We are happy to have produced several self-guided tours of New Orleans, and our collection is growing.
We designed these free self-guided tours of New Orleans to be taken on your own time and at your own pace or as companion pieces to our guided tours.
We are a group of local walking tour guides. Check out our YouTube channel to see the virtual versions of the tours below.
Each tour has a map that you can also save to a smartphone.
TIP - If you are in town, consider one of our live guided tours of the areas listed below.
Our list of free self-guided New Orleans tours:
- French Quarter
- Garden District
- Lafayette Cemetery #1
- Hurricane Katrina
- City Park
- Treme
- Faubourg Marigny
- Frenchmen Street
- Esplanade Avenue & Bayou St. John
- Civil War New Orleans
- Algiers Point
- Cocktail Tour
SELF-GUIDED FRENCH QUARTER TOUR
This self-guided tour highlights the top 16 things to see in the French Quarter, New Orleans's most famous neighborhood.
If you are just walking and do not browse shops, bars, or markets, this tour should take you at least one hour to complete.
Click here to be taken to the movable map.
This map and guide are 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 as a GPS-led audio tour. Here's a sample.
Also, check out our post on visiting Jackson Square, which contains a micro self-guided tour within the French Quarter.
Below, Andrew, a tour guide with us, Free Tours by Foot, takes you on a virtual walk through the French Quarter.
SELF-GUIDED GARDEN DISTRICT TOUR
There is so much to see in the Garden District. Be sure to put aside a half-day to get a feel for the neighborhood.
The Garden District is a neighborhood in Uptown, New Orleans, formerly known as "Lafayette City."
Though it's only a short streetcar trip from the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, this neighborhood feels on its own.
Newly arrived Yankees were shut out of early 19th-century Creole society and set about founding their metropolis.
They purchased parcels of land that had been divided from the Livaudais Plantation.
The result is one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in New Orleans and one of the most exquisitely preserved city districts in the country; it is also home to the wealthy, well-known, odd, and deceased!
Below, Andrew takes you on a virtual walk through the Garden District.
We also have an audio tour specifically for Lafayette Cemetery #1.
You can also view this tour on a smartphone using Google Maps and use it offline.
Click here for a larger interactive map.
This map and guide are great companions to our guided tour of the Garden District.
You could also take a more detailed version of this tour as a GPS-led audio tour. Here's a sample.
SELF-GUIDED LAFAYETTE CEMETERY #1 TOUR
The cemetery has been active since 1833 and still has burials occurring.
About 1,000 tombs and an estimated 7,000 people are buried in Lafayette #1.
Use this map and guide to visit the cemetery on your own.
You can also join us on one of our daily guided tours of the Garden District, which takes about 25 minutes and takes place 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 affected by Hurricane Katrina stormed through in 2005 and seeing the revitalization that is taking place.
We have set up this self-guided tour so that you can visit them by car or bike. The total time should be 2-3 hours.
We also have a GPS-led audio tour version. Here's a sample.
New Orleans City Park Self-Guided Tour
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, conveniently located in the middle of the city, preserves a sense of South Louisiana’s natural state.
Use this map and guide to visit the park on your own.
Treme Self-Guided Tour
The Treme is a historic New Orleans neighborhood above the French Quarter, originally considered outside 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 vital part of town considered a hotbed for musical history.
Residents have included musicians like Alphonse Picou, Lucien Barbarin, and Louis Prima.
While its residents were once all African American, the neighborhood is now culturally diverse and always full of life.
Faubourg Marigny Self-Guided Tour
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.
Frenchman Street Self-Guided Tour
If you want to explore New Orleans like a local, visit 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 Bourbon's more sophisticated older brother—the place to go to enjoy restaurants, bars, and nightclubs without all the strip clubs and neon lights.
Esplanade Avenue & Bayou St. John Self-Guided Tour
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 beautiful sights off the beaten path.
Begin the tour by heading down Esplanade Avenue, away from the French Quarter.
New Orleans Civil War Self-Guided Tour
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 Self-Guided Tour
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.
Cocktails of New Orleans Self guided Tour
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!
