Royal Street, Block by Block
Royal Street runs through the French Quarter from Canal Street, directly across from St. Charles Avenue, to Esplanade Avenue. Street numbers start low at Canal and climb toward Esplanade, so this walk follows them block by block. The street is best for serious antiques, estate jewelry and fine art, with a few boutiques mixed in. Most dealers and galleries open around 9 to 11am and close at 5 or 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and only some galleries keep Sunday hours. Two shops below, Angela King Gallery and Fifi Mahony's, don't post hours, so call before making a special trip. Our Royal Street district page lists every shop we cover.
The 200 and 300 Blocks: Start at Canal
The Canal Street streetcar lines stop at the foot of the Quarter, and the walk starts there. Angela King Gallery (241 Royal St) is a woman-owned contemporary gallery of about 45 years, showing painting, photography and sculpture by roughly 25 American and Western European artists in pop, surreal and abstract styles. A block on, Royal Antiques (309 Royal St) is a fourth-generation family dealer with over 20,000 sq ft across three historic buildings: French, English, Italian and Biedermeier furniture, chandeliers, mirrors and estate jewelry. It is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
The 400 Block: Gallery Row Begins
Gallery row starts around the 400 block. Martin Lawrence Galleries (433 Royal St), the New Orleans outpost of the national gallery group, has original works and editions by Picasso, Chagall, Warhol and Erté alongside contemporary artists. It is open daily from 10am to 6pm, and consultations are by appointment. Next door, James H. Cohen & Sons (437 Royal St) is a family coin and antiques dealer founded in 1898 and one of the city's largest for coins, with antique weapons, historical documents and keepsakes alongside the coin cases. It is open Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 5pm.
The 500 Block: Estate Jewelry and Shoes
Wellington & Co. Fine Jewelry (505 Royal St) is the estate jewelry stop on this walk: antique and estate pieces, signed designer jewelry from Cartier, Bulgari and Van Cleef & Arpels, pre-owned Rolex and custom bridal, with repairs and appraisals. It is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Feet First (526 Royal St) is the French Quarter branch of a local shoe shop founded in 1977, selling women's shoes, accessories and clothing from local and international labels, with Sunday hours. The Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum and research center founded in 1966, is entered at the 18th-century Merieult House at 533 Royal Street. A few doors on, Elliott Gallery (540 Royal St) shows contemporary and modern art by internationally known artists. Betty Nahan Elliott and Fred Elliott run it, and it is open daily from 10am to 5pm.
The 600 Block: M.S. Rau
M.S. Rau (622 Royal St) is the largest stop on the street. The family-run antiques gallery was founded in 1912 and is now led by third-generation owner Bill Rau, selling museum-grade fine art, period furniture, rare objects and antique and signed jewelry. Look past the ground floor: the showroom now combines three buildings into roughly 40,000 sq ft over three stories. It is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5:15pm. Farther along the busy 600 block near St. Peter Street, IRIS Galerie (640 Royal St) mixes modern and classic work by emerging and established artists: paintings, sculpture, prints and decorative pieces. It is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 10am to 7pm.
The 700 Block: Behind the Cathedral
Rodrigue Studio (730 Royal St), the flagship gallery for George Rodrigue, sits behind St. Louis Cathedral. It shows original Louisiana landscapes, Cajun scenes and Blue Dog paintings, plus signed and estate-stamped prints, and is open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 5pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. The cathedral faces Jackson Square; its present building dates mainly to 1850, and a church has stood on the site since 1718.
Short detour. Before continuing down Royal, you can detour to two shops on Pirate's Alley and Chartres Street. Faulkner House Books (624 Pirate's Alley) is a small bookshop in the house where William Faulkner lived, selling fine literature, Faulkner titles, Southern and New Orleans books, and rare, signed and out-of-print editions. It is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Dirty Coast (630 Chartres St) sells the local brand's New Orleans slogan T-shirts, hats, pins and prints, and is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Our French Quarter page covers more of Chartres and Decatur.
The 800 and 900 Blocks: Toward Esplanade
812 Royal Gallery (812 Royal St), in the gallery-dense 800 block, shows local and regional artists in rotating exhibitions of painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media. The 900 block has two costume stops. No Rules Fashion (927 Royal St) is a small shop of statement accessories and costume pieces for festivals, Carnival and glam looks. Across the street, Fifi Mahony's (934 Royal St) has specialized in wigs and headpieces since 1997, fitting custom wigs to a costume, with ready-to-wear wigs, glitter and stage makeup. It is a Mardi Gras and Halloween staple for locals. Past St. Philip the blocks turn quiet and residential, so this is a natural place to finish. 812 Royal Gallery is open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and No Rules Fashion Monday to Friday 11am to 5pm, Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 12 to 5pm. Fifi Mahony's doesn't post hours, so call ahead.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Nearby
Two places sit right on or next to the route. Brennan's (417 Royal St) is the old-line Creole restaurant in the 400 block, known for breakfast; Time Out calls it the birthplace of Bananas Foster. Galatoire's (209 Bourbon St), a block off Royal, serves French-Creole classics such as oysters Rockefeller in a mirrored dining room, and Friday lunch is the tradition. It is MICHELIN Recommended for 2026.
For something quicker, Killer PoBoys (219 Dauphine St), a short walk from Royal, does counter-service po'boys with modern fillings on Dong Phuong bread, and is also MICHELIN Recommended for 2026. For dinner, GW Fins (808 Bienville St), two blocks from Royal, serves fine-dining seafood with a daily-changing list of entrées and dry-aged fish. Our MICHELIN guide has the full New Orleans list.
Streetcar, Timing and Where to Stay
Royal Street starts at Canal Street, directly across from St. Charles Avenue, and the Quarter is best on foot from there. The Canal Street streetcar lines stop at the foot of the Quarter.
For unhurried gallery and courtyard browsing, go on a weekday. The pedestrian stretch from Bienville to Orleans closes to cars every afternoon (11am to 4pm on weekdays, until 7pm on weekends) and fills with street musicians, so bring small bills to tip them. Construction is under way on parts of Royal Street, but New Orleans & Company says the shops on those blocks stay open. To stay nearby, our hotels guide sorts New Orleans hotels by the shopping closest to them.
