French Quarter: Guided Ghost Tour, History Walk, Food Tour or on Your Own?
5 min read
The answer first
The French Quarter is compact enough to walk alone, and New Orleans & Company, the city’s tourism organisation, publishes a self-guided route through it. What a guide adds is stories, and sometimes a door that stays closed to you. For stories after dark, the most reviewed choice is the Haunted Ghost, Voodoo & Vampire Historic FQ Tour: 1.5 to 2 hours, €34.08 per person, 4.5 / 5 from 3,319 reviews. GetYourGuide lists 68 ghost and voodoo tours, from €4.49, and 106 city tours, from €13.46.
Four guided tours side by side
| Tour | What the booking page says | Length | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haunted Ghost, Voodoo & Vampire Historic FQ Tour | Storytelling walk, 6 to 10 spooky sights, described as passed or seen from outside, group of up to 28, starts at 311 Exchange Pl, ends outside Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar | 1.5–2 h | €34.08 | 4.5 / 5 (3,319 reviews) |
| French Quarter Ghost Tour with Interior Visit | Licensed guide, “access to go inside a private location”, exterior of the Lalaurie Mansion, restroom stops | 2 h | €26.56 | 4.5 / 5 (1,126 reviews) |
| French Quarter, Voodoo and Cultural Experience | History of Voodoo and of the city, Jackson Square and Congo Square, the story of Marie Laveau; licensed local guide | 2 h | €26.91 | 4.5 / 5 (973 reviews) |
| French Quarter Food History Walking Tour | Five eateries, up to nine tastings (the inclusions list says eight), group of up to 16, vegetarian option | 3 h | €76.26 | 4.9 / 5 (919 reviews) |
Ghost tour or history walk?
Both ghost tours are walks of about two hours; the difference is in what you get to see. The Witches Brew tour passes the Old Ursuline Convent and Muriel’s Restaurant and the outside of the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, and its page says the sights, among them the house of Jacques Saint Germain, who was rumoured to be a vampire, are seen from the outside. It also tells the story of the Lalaurie house. The page adds that every Witches Brew tour is unique and itineraries may vary by guide.
The Tour Orleans ghost tour is the one to pick if getting inside matters: its page says it has access to a private haunted building, that its guides are licensed and that it does not use costumes or jump scares. Expect route changes because of parades and construction, as the page warns.
For the history of the neighbourhood rather than the haunting, the Voodoo and cultural walk follows Jackson Square, Congo Square and the Treme neighbourhood, with the story of Marie Laveau. Its page says the tour does not run on 24 and 25 December, Mardi Gras Day and Thanksgiving Day.
And on your own?
New Orleans & Company’s self-guided route lists 17 stops, among them the French Market, the Old Ursuline Convent, the Lalaurie Mansion, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum, Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral and Café du Monde. On your own you set the pace and pay no guide, but you miss a guide’s stories and any access to places that stay closed. Opening hours of the individual sites differ and change, so check them for your day. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is not one for going alone: the booking page of its walking tour says the cemetery is open only for authorized tours, as our guide to the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 tour explains.
Our recommendation
For a first evening, the Haunted Ghost, Voodoo & Vampire tour is the safe choice because it is the most reviewed. Take the Tour Orleans tour if you want a visit inside a building, the cultural walk if you care more about history than ghosts, and the food walk if dinner is the point. Browse all ghost, voodoo and vampire tours or the French Quarter city tours for dates and current prices.
