Car Rental in New Orleans

• Plantations along the River Road are an hour away.
• Swamp and bayou tours are outside the city.
• Cajun Country, Baton Rouge and the Mississippi Gulf Coast are easy road trips.

See all rental types

• Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest and the Sugar Bowl push demand up.
• Big conventions at the Morial Convention Center.
• MSY vs. city pickup.
• Car class and rental length — weekly rates often cost less per day
• Driver age — drivers under 25 usually pay a daily surcharge
• Optional extras such as damage waivers, toll programs and child seats

• A valid driver's license, held for at least a year at most companies. Visitors can usually rent on their home license; if it isn't in English, carry an International Driving Permit or official translation alongside it.
• Minimum age is 21 at most major companies, and drivers under 25 pay a daily young-driver surcharge. New York and Michigan require companies to rent to drivers from 18, with surcharges.
• A credit card in the main driver's name. Some locations accept debit cards with extra checks — often a return travel itinerary at airports, a larger deposit or a credit check.
• International renters should also bring a passport.

More detail: What Documents Do You Need to Rent a Car? · What Is the Minimum Age to Rent a Car in the USA? · Can You Rent a Car With a Debit Card? Rules & Tips · International Driving Permit (IDP) — Do You Need One and How to Get It

• Collision and loss damage waivers (CDW/LDW) are optional. Before you accept one at the counter, check whether your own auto policy or a credit card benefit already covers rental cars — many do, with conditions.
• Liability cover varies by state and company. Supplemental liability (SLI) raises the limit and is worth considering if you don't have a personal auto policy, including as an international visitor.
• A security deposit is held on your card at pickup and released after the car is returned and checked. It can take several business days to disappear from your statement, and holds are larger on debit cards and premium cars.

More detail: Do You Need Insurance to Rent a Car? · What Is a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)? · How Much Is a Rental Car Deposit? How Holds Work

• The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway charges a toll. Most other roads around New Orleans are free.
• French Quarter hotels usually charge for parking, and street parking is scarce and tightly enforced.
• Full-to-full is usually the cheapest fuel policy: you collect the car full and return it full. Prepaid fuel only saves money if you return the tank nearly empty, and refueling charges on a car returned short are well above pump prices.
• Airport rentals include airport concession recovery fees and facility charges on top of the rate. State and local rental taxes apply everywhere.
• Other common extras: additional-driver fees, young-driver surcharges, toll-program charges, one-way drop fees, child seats and late-return charges. Read the rental terms before you pay so you know which charges are included and which are added at the counter.

More detail: Car Rental Fuel Policies Explained — Which One Should You Choose? · Hidden Car Rental Fees — The Complete Guide to What to Watch Out For · How are tolls and traffic fines handled? · Can someone else drive the car?

Mardi Gras parades

Parade routes close streets and parking is banned along them; cars are towed. Check routes and times before you drive.

Potholes and narrow streets

Streets can be rough and narrow, with many one-ways. Drive slowly in older neighborhoods.

Street flooding

Heavy rain floods streets quickly. Don't drive through standing water, and don't park on the neutral ground (median) unless officials allow it.

• Swamp tours (Jean Lafitte area)

  ~25 mi · ~30–45 min

  Boat tours through the bayous.

• Oak Alley Plantation

  ~50 mi · ~1 hr

  River Road plantations and their history.

• Baton Rouge

  ~80 mi · ~1.25 hr

  The state capitol and LSU.

• Biloxi, Mississippi

  ~90 mi · ~1.5 hr

  Gulf Coast beaches and casinos.

• Lafayette (Cajun Country)

  ~135 mi · ~2 hr

  Cajun food, zydeco and dance halls.

Distances are one-way and approximate; drive times assume normal traffic.

• Cheap Car Rental
• Weekend Car Rental
• How are tolls and traffic fines handled?
• Hidden Car Rental Fees — The Complete Guide to What to Watch Out For