New Orleans · USA
Things to Do in New Orleans: Tours, Tickets & Day Trips
The best things to do in New Orleans, ranked by real traveller reviews: walk the French Quarter with a guide, ride an airboat through the cypress swamps, hear jazz on Frenchmen Street and aboard the Steamboat Natchez, follow ghosts and voodoo through the above-ground cemeteries, eat beignets and gumbo on a food tour, and take a day trip to Oak Alley or the Whitney Plantation. Compare 670+ tours, tickets and day trips side by side — most with free cancellation.
704 experiences Free cancellation Top-rated tours Instant booking
Sunset tours in New Orleans
Departures that are under way when the sun sets in the coming weeks — start times checked against the local sunset.
Good for families in New Orleans
Children can join from a young age and pay less than adults — taken from each operator’s price list.
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New Orleans
After Dark Haunted New Orleans City and Cemetery Bus Tour
from$45$56/ person
via Viator
New Orleans
Small-Group Airboat Swamp Tour with Downtown New Orleans Pickup
from$115/ person
via Viator
New Orleans
Soul of New Orleans City Tour: Enslavement to Modern Day Culture
from$55/ person
via Viator
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Explore New Orleans by interest
Whatever brings you to New Orleans — world-class museums, the river, or a long lunch — start with the experiences travellers love most.
What to see
Top attractions in New Orleans
The landmarks that define the city — and the tickets and tours that get you in, often skipping the line.
French Quarter
Wrought-iron heart.
200+ toursView tours
Swamp & Bayou
Airboat wildlife.
150 toursView tours
Cemeteries
Ghosts & voodoo.
180 toursView tours
Steamboat Natchez
Mississippi jazz.
90 toursView tours
Oak Alley
Plantation oaks.
80 toursView tours
Garden District
Grand mansions.
90 toursView tours
Creole Food
Gumbo & beignets.
70 toursView tours
Bourbon Street
Nightlife & jazz.
60 toursView tours
1 day
New Orleans in 1 day
- 1French Quarter
- 2Cemetery tour
- 3Steamboat jazz
- 4Frenchmen Street
2 days
New Orleans in 2 days
- 1Day 1: Quarter & river
- 2Day 2: swamp & plantation
- 3Ghost tour
- 4Food & jazz
3 days
New Orleans in 3 days
- 1Day 1: Quarter & river
- 2Day 2: swamp & plantation
- 3Day 3: food & Garden District
- 4Jazz nights
Full day
Swamp & plantation day
- 1Morning airboat through the bayou
- 2Alligators & Cajun wildlife
- 3Afternoon plantation & River Road
- 4The history of slavery, told honestly
Evening
Ghosts, voodoo & cemeteries
- 1Dusk ghost walk of the French Quarter
- 2Voodoo history & Marie Laveau
- 3St. Louis Cemetery No. 1
- 4Vampire lore after dark
~1 hr awayOak Alley Plantation
The oak canopy; often paired with a swamp.
from $66View trips
~1 hr awayWhitney Plantation
Slavery told from the enslaved’s view.
from $69View trips
~45 min awaySwamp airboat
Gators & cypress bayous.
from $57View trips
~1 hr awayHoney Island Swamp
Quieter covered-boat tours.
from $66View trips
20 min by streetcar awayGarden District
Mansions & Lafayette Cemetery.
from $25View trips
From the French Quarter awaySteamboat Natchez
Mississippi jazz cruise.
from $35View trips
Practical guide
Know before you go
Short, straight answers to the questions every New Orleans visitor asks before booking.
The sweet-spot months
February–May brings warm, pleasant weather and the city’s biggest festivals, the best all-round time to visit.
Spring (Feb–May)
Mild and lively with Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest — book well ahead as the city fills up.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Hot, humid and prone to afternoon storms; quieter and cheaper, with indoor and evening tours ideal.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
Warm, drier and comfortable, a great time for walking tours and swamps with fewer crowds.
Winter (Dec–Jan)
Mild and festive, with cooler evenings and the build-up to Mardi Gras.
Festival tip
For Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest, book accommodation and tours months ahead, as prices soar and the city sells out.
One day
The Quarter, river and a ghost tour.
Two days
Add a swamp tour and plantation.
Three days
Add food tours and the Garden District.
Foodies
Add culinary tours and cooking classes.
Mystery lovers
Add more ghost, voodoo and cemetery tours.
With kids
Mix swamps, steamboats and the aquarium.
On foot
The French Quarter is small and best explored on foot, with most sights within easy reach.
Streetcars
The historic streetcars, especially the St Charles line, are a charming way to reach the Garden District.
Tours & transfers
Swamp and plantation tours include transport, the easiest way to reach the bayou and River Road.
Taxis & ride apps
Taxis and ride-hailing are handy for getting between neighbourhoods, especially at night.
Walkable core
The Quarter, Marigny and CBD are close together; the swamps and plantations need a tour or car.
Getting there
Louis Armstrong International Airport is around 30 minutes from the French Quarter.
US dollars & tipping
The US uses the dollar; cards are widely accepted, and tipping is customary for guides, servers and drivers.
Book cemetery tours
St Louis Cemetery No. 1 can only be visited on an official guided tour — book a cemetery tour to enter.
Embrace the evenings
New Orleans comes alive after dark, so save ghost tours and live jazz for the atmospheric nights.
