New Orleans - Get Around

Don't spend all your time in the French Quarter. The Garden District, Northshore and the renovated plantations give more of a snapshot of Louisiana life.

Bordered by the Mississippi and Lake Ponchartrain, streetcars and buses make navigation of New Orleans easy.

To the southwest of Bourbon Street and the French Quarter are the business and arty parts of town – the Central Business and Warehouse District. Landscaped grounds and antebellum homes to the south give the Garden District its name. Uptown's mansions are just to the west. Northwest of the French Quarter, top-notch restaurants, gritty diners, ethnic diversity and City Park fill the districts of Bayou St John and Mid-City.

Walking is the easiest – and pleasantest - way to get around the French Quarter, the Warehouse District and the Central Business District. It is not advisable to walk alone late in the evening.

Read Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire in the gleaming wooden interior of a New Orleans tram, still trundling along after nearly a century of use. The ‘Desire Line' runs along the Mississippi riverfront.

Taxis are easily hailed on the street and are plentiful in the French Quarter and along Riverwalk. If you find a friendly driver, ask him/her to show you the sights. New Orleans people love talking and telling tall tales in their twangy, southern drawl.

Buses run throughout the city, and major routes run 24 hours a day. Schedules are available at the NORTA (New Orleans Rapid Transit Authority) office or online.

The quickest way to get to Algiers, on the other side of the river, is by the Canal Street Ferry. It leaves every 30 minutes and is free to foot passengers. You can also take a paddle boat for a jazz tour along the Mississippi.

Take a carriage ride and tour the French Quarter with a mule and buggy.

Make sure you have change ready for NORTA's buses and streetcars. Avoid driving as parking is at a premium. Stick to taxis or public transport.

Visit 18th-century Spanish New Orleans and see the Cabildo, site of the Louisiana Purchase signing, and wrought-iron balconies of the French Quarter townhouses. The Garden District is full of 19th century Victorian mansions. Tap your feet in Rampart Street where jazz was born in the early 20th century.

New Orleans Rapid Transit Authority (NORTA) website