New Orleans City Guide

The American city of New Orleans is located on the banks of the Mississippi River in the Southern state of Louisiana. The city was founded by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, a colonizer from Montreal who picked a strategic spot on the banks of the Mississippi River to create his French colony in 1718.

This city he founded was situated on a swamp surrounded by the sea and its establishment saw the construction of levees, pumps and canals, which managed to save it from major flooding until on 29th August 2005, when it was totally devastated by Hurricane Katrina, which flooded nearly 75% of the city.

However, currently New Orleans is being rebuilt with the combined determination and efforts of its residents and tourists. Visitors are once again heading to vacations in the Crescent City to listen to its vibrant jazz sounds and to take part in its world famous festivals and street parades like the scandalous but sensational Mardi Gras, all the while sampling its delectable cuisine, which showcases the legacy of its Cajun, Creole and European influences. Undoubtedly, if fine food and captivating music interest you, vacations to New Orleans are meant for you.

Most tourists who head to New Orleans choose to stay in the heart of the city, which is also the oldest part of the city, namely the French Quarter that hosts the world famous Bourbon Street. The French Quarter is also known as ‘Vieux Carre’ and displays influences from both the French and the Spanish eras in the city. This vibrant area of the city is home to many bars, restaurants and a wide range of hotels that include luxury hotels, spa hotels and boutique hotel properties as well as discount hotels that offer budget accommodation. This is the place to stay during your vacations to New Orlean if you want pubs nearby your place of stay.

Yet another popular area of New Orleans is the Garden District, which is located minutes away from the French Quarter and is home to magnificent colonial mansions and thousands of fragrant magnolia trees. The Garden district is served by the New Orleans street car transport system which operates 24 hours a day. The Garden District offers several hotels that are housed in magnificent colonial edifices and this area is usually the choice of those tourists who want to stay close to the French Quarter but also relish a bit of peace and quiet. If you want some of it too, then this is the place to stay during your vacations to New Orleans.

Other popular accommodation options in New Orleans can be found near its convention center, which is also easily accessible from the French Quarter and within its suburbs of Metairie and Westbank. Metairie is a suburb located between the New Orleans airport and the French Quarter while the West bank is situated just minutes from downtown New Orleans, across the Mississippi River. Both these locations offer several discount hotel options and are popular with tourists who wish to have cheap hotel rooms for their New Orleans trips so that they can free up funds for partying and dining in the city. No matter where in New Orleans you choose to stay, we can help you find the best hotel rates for every type of hotel, so if you have commenced on your hotel search for your New Orleans holiday, you must make sure you have explored the many exciting hotel deals that we at Fare Buzz have for New Orleans vacations.

The French Quarter or ‘the Vieux Carre’is considered to be the heart and soul of New Orleans. This historic center of the city extends over 90 square blocks from Chartres Street and Jackson Square.

The French Quarter was established as a French military outpost in 1718 which was transformed into a party district when the Spanish took over the city in 1764. The quarter is known for its distinctive buildings, which are adorned with wrought iron railings and tall doorways, in fact two of the buildings located here are considered to be the oldest buildings in the USA.

Today, the French Quarter has been restored to its original glory after the battering that it received from Hurricane Katrina. The French quarter continues to function the party central of New Orleans as its world famous bars, restaurants and night clubs welcome vacationers all through the night.

In order to garner support for the city, some wily tour operators in New Orleans now offer tours that highlight the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina on the city. These three hour bus tours traverse some of the hardest hit districts like Lakeview and Gentilly. Tourists are not allowed off the bus and photography is prohibited to respect the privacy of the residents but tour guides highlight the destruction by showing tourists official photographs of the tragedy. If you have a philanthropic side to yourself, you may want to go for this tour during your trip to New Orleans.

Voodoo has always played a significant role in Louisiana’s culture. The practice of Voodoo was introduced into the state by its African slaves and since then Voodoo has always been associated with New Orleans. The New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum aims to highlight its importance with a display of artifacts and exhibits that catalogue the history of the practice. The museum also offers excursions to voodoo rituals and is equipped with a voodoo practitioner who offers palm readings and personalized gris-gris bags for visitors on a trip to New Orleans.

New Orleans is a city built on a swamp and many tour operators’ offers swamp and plantation tours for visitors to get an insight into the history and flora and fauna of the city. The swamp tours are especially popular since they often include alligator sightings as these predators abound in the swampy, marshy waterways of New Orleans.