Beat the heat & bugs
In summer, carry water and insect repellent, especially on swamp tours, and plan walks for the cooler hours.
Plan around festivals
Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest are magical but very busy — book far ahead or visit just outside them.
Come hungry
Don’t miss beignets, gumbo and po’boys; food tours are a tasty way to sample the city’s best.
Steamboat jazz cruises
Popular dinner and brunch cruises sell out — book ahead.
Cemetery & ghost tours
Official cemetery access tours fill up — reserve early.
Swamp tours
Airboat and bayou trips are in demand — book ahead.
Plantation tours
Oak Alley and Whitney tours have set times — reserve early.
Food tours
Small-group culinary walks are popular — book ahead.
Festival season
Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest sell out months ahead — plan early.
French Quarter walk
Around $20–45 for a guided walking tour.
Swamp airboat tour
About $40–90 with transport from the city.
Ghost or cemetery tour
Roughly $25–55 for a guided evening or cemetery tour.
Steamboat jazz cruise
Around $35–90 for sightseeing to dinner cruises.
Plantation tour
About $60–110 with transport, more combined with a swamp.
How to save
Book combo swamp-and-plantation tours and walk the free French Quarter.
When to visit
New Orleans through the seasons
What's best, how busy it gets, and one booking tip for each time of year.
Spring (Feb–May)
Feb–May
- Best for
- Festivals, mild.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Mardi Gras; book ahead.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Jun–Aug
- Best for
- Cheaper, quieter.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Hot, humid, storms.
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
Sep–Nov
- Best for
- Warm, drier, calmer.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Great for tours.
Winter (Dec–Jan)
Dec–Jan
- Best for
- Mild, festive.
- Crowds
- Booking tip
- Cooler evenings.
People also ask
New Orleans travel FAQ
What are the top 10 things to do in New Orleans?
Ranked by traveller reviews: 1) a French Quarter history walk, 2) a swamp airboat tour, 3) the Steamboat Natchez jazz cruise, 4) a ghost, vampire or voodoo tour after dark, 5) St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, 6) the Garden District by St. Charles streetcar, 7) a Creole food tour — gumbo, po’boys, beignets, 8) Oak Alley or the Whitney Plantation, 9) live jazz on Frenchmen Street and at Preservation Hall, 10) the National WWII Museum.
How many days do you need in New Orleans?
Three days: the French Quarter and Frenchmen Street, then a swamp or swamp-and-plantation day, then the Garden District, a food tour and a sunset river cruise. Add a fourth for the National WWII Museum, City Park and the Bywater murals, or for Mardi Gras World and a cocktail tour.
What to do in New Orleans for free?
The French Quarter and Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, Royal Street’s buskers and galleries, live music on Frenchmen Street (many bars have no cover), the Moon Walk and Crescent Park along the river, City Park’s oaks and sculpture garden, the Historic New Orleans Collection museum, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 from the gate, and the Garden District mansions on a self-guided walk. The St. Charles streetcar costs $1.25.
What are the best day trips from New Orleans?
Oak Alley and the Whitney Plantation on River Road (about an hour; many tours combine one with a swamp ride), a swamp airboat at Jean Lafitte or Honey Island (45 minutes to an hour), Baton Rouge and the Old State Capitol (80 minutes), Avery Island and the Tabasco factory (2.5 hours), Lafayette and Cajun country (2.5 hours) and the Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches at Bay St. Louis (an hour). See our day trips page for bookable tours.
What to do in New Orleans at night?
Frenchmen Street for live jazz, blues and brass bands in a dozen clubs, Preservation Hall’s 45-minute acoustic sets (book ahead), a ghost or vampire walking tour of the Quarter, the Steamboat Natchez dinner jazz cruise, a cocktail history tour (the Sazerac was invented here), Bourbon Street if you must, and the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone.
What is there to do in New Orleans in winter?
Winter is mild (50s–60s °F) and it is Carnival season: parades run from Twelfth Night (6 January) to Mardi Gras day, peaking in the last two weeks. December has Réveillon dinners, Celebration in the Oaks lights in City Park and Christmas caroling in Jackson Square. Swamp tours run year-round but alligators are sluggish in the coldest weeks; plantation, food, ghost and museum tours are unaffected.
What are the best things to do in New Orleans with kids?
A swamp airboat tour (most take children from about four), the Audubon Zoo and Aquarium of the Americas, the Insectarium, riding the St. Charles streetcar, beignets at Café du Monde, a daytime steamboat cruise, Mardi Gras World’s float warehouse, City Park’s Storyland and Carousel Gardens, and the Louisiana Children’s Museum. Ghost tours have family-friendly early slots.
When is the best time to visit New Orleans?
October to November and March to May: warm days, low humidity, and festivals — French Quarter Fest in April, Jazz Fest in late April to early May. Mardi Gras (February or early March) is unforgettable but hotels triple. June to September is hot, humid and hurricane season, but cheap.
Is a swamp tour worth it from New Orleans?
Yes — it is the second most-booked experience in the city and the one visitors say surprised them most. Airboats are fast and loud and get close to the gators; covered pontoon boats are calmer and better for photos and small children. Most tours include hotel pickup and take about four hours door to door.
704 New Orleans experiencesfrom $20 · free cancellation
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