In New Orleans for a long weekend or a vacation break? You made the right choice. The vivacious culture of the city is a traveler’s delight. The culturally and historically rich New Orleans has many avenues to be explored and adored. However, you might need good guidance for experiencing the soul of the city. Be it enjoying the unique culinary experiences or strolling through the mansions, exploring the flora and fauna of the city or going on a dinner cruise, choosing the right tours will make your job easy without breaking your wallet. For more details, check out our list of the 10 best Viator tours in New Orleans and pick the best to include in your itinerary.
1. Enjoy the combo cocktail and food history tour (from USD 140.0)
The rich culinary culture of Louisiana will give you some major food goals. From French to South American, Creole to Cajun, African to Spanish, you will find a bit of everything in a typical Louisiana cuisine. The tour will give you a chance to experience the Creole restaurants, cocktail lounges, sandwich shops and pre-Civil War bars with the help of a tour guide. You will taste the best of Louisiana’s dishes and drinks, including the alligator sausage & seafood gumbo, an unlimited variety of hot sauces, the traditional pralines, a classic daiquiri of Caribbean white rum and much more. You will wrap the tour by tasting the Crawfish Fontina beignets. The tour will start at 2 pm from the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon Street and will end at Trinity Restaurant.
New Orleans Cocktail and Food History Tour
Duration: 4 hours
2. Travel around the city of New Orleans in 3 hours (from USD 40.0)
An excellent confluence of diverse cultures make this city beautiful. Be it the sights or sounds, events or festivals, food or drinks, this vibrant city has a unique charm that pulls you close to it. Within 3 hours, explore the city’s major points of interest, including the French Quarter, Treme, the Esplanade, the Garden District, the Ninth Ward (a neighborhood devastated by Hurricane Katrina), and the Metairie Cemetery. You travel in an air-conditioned minibus along with a guide on board, who will explain the historical and cultural significance of New Orleans. You can choose a morning or afternoon departure.
New Orleans History, Culture and Architecture Tour
Duration: 3 hours
3. Experience the culinary culture of New Orleans (from USD 75.0)
If you are in New Orleans, the variety of food choices will lure you big time. Experience the rich food culture of the city by meeting the chefs and learning about New Orleans’ culinary history and tasting the unique bites. You will travel with a tour guide to popular Creole eateries, markets, and artisanal shops and stop at seven locations to taste the authentic cuisine. From seafood gumbo, Creole brisket, poboys and pralines, you will be on a gastronomic adventure even before you realize it. The 3‐hour tour, which includes 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of walking, will fill your tummy and soul alike. Sample dozens of hot sauce varieties, meat‐filled muffulettas, boudin balls, bacon pecan brittle and much more. The tour starts from Central French Quarter at 1.00 pm and ends at Jackson Square.
New Orleans Food and History Tour with Afternoon Tastings
Duration: 3 hours
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4. Choose the airboat ride for some serious fun (from USD 59.0)
Here’s how you can have some fun with your family once you are in the city. This 2‐hour boat tour includes a fast, exciting ride on tidewater cypress swampland near the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Get to see amazing wildlife including the alligators, turtles, snakes, egrets, herons and ibis along with the rich, forested shoreline. Your tour guide will explain the geographic, historic and ecological significance of the bayou area. You can choose a morning or afternoon departure with a small airboat group (8 people) or a large group (25 people). It would be ideal to have some food before you embark on this journey. However, this tour is not recommended for people with serious medical conditions or for pregnant women.
New Orleans Airboat Ride
Duration: 2 to 4 hours
5. An unforgettable tour through the Oak Alley Plantation (from USD 82.0)
Spend one day to travel through the Oak Alley Plantation, which can take you back to the Old South. One of the most photographed plantations ever, the Oak Alley Plantation including a mansion, has a rich historical significance. The 4.5‐hour tour starts from the French Quarter by mid-day in an air-conditioned coach. Watch the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain and Great River Road on your way. A canopy of 28 knotty oak trees lines the promenade to an 1839 built mansion, which shows off the antebellum elegance and Greek Revival architecture. The mansion, which was the setting for ‘Interview with a Vampire’ and 'Primary Colors’, offers a visual treat. You can also hear about the slave stories at the slave houses, visit the gift shop and the blacksmith house, or walk down the oaks to see the Mississippi River. Laze around the enchanting grounds for a while, before you get back to your coach.
