Car hire and driving in New Orleans
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In United States traffic drives on the right. Picking up at MSY means 19 km (12 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.
Drives from New Orleans
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans to Baton Rouge | United States | 120 km (75 mi) | about 1 h 38 min |
| New Orleans to Lafayette | United States | 189 km (118 mi) | about 2 h 34 min |
| New Orleans to Mobile | United States | 212 km (132 mi) | about 2 h 52 min |
| New Orleans to Jackson | United States | 261 km (162 mi) | about 3 h 32 min |
| New Orleans to Beaumont | United States | 388 km (241 mi) | about 5 h 16 min |
| New Orleans to Tuscaloosa | United States | 433 km (269 mi) | about 5 h 52 min |
| New Orleans to Montgomery | United States | 448 km (279 mi) | about 6 h 5 min |
| New Orleans to Shreveport | United States | 451 km (280 mi) | about 6 h 7 min |
| New Orleans to Pasadena | United States | 496 km (308 mi) | about 6 h 43 min |
| New Orleans to Birmingham | United States | 503 km (313 mi) | about 6 h 49 min |
| New Orleans to Pearland | United States | 505 km (314 mi) | about 6 h 51 min |
| New Orleans to Houston | United States | 510 km (317 mi) | about 6 h 55 min |
| New Orleans to Mexico City | Mexico | 1,484 km (922 mi) | about 20 h 7 min |
| New Orleans to Toronto | Canada | 1,797 km (1,116 mi) | about 24 h 21 min |
| New Orleans to Chicago | United States | 1,340 km (833 mi) | about 18 h 10 min |
| New Orleans to Iztapalapa | Mexico | 1,487 km (924 mi) | about 20 h 9 min |
| New Orleans to Puebla | Mexico | 1,464 km (910 mi) | about 19 h 51 min |
| New Orleans to Ecatepec de Morelos | Mexico | 1,464 km (910 mi) | about 19 h 51 min |
| New Orleans to Santiago de Querétaro | Mexico | 1,468 km (912 mi) | about 19 h 54 min |
| New Orleans to León de los Aldama | Mexico | 1,522 km (946 mi) | about 20 h 38 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in New Orleans?
The right, as everywhere in United States.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
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 13 September 2026. Hotel 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.