New Orleans Cemetery Walking Tour: Cities of the Dead

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/9

Duration2h

GroupUp to 28

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Tombs, not headstones: how New Orleans buries its dead above ground

A 2-hour walking tour of New Orleans' cemeteries with a local guide covers tomb architecture, burial history and the city's unique practices. The tour includes stops at the Katrina Memorial, where you'll hear the story of Hurricane Katrina's victims, and the crossroads where multiple cemeteries meet. A live English-speaking guide leads the route; you choose between a 10:15am or 1:15pm departure.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore New Orleans cemeteries and memorials

Hear Hurricane Katrina tragic story
Visit crossroads of multiple cemeteries

The Experience

The cemeteries of New Orleans—called Cities of the Dead—look nothing like burial grounds elsewhere in America. Above-ground tombs, many built from brick and plaster, line the narrow paths instead of grass and headstones. A local guide walks you through several of them over two hours, explaining why the water table here made underground burial impossible and how that shaped the architecture you see: the stacked vaults, the family tombs that look like small houses, the way the city solved a practical problem and turned it into something distinctive. You'll learn the customs and practices that grew from this geography, and what each style of tomb says about the people buried there.

One stop is the Katrina Memorial, where you hear the story of those lost in Hurricane Katrina and how an old potter's field—a burial ground for the poor and unclaimed—became a place to remember them. The tour also takes you to the crossroads where numerous cemeteries of the city meet, a spot that shows the scale and layering of New Orleans' burial history. Comfortable shoes matter here; the ground is uneven and the walk covers distance. The route is wheelchair accessible, and the guide speaks English throughout.

Before or after the tour, you can stop at the nearby Morning Call Coffee Stand, an iconic spot where locals have gone for cafe au lait and beignets for generations. It's not included in the tour price, but it's a natural place to sit and process what you've learned, or to ease into the morning if you've booked the earlier departure.

What’s included

Local guide in English.
access to multiple cemeteries including the Katrina Memorial and the crossroads where the city's cemeteries meet.
2-hour walking route with explanations of tomb architecture, burial history and New Orleans' unique burial customs.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Haunted History Tours

Is this one for you?Pick the 10:15am slot for morning light on the tombs and time to linger at Morning Call; choose 1:15pm if you're exploring other neighborhoods first.