New Orleans: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
New Orleans is a city of 362,701 people in United States (Louisiana), 18 m (59 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), 19 km (12 mi) from the centre. It has 3 railway stations on record, including New Orleans Union Station.
Key facts
Open New Orleans in Google Maps
Daylight in New Orleans runs from about 10 h 16 min a day in late December to 14 h 7 min in late June (computed for 29.95° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
New Orleans is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), 19 km (12 mi) from the centre, whose 10,104-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to New Orleans: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include New Orleans Union Station, L&N Station, East New Orleans. Trains to New Orleans
Buses to New Orleans · Driving and car hire
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Public Library | 1,136,967 | 2015 |
The busiest is New Orleans Public Library at 1,136,967 visitors in 2015. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from New Orleans
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Baton Rouge, 120 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Mobile, 212 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Jackson, 261 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Metairie, 8 km
- Lafayette, 189 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Beaumont, 388 km — trains · buses · car rental
Twin towns and sister cities: Caracas, Durban, Innsbruck, Maracaibo, Matsue, Mérida, Pointe-Noire, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tegucigalpa, Rosh HaAyin, Juan-les-Pins, Isola del Liri, Belém, Resistencia.
Common questions
Which airport serves New Orleans?
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), 19 km (12 mi) from the centre.
How big is New Orleans?
About 362,701 people live in New Orleans, across 906 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is New Orleans in?
America/Chicago, currently UTC-5.
What currency is used in New Orleans?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near New Orleans?
Baton Rouge (120 km), Mobile (212 km), Jackson (261 km), Metairie (8 km), Lafayette (189 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.