New Orleans

New Orleans French Quarter Walking and History Tour

New Orleans, USA
French Quarter History Tour
  • 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Immerse yourself in the best of the French Quarter on this 2.5‐hour historical walking tour. An entertaining local guide will lead you through the Vieux Carré, along the mighty Mississippi River, and to Louis Armstrong Park and Jackson Square, describing the city’s cultural history and diverse colonial heritage. See notable literary and cinematic landmarks, bustling scenes of local life, and architectural gems including some of the nation’s oldest buildings.
  • Visit St Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States
  • Note the Spanish and French influence on New Orleans at the Cabildo, the Presbytere and the Pontalba buildings
  • See where literary greats like William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams wrote some of their famous works
  • Take in the Mississippi River and learn how the fertile delta gave rise to New Orleans’ growth

What's Included

  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Cafe Beignet, Royal Street
    334 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA

    Departure Point: Royal Cafe Beignet, 334 Royal Street, next to the Police Station

End point

  • Jackson Square
    New Orleans, LA 70116, USA

    In and around Jackson Square in the middle of the French Quarter

What To Expect

Your tour of the enchanting French Quarter begins in Musical Legends Park. Choose a morning or evening start time and meet your friendly local guide for a 2.5‐hour educational promenade. You’ll set off first for the Mississippi riverbank. Admire paddlewheel steamboats drifting on the water and learn about the levee system that converted this sea‐level swampland to a livable space, ripe for agriculture and building.     

Along the way, visit the waterside French Market. Legend has it that this site – now the oldest open‐air market in the US – was once a bartering market for Native Americans. Wander through the stalls and check out local produce, fish and Creole delicacies. Then pass by the Ursuline Convent, the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley, en route to your next stop: Jackson Square. 

On the site of the original Place d’Armes, Jackson Square is an honorary landmark to New Orleans’ war hero Andrew Jackson. See Louisiana’s Cabildo and Presbytere museums and the Pontalba Apartments, the oldest apartment buildings in the United States! Pass by the origination point of the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 as you head into St Louis Cathedral. 

Afterwards, you’ll have the rare opportunity to visit a Creole courtyard, generally cloistered from the public, and see a quadroon ballroom – both architectural symbols of the complexity and singularity of Creole culture.  

Between stops, enjoy some literary landmark spotting and performance art in the streets! You’ll pass the building where Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire, visit William Faulkner’s home and stroll through Pirate’s Alley, the infamous location replete in legend of pirates, duels and covert negotiations.

Your 2‐mile (3.2 km) walk ends near the Mississippi River levee.

French Quarter

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

French Market

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Old Ursuline Convent Museum

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Jackson Square

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Cabildo

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

The Presbytere (Pass By)

Pontalba Buildings (Pass By)

St. Louis Cathedral

30 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Pirates Alley

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Mississippi River

15 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers
Operated by Historic New Orleans Tours

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.5
224 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 224 reviews
Great historical trip around the French Quarter
Neil_M, Apr 2024
Enjoyed hearing about the historical government and architecture of New Orleans. David was our guide, he was very knowledgeable about places and names
French Quarter tour
Susan_S, Apr 2024
Our guide’s knowledge and personality. He made the sites and history come alive. I highly recommend this tour.
Great Tour
DAME_D, Apr 2024
The tour was excellent. David was an excellent tour guide and very knowledgable. He made the tour very fun.
Excellent Tour
Berline_A, Apr 2024
Once again, your team nailed it. Your guy was knowledgeable and passionate about the information he was sharing. He even played music for us.
wish I could get refund
xbdsbrqwq4, Apr 2024
Left David’s tour after the first stop. It was so hard to follow and boring. Truly wish I could get refunded.
Awesome Tour
MELISSA_W, Mar 2024
David was a fantastic guide through the French Quarter. Learned so much and his passion for his city is very clear. Highly recommend!
Great walking tour
Alexandra_H, Mar 2024
Great guide, very knowledgeable. I really enjoyed it. I’m 74 years old and this tour was an easy walk. I highly recommend it
Very Enjoyable Tour
Brenda_C, Mar 2024
We had an enjoyable experience on the tour! Saw a wide variety of sites with a theatrical guide with lots of interesting tidbits of history.
Cannot review
Patricia_D, Mar 2024
Tour was initially canceled (tour side). Was unable to do rescheduled tour - hope to get refund- therefore I have no review for the tour
Excellent tour of New Orleans!
loewymartin, Mar 2024
Excellent historical overview of the city. The only issue was that sometimes we stopped in areas that were noisy and we had trouble hearing him.
Great tour, lots of information shared
Mary_M, Mar 2024
David, our tour guide, provided a really informative trip. We learned lots and saw things we would probably have gone home without seeing. We would definite recommend this trip.
A great experience with an extremely knowledgeable guide that made the day fun!
Dennis_S, Feb 2024
Our tour guide (Dave) is extremely knowledgeable about New Orleans and Louisiana history. He gave us much insight into the make-up of the cultures and architecture of the French Quarter and Southern La as a whole. The tour was excellent and very informative.
Informative and fun!
Veronica_K, Jan 2024
Dave the tour guide was incredible. Extremely knowledge of the history and great to chat with. A good way to see the entire Quarter in one day.
David was the best!
James_J, Jan 2024
David was an amazing tour guide! He was extremely knowledgeable and took his time to answer questions and interact with us. Highly recommend!
History in French Quarter
Bonnie_W, Dec 2023
Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of New Orleans. We enjoyed all the local pieces of history.
New Orleans in a nutshell
Lorna_K, Nov 2023
This was a good way to get a feel for the roots of New Orleans to put the city into context when sightseeing.
Walking encyclopedia
Regina_H, Nov 2023
David was an incredible guide… Knowledgeable and entertaining. We have already repeated many of the stories he taught us. Best part of our trip to.NOLA.
Excellent tour
Elizabeth_F, Oct 2023
David was wonderful everyone in my group loved the tour. I could not recommend it enough. I'm so glad we decided on this tour over the other one we were thinking of!
Great tour.
maurk1, Aug 2023
David was great. Very colorful and in depth historical tour. Just what my daughter and I were hoping for. Can’t wait to return to NOLA as a result!
Texas-Mississippi aspiring culinary visitors
Richard_W, Aug 2023
Watching my boy friend set flame to the bananas foster, handle the gumbo roux like an expert and we got to wear matching aprons. Also, Joe was a wonderful instructor. I had no idea that keeping your crepe from browning was an indicator of how well a chef controls their temperature.
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From $25.00

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

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