New Orleans · SELF-GUIDED TOURS
13 reviewed
Of everything New Orleans offers, these 13 self-guided tours are the ones we point friends to first. What each costs, how long it takes and why it made the shortlist, all in one place.
A cheap, self-guided haunted audio walk through New Orleans’ French Quarter, with GPS directions, spooky stops, and a vampire speakeasy finale.
“This was a great tour! He even told us about a very cool secret vampire speakeasy. Such a fun night!”
Self-guided Tremé walk with VoiceMap audio. $9.99, offline maps, and stops at Mardi Gras Indians, Mahalia Jackson, and Armstrong Park.
“A sugarcoated view of New Orleans history that misses the perseverance of the Treme community in spite of the domination of the rest of the city and nation. She highlights her heritage throughout but doesn’t seem to recognize the disconnect between her family history and the people of this neighborhood. Do the people of Treme have similar connections to the park that they are physically gated out of?”
Self-guided Garden District walk with VoiceMap audio, offline maps, and famed homes tied to Django Unchained and American Horror Story.
“Great tone, very informative, awesome to do at our own pace since my hubby has anxiety issues in group settings.”
Self-guided French Quarter walk with app audio, 11 landmark stops, pause/resume, $9.75 per person, about 1–1.5 hours.
“Loved the fact that I didn’t have to hold my phone unless I wanted to pause it. It tracked it super accurately and played automatically”
Self-guided New Orleans ghost tour with high-quality audio in 6 languages. Explore haunted spots for $5 at your pace.
“It was awesome! I love that we had a self guided ghost tour around New Orleans. That was amazing!”
A self-guided City Park audio walk with GPS guidance, offline maps, and story-rich stops at NOMA, the Botanical Garden, and mature trees.
“Such a beautiful park. It was great having the audio tour. We really liked that it knew where we were on the route.”
Self-guided Metairie Cemetery audio tour with VoiceMap GPS, offline listening, and lifetime access, priced at $8.99 for about 35 minutes.
“Great Tour. You can take as much time as you need and stop anytime the audiogide. Downloading and starting the Tour is super easy”
Do City Park like a local with an offline app quest. Puzzles, short stops at key sights, and flexible timing for about 1 hour.
“The instructions were extremely confusing. The link did not work. I had to download multiple apps. And we still could not jse it because we did not receive a correct code for the final gaming app.”
Kayak the Bayou Bienvenue at your own pace near New Orleans, spotting birds and docile alligators on calm water in 1–2 hours.
“Do the 4 hour paddle. Bring food and water. Wear long sleeves and pants ( sun). Nick was amazing. We saw 8 owls, gators, turtles etc”
A self-guided French Quarter mystery walk with 10 phone puzzle stops, landmark sights, and flexible pacing for about 2 hours at $5.99.
“This is a great way to see things in the French Quarter. Beware, however, that the puzzles are timed and can't be paused once started. I think that's a fun element if you're in a familiar city and you just want something fun to do, but it's not conducive to exploring a new city and taking in all the sights and stops along the way.”
Walk New Orleans Esplanade Ridge with a $9.99 self-guided audio tour, offline audio, and stops at culture, mansions, and Angel Cemetery.
“We are locals and this is one of our favorite spots in the city - but to really dive in and intently walk the streets of the Esplanade Ridge was absolutely incredible! We learned so very much and at our own pace could really digest the intricacies and fascinating history of the area. We loved the small details, folklore and stories that really brought the area alive for us. You could imagine the residents in each house sipping a cognac and telling tales in the parlor ! We celebrated at the incomparable Cafe Degas and we simply cannot recall a more pleasant Saturday afternoon! The rich history is brought to…”
Whitney Plantation audio tour from New Orleans with hotel transfers: cabins, Freedmen’s Church, owner’s house, and memorial.
Walk St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 with a self-guided VoiceMap GPS audio tour, offline maps, and lifetime access—great value for $6.99.
“Could not get voiceapp to work - guess us older people don't know how to use this new technology. Followed instructions, had Bluetooth ear buds, still didn't work”
