New Orleans

New Orleans is a city in south Louisiana whose French Quarter, the Vieux Carré, has been a National Historic Landmark district since 21 December 1965. Jackson Square, inside the Quarter, was listed in 1960, and the Garden District in 1974.

A first visit here runs on a $1.25 bus fare, a streetcar line and two Park Service units that charge no entrance fee. We checked the figures below on 30 October 2026 on the pages of the RTA, the airport, the National Park Service, the National WWII Museum, the Louisiana Department of Revenue and NOAA.

We also read the City's own tax-form instructions. The City's main website refused every connection, and the tourism bureau, the Louisiana State Museum and St. Louis Cathedral blocked our reads. So this page gives no parade routes and no hours for the Cabildo or the cathedral.

How do you get from Louis Armstrong airport to the French Quarter for $1.25?

The RTA 202 Airport Express runs from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to downtown for $1.25, every day. On the timetable in force from 20 September 2026, the first bus leaves the airport at 4:50 a.m. and the last at 10:10 p.m. Buses come about every 50 minutes in the day and every 90 minutes early in the morning.

The stop is on Level 1, outside baggage claim Door 2, in Zones B4 and B5; RTA's own stop list names Zone B5. The ride to Poydras at Freret takes 19 to 31 minutes, and to the Canal Street Ferry Terminal 26 to 41 minutes. The slow trips are the morning ones, from 6:20 to 9:40. The route also stops at the Main Library Hub and at Union Passenger Terminal, Bus Bay 2.

The airport's page also names a stop at Elk Place at Cleveland, which RTA's own map does not show. RTA's fares page suggests leaving the change at home and paying in its Le Pass app.

A taxi from the Arrivals Curb at Door 7 costs the flat $36 for up to two people. Taxis must accept credit cards. Ride apps pick up on the middle curb outside Level 1 baggage claim, and the airport prints no fare for them.

The airport stop is about 15.5 miles from the French Quarter Visitor Center, around 24 minutes without traffic on our own routing. None of these fares includes a tip; our guide to tipping in the USA covers that part.

What does a Jazzy Pass cover on RTA buses, streetcars and ferries?

A Jazzy Pass covers RTA buses, streetcars and ferries, and the 1-day pass costs $3, against $1.25 for a single ride. A pass stays inactive until its first use, and a 1-day pass then expires 24 hours later.

By our arithmetic, the 1-day pass pays off on the third separate ride of the day. Children under 5 ride free with a fare-paying passenger.

The Le Pass app, the RTA's website, its customer service office, ticket machines and partner shops all sell the passes. The rider line, 504-248-3900, answers from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

How long does the St. Charles streetcar take to the Garden District?

The St. Charles streetcar, RTA line 12, takes 39 to 46 minutes from Canal at Carondelet to Carrollton at Claiborne. The timetable prints daily service, Monday to Sunday. Its stops along the avenue include St. Charles at Jackson, at Napoleon and at Broadway.

The first car leaves Canal at Carondelet at 4:10 a.m., and the last printed trip leaves at 3:25 the next morning. Cars run 10 to 12 minutes apart from mid-morning to evening, and about every 32 minutes overnight. The first car of the day takes 39 minutes, and a midday trip 46.

Buses replace the streetcar on the last stretch, from Carrollton at Claiborne to Willow, every 10 to 15 minutes. The timetable, in force from 20 September 2026, prints no end date for that.

The City's pages could not be read, so this page gives no access details for Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 or for Garden District house tours.

What runs at the French Quarter Visitor Center on Decatur Street?

The French Quarter Visitor Center, at 419 Decatur Street by Jackson Square, opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closes on Sundays and Mondays. New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park and Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve share it. Its exhibits cover south Louisiana's culture, nature, history and food.

The Park Service is not consistent about Jazz's own building. A photo caption on the park's home page calls 916 North Peters Street its main visitor center. The hours page, updated on 14 October 2026, and the park's alert both name 419 Decatur, and say that 916 North Peters, in Dutch Alley, opens only for special events.

Jazz and Jean Lafitte charge no entrance fee, and neither is on the 2026 list of eleven parks with a $100 surcharge for visitors from abroad. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors shows where that surcharge applies. The Jazz park's programmes are free unless noted, and the visitor center takes donations.

Jazz counted 51,065 recreation visits in 2025, and April was its busiest month. A January 2026 event page shows the kind of event it runs: a free Jazz Piano Hour at the visitor center at 3 p.m. The park warns that programmes and performances may change, so check its calendar for current dates.

How much is the National WWII Museum, and which days does it close?

The National WWII Museum charges $37 for an adult, $34 for a senior aged 65 or over and $27 for a student or a member of the military with ID. Children under 5 and WWII veterans go free. The museum opens daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It closes on Mardi Gras Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

General admission includes the USS Tang submarine experience. The two shows, Beyond All Boundaries and the Freedom Theater, cost $9 each, or $12 together. A Second-Day Pass costs $15 within seven days of the first purchase.

The admission pass allows re-entry the same day until 5 p.m. Daytime tickets are not refunded, and the museum recommends buying ahead.

