Best New Orleans History Tours — Our Top 12

1.New Orleans Garden District History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,879 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $35Our pick

Review of New Orleans’ Garden District walking tour, with antebellum homes, cemetery history, local guides, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Excellent tour with a guide who obviously loved sharing about her city. The tidbits and factoids were interesting and these were things we would never have discovered on our own. If you are a history nerd or love quirky facts, this is a superb tour!”

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2.French Quarter Historical Sights and Stories Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,724 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $35

Explore New Orleans’ French Quarter with a small-group guide, from Jackson Square and the cathedral to architecture, food, and local stories.

“I greatly enjoyed this walking tour of the French Quarter. Guide, Scott, had fantastic communication and was willing to help with questions before and after the tour. I was able to see some of the highlights of the French Quarter which I appreciated as a solo traveller who had never been to NOLA. I appreciated the small group size also. There are other groups that had a larger number of people, which seemed overwhelming, but this tour has a maximum capacity of around 12 so everyone can hear the tour guide. Scott was well informed and left plenty of time for questions. Highly recommend this tour and the price was…”

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3.New Orleans Small-Group Haunted History Carriage Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,289 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $65

Review of New Orleans’ $65 haunted history carriage tour, with small groups, French Quarter legends, mule-drawn charm, and practical booking tips.

“If you ride with people who do not care about the tour and only want to drink, you should just get off and call it a night. For the price we paid, I was able to partially hear one story. The man in front of me spoke the entire time with no regard for us. We chose the small group tour so it would be more personal, this was not the case. The other 6 people were together and thought it was okay. I asked the man multiple times to stop talking. He told me and my 15 year old daughter that we needed a drink and that he was…”

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4.New Orleans Haunted History Ghost Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,084 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $30

New Orleans Haunted History Ghost Tour review: explore the French Quarter, LaLaurie Mansion, haunted bars, and spooky local stories for $30.

“Artie was amazing. Phenomenal story telling and fun activity. A lot of history and pleasantly interesting.”

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5.Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Historic Mississippi River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,948 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $47

Cruise the Mississippi aboard the Creole Queen, hear New Orleans history, visit Chalmette Battlefield, and decide if this $47 tour fits.

“No wheelchair or limited accessibility for people with mobility issues. We enjoyed the tour of state park.”

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6.New Orleans Food and History Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,544 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $85

Taste gumbo, po’boys, pralines, and more while learning New Orleans food history on this three-hour French Quarter walking tour.

“Great food, Great Guide Beth is upbeat and knowledgeable. The pace was perfect, enough time at each place to learn and enjoy the food. It’s worth trying everything, one will be surprised with the quality and taste. MAke this your first tour of your stay, so worth it.”

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7.Creole Queen History Cruise with Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 1,112 reviews · 2h 30m · from $47

Cruise the Mississippi to Chalmette Battlefield aboard the Creole Queen, with local history, New Orleans views, and an optional Creole lunch.

“Iconic to sail on a paddle steamer on the Mississippi, very cold wet day, stopped for Battlefield tour. Guide on board was extremely informative and amusing. Shame about the weather but still very enjoyable.”

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8.New Orleans Cocktail and Food History Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 819 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $160

Walk New Orleans from gumbo to daiquiris on a four-hour French Quarter food and cocktail tour with local history and six stops.

“Our tour guide was wonderful. Ben was knowledgeable, friendly, considerate and warm. The food and drinks were great and the ambience at the restaurants gave us a good sense of New Orleans.”

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9.New Orleans Cocktail History Walking Tour in the French Quarter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 604 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $95

Review of New Orleans Cocktail History Walking Tour, with four cocktails, French Quarter bars, costs, timing, tips, and who should book.

“Great paced tour that brings you to places you might not otherwise discover. We hot to try great cocktails and learn history at the same time.”

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10.New Orleans Jazz History and Music Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 477 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $60

Walk through Tremé, Congo Square, and the French Quarter while learning jazz history, hearing live music, and supporting New Orleans musicians.

“We absolutely recommend the New Orleans Jazz Historical Tour to anyone visiting New Orleans! Our guide Christie was incredibly knowledgeable and delightful. Terrific tour!”

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11.New Orleans Historic Cemetery Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 175 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $23Best value

Explore three New Orleans cemeteries, burial customs, and the Katrina Memorial on a small-group walking tour with vivid local stories.

“It was a great expiriemce with a tour guide that gave us a lot of interesting information. Recommended”

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12.Haunted Drunken History Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 135 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $30

Review of New Orleans’ adults-only Haunted Drunken History Tour, with bar stops, ghost stories, local history, practical tips, and value advice.

“We learned a lot about the history of New Orleans. Had some fabulous drinks and got good recommendations from our guide.”

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