This post covers the various New Orleans cemetery tours that are available to you.
We include our pay-what-you-like tours, self-guided options, and bus tours that visit a cemetery.
Disclosure: We think you should consider our free tours, but we have also provided other options. While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the full text.
GUIDED CEMETERY TOURS
Just about every tour company in New Orleans offers some type of cemetery tour.
Most are focused on the history and burial practices of each cemetery, but others combine elements such as ghost stories and Voodoo practices (see the section below).
We offer the best tours at the best value (you pay whatever you like or can afford).
But don't just take our word for it, see what people have said in the past on TripAdvisor, on Yelpy Google.
Our tours are appropriate for children, but please use discretion.
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While St. Louis Cemetery #1 can only be visited with a guided tour, we had created a self-guided version for you to get a sense of what you will see.
We also offer a self-guided and an audio tour version of our Lafayette Cemetery #1 Tour for you to use anytime you want.
There really are too many companies to list here. Check out this more extensive list of tour options.
Haunted History Tours
This company offers a lot of different tours in New Orleans which focus on the supernatural history of the city.
One of the outings they offer is a cemetery tour which covers several different locations including the following:
- St. Patrick Cemetery
- Charity Hospital Cemetery
- Cyprus Grove Cemetery
- Katrina Memorial
- And more
If you're looking for a tour that provides details about multiple cemeteries, this is an excellent option you may want to consider.
- $30/Adults
- $25/Seniors, Students, Military, Teens
- $20/Children (6-12)
- Children under 6 are free
- Availability: Daily at 10:15 am and 1:15 pm
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Take Walks
This company provides a Garden District tour which includes a trip to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in addition to Elms Mansion and other historic locations.
As if that weren't enough, this tour also provides admission to a praline factory as well as a complimentary praline.
Guests will also be given a free streetcar ticket to get around while on the tour.
New Orleans Garden District Tour
- $45/Adults, Students | $35/Children
- Availability: Tue, Thur & Fri at 9 am
- Duration: 3 hours
- Includes visit to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.
- Includes admission to Elms Mansion.
- Includes admission to Praline Factory.
- Includes complimentary Praline.
Save Our Cemeteries
Save Our Cemeteries is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to cemetery preservation in New Orleans.
They are the only tour organization in New Orleans solely dedicated to cemeteries.
They are also the only company to regularly offer tours that include St. Louis Cemetery #2, a slightly younger neighbor of St. Louis #1, itself full of lesser-known but still fascinating local history.
Sporadically, they’ll offer tours of Metairie Cemetery, one of the largest and most ostentatious in the city.
Their tours in Lafayette Cemetery #1, unlike those offered by most companies, cover only the cemetery – not the surrounding neighborhood.
We have a self-guided, GPS-enabled audio tour of Lafayette #1.
Reviews: Save Our Cemeteries is consistently rated 4.5 out of 5 stars across TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Google.
Reviewers offer high praise for the organization’s mission and for the guides’ knowledge.
TOUR INFORMATION
Reservations: Reservations are not required, however, recommended.
Schedule and Pricing: Prices listed below are for online reservations; walk-up prices, when space is available, are an additional $5/person.
A portion of every ticket price is dedicated to the organization’s work of cemetery preservation and restoration.
Tours are advertised as lasting 90 minutes, possibly extending to as much as two hours.
TOMBS BY TWILIGHT (evening tour of St. Louis Cemetery #1):
Fourth Saturday of every month (time varies between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm depending on sunset) ($45/person, including a drink and appetizer at starting location)
Metairie Cemetery: Variable, a couple of times per year.
NIGHT TOURS THAT VISIT A CEMETERY
There are several bus companies that include a stop at a cemetery and provide the opportunity to walk around the area.
These tours are daytime tours. Read about these companies on our bus tour comparison page.
We also list 1-night ghost and cemetery bus tour option on our ghosts of New Orleans page.
Some companies offer longer tours than others, but you can expect to spend between 15-20 minutes in a historic cemetery looking around and learning.
Walking tours are a far better choice if you really want to learn about these cemeteries.
CitySightseeing, the hop-on-hop-off bus service offers a free, 1-hour walking tour of Lafayette Cemetery #1 when you purchase a 3-day bus pass, though the walking tour is included for free with the purchase of the Sightseeing Pass.
HAUNTED AND VOODOO CEMETERY TOURS
All of the options listed below will take you to at least one cemetery and provide information about how people are buried along with some of the religious practices maintained in New Orleans.
What sets these tours apart from the walking tours in the previous section is that these tours tend to have more of a focus on aspects of voodoo practices and ghost stories.
French Quarter Phantoms
TIP: This tour is included for free with the New Orleans Pass. If you want to learn more about saving money on either activity, make sure to read our post about New Orleans tourist passes.
Cemetery Tour
- $20 per person
- Availability: Mon-Sat @ 11 am & 1 pm
- Sunday Availability: 10 am
- Duration: 2 hours
- Purchase or learn more.
This tour has received an overall rating of 4 ½ out of 5 stars or better (read reviews here).
A majority of customers have been impressed with the service this company provides, suggesting that their tour guides are fun and informative.
Several guests said they appreciated the opportunity to learn about the seedier side of New Orleans history.
Alternatively, you may also want to check our New Orleans Ghost Tours post for additional tour options from French Quarter Phantoms.
New Orleans Ghost Adventure Tours
This company offers a voodoo and cemetery tour which includes a trip to St. Louis Cemetery #1.
In addition to learning about how people are buried and why the tombs are actually above ground, you’ll also discover some of the voodoo rituals that are practiced in New Orleans.
This tour also includes a visit to the grave of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau, one of the most historic figures in the history of this city.
- Price: $27 per person
- Availability: Monday – Saturday
- Duration: 2 hours
- Purchase or learn more.
Ratings for this service are very respectable, and the tour has received an overall score of 5 out of 5 stars (read reviews here).
Customers really appreciate the opportunity to learn the truth about voodoo.
Many note that their tour guide is knowledgeable and informative, providing an excellent experience for guests.
New Orleans Ghost Tour - Legendary Walking Tours
Discover the truth, rumors, and everything in between which has made New Orleans one of the most haunted places in America.
While on this tour, you'll hear tales about the Andrew Jackson Hotel, the Ursuline Convent, Marie Laveau, Muriel's Ghost, Madame LaLaurie, and more.
- Price: $27/Adults | $16/Children
- Availability: Nightly at 5:30 pm and 8 pm
- Duration: 2 hours
Reviews for this company are pretty good with an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor. Most guests who took this tour reported it was an excellent experience.
There aren't many negative reviews to speak of, so it's safe to say that there aren't any common complaints.
