Best tours in New Orleans: walking, food and day tours

New Orleans rewards a guide more than most US cities: the street grid is easy, but the stories behind the balconies, the food and the music are not on any sign. Start with one walking tour in your first two days, because it gives you the map in your head for the rest of the trip.

Pick by what you want to understand, not by how many stops a tour lists. A 2-hour French Quarter walk covers Jackson Square, Royal Street and the riverfront; a Garden District walk covers mansions, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and the St. Charles streetcar line. Food tours run in the French Quarter and along Magazine Street. Music tours are usually evening and end near Frenchmen Street.

Most walking tours leave between 9am and 11am and again around 2pm; evening tours start between 6pm and 8pm. Day trips to swamps and plantations usually pick up between 7am and 9am and return by mid-afternoon, which leaves the evening free.

Guides are usually paid by the operator, but tipping is standard in the US: US$5–10 per person for a good 2-hour walk, more on food and full-day tours. Cash is useful for small operators. Confirm the meeting point when you book, because French Quarter streets are one-way and hard to cross by car.

Almost every city tour meets in or beside the French Quarter: Jackson Square, the Moon Walk by the river, or a hotel lobby on Canal Street. From the Central Business District it is a 10–20 minute walk or a short rideshare. The St. Charles streetcar runs from Canal Street through the Garden District, which is the simplest way to reach a Garden District tour without a car.

Swamp and plantation tours usually include hotel pickup or meet at a central point downtown; some charge extra for pickup outside the Quarter. If you are flying in, allow a full day after arrival before booking a morning tour, and check your flight times before committing to a 7am departure.

Book swamp and plantation tours before you fly if you are travelling in festival season, and book any tour that includes a meal at least a few days out. Outside those weeks, most walking tours accept same-day bookings, and you can often join one an hour before it starts.

Small groups of 8–12 people are worth paying a little more for; you hear the guide and can ask questions. Check whether the price includes entry fees, food tastings or transport, because a cheap headline price can mean add-ons. In summer, choose morning tours and carry water; in winter, evening tours get cold along the river.