New Orleans Travel Guide
For details of what to do and see in New Orleans check out our New Orleans guide to car hire in New Orleans.
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Sprawling seductively along the banks of the Mississippi, the Big Easy has a reputation as a place where history and legend meet in an enticing blend of excitement and glamour. There the mysterious Voodoo traditions remain and infuse within them the legends of vampires and zombies in a city that mixes tradition and fashion like nowhere else in the country. Visitors come to New Orleans for many reasons, to see the carnival at Mardi Gras, to explore the beautiful French Quarter, or to see the mighty river that churns lazily by.
New Orleans is a city with more history than most places in the USA, and as the centre of the world of Jazz, it throbs to a different beat to the rest of the country, combining Cajun and Creole influences with French and American in order to create a real stew of cultures.
With plenty to do and see actually within the city, and close by in the mysterious swampland to the South, New Orleans is a place that has a great deal more to offer than just an annual party, and is one of the most popular destinations in the whole of North America.
Perhaps the most historic and evocative city in America, there is plenty to see and do in New Orleans, whether you are interested in the political, or social and musical history that the city is proud of.
The French Quarter is the most well known district of New Orleans, and it is here that most of the historic attractions can be found. The area lends itself well to walking tours, and you can usually get oriented within it quite quickly and see many eye-opening sights, particularly on the back streets. One of the genuine highlights of the French Quarter is the so called city of the dead - The New Orleans Cemetery No 1, where the ornate marble mausoleums of the city's historic dead fill a large cemetery, which has appeared in many films. Should you explore the graveyard, do it as part of a guided tour, as the large unpatrolled area does attract crime. St Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square is one of the highlights of the city, and is a beautiful building dating from 1794.
Along Decatur and North Peter's streets, you can find the famous French Market, where you can buy pretty much anything, and the street performers and street cafes make the area a great place to relax in the afternoon.
