New Orleans City Tour: St. Louis Cemetery & Garden District with Pickup

A Local's Route Through New Orleans: From Cemetery Marble to Lake Pontchartrain

You ride in an air-conditioned minibus with a professional guide who handles the route and the commentary, starting from your downtown or French Quarter hotel. You stop for beignets and coffee in City Park, walk through St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 with its marble crypts, see the St. Louis Cathedral and the Garden District mansions, and pass Lake Pontchartrain and the New Canal Lighthouse. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, so you just show up ready to go.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Runyon Canyon Parkpass by
2. Garden Districtpass by
3. Warehouse Districtpass by
4. St. Louis Cathedralpass by
5. New Canal Lighthousepass by
6. St. Louis Cemetery No. 315m · entry included

New Orleans city highlights tour

• Pass through French Quarter
• View mansions on Esplanade Avenue
• Stop at City Park
• Visit Morning Call Cafe for coffee and beignets
• Tour inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 3
• View Garden District mansions
• Drive through Warehouse District and Faubourg Treme
• Pass American Sector and World War II Museum
• Pass Contemporary Arts Center
• View Saint Louis Cathedral
• Pass Lake Pontchartrain and New Canal Lighthouse

The experience

Our driver pulled up to the hotel entrance right on time, and within minutes we were rolling through the French Quarter with the air conditioning already working hard against the Louisiana heat. The minibus felt small enough to slip through narrow streets but spacious enough that you weren't crammed in with thirty other tourists: maybe twelve of us total, which meant the guide could actually talk without shouting. He started pointing out details as we moved past Esplanade Avenue's old mansions, the kind of thing you'd miss from a big tour bus, and then we headed into City Park, this sprawling 1,300-acre green space that opened in 1854 and somehow still feels like a secret even though it's right in the middle of the city.

The first real stop was Morning Call Café or Café du Monde, your choice, where you grab beignets and coffee while the guide gives you some breathing room. I watched powdered sugar coat everyone's clothes, including mine, and nobody cared. After that we moved through the Garden District, where the mansions actually line the boulevards the way you imagine them, then cut through the Warehouse District and Faubourg Treme, which the guide explained was one of the oldest African American neighborhoods in the country, dating back to the 1700s. He didn't rush the history. He let it sit. St. Louis Cathedral came next (the oldest cathedral in North America, founded in 1720 right on the Mississippi), and then we looped around to Lake Pontchartrain, where the New Canal Lighthouse sits and the 24-mile Causeway bridge stretches out across the water like something from another world.

The last stop was St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, which opened in 1854 after a yellow fever epidemic tore through the city. Walking through rows of 19th-century marble crypts, you get why people call these places cities of the dead. The stonework is intricate, the whole place is quiet, and the guide knows which tombs matter and why. The whole New Orleans city tour takes the morning and early afternoon, and by the time the minibus dropped us back at the hotel, we'd seen the architecture, the neighborhoods, the water, and the history without having to figure out parking or timing ourselves.

What’s included

• Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off from downtown or French Quarter hotels, transport in an air-conditioned minibus, a professional guide with live commentary, and stops at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, St. Louis Cathedral, the Garden District, City Park, Lake Pontchartrain, and the New Canal Lighthouse. A coffee and beignet break is built into the schedule.
• food and drinks at the cafés are your own cost.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00 and 14:00

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (under 12)

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Southern Style Tours and Transportation

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to see the main neighborhoods, cemeteries, and landmarks of New Orleans without arranging your own transport or timing the stops yourself: the minibus pickup from your hotel and the fixed route mean you just show up and the guide handles the rest.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 12).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

How long is the New Orleans city tour?

The tour runs for most of the morning and early afternoon. Exact duration isn't fixed, but plan for a half-day experience with multiple stops and a coffee break built in.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes, pickup and drop-off are included, but only from selected downtown New Orleans and French Quarter hotels. Confirm your hotel is on the list when you book.

What's included in the tour price?

Transport by air-conditioned minibus, a professional guide, hotel pickup and drop-off, and live commentary on board. Coffee and beignets are your own cost at the café stops.

Do we stop inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 3?

Yes, you tour inside the cemetery and see the 19th-century marble crypts. It's a walking portion of the tour.

What's the group size?

The tour uses a minibus rather than a large coach, so groups stay small, typically around a dozen people or fewer.

Is there a restroom break?

Yes, the coffee and beignet stop at City Park includes a restroom break.

Can I choose which café to visit, Morning Call or Café du Monde?

The itinerary mentions both as options in City Park, so you can choose based on preference when you arrive.