New Orleans: New Orleans is a city unlike any other in the United States, a bewitching and bewildering city where history, music and mixed gastronomy will set the pace for your discoveries.

Key figures for New Orleans:

Surface area: 90,700 hectares, of which 43,900 are water.

Population: 383,000 in 2020

Language: Anglo-American is still the majority language in New Orleans, although Spanish and French are also spoken.

Formalities and visas United States: since 21 January 2016, under the law reforming the Visa Waiver Programme, French travellers who have visited Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan since 1 March 2011 will need a visa to set foot on American soil.

Since January 2009, nationals of visa-exempt countries, including France, have had to apply online for ESTA travel authorisation (for a fee) at least 72 hours before departure.

Travellers can do this via their travel agent and will receive an electronic authorisation in return, which is essential before boarding a plane or a boat. This authorisation is valid for two years or until the passport expires. The new measure, one of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, is designed to make it more difficult for potential terrorists from countries such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and Australia to enter the United States.

Good to know: if you have an old-style passport, you will need a visa, as this type of passport is not machine-readable and therefore not secure under US regulations. However, you can use it until its expiry date. But note that the tourist visa will cost you 80 euros.

The United States requires an individual passport, whatever the age of the traveller. Babies (even a few months old) and children must therefore have a passport like adults (or an individual visa if the child is included in the passport of one of the parents who has a visa). You should apply for an individual passport for children at the Préfecture or Sous-préfecture de Police in your place of residence.

For information on the different passport models, see the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

To obtain a visa: first consult the embassy's website.

If you have not received an answer to all your questions or if you think you need an appointment, you can call an embassy adviser on: 0-810-26-46-26 (€14.50 per call). You may be asked for an interview. Please allow four to six weeks for an interview to be arranged.

Please note that visa applications will no longer be accepted by post, except for children up to the age of 13 and people aged 80 and over.

Religion: Protestantism is in the majority in the United States. Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam are also represented. In New Orleans, the voodoo cult is still well established.

Currency: The currency is the US dollar (USD), which can fluctuate quite widely (small denominations are preferable). It is divided into 100 cents. There are plenty of bureaux de change, but rates are higher at airports than in town. There is no problem exchanging traveller's cheques. All the major cities are well equipped with ATMs and 24-hour banking machines, which allow you to withdraw cash anywhere with any international credit card. Payment by bank card is widespread, but the use of cheques is relatively uncommon. Banks are generally open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday and from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Transport: the tramway Of course, in New Orleans, public transport is the best way to get around. The bus is also a good way to discover the city.

Health: no specific vaccinations are required, but very good insurance is compulsory (care and repatriation costs), in the event of illness or accident, given the very high cost of medical care in the United States. For information on COVID formalities, please consult the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.

Electricity: the current standard in the United States is 110 V 60 Hz. Electrical sockets have 2 or 3 flat pins, which means that they cannot be used for French appliances. An adaptor is essential.

Taxes: the prices of products displayed in shops are always exclusive of tax. State tax must be added. An additional local tax may be applied to hotels in certain towns, for a total that may vary from 11% to 14%. Prices quoted in the service sector (restaurants, taxis) always exclude a tip: it is customary to add a 15% tip to the price quoted. If you pay by credit card, you should add the tip yourself and make up the final bill before signing.

Don't go out alone in certain parts of the city. Although crime has fallen sharply in recent years, New Orleans remains a poor city that can sometimes be dangerous. So don't panic! Just be careful: in the evening, outside the Vieux Carré, it's best to take a taxi, and in any case, avoid dark streets, even if you're in a group.