Getting in
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport: Skip the hotel shuttle unless its stop is exactly where you need to be. RTA Route 202 Airport Express is the useful budget option: about 30 minutes on I-10 to the CBD, just outside the French Quarter, for roughly $1.25. It leaves from Level 1 by baggage claim, outside Door 2 (Zones B4/B5). A taxi is the sensible choice after a late arrival or with luggage: the published flat fare to the French Quarter/CBD is about $36 for one or two passengers, then $15 per additional passenger. Jefferson Transit E1 is cheap (about $2) but takes roughly 45 minutes to the Cemeteries Transit Center and requires a further streetcar or bus downtown.
- New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (Amtrak/long-distance buses): The station at 1001 Loyola Avenue is on the southeast edge of the CBD. It is walkable to CBD hotels; for the French Quarter, take the Canal streetcar corridor or a short taxi/rideshare rather than hauling bags through traffic and heat. Amtrak’s City of New Orleans (Chicago), Crescent (New York) and Sunset Limited (Los Angeles, three times weekly) use the terminal, along with the Mobile Mardi Gras service and many intercity buses.
- Lakefront Airport: This is a general-aviation airport, not a practical commercial-arrival gateway. Arrange a car service, taxi or rental car in advance; it has no comparable direct downtown transit connection. The restored Art Deco terminal is worth seeing only if you have a reason to be on that side of town.