New Orleans wears its history on every balcony, and a fair amount of that history refuses to leave. This guide compares eleven ghost tours in New Orleans, from French Quarter walking routes and haunted pub crawls to the one tour that gets you inside the cemeteries after dark. Every tour below links straight to its booking page, so you can read, pick, and go.
Introduction to New Orleans' Haunted History
New Orleans, with its rich musical heritage, Creole cuisine, and Mardi Gras festivities, is also steeped in a history filled with ghostly legends, voodoo rituals, and vampire tales. The city's haunted past is best explored through its numerous ghost tours, which offer a thrilling journey into the supernatural heart of the Big Easy. These tours reveal the hidden stories of New Orleans' haunted locations, from eerie mansions to spooky cemeteries, inviting you to uncover the city's mysterious and dark side.
What Makes New Orleans Ghost Tours Unique?
New Orleans ghost tours stand out for their combination of documented history, engaging storytelling, and immersion in the streets where it all happened. Led by knowledgeable guides, they come as walking tours, pub crawls, and one bus ride into the cemeteries. Add each guide's own late-night encounters and no two tellings run quite alike.
1. New Orleans #1 Haunted Ghost, Voodoo, & Vampire Tour
What to Expect:
Exploring New Orleans in the evening can seem like an intimidating quest on your own, but this ghost, voodoo, and vampire walking tour takes you to the city’s most eerie sites at night in the safety of a group with a knowledgeable guide. Stop by top attractions such as the LaLaurie Mansion and New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, all while listening to your guide’s detailed stories of the paranormal and beyond.
Highlights:
- Visit top haunted attractions like the LaLaurie Mansion and New Orleans Pharmacy Museum.
- Hear detailed stories of the paranormal, voodoo, and vampire legends.
- Explore New Orleans' eerie sites at night with a knowledgeable guide.
Book Now: New Orleans #1 Haunted Ghost, Voodoo, & Vampire Tour
2. Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour in New Orleans
What to Expect:
Explore New Orleans’ "Cities of the Dead" on the only ghost tour offering cemetery access after dark. While most haunted history tours stay in the bustling French Quarter, this one takes you into the silent, shadowy realms of some of the city’s oldest and most haunted graveyards. Hear chilling tales of paranormal activity while exploring the curious above-ground burial practices of these famous final resting places.
Highlights:
- Access to New Orleans' cemeteries after dark.
- Hear chilling tales of paranormal activity in the city's oldest graveyards.
- Explore the unique above-ground burial practices.
Book Now: Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour in New Orleans
3. Haunted Ghost & Paranormal Tour in New Orleans
What to Expect:
From voodoo and vampires to natural disaster and disease, New Orleans is notoriously ripe for haunting. As the sun sets on the Big Easy, take a walk through the city’s darker side on a haunted history tour of the French Quarter. Explore three centuries of turmoil, scandal, murder, and mystery as you visit historic buildings known for their bloody history and resident spirits.
Highlights:
- Walk through the haunted history of the French Quarter.
- Learn about voodoo, vampires, and the darker side of New Orleans.
- Visit historic buildings with bloody histories and resident spirits.
Book Now: Haunted Ghost & Paranormal Tour in New Orleans
4. Haunted New Orleans Ghost and Pub Walking Tour
What to Expect:
Savor thrills, shocks, and drinks (own expense) on this NOLA bar crawl with a difference, a ghost tour, led by a costumed guide. Discover some of the South’s oldest buildings; hear tales of war, voodoo, murder, and piracy; and see the French Quarter in a new dark light. Highlights include Pat O’Brien’s and the Cornstalk Hotel, not to mention the French Market, St. Louis Cathedral, and Pirates Alley.
Highlights:
- Enjoy a haunted pub crawl with a costumed guide.
- Visit historic bars and hear tales of war, voodoo, murder, and piracy.
- Explore the French Quarter's haunted history.
Book Now: Haunted New Orleans Ghost and Pub Walking Tour
5. New Orleans Killers and Thrillers Tour
What to Expect:
Experience the dark side of New Orleans with this haunted walking tour of the French Quarter. With your local guide, walk down dark side streets while hearing tales about the supernatural and the horrific circumstances of their deaths. Stop at some of the city's most haunted locations under cover of night, including the home of a famous voodoo practitioner and a bar that's rife with paranormal activity.
Highlights:
- Walk through the French Quarter's dark side streets.
- Hear tales of the supernatural and horrific deaths.
- Visit the home of a famous voodoo practitioner and a haunted bar.
Book Now: New Orleans Killers and Thrillers Tour
6. Haunted Pub Crawl in New Orleans
What to Expect:
See the spooky side of New Orleans and try out a few drinks while you're at it on this bar-hopping tour, which focuses on the haunted side of the city. You'll visit the LaLaurie Mansion, believed to be the most haunted spot in town, and spend time in Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar, often called the oldest bar in the US, all with an engaging local guide to regale you with ghost stories.
Highlights:
- Experience a haunted pub crawl in New Orleans.
- Visit the LaLaurie Mansion and Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar.
- Hear ghost stories from an engaging local guide.
Book Now: Haunted Pub Crawl in New Orleans
7. New Orleans 5-in-1 Ghost and Mystery Tour
What to Expect:
Ghosts, vampires, witches, voodoo, and unexplained mysteries: this tour covers all of it. Learn why New Orleans is sometimes called America's capital of the mysterious and macabre on this haunted walking tour. Visit storied spots in the French Quarter while a guide shares tales of murder, voodoo rituals, bloodsucking legends, and reports of undead residents roaming the streets.
Highlights:
- Discover New Orleans' ghosts, vampires, witches, and voodoo.
- Visit storied spots in the French Quarter.
- Hear tales of murder, voodoo rituals, and undead residents.
Book Now: New Orleans 5-in-1 Ghost and Mystery Tour
8. YELLOW FEVER GHOST TOURS, New Orleans
What to Expect:
New Orleans’ history is full of macabre events and spooky happenings, and this ghostly walking tour will immerse you in the dark side of the city’s past. Pick from several evening start times, meet your guide right in the French Quarter, and set off on foot. You’ll be taken to some of the city’s most sinister destinations, from Pirates Alley and the Marie Laveau House of Voodoo to the infamous LaLaurie Mansion and more.
Highlights:
- Immerse yourself in New Orleans' dark history.
- Visit sinister destinations like Pirates Alley and LaLaurie Mansion.
- Explore the macabre events and spooky happenings of the city.
Book Now: YELLOW FEVER GHOST TOURS, New Orleans
9. New Orleans Ghosts and Spirits Walking