Route Briefing: London to New Orleans
There are cities you visit, and then there are cities that get under your skin — New Orleans is firmly in the second category. For Londoners willing to commit to around eleven and a half hours of travel via a connecting hub, the reward is one of the most culturally rich, musically alive, and culinarily extraordinary cities in the entire United States. This is not a destination you tick off a list. It's one you return to.
No direct flights exist between London and New Orleans, so you'll connect through a major American hub — Dallas, Charlotte, or Washington DC are the most common options with American Airlines, British Airways, and United Airlines all operating competitive itineraries. Book two to four months ahead and you can realistically land a roundtrip fare under $600, which for a transatlantic journey into the American South is genuinely excellent value. Leave it too late and you're looking at $900 or more. Flying mid-week rather than at weekends can shave a meaningful amount off the ticket price too, so if your schedule allows flexibility, use it.
Timing matters enormously here. Mardi Gras, which falls in February, transforms the city into something almost mythological — parades, costumes, music spilling from every doorway — but book months in advance because accommodation and flights fill fast and prices spike hard. Summer is peak season in terms of visitor numbers, though the heat and humidity are genuinely intense. Many seasoned travellers prefer the shoulder months of October and November, when the weather softens, the crowds thin slightly, and the city's famous festival calendar is still buzzing.
Once you land at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the city centre is accessible by taxi, rideshare, or the airport shuttle service. It's a manageable journey into the heart of things.
And what a heart it is. The French Quarter is the obvious starting point — wrought-iron balconies, the scent of beignets drifting from Café Du Monde, live jazz floating out of Frenchmen Street bars late into the night. But New Orleans rewards wandering beyond the tourist core. The Garden District's grand antebellum mansions, the streetcar lines, the neighbourhood po'boy shops — these are the textures that make the city feel real rather than performed. Eat as widely as you can: gumbo, crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice, a muffuletta sandwich. The food culture here is deeply rooted and unlike anywhere else in America.
One genuinely useful tip: if you're visiting outside Mardi Gras, consider arriving on a weekend when the live music scene is at its most electric, even if you fly out mid-week to save on the fare. You get the best of both worlds.