To rent a car or not? That is the question. If you're coming to visit New Orleans soon, you may be asking yourself this question. We know it's a pretty common question, we see it asked a lot.
Generally, we say skip the rental car if you’re staying in the city.
You Don't Need A Car In New Orleans
First of all if you're staying in the French Quarter or close by in the Central Business district, you won't need a car. You'll be within walking distance of the most popular restaurants, sights to see and other destinations. If you want to go somewhere else there's the beautiful and historic streetcars that can take you take you to locations like City Park and the Garden District. If the streetcar isn't going exactly where you're headed, there's an abundance of taxis throughout the city that would be more than willing to help you get there.
Parking Can Be A Pain
We love New Orleans, but we'll be the first admit that we plan some extra time into my schedule if we're going to the French Quarter and have some place to be at a specific time. Finding parking on the street can be next to impossible, if not impossible, during the popular weekends. Not every hotel offers parking, so this could be an issue that you want to look into ahead of time.
Parking Can Be Pricy
If you are staying a hotel that does have parking, we will warn you that just like any other city, parking can be expensive in New Orleans. This is especially true in the French Quarter. Rates average around thirty dollars, but can get much more expensive during Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and other popular times to visit New Orleans.
Take a shuttle or taxi if you're coming in from the airport. If this is your first visit and your hotel is in or near the French Quarter, you'll be walking most of the time anyways. Paying for parking and daily rates for the rental car just wouldn't be worth it. Avoid the headaches and let someone else do the driving. Your car will probably spend most of the vacation in the parking garage, why pay for the car and the parking space when you don't need it?