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WHAT TOUR SHOULD I TAKE IN NEW ORLEANS?

Updated: April 23, 2022

Not sure what tour to take?

Figuring out what tour to take can be a hard choice! We offer a number of a tours, so we thought we'd put all the public tours we offer in one place to help you decide.

WHAT TOUR SHOULD I TAKE IN NEW ORLEANS?


New Orleans Travel Tips and Hacks

What tours are being offered as public tours right now?

Keep in mind that any tour we offer can also be booked as private tour, but we also offer a lot more types of tours as private tours! You can read about those here.

St. Louis Cemetery #1 - this tour is NOT running because the Archdiocese is only allowing tours run by their partner company


Can't make any of the tours on our Public Tour Schedule and don't want to book a private tour? We also have a number of Audio Tours available and you can take any of our Virtual Tours via our YouTube Channel

New Orleans Tourist Traps

Kid Friendly Tours

We don't put age limits on any of our tours but these tours are best for younger visitors:

  • French Quarter
  • St. Louis #1 Cemetery
  • French Quarter Food
  • Voodoo
  • Music and Arts
  • New Orleans Ghost Tours

Adults Only Tours

  • Cocktail Tours - this one is obviously 21+ if you want to try to cocktails. Younger guests can join the tour but may have to wait outside some of establishments.

Nighttime Tours

There is a lot to do in New Orleans at night, but are some tours you can take after hours.

  • Cocktail 
  • Ghost Tours

True Crime, Scandals & Ghost Tours

  • Ghosts of New Orleans

Local Neighborhood Tours

  • Garden District
  • Frenchmen Street & Marigny
  • Treme

Best Tours for First Time Visitors

We think all of our tours are great for first time visitors. And what tour you would like really depends on... YOU! 

But these are the most popular tours for first time visitors. 

  • French Quarter
  • Garden District
  • St. Louis Cemetery #1
  • Voodoo

Best Tours for Locals / Repeat Visitors

Same as above - we think all our tours are great for everyone! What you find interesting is will influence what tours you'll like best. But we have a number of tours that are more popular with locals:

  • Frenchmen Street & Marigny
  • Treme
  • Voodoo
  • Music and Arts
  • Civil War


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Tour Summaries

French Quarter Walking Tour: Join Free Tours by Foot on our French Quarter Tour, as we wander the historic streets and alleys of the Old District, passing by the street theater, peeking into historic churches, discovering hidden courtyards, all while entertaining you with stories of authors, artists, priests and pirates.  Join us as we uncover the real French Quarter. 2 hours

Garden District/Lafayette Cemetery Tour: The Garden District, or ‘Lafayette City’, as it was once known, is just a short streetcar ride from the French Quarter, but it feels like a world apart. Excluded from early 19th Century Creole society, newly arrived Yankees got to work creating their own city. The result is one of New Orleans’s most desired neighborhoods and one of the nation’s most beautifully preserved city districts and it’s home to the rich, the famous, the strange and the dead!

St. Louis Cemetery #1 Tour: St. Louis #1, ‘The City of the Dead’, is just blocks away form the French Quarter, whose raucous streets are filled with life all hours of the day. Made famous worldwide in the 1969 movie Easy Rider, it is the oldest active cemetery in New Orleans – founded in the late 18th century. The cemetery contains a labyrinth of tombs, unique to most in the U.S., which hold the remains of some of the city’s important historical figures, including, as legend would have it, Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau. There is a $2/person fee at booking time.  Fees collected by tour companies on behalf of the Archdioceses will go to the preservation of this historic cemetery.

New Orleans Ghost Tour: Join Free Tours by Foot as darkness envelops the city and we explore the haunted history of the French Quarter – New Orleans’ spookiest, most haunted district – and hear accounts of love-lured specters, tormented souls of war, vile traitors, and the sorrowful woes of the repentant dead. This is no ordinary New Orleans ghost tour! Though our tours work on a pay-what-you-like basis, we must charge a $2.50 ticket for parties of 5 or less for our ghost tours.  Unfortunately, high demand coupled with high no-show rates has made staffing these tours problematic and has led to increased administrative costs.  Refunds will be processed for cancellations of 24 hours or more.

