City guide · New Orleans · La Nouvelle-Orléans
New Orleans
A French old town on a bend of the Mississippi: jazz, Creole food and Mardi Gras
New Orleans is the least American city in America: the ironwork balconies of the French Quarter, brass bands in the street, Creole and Cajun gumbo, and the Mardi Gras parades every spring. This is the birthplace of jazz.
History
How the city came to be
In the spring of 1718 the French Mississippi Company, under Bienville, founded New Orleans on land long home to the Chitimacha people; around 1723 it became capital of French Louisiana. After the Seven Years' War in 1763 the city was ceded to Spain. Two great fires in 1788 and 1794 destroyed 80% of its buildings, and the Spanish rebuilt today's French Quarter with brick walls and fire regulations. France took Louisiana back in 1800, and in 1803 Napoleon sold it to the United States. In August 2005 Hurricane Katrina flooded more than 80% of the city, killing over 1,300 people.
- 1718Bienville founded New Orleans
- 1763Ceded to Spain
- 1788、1794Two great fires destroyed 80% of the city's buildings
- 1803Louisiana Purchase; the city became part of the US
- 2005Hurricane Katrina devastated the city
Stories
Stories of the city
History · New Orleans beignets
Wartime chicory coffee
Café du Monde opened in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1862, at first just a coffee stand. When coffee was scarce during the Civil War, New Orleans Creoles mixed roasted chicory root into their coffee, creating chicory coffee with a chocolatey note. More than a century later the menu has barely changed: chicory coffee, café au lait, and beignets served three to an order under a blizzard of icing sugar.
History · French Quarter
The river bend Bienville chose
In 1717 Bienville, governor of Louisiana, wrote to the directors of France's Mississippi Company that he had found a crescent-shaped bend in the Mississippi sheltered from tidal surges and hurricanes, recommending that the colony's new capital be built there. With approval, he founded New Orleans in the spring of 1718 (7 May later became the traditional founding date, though nobody actually knows the exact day). The city grew up around its central square, the 'Place d'Armes' of the old town — today's French Quarter.
History · French Quarter
The 'French Quarter' after two great fires
In 1763 New Orleans was ceded to Spain. Two great fires, in 1788 and 1794, destroyed 80% of the city's buildings, and the Spanish then issued strict fire regulations: wooden façades were banned, and buildings had to be of brick, rendered and painted in the soft colours fashionable at the time. So most of the buildings in the old town now called the 'French Quarter' were in fact built under Spanish rule and in the early years of American control.
People
People connected with New Orleans
Local life
Food and local daily life
Before you go
Rules to know in New Orleans
Driving in the US: what to do when police pull you over
- Signal right and pull over safely to the right
- Roll down your window after stopping, before the officer reaches you
- At night, turn on the interior light
- Keep both hands on the wheel and ask passengers to keep their hands visible too
- Getting out and walking towards the police car
- Suddenly reaching for the glovebox, a pocket or under the seat
Sudden movements may be read as a threat and become dangerous. The wording of the rules varies slightly between states.
Not yet verifiedSource: Texas Department of Public Safety driver handbook
USA: tipping is almost always expected
- Restaurants with table service: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill
- Bartenders: US$1–2 a drink, or 15–20% of the bill
- Taxis: 15–20% of the fare, at least US$1
- Hotel housekeeping: US$2–5 a day
- Not tipping at restaurants with table service
Not illegal, but seen as very rude.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Emily Post Institute: tipping guide