The museum stands in the Warehouse District, on Andrew Higgins Drive between Magazine and Camp Streets. Drop-off is at the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion, 525 Andrew Higgins Boulevard. Its garage at 1024 Magazine Street charges $8 for the first hour, $15 for up to three hours and $20 for up to seven.

How do you reach Chalmette Battlefield from the French Quarter?

Chalmette Battlefield, site of the Battle of New Orleans on 8 January 1815, lies about 4.9 miles downriver from the French Quarter Visitor Center on our own routing. The drive takes around 13 minutes without traffic. It is a Jean Lafitte site, so there is no entrance fee.

The battlefield's vehicle gates open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and walkers may enter from sunrise to sunset all year. The gates of Chalmette National Cemetery open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., federal holidays included.

The paddlewheeler Creole Queen sails to the battlefield from the French Quarter. Its fares and sailing times are on its own site, which we did not read.

What is still open at Barataria Preserve during the rebuild?

Barataria Preserve, Jean Lafitte's swamp site "just 17 miles from New Orleans" by the Park Service's count, has been closed for rebuilding since 2 February 2026. The park expects the work to take two years. Hurricane Ida damaged the trails in 2021.

Only Twin Canals is open, with its parking lot, trail and canoe launch, for day use. It has no restrooms, and camping is not allowed. The visitor centre is closed, as are the Bayou Coquille, Palmetto, Marsh Overlook and Wood Duck trails, among others.

The park's Barataria page sends visitors to the Louisiana Wetlands Education Center and its Wetland Trace Boardwalk, at 4917 City Park Drive in Jean Lafitte. The centre is six miles from the preserve and opens daily. Rangers are there on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a guided walk at 1 p.m.

The park's alert puts the rangers at the Town of Lafitte's Civic Center instead, on the same days and hours. Check before you drive out.

The centre charges its own admission, which is not a Park Service fee. An adult pays $10, and seniors, ages 13 to 17, Louisiana residents and the military $5. Children under 12 with a parent go free.

Which trips beyond New Orleans need a car?

The Park Service's Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux runs ranger-guided boat tours of Bayou Lafourche, and the park warns that you will need a car to get there. On 30 October 2026 its alert said the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette was temporarily closed because of air-conditioning problems. Its programmes had moved to the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice, open Tuesday to Saturday.

The River Road plantations and Cajun country are on our page about Louisiana, and Biloxi and Natchez on our page about Mississippi. Our guides to renting a car in the USA and driving in the USA as a visitor cover the paperwork and the road rules.

When are Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest in 2027?

Mardi Gras 2027 falls on Tuesday 9 February, by the holiday table of the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association. The calendar rule gives the same date: 47 days before Easter, which is 28 March 2027. In 2026 Mardi Gras fell on 17 February.

On Mardi Gras the RTA runs its buses and streetcars at a weekend level of service, and the National WWII Museum closes. We could not read the City's or the tourism bureau's pages, so this page gives no parade dates, routes or street closures.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival runs over two weekends at the Fair Grounds Race Course. Its own FAQ gives Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 April and Thursday 29 April to Sunday 2 May 2027. On 30 October 2026 its tickets page said 2027 tickets were not currently on sale, and the line-up was due in the coming months.

How much tax goes on a New Orleans hotel room and a shop bill?

A hotel room in the city carries 15% in percentage taxes at a hotel with ten or more rooms, by our own sum of the printed rates. The state collects 3% sales tax, 4% for the Stadium and Exposition District and 3% for the Exhibition Hall Authority. The City adds its own 5% hotel sales tax.

Per-night charges come on top. The Exhibition Hall Authority charges $0.50 a night at hotels of 10 to 299 rooms, $1.00 at 300 to 999 rooms and $2.00 at 1,000 or more. The City's occupancy privilege tax is $0.50 a room a night at 3 to 299 rooms and $1.00 at 300 or more.

By our arithmetic, a $200 room at a 300-room hotel pays $30 in percentage taxes plus $2 in nightly charges: $32 a night, before any tip or resort fee. The state's table marks its 3% rate "until 12/31/2029", and no page we read says what follows.

Shops add the state's 5% sales tax and the City's 5%, so most purchases carry 10% by our sum. The City's share falls to 4.5% on unprepared food for home and on prescription drugs. Louisiana's sales-tax refund for visitors from abroad ended on 1 July 2024. Our guide to sales tax in the USA explains why shelf prices leave the tax out.

How hot is a New Orleans summer, and when do hurricanes peak?

July at the airport averages a high of 91°F and a low of 77°F on NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, and the station counts 85 days a year at 90°F or more. Hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November, and the National Hurricane Center puts its peak on 10 September.

The airport gets 63.35 inches of rain a year. June is the wettest month, with 7.62 inches, and October the driest. The 90°F days run from May to September. Jean Lafitte's safety page warns that high humidity can add five degrees to the "feels like" temperature.

An average Atlantic season brings 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October. The National Weather Service says storm surge has historically been the leading cause of hurricane deaths.

The city is on Central Time. Clocks went back an hour on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 2 a.m., from UTC−5 to UTC−6.