New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and a vibrant jazz culture unlike any other city in North America. To this day, it retains an atmosphere of wealth and leisure, complemented by French elegance, Caribbean, German, Irish, Creole, African-American, Haitian, German, and Vietnamese influences.

One of the most popular, oldest, and largest cities in the United States, New Orleans is located in Louisiana, near the mouth of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Nicknamed the “Big Easy,” it has a reputation for being a place for grown-ups, meaning one capable of maturely appreciating its outstanding qualities. Lake Pontchartrain borders the city to the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. The most popular tourist destinations are the French Quarter, Marigny, Warehouse and Arts, the central business district, Magazine Street, Garden City, the zoo, Audubon Park, and St. Charles Avenue.
New Orleans was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but continues to recover its former beauty and remains the largest city in Louisiana.

New Orleans Attractions and Entertainment
During Mardi Gras, the oldest surviving cemetery in New Orleans, St. Louis, enjoys particular popularity and a somewhat shady reputation. It is also not recommended to wander through it alone at any time of day—not only because of ghosts. Among other venerable citizens, legend has it that the famous voodoo queen Marie Laveau is buried here.

Bourbon Street is the center of the French Quarter and the entire city. The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest bridge in the world, connecting the towns of Metairie and Mandeville, located on opposite shores of Lake Pontchartrain. The bridge consists of two parallel roads and is nearly 38.5 kilometers long.