The largest city of Louisiana is the sunny New Orleans, with its half a million of residents and 500 square kilometers of size. A lot of tourists come to the city, where the different cultures meet each other. Pubs, busy bars and music clubs are waiting for the tourists.

Photo: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, flickr.com, by compujeramey

There are a lot of buildings in the city from the 19th century, which are a must to visit. Just to mention a few: the St. Louis Cathedral, or the Old US Mint, the building of the former mint and the home of the New Orleans Jazz Collection, which introduces the history of the jazz with old photos, musical instruments and documents. There’s also an interesting exhibition about old golden and silver coins.

You must take a visit to such interesting places as the Jackson Square, which was named after General Andrew Jackson; who won against the British in 1815. Nowadays one may listen to jazz music here all day, for it is now the meeting point of the artists. Those, who are a bit adventurous, may check out Bourbon Street at night, which is regarded to be the Mecca of night life. One will find homosexual and transvestite bars and brothels here, where Latin girls are at your service. It is only advised for people with strong nerves.

Photo: Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, flickr.com, by Antre

Royal Street, which is found in the Old French district. The street is flanked by antique shops, which sell amazing golden and inlaid furniture, chandeliers and other old stuff. Those tourists, who don’t visit the Aquarium of the Americas, miss out one of the most beautiful aquariums of the world. It has more than 500 species.

We also recommend the City Park for everyone, which is the fifth largest parks in the USA, with its 600 acres. It features Sub-Tropical vegetation, which is fantastic sight. The New Orleans Museum of Art and the New Orleans Botanic Garden are also to be found here.

Photo: City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, flickr.com, by zeul

The people who love to go shopping should visit the River Walk Marketplace, which is huge, and has more than 140 shops, offering world famous brands. The Garden District is a suburb of New Orleans, where the rich American homesteaders settled down and built beautiful villas, after they’d bought New Orleans. The Audubon Zoo is to be found here, which is the home of wild alligators, jaguars and flamingos.

Photo: Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, flickr.com, by sea turtle

The Mardi Gras holiday – the day before Ash Wednesday – is a great feast in the city. The whole city bursts into activity, they organize stormy marches and the people dress up in costumes.

Photo: Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, flickr.com, by mike757