15 Self-Guided Tours in New Orleans to Fit Into Your Trip

1.Avery Island Experience- Tabasco & Jungle Gardens Self-guided tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 297 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) Our pick

At Avery Island, follow Tabasco from pepper seed to bottling on a self-guided factory and museum route, then explore a three-mile loop through Jungle Gardens by car, bike, or on foot. You’ll have tasting stops, a complimentary mini bottle, a country store, and Restaurant 1868. The garden audio guide is available only there.

“The whole place and it’s atmosphere was great. The tour was informative and I highly recommend drivibg through the park area. We saw beautiful landscaping and also two alligators .”

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2.Ghosts of New Orleans: Self-Guided Haunted Audio Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 32 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $6

Follow a GPS-guided audio walk through the French Quarter, starting at LaLaurie Mansion and ending near Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub. Hear ghost, vampire, pirate, and building-history stories at a dozen stops. You use your own smartphone, set the pace, and visit the sites from the outside. No live guide or admission is included.

“The content was good and all the sites were surprisingly close to each other. I don’t think we ever walked for over 3-4 minutes between locations. Good app (you must download it). The app had a built in navigation system that made it easy to stay on course (an arrow would overlay on the map). I was shocked at how simple and effective it was. The narrator did a good job of making sure he verbally oriented you so you didn’t head the wrong way on a busy street.”

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3.Walking the Tremé: A Self-guided Audio Tour of New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $9

Explore Tremé with a one-hour, self-guided VoiceMap audio tour in English. Start at 801 N Rampart Street and follow GPS-guided stories to landmarks including the Backstreet Cultural Museum, Louis Armstrong Park and Saint Augustine Catholic Church. You control the pace, with offline maps and audio available after downloading the tour.

“It was an incredible informative tour I would highly recommend this I learned so much and felt like the orator was holding my hands through the experience I loved in interactive nature of the tour”

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4.Baton Rouge Historic Downtown Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 19 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Follow a WalknTours audio route through downtown Baton Rouge, from the Old Governor’s Mansion to the State Capitol. Along the way, hear about the Old State Capitol, the Red Stick, the Mississippi, Cajun roots, and the city’s civil rights story. The tour takes about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, costs $9.75 per person, and runs through a smartphone app.

“Wonderful tour. I loved that I was able to pause the tour and have lunch at Poor Boy Lloyd's (a stop on the tour) and then restart the tour. The tour was interesting and informative. I highly recommend this tour.”

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5.Self Guided Walking Tour of New Orleans’ Historic Garden District

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 13 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $7

Follow a self-guided English audio walk from the Rink Shopping Center to Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. The route passes Greek Revival homes, Buckner Mansion, the Seven Sisters and Commander's Palace, with recorded narration and GPS-guided directions you can pause and replay.

“Great tone, very informative, awesome to do at our own pace since my hubby has anxiety issues in group settings.”

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6.Self-Guided Walking Tour French Quarter In New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 13 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Walk the French Quarter with an English-language app tour that starts at the Joan of Arc statue and ends at Central Grocery. Hear stories about the French Market, Cafe Du Monde, voodoo, jazz, pirates, and local food. Pause when you like, explore the stops, then resume. It costs $9.75 per person and takes about 60 to 90 minutes.

“I was able to see and hear live performances. I love the deep dive attraction and the self guided one is better for us solo travelers. Only down side is my GPS would go crazy from time to time and I had to restart my phone. When I say off I mean by 6000+ miles. But I loved”

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7.Self Guided Audio Ghost Tour in New Orleans in 6 Languages

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 12 reviews · 7 days · from $5Best value

Use your smartphone to follow a self-guided route to haunted spots in New Orleans, where high-quality audio, spooky music, and stories of ghosts, poltergeists, and voodoo set the mood. The tour is offered in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese. It costs $5 per person and stays valid for seven days from activation.

“It was awesome! I love that we had a self guided ghost tour around New Orleans. That was amazing!”

