Hotels near The St Charles Avenue Streetcar

The St Charles line has run since 1835, which makes it the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world. The olive-green Perley Thomas cars date from 1923 and 1924, have varnished wooden seats and no air conditioning, and are a National Historic Landmark in their own right. Windows drop open, which is the whole appeal in summer.

The route covers 13 miles from Canal Street through the Garden District and Uptown to Carrollton, passing Audubon Park, Tulane University, Loyola University and a long parade of antebellum houses. A single ride costs USD 1.25 and a Jazzy Pass gives unlimited travel for USD 3 a day. The full run takes roughly 45 minutes in each direction, and most people ride it as an attraction rather than as transport.

Pro Tip: Sit on the left heading uptown from Canal Street for the mansion side of the avenue. Board at the Carondelet and Canal terminus rather than mid-route, where cars regularly arrive full and roll straight past waiting passengers.