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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Metairie
Skip as a sightseeing base: stay only if you want free parking and a 15–25 min drive to New Orleans, or use it for one airport night.
Metairie is the largest suburb of New Orleans, in Jefferson Parish, and it is a car suburb: wide commercial strips, malls and chain hotels rather than a walkable old town. Almost nobody comes here for Metairie itself. You come for cheaper rooms with parking, an easy I-10 run into New Orleans, and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the long bridge over the lake. Treat it as a base or a stopover, not a destination.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Feb–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (heat, humidity, storms); Mardi Gras week if you want quiet
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Sheriff's Office (non-emergency) 504-227-1400
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Po-boy sandwich | $10–16 |
| Plate of Creole seafood | $22–38 |
| Draught beer | $6–9 |
| Rideshare, Metairie to New Orleans | $20–45 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $15–35 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MSY · Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (Kenner)
- Borders Metairie to the west; about 15–20 min by car to most Metairie hotels, longer in rush hour
Typical fares
- MSY airport to Metairie hotel, taxi
- about $35–45, 15–20 min (check)
- Rideshare, Metairie to French Quarter
- $20–45, 15–30 min (check)
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway toll
- a few dollars each way (check)
Get around
By car. Metairie is spread along Veterans Memorial Blvd (east–west), Metairie Road and Causeway Blvd (north–south). Bus service exists but is sparse and slow; plan on a rental car, your own car or rideshares. Parking is free or cheap at hotels and malls, which is the main practical reason to sleep here instead of New Orleans.
See and do
Known for
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
- Veterans Memorial Boulevard shopping
- Lakeside Mall
- Po-boys and Creole seafood
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | I-10 east by car or rideshare | 15–30 min |
| Kenner | I-10 west by car | 10–15 min |
| Jean Lafitte | Drive south via Barataria Blvd | 35–50 min |
| Grand Isle | Drive south on LA-1 | About 2 h |
| Avondale | Drive west on US-90 | 25–35 min |
Sleep
- Veterans Memorial Blvd corridor
- The main hotel and shopping strip; Lakeside Mall and Clearview Center are here. You need a car or rideshare for everything.
- Causeway Blvd / I-10
- Closest to the Causeway bridge and the interstate; fastest run into New Orleans and to the airport.
- Metairie Road (old Metairie)
- Older, leafier strip with small local businesses and restaurants; few hotels, so this is a place to eat, not sleep.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the restroom? | Where is the restroom? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| To this address, please | To this address, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat and humidity from June to September; afternoon thunderstorms are common.
- Hurricane season runs June–November; check forecasts and have a plan if a storm nears.
- Sidewalks are patchy outside the malls and Metairie Road; crossing wide boulevards on foot is unpleasant.
- Rush hour on I-10 between Metairie and New Orleans can double a short drive.
Suburban and generally calm, with the usual US big-metro cautions: lock the car, keep valuables out of sight, and stay aware after dark around bar strips. The bigger risks are heat, storms and driving on I-10.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Metairie yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
- Veterans Memorial Boulevard shopping
- Lakeside Mall
- Po-boys and Creole seafood
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Jefferson Parish official site: www.jeffparish.net/
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport: flymsy.com/
- Louisiana Office of Tourism: www.louisianatravel.com/
- Wikivoyage: Metairie, revision 5310475 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5310475
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Metairie
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Sheriff's Office (non-emergency)504-227-1400
No embassies in Metairie; consulates are in New Orleans (check the address).
Area code 504, same as New Orleans.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/metairie). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.