We are happy to have produced several self-guided tours of New Orleans and our collection is growing.
We designed these self-guided tours of New Orleans to be used as tours for you to take on your own time and your own pace or as companion pieces on our guided tours.
Each tour has a map that you could also download to a smartphone. Some can be experienced as GPS-enabled audio tours.
TIP - If you are in town, consider one of our live guided tours of the areas list below. Our tours are pay-what-you-like.
Our list of self-guided New Orleans tours:
THE FRENCH QUARTER
This is a self-guided tour that highlights the top 16 things to see in the French Quarter, New Orleans's most famous neighborhood.
This tour should take you at least 1 hour to complete if you are just walking without browsing shops, bars, and markets.
Click here to be taken to the movable map
This map and guide serve as great companions to our guided tour of the French Quarter, which operates daily, sometimes twice a day.
You could also take a more detailed version of this tour on your own as a GPS-led audio tour. Here's a sample.
Also, be sure to check out our post on visiting Jackson Square, which contains a micro self-guided tour within the French Quarter.
THE GARDEN DISTRICT
There is so much to see in the Garden District. Be sure to put aside a half-day to really get a feel for the neighborhood. Here is a 30 min virtual tour of the neighborhood.
We also have an audio tour specifically for Lafayette Cemetery #1.
You could also view this tour on a smartphone on Google maps and you can use it off-line.
Click here for a larger interactive map.
This map and guide serve as great companions to our guided tour of the Garden District.
You could also take a more detailed version of this tour on your own as a GPS-led audio tour. Here's a sample.
LAFAYETTE CEMETERY #1
The cemetery has been active since 1833 and still has burials occurring. There are about 1,000 tombs and an estimated 7,000 people buried in Lafayette #1.
Use this map and guide to visit the cemetery on your own.
Or, you can join us on one of our daily guided tours of the Garden District, which spend about 25 min in the cemetery.
We also offer a 60 minute, GPS-led, audio tour of Lafayette Cemetery #1. Listen to a sample.
HURRICANE KATRINA THEN AND NOW
Many people who visit New Orleans are interested in visiting areas that were affected by Hurricane Katrina stormed through in 2005 and to see the revitalization that is taking place.
We have set up this self-guided tour so that you can use your car or bike to visit them. The total time should be 2-3 hours.
We also have a GPS-led audio tour version. Here's a sample.
City Park
City Park has been a public space for New Orleans residents and visitors since 1854, when the land, formerly belonging to the Allard Plantation, was given to the city.
Most of its better-known attractions cluster near the southern corner of the rectangle
The park preserves a sense of south Louisiana’s natural state, conveniently located in the middle of the city.
Use this map and guide to visit the park on your own.
There are three St. Louis Cemeteries in New Orleans, but the oldest cemetery is St. Louis Cemetery Number 1.
That one is also the one that is closest to the French Quarter.
Unfortunately, you can no longer discover this historic cemetery on your own, but you still can use it to learn about what you can see on a guided tour with Free Tours by Foot.
The Faubourg Treme is a historic New Orleans neighborhood situated above the French Quarter which was originally considered to be outside of the city.
It’s an easy and architecturally fascinating walk from anywhere in the French Quarter.
Click the map to enlarge or download it to a smartphone.
Be sure to take in the exemplary shotgun homes in a palette of colors and the sounds of live music coming in from one of the free concerts at Armstrong Park as you stroll around this important part of town considered to be a hotbed for musical history.
Residents have included musicians like Alphonse Picou, Lucien Barbarin, and Louis Prima.
While its residents were all once African American, the neighborhood is culturally diverse now and always full of life.
Bounded by Elysian Fields and Esplanade Avenue, the Faubourg Marigny is one of New Orleans’ oldest neighborhoods.
Visit and learn about Frenchman Street, the heart of New Orleans' music scene, learn about Creole culture, and find out about old German breweries.
View the full and interactive map and view this tour as a PDF.
Like the other self-guided tours, this one too is a great companion to our guided tour of Faubourg Marigny.
If you want to explore New Orleans like a local, come to Frenchmen Street.
New Orleans is known for its music, food, and culture, and, just outside the French Quarter, funky Frenchmen Street might be its heart.
Frenchmen Street is great for live music, food, and drinks.
Think of Frenchmen Street as the more sophisticated older brother to Bourbon— the place to go to enjoy restaurants, bars, and nightclubs without all the strip clubs and neon lights.
Here in this area, the first French settlers established a camp. Here is where the French first staked their claim.
Today, the area is quiet and relatively overlooked, but offers some wonderful sights off the beaten path.
Begin the tour by heading down Esplanade Avenue away from the French Quarter.
New Orleans has a variety of Civil War sites.
This Self-Guided New Orleans Civil War Tour will offer tourists in the French Quarter a look into the various buildings and dramatic moments that can be easily visited by anyone sticking to the Vieux Carre.
Algiers Point, the only part of the city located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, is the 2nd oldest neighborhood in New Orleans.
It originally was a separate entity but was annexed to the city in 1870. It stands out for its more bohemian vibe.
Is there any more appropriate place to treat yourself to a cocktail tour than New Orleans?
Besides the easy walk between fabulous lounges, taverns, jazz clubs, and simple bars, drinking and New Orleans have become synonymous.
We recommend you linger at each of these suggested stops, but if you have places to be, you can ask for a ‘go cup’ and bring your drink with you!
