At the big toe of boot-shaped Louisiana, New Orleans nestles between Lake Pontchartrain, a huge but shallow body of saltwater that forms the northern edge of town, and a meniscus-shaped bend of the Mississippi River. The original and most visited portions of the city parallel the northern riverbank. Directions upriver or downriver are relative to the water flow, which bends maddeningly to all points of the compass. The Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain also provide 'riverside' or 'lakeside' orientation.

Pre-Katrina, New Orleans comprised a checkerboard of neighbourhoods of different wealth and ethnicity - it was often only a few steps from ghetto to endowed estates. At the easternmost point of the city's crescent-shaped core is the heart of the original city, the French Quarter, built on high ground and largely spared of flooding. To the southwest, the Uptown area encompasses the Garden District, universities and palatial mansions along the St Charles Ave Streetcar Line, which led to the Riverbend area but was knocked off-line by the hurricane. (It's not scheduled to be back online until late 2007.)

Older faubourgs (suburbs) border the crowded French Quarter - to the east, the Faubourg Marigny appeals to a bohemian, mostly gay crowd, while downriver lies the Bywater, a burgeoning artist's hangout in an otherwise marginal district. Both escaped major flooding but had lots of wind damage. The more down-at-heel Faubourg Tremé to the north of the Quarter is a black neighbourhood known for its music, and beyond stretch Mid-City, Gentilly and Lakeview, residential areas that suffered some of the worst of the flooding. Hardest hit was the Lower Ninth Ward, a poor neighbourhood completely wrecked by the flood.

New Orleans International Airport (MSY) is 18km (11mi) west of the city centre in Kenner, while both trains and buses share New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal ('Union Station') on Loyola Ave in the Central Business District (CBD), between the French Quarter and the Uptown area.

West of New Orleans you'll find the Cajun wetlands, an area of French patois-speaking rural people who still depend on the natural resources of the swamps. The Cajuns' Spanish counterparts, the Isleños, live in the coastal fishing villages south of New Orleans. Upstream along the Mississippi River, antebellum sugar plantations attract visitors who marvel at elegant plantation homes. The occasional slave cabin remains as a reminder of how the wealth was gained.

There's an information booth at the airport's A&B concourse and the Airport Shuttle goes to downtown hotels. The Regional Transit Authority runs the local bus service. The RTA also operates two streetcar lines.

Try to avoid bringing a car to downtown New Orleans as it can be a costly and frustrating proposition, dealing with the narrow one-way streets, congestion and parking. The main taxi companies are White Fleet Cabs and United Cabs. Don't forget, you can always rent a bicycle too!