. Our sample budget for two comes to $1,800, counting flights, $420 for the best-value hotel and $520 for food and fun. Mid-October brings highs of 77–89°F, and rain chances run from 3% to 11% across the three days. Heads-up: it's still hurricane season, so check the forecast before you go. A Friday-to-Sunday getaway like this one is good for jazz, Creole and Cajun cooking and late nights in the French Quarter. Prices are all-in, taxes and fees included, as found when we checked, and they can change.
The kind of trip this is
A city, food and music long weekend. New Orleans is built for eating, walking and staying out late: jazz clubs, centuries-old architecture and a streetcar that does the sightseeing for you. It suits a couple or a pair of friends who want two full days of good food and live music rather than a packed itinerary. The pace is easy by day and livelier after dark.
Weather in New Orleans, 16 – 18 Oct
Highs 77–89°F, little rain expected
| Day | High | Low | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 16 Oct | 89 °F | 75 °F | 6% |
| Sat 17 Oct | 78 °F | 67 °F | 3% |
| Sun 18 Oct | 77 °F | 64 °F | 11% |
Where to stay in New Orleans
All three picks are in Downtown New Orleans, room only. Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG is the best value: $420 for both nights ($210 a night), 8.5 from 2,280 reviews, two queen beds and free cancellation. JW Marriott New Orleans is the top rated at 8.9 from 291 reviews, $838 for the stay ($419 a night), without free cancellation. Wyndham Garden New Orleans Downtown is the 3-star budget option at $470 ($235 a night), 7.5 from 814 reviews, also without free cancellation; heads-up, the Holiday Inn costs less this weekend. For getting around, the Central Business District / Warehouse District has museums and restaurants a short walk from the French Quarter, and Marigny / Bywater is where the Frenchmen Street music clubs are.
Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG
£317 for 2 nights, two guests · £158 a night
See roomsJW Marriott New Orleans
£632 for 2 nights, two guests · £316 a night
See roomsWyndham Garden New Orleans Downtown
£354 for 2 nights, two guests · £177 a night
See roomsAll hotels in New Orleans for these dates
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Where in New Orleans
- French Quarter: Historic heart with balconies, jazz clubs and Bourbon Street.
- Central Business District / Warehouse District: Modern hotels, museums and restaurants a short walk from the Quarter.
- Garden District: Grand mansions and oak-lined streets along the streetcar line.
- Marigny / Bywater: Frenchmen Street music clubs and colourful shotgun houses.
What to do in New Orleans
- Hear live jazz on Frenchmen Street or at Preservation Hall
- Eat beignets at Café du Monde and gumbo in the Quarter
- Ride the St. Charles streetcar past the Garden District mansions and oak-lined streets
- Tour the National WWII Museum
- Take a swamp tour to see alligators
- Visit the above-ground tombs of St. Louis Cemetery
Tours and tickets in New Orleans
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Getting there and around
| Airports in Columbus | John Glenn Columbus International (CMH), Rickenbacker International (LCK) |
|---|---|
| Airports in New Orleans | Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) |
| Flight time | 9h 53m (1 stop) |
| Distance | 799 miles each way |
| Time difference | -1 hour |
What 2 nights in New Orleans costs
| Estimate | |
|---|---|
| Flights for two | £648 |
| Hotel, 2 nights (Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG) | £317 |
| Food, getting around and tickets, 2 days for two | £392 |
| Total for two | £1,357 |
Flights and hotel are the prices we found; spending is a planning estimate for an upscale destination, per person per day times two.
Price history: Columbus to New Orleans
| Per person | |
|---|---|
| This trip | £324 per person |
| Lowest in the last 30 days | £324 (12 Oct 2026) |
| Price checks | 4 |
Good to know
- Passport: no passport needed for travellers from the United States: a government photo ID is enough for New Orleans.
- Currency: US dollar (USD).
- Hurricane season
- No passport needed, and you'll pay in US dollars.
- New Orleans is 1 hour behind Columbus.
- The outbound flight leaves CMH at 11:17 AM on Friday, Oct 16 and lands at MSY at 8:10 PM, 9h 53m with one stop.
- October falls in hurricane season, so watch the forecast in the days before you fly.
- Of the three hotels, only Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome by IHG offers free cancellation.
Questions readers ask
How much is the flight?
We found $430 per person round trip on Frontier, $860 for two, all-in with taxes and fees as of when we checked. Prices can change before you book.
Is it a nonstop?
No. The Frontier itinerary has one stop and takes 9h 53m, leaving Columbus at 11:17 AM on Friday, Oct 16 and arriving in New Orleans at 8:10 PM.
Do I need a passport?
No. It's a domestic trip, the currency is the US dollar, and New Orleans runs 1 hour behind Columbus.
What is the weather like?
The forecast shows 89°F and overcast on Friday, 78°F and clear on Saturday, and 77°F and overcast on Sunday, with rain chances of 6%, 3% and 11%.
Is 2 nights enough?
For a first taste, yes. With a Friday evening arrival, Saturday and Sunday cover jazz on Frenchmen Street, beignets, the streetcar and one big outing like the National WWII Museum or a swamp tour.
What does the whole weekend cost for two?
Our sample budget is $1,800 for two: $860 for flights, $420 for the best-value hotel and $520 for food and activities, or $130 per person per day.
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Prices converted from US dollars at the rate of 15 Oct 2026.
Image credits
- Photo: K / Pexels, Pexels License
- Photo: Dominik Gryzbon / Pexels, Pexels License
- Photo: K / Pexels, Pexels License