Voodoo Tour: Join Free Tours by Foot on our New Orleans Voodoo Tour as we seek to illuminate one of New Orleans’ most unique subcultures. From its roots in West Africa to the modern day temples inside the French Quarter, we will explore the history, culture, and beliefs of both historic and current practitioners.   Along the way, our guides will explain the truth behind the more popular superstitions and the meaning within some of the stranger rituals.  The tour ends with a stop inside one of the modern day Voodoo temples and a chance to pick up some New Orleans “gris-gris” to take home!

French Quarter Culinary Food Tour: Our French Quarter Food & History Tour will make you understand New Orleans’ love of food.  Every visitor coming to New Orleans should try the many local dishes, but be warned: many fall in love with it and will crave it for as long as they can think.  During our French Quarter culinary history tour, we will combine history and story-telling so that you have the education under your belt to be the most discerning foodie in one of the best culinary cities in the world.  As we travel from stop to stop during the French Quarter our guides will weave the lore of what dishes make New Orleans food identity.  Our expert guides will share personal anecdotes about some of New Orleans most famous restaurants and chefs.  Walk with us past famous landmarks such as the St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. Your personable guide will describe the beautiful architecture and intriguing history.  Most importantly you will learn the differences between Creole and Cajun cuisine!

Marigny Tour: We will stroll through the Marigny. We will visit the suburb’s historic locations and beautiful Creole homes. The tour will point out some of the popular local music venues and restaurants. We will also discuss Bernard de Marigny, a noted gambler, duelist, politician, and founder of this unique neighborhood. Throughout everything we will discuss the Creoles and their way of life.

Music, Arts and More Tour: Through sites in the French Quarter, Treme and Marigny neighborhoods, we'll get to know the roots of New Orleans music, plus some insight into its artistic, literary, and masking traditions. In addition to the street music, street art, and galleries we'll pass by in person, this tour is enhanced with audiovisual elements to bring every story to life. We also provide tips on what music events are happening during your stay.

Civil War: Through key sites in the French Quarter, your guide - a published Civil War historian - will illustrate New Orleans' role in the war that divided the United States.

Cocktail Tour: The French Quarter is full of iconic bars, and this tour will take you through a variety of the highlights, including samples of a few essential beverages and the option to buy others. Cocktails are a great lens into New Orleans' past, and these drinks will illustrate every era of our three-century history.

Treme Tour: Located just outside the French Quarter, the Treme is considered the first black neighborhood in the United States and has retained many of its West African cultural roots into the present day. This tour explores the history of this neighborhood through its artistic traditions, its role in the American Civil Rights Movement, and the changing status of African-descended New Orleanians from early colonial days through the Louisiana Purchase, the abolition of slavery, and today.

New Orleans Bike Tours: Our pay-what-you-like bike tour schedule is currently running on a limited schedule.  Therefore, Free Tours by Foot is proud to work with Crescent City Bike Tours. The folks at Crescent City Bike Tours offer our guests a discount when they book through their website. Be sure to enter code FTBFbike to get your discount.

About The Author

Sarah Hester

Sarah first moved to New Orleans in 2001 to work for the American Red Cross of Southeast Louisiana. While working in the communities of New Orleans she fell in love with the unique culture of the Big Easy; it's food, music, architecture, wildlife, and most of all history. Read More... Sarah began her career with FTBF, first as a guide, then as an owner/operator. She believes every day is a good day if she gets to impart her love of her beloved New Orleans with Free Tours By Foot guests. She especially likes to convert new Who Dat Saints Fans!
Updated: April 23rd, 2022
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