Getting Around New Orleans

Traveling in and out of New Orleans is easy and convenient, whether you fly, drive or travel by train. Here are a few options to consider:

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport , eighteen miles northwest on I-10, has an information booth (8am-9pm) in its baggage claim area. Flat-rate taxi fares into town are $24 for up to two people, $10 each for three or more, and shuttles will take you to your hotel (every 10 min; tickets available 24hr in the baggage claim area or from the bus driver; $10 to downtown hotels). There's also a public bus from the airport to Tulane Avenue in the CBD (daily 6am-6.30pm; every 15-25min; $1.50), but it holds carry-on luggage only.

Greyhound buses arrive next to Amtrak at the Union Passenger Terminal, 1001 Loyola Ave, near the Superdome. Take a cab to your lodgings. United Cabs is by far the best firm.

Getting Around in New Orleans is a lot like getting to the land of OZ! There are no mountains in Louisiana...and, depending upon where you are in the city, you're either at sea-level or below. The city is built on a bend in the river (hence the Crescent City name) with streets radiating outward.  Depending on where the visitor is staying, walking can be an easy method of transportation, particularly in the French Quarter.

Though New Orleans' most visited neighborhoods are a dream to walk around, getting from one to another is not always easy on foot, and if you're traveling anywhere outside the Quarter after dark you'd be better off calling a cab . The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) runs a network of buses ($1.25, exact fare required; 24hr). The most useful routes include "Magazine" (#11), which runs from Canal Street in the CBD to Audubon Park; and "Esplanade" (#48) from the edge of the Quarter up to City Park. You're more likely to use the handsome St Charles streetcar (a National Historic Monument, dating back around 100 years) that rumbles a thirteen-mile loop from Canal Street, along St Charles Avenue in the Garden District, past Audubon Park to Carrollton uptown ($1.25 each way; 25¢ transfers; exact fare). The cars trundle along at an average speed of 9mph; it takes about 45 minutes for a full one-way trip. Though the streetcar runs around the clock, services fall off after dark. There's a newer streetcar along the riverfront , where trolleys make ten stops between the Convention Center and Esplanade Avenue (Mon-Fri 6am-11pm, Sat & Sun 7am-11pm; every 15min; $1.50; exact fare). It's a total trip of less than two miles, however, and of most interest for its pretty river views. VisiTour passes , available from the welcome center and most major hotels, give unlimited travel on all streetcars and buses ($5 per day, $12 for three consecutive days).