Oak Alley Plantation Tour with Transportation from New Orleans
Duration: 5 hours 30 minutes
6. Discover French Quarter's spooky bases with the ghost, voodoo and vampire tour (from USD 32.0)
Does spooky tales of witchcraft, ghosts or vampires interest you? Look no further, as this tour will cover it all. Begin your ghostly adventure from the corner of Royal and Conti streets in the French Quarter and set off on a journey through the darker side of New Orleans’ haunted history. Your local guide will tell you the legendary tales of wickedness, witchcraft, voodoo, ghosts, and vampires. This 2‐hour tour passes through creepy sites such as Muriel’s Restaurant and the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, known for its dubious medical practices in the 19th century such as bloodletting and leeching. See the former home of rumored vampire Jacques Saint Germain and listen to the spine chilling tales of LaLaurie House and its wicked mistress Madame LaLaurie. The tour generally begins in the evenings and ends around St. Ann and Rampart Streets.
New Orleans Ghost, Voodoo and Vampire Nighttime Walking Tour
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
7. Take the New Orleans Hop-On Hop-Off tour (from USD 46.0)
Get to see the best of New Orleans by getting into the hop-on, hop-off open‐top double‐decker bus. You can tailor a personal itinerary with 18 stops including the French Market, Jackson Square, St. Louis Cemetery and the Garden District. Your guide will explain the details about each stop and you can enjoy the city at your own pace. You can choose either a 1-day pass or a 3-day pass, which includes unlimited hop on and hop off according to the checkout time period. Travel through the Historic French Market, Esplanade, Canal Street, Central Business District, WWII Museum, Arts District, Mardi Gras World and many more landmark spots of the city.
New Orleans Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Double-Decker Bus Tour
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
8. Experience New Orleans’ Cajun and Creole cultures (from USD 255.0)
If you would love to taste the culture of New Orleans in its entirety, step a bit away from the city and take up a full-day swamp and plantation sightseeing tour. The tour begins with morning pickup from your downtown New Orleans hotel. You will ride over the Mississippi River in a small group into the isolated bayous to witness Cajun living and spot native wildlife. Your guide will explain fascinating facts about the area, people, lifestyle and its amazing wildlife. You will then move to the Oak Alley Plantation, known for the postcard-perfect walkway of knotty oak trees. Discover the ‘Big House,’ a perfect example of antebellum elegance and Greek revival architecture and then indulge in a sumptuous lunch at the plantation’s Cajun restaurant. You will also visit Laura Plantation, a stark contrast to the reserve of Oak Alley.
New Orleans Airboat and Plantations Tour
Duration: 9 hours
9. Enjoy a dinner cruise on the mighty Mississippi River (from USD 55.0)
Your vacation will not be complete if you skip the romantic dinner cruise aboard the famous Steamboat Natchez. The boat’s remarkable décor including the vintage engine room will leave you in awe. Take a stroll along the deck as the Natchez begins the 2-hour float along the Mississippi River. Enjoy the stunning views of the shoreline at dusk and enjoy the live jazz music by the Grammy-nominated Dukes of Dixieland. Relish a Creole-inspired dinner buffet and finish it with Natchez’s signature bread pudding. Your evening cruise ends back at the departure point in the French Quarter.
New Orleans 2-Hour Steamboat Natchez Jazz Dinner Cruise
Duration: 3 hours
10. Explore the mansions and above-ground tombs in the Garden District (from USD 25.0)
New Orleans’ mansions and historic homes are worth stopping by. The Garden District walking tour will take you through the best of the lot. This 3-hour walking tour starts at 9.30 am from the French Quarter and will take you through the huge antebellum mansions, above-ground tombs at Lafayette Cemetery, the Opera Guild Home and through the best Italian architectures in the city. You can also stop by the mansions of author Anne Rice and actress Sandra Bullock. Your tour guide will help you understand some of the historical facts about the area. The tour will end with complimentary refreshments at Magazine PoBoy Shop. Wear comfortable shoes or sneakers to enjoy the walk.
New Orleans Garden District Tour with Lafayette Cemetery
Duration: 2 hours
Enjoy the energetic vibe of New Orleans
Known for its infectious ambiance, New Orleans offers a complete travel experience to its visitors. So pick some of the well-tailored tours from the list above for a comprehensive experience of New Orleans.
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