Travel to Louisiana with travel insurance from Essential Travel

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Information on Louisiana with single trip travel insurance from Essential Travel

Louisiana is a favourite state for American tourists and for those coming from abroad. Most famous for the Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans, the state offers a plethora of other sights and activities. There are swamp tours, 3,000-year-old Native American mound constructions, the exquisite Creole cuisine, and fabulous, vibrant live jazz music.

Favourite Cities

Hordes of people descend on New Orleans for Mardi Gras each year in February; however, the city has much to offer the rest of the year as well. New Orleans boasts a colourful history and parts of the city can be pleasantly explored on foot, starting with Jackson Square, which features a unique array of sidewalk artists, musicians, and mimes. Nearby, the citys renowned French Quarter is well worth discovering in detail.

At night, Bourbon Street is the place to go for music and fun. You can learn more about the mixture of cultures in the state at Louisiana State Museum, the Mardi Gras Museum, or the New Orleans Jazz Exhibit. Other interesting sights include the Voodoo Spiritual Temple and the Historic Voodoo Museum. Baton Rouge is the capital of Louisiana and the second largest city in the state. Here, the riverfront districts live festivals are especially entertaining. Major sights include the Old State Capitol and the New Capitol Building. Old plantations like Magnolia Mound Plantation and Mt Hope Plantation are magnificent remainders of Louisianas marvellous but conflict-ridden past. Lafayette, in the south, is a bit smaller than the other tourist cities and is thus a great place to discover the history of the area in more serene surroundings. The Vermilionville Museum features information on the history, homes and crafts people of Lafayette; while the Acadian and Native American cultural lifestyles and natural resources are the focus at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.

Getting There

New Orleans International Airport receives mostly domestic flights with just a sprinkling of international flights. However, the state’s proximity to Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Atlanta make it easy to find a convenient connection to just about anywhere in North America and the world. By rail, three Amtrak lines provide service from New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal to Lafayette, Lake Charles and destinations throughout the US. Also sharing the Union Passenger Terminal is Greyhound, which offers extensive services in the state and beyond.

I-10 is the nations major east-west route along the southern boundary linking Jacksonville with the east coast of the US. The north-south routes, I-55 to Chicago and I-59 to Chattanooga, meet I-10 to the west and east of New Orleans; while I-20 travels east-west along the top of Louisiana.

Safety

Visitors should be careful when travelling to Louisiana, especially during Mardi Gras. The streets can be quite crowded with revellers and there are often fights or problems with pickpockets. It’s best to take out travel insurance before heading to this state

Weather in Louisiana

The Gulf of Mexico gives Louisiana its subtropical climate. There are four distinct seasons though. Winter is usually short and snappy, spring is lovely and the fall can be quite balmy. Summer is a mixture of subtropical heat and cooling showers.

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