BY PLANE:

You'll arrive at the New Orleans International Airport, about 30 miles from downtown in Kenner, LA. From there, you have 2 options: You can take a cab (roughly $20 one way) or you can take the Airport Shuttle (roughly $20 round-trip). The cabstand and the Airport Shuttle pick-up/drop-off are both located just outside the baggage claim area on the lower level of the airport. The Airport Shuttle is really nice and reliable, and makes numerous daily runs around to all the hotels in town, then out to the airport. When you get ready to head back home, you just telephone them and let them know what time you want to depart & the van will meet you in front of the hotel. You should buy a round-trip shuttle ticket when upon your arrival. The Airport Shuttle stands are yellow, blue and white and are located in the baggage claim area.

BY AUTOMOBILE:

One way or another, you're going to have to take I-10 into town. Try to avoid rush hours -- they're brutal and can be really stressful for people not used to New Orleans traffic! Most of you will want to exit I-10 at the South Claiborne or Carrollton exits.
It's easy to get to St. Charles Avenue from either exit. Do spend some time studying a New Orleans map, even though some of your plans may be thwarted by the fact that so many streets are one-way.
Be aware that New Orleans drivers are infamous for running yellow lights up to 5 seconds after the light has turned red, and that it is perfectly permissible to make U-turns across medians on divided avenues like St. Charles, Esplanade, et cetera. Before pulling across the median on St. Charles, always make sure you look both ways for streetcars. Don't try to beat the streetcars. Oh, and always watch where you're driving. Side streets are full of bottomless potholes that can do real damage to tires and suspension systems. It is perfectly acceptable to stop and wait for oncoming traffic to pass so that you may steer around a big pothole.

GETTING AROUND IN THE CITY:

The streetcar is your friend, especially during the daytime, especially when travelling from Uptown (Tulane/area where the hotels are) to the French Quarter. For safety's sake, we don't advise taking the streetcar to the Quarter after dark. The areas of Canal Street where the streetcar drops off/picks up can get a little nervous-making at night, especially if you are out wandering around alone. After dark, cabs are your best option. There are lots of cab companies in the phone book. Cabs are relatively cheap, and any waiter or bartender will call a cab for you.
Taking a cab to the French Quarter is much cheaper than parking down there from any period of time, but if you insist on taking your car down there, the best places to park are the lots beside and behind Jax Brewery and Cafe du Monde off Decatur Street. For both lots, turn toward the river on either side of Jax Brewery. If you turn on the St. Louis Cathedral side of Jax Brewery, you will be able to turn left into a long parking area that runs the length of the lower French Quarter. This is difficult for tourists to figure out (there's a restaurant parking sign there that fakes people out), so there are always lots of spaces down that way.

Good luck!