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8.A Walk in the Park: City Park New Orleans Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $9

This one-hour, private audio walk starts and ends at Beauregard Circle in New Orleans City Park. VoiceMap guides you by GPS in English past the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Botanical Garden, and the park’s mature trees, with offline audio and maps for exploring at your own pace.

“Loved the area, the park was beautiful. Wish we had more time for the extras. Very informative audio tour.”

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9.Metairie Cemetery Stories: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 12 reviews · 35 minutes (approx.) · from $8

This private, self-guided VoiceMap tour follows Faith & Courage: Metairie Cemetery Stories in New Orleans. Use GPS-guided audio and offline maps to explore at your own pace, with lifetime access for $8.99. The tour lasts about 35 minutes and is offered in English. Bring your own smartphone and download the tour before you go.

“It was GREAT! The app was easy to follow and the narrating was perfect-it rained on us but we were still able to drive on the route and complete the tour. Loved it!”

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10.City Park Exploration Game and Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 10 reviews · 1 hour 10 minutes (approx.) · from $7

Follow app-based clues through City Park, stopping at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Botanical Gardens, and the Singing Oak. You play without a guide or internet connection, at your own pace, in about 70 minutes. The game costs $7.18 per person; admission to the museum and gardens is not included.

“Very educational, creative and well thought out. We had a great time. The day was hot but definitely worth it.”

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11.New Orleans Self-Guided Kayak Bayou Swamp Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.) Top rated

Set out on a self-guided sit-on-top kayak trip through Bayou Bienvenue in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. Staff get you oriented before you paddle at your own pace, with a chance to spot birds, turtles, and alligators, plus the Swamp Swing for a photo. Becks, River, and Nick have helped paddlers, though your staff member may differ.

“First off: great communication. They called me in the morning to make sure I had the correct address (there are two identical street addresses with different cities). We did the unguided tour but Becks (the employee who got us set up) was fantastic and made sure we were oriented and where to go. The kayaking was very easy, the water extremely calm, and plenty of wildlife and interesting terrain to look at. So many herons! The day we went it started out foggy which gave a spooky mysterious vibe (seen pic) but it cleared up an hour later so we got to experience the bayou in full sun as well.…”

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12.New Orleans Self-Guided French Quarter Stolen Art Adventure Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 7 reviews · 1 hour 56 minutes to 2 hours 26 minutes (approx.) · from $5

Follow a stolen-art mystery through the French Quarter with ten phone-based puzzles and no guide. Start at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar, pass landmarks including Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral, and finish at Central Grocery. The game takes about two hours, runs in English, and lets you pause between challenges.

“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.”

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13.New Orleans Esplanade Ridge: A Self-Guided Audio Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 5 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes (approx.) · from $9

Follow a self-guided VoiceMap audio tour from 2023 Esplanade Avenue to Grand Route St. John Street. In about 75 minutes, hear local narration on Faubourg St. John, free people of color in New Orleans, the Creole Garden District, and St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. Download the audio and maps for offline use, then pause or replay as you like.

“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…”

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14.Whitney Plantation Audio Tour with Transfers

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 3 reviews · 6h 30m · from $81

Travel about 70 miles from the French Quarter to Whitney Plantation, Louisiana’s only museum dedicated to the lives of enslaved people. Hotel transfers, admission, and an audio headset are included. Explore at your own pace, from slave cabins and Freedmen’s Church to the 1790 owner’s house and a memorial to those who suffered under slavery.

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15.Louisiana Creole Nature Trail Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.)

Explore southwest Louisiana on a self-guided audio drive with more than 49 stories across a route of over 91 miles. Start near Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point, then follow GPS-triggered narration to wetlands, local stops, Holly Beach, and the Calcasieu waterways. It costs $16.99 per car for up to four people, works offline after download, and includes lifetime access.

“The trip was lovely, informative and beautiful. The recommended stops were well worth stopping for. The scenery, wildlife and the overall experience was unforgettable”

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