New Orleans city waterfront and skyline

New Orleans — travel, stays & events guide

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New Orleans, USA
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New Orleans city overview

New Orleans is a city in USA shaped by its region, population, local economy, landmarks, climate and civic history. This overview summarizes the city itself: where it sits, what defines it, which places anchor its identity and why it matters within the wider country.

City facts

Known forNew Orleans, Louisiana Gulf Coast, New Orleans planning base 3, New Orleans planning base 4
RegionUSAUSA
Time zoneAmerica/Chicagolocal time
Founded1718historical origin

City history

La Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans) was founded in the spring of 1718 by the French Mississippi Company under Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, on land traditionally inhabited by the Chitimacha people.
Institutions like the Ursuline sisters, founded in 1727 by nuns sponsored by the Company of the Indies, reflected the city's integration into French religious and educational networks.
In 1729, the Natchez revolt erupted with an attack on Fort Rosalie, resulting in the deaths of over 200 French colonists.
Many of the white Francophones had been deported by officials in Cuba in 1809 as retaliation for Bonapartist schemes.
The city became 63 percent black, a greater proportion than Charleston, South Carolina's 53 percent at that time. Slave rebellion On January 8–11, 1811, about 500 enslaved Africans in St.
The fighting in Louisiana began in December 1814 and did not end until late January, after the Americans held off the Royal Navy during a ten-day siege of Fort St.
In April 1862, following the city's occupation by the Union Navy after the Battle of Forts Jackson and St.
As a result, most of the southern portion of Louisiana was originally exempted from the liberating provisions of the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln.
During Reconstruction, Louisiana and Texas were governed under the Fifth Military District, and Louisiana was readmitted to the Union in 1868 with a new constitution that established universal male suffrage, universal public education, and.
Although the city had always faced flooding risks, awareness of its vulnerability grew after Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and the May 8th 1995 Louisiana Flood.
The approach of Hurricane Rita in September 2005 caused repopulation efforts to be postponed, and the Lower Ninth Ward was reflooded by Rita's storm surge.
A new annual festival, "The Running of the Bulls New Orleans", was created in 2007.
The growth of railways and highways decreased river traffic, diverting goods to other transportation corridors and markets.
Federal, state, and local efforts supported recovery and rebuilding in severely damaged neighborhoods.

Worth seeing

New Orleans

New Orleans is a practical New Orleans planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.

Louisiana Gulf Coast

Louisiana Gulf Coast is a practical New Orleans planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.

New Orleans planning base 3

New Orleans planning base 3 is a practical New Orleans planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.

New Orleans planning base 4

New Orleans planning base 4 is a practical New Orleans planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.

New Orleans planning base 5

New Orleans planning base 5 is a practical New Orleans planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.

New Orleans planning base 6

New Orleans planning base 6 is a practical New Orleans planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.

Stay overview

Compare New Orleans before booking New Orleans hotels. Start with the places you will repeat most, then check airport timing, parking, nightly price and event demand before choosing the final base.

Hotels & areas

Compare accommodation options in and around New Orleans by area, not only by nightly price. A cheaper room can become expensive when airport transfers, parking, attraction routes, late arrivals or event-week demand add time and cost.

Compare stays in New Orleans, USA

Flights & airports

Main airport TBC arrival plan

  • New Orleans airport accessMain gateway TBC.

    Compare airport access against hotel location, arrival time, rental car pickup, late flights and onward driving before choosing the first night base.

Compare airport-area stays

Rental cars

New Orleans day-trip car use

Compare rental cars when airport arrival, day trips, parking, luggage, theme parks, coastal routes or nearby regions matter more than staying fully on transit.

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Travel tips

Best time to visit

Check weather, school holidays, daylight, local festivals and major event calendars before locking in hotel rates or non-refundable tickets.

Transport notes

Choose a base around the trips you will repeat most: airport, station, old town, waterfront, venue district or day-trip route.

Crowds

Prices can jump around festivals, conventions, school holidays, cruise days, ski weeks, race weekends and large sports events.

Booking detail

Compare total cost with taxes, breakfast, parking, resort fees, transfer timing and cancellation terms before choosing the cheapest room.