Preservation Hall, which is located in the French Quarter, is New Orleans' most popular jazz venue. The famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band serves up first-rate Dixieland Jazz, six nights a week in a building, which was originally erected as a private residence. The Olympia Brass band takes over the hall on Sundays. Preservation Hall has no seating or food and beverage capabilities but it is hugely popular with jazz enthusiasts who head here nightly for the music from 8pm to midnight. Jazz lovers cannot for sure miss this hall during their trip to New Orleans.

The Louis Armstrong Park is an eponymous 32-acre verdant enclave. It is named after New Orleans’ native son, the jazz great, Louis Armstrong renowned for jazz hits like ‘ A wonderful world’, ‘Hello Dolly’ and ‘Mack the Knife’. Located within the park is also Congo Square which was a meeting place for slaves in the 19th century.

The best time to plan vacations to New Orleans is during the pleasant, warm days of early spring when festivals like the city’s world famous ‘Mardi Gras’ festival take place. Hotel prices, at this time, are often the highest but that’s where we can help by securing for you some discounted hotel deals.

The summer months from June to August in New Orleans are usually unbearably hot and humid. New Orleans also experiences a hurricane season, which extends from June to November and is often characterized by occasional heavy rainstorms.

Louis Armstrong International Airport is where flights to New Orleans take you to. The airport is laced with modern facilities and well connected by other mode of transportation. Do explore the attractive cheap flight tickets available with Fare Buzz and save while traveling by air.

The best way to get around the city of New Orleans during vacations is by the city’s vintage electric rail cars, which are known as street cars. These street cars operate round the clock and serve most areas of the French Quarter and the Garden District.

Public transport in New Orleans also includes buses, ferries and river boats but most tourists who stay in the ‘Vieux-Carre’ choose to explore the city on foot so as to soak in its unique atmosphere.

Shopping in New Orleans presents a truly unique experience for the city offers a wide variety of antiques, vintage clothing, artifacts and stunning jewelry. The French Quarter is the city’s most famous shopping district that is populated by several boutiques that sell a wide range of wares including voodoo paraphernalia and masks and costumes, which are generally in great demand during the annual Mardi Gras and Halloween festivities.

Yet another popular shopping haunt in New Orleans is Magazine Street in the Garden District, which is especially known for its antique stores, art galleries, craft shops and classy boutiques. Be here to explore the options and shop some during your trip.

Besides, inject jewelry and collectibles, New Orleans is also well known for its candy which makes for great gifts. Some of the best candy in New Orleans can be sampled at stores like Aunt Sally's Praline Shop, Leah’s Candy Kitchen and Southern Candymakers, who all offer various other original Louisiana food products and gifts alongside their candy offerings.

New Orleans or the ‘Big Easy’ is especially known for its unique food landscape that showcases the fascinating history of the city. The city offers many indigenous foods like Gumbo, Muffelettas, Po-Boys and Beignets, which have achieved worldwide fame. 'Mothers', a restaurant located near New Orleans's famous French quarter is renowned for its delicious Gumbo, which is dish of stew and rice that displays influences of the Native Americans and African Slaves, who both had role in the history of New Orleans.

The Muffaletta is the name for an Italian sandwich, which was invented at a spot called Central Grocery located at Decatur Street in New Orleans. While the Muffalettas are of Italian origin, the Po-Boy sandwiches of New Orleans have French accents as they are made with a French bread stuffed with fillings such as fried shrimp, oysters, catfish or roast beef with gravy. Both these sandwiches are found at various restaurants around the city.

Beignets are square shaped New Orleans doughnuts are also made of fried dough. They are liberally dusted with icing sugar and are especially delicious when they are served with a café au lait or a glass of chocolate milk. Café du Monde located on New Orleans' Jackson Square serves the best Beignets in the city of New Orleans.

New Orleans’ nightlife is its biggest attraction. The city is world famous for music and has long been associated with jazz, Cajun and zydeco sounds. Carnivals, street parades and festivals that carry on until the wee hours of the morning are also the city’s specialty.

New Orleans also offers world class bars; most of which are located along Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. Some of the city’s best watering holes include establishments like Cure( Freret Street), Mimis in the Marigny(Royal Street), Finn Mcools Bank Street), French 75 Bar at Arnaud’s restaurant at Bienville Street and the Napoleon House on Chartres Street. The last mentioned spot dates back 213 years and is renowned for its musical offerings and its signature cocktail, the Pimm’s Cup.