There is a bewildering variety of tours of New Orleans, from whistlestop jaunts in air-conditioned buses to preposterous moonlit ghost-hunts; stop by the Welcome Center to see the full range.

Walking tours are especially popular - notwithstanding the possibility of showers and, in summer, debilitating heat and humidity. Those led by Le Monde Creole , stopping at French Quarter sites featured in the true-life saga of a Creole family, are superb. They set off from their store at 624 Royal St (2hr-2hr 30min; Mon-Sat 10.30am & 2.30pm, Sun 10am & 2.30pm; $17.50; tel 504/568-1801; reservations required). The Bienville Foundation 's French Quarter walking tours emphasize "alternative" history (2hr-2hr 30min; schedules vary; $18-20; tel 504/945-6789; reservations essential), while those led by the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park Service give scholarly and accessible overviews (1hr 30min; 10.30am; free; tel 504/589-2636; reservations required). Collect a pass from the NPS visitor center, 419 Decatur St, after 9am on the day. In addition, some of their cultural programs (30-45min; 9.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm & 3pm) include short, themed strolls around the Quarter.

If the weather's bad, or too hot, you may prefer to take a bus tour. Gray Line (tel 504/569-1401 or 1-800/535-7786) offers trips around the city (2hr; $23), to the nearby plantations (4hr-7hr 30min; $33-45), and the swamps (3hr 15min; $38). New Orleans Tours (tel 504/592-0560 or 1-800/543-6332) are similar, but fractionally cheaper.

Many visitors, especially with kids in tow, take a narrated trot through the Quarter in one of the mule-drawn carriages that wait behind Jackson Square on Decatur. These can be fun, though you should take the "historic" commentary with a pinch of salt. Rates range from $10 to $12 per person for a trip of between 30 and 45 minutes. Another pleasant way to while away a few hours on a steamy afternoon is on a river cruise . The Natchez steamboat is by far the best. Leaving from behind Jackson Brewery, it heads seven miles or so downriver before turning back near the Chalmette battlefield (2hr; daily 11.30am & 2.30pm; $15.75 or $21.75 with lunch and live jazz; tel 504/586-8777). The John James Audubon riverboat allows you to combine a cruise with a trip to the aquarium or the zoo, or both. It leaves daily from the aquarium at 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm, and from the zoo an hour later (1hr one-way; $11.75 one-way, $14.50 round-trip, children half-price; tel 504/586-8777). The only boat that stops at Chalmette, site of the Battle of New Orleans, is the Creole Queen (10.30am & 2pm; 2hr 30min; $16, $22 with lunch; tel 504/524-0814), which leaves from the Plaza d'Espaņa. Tickets for all cruises are sold at booths behind Jackson Brewery and the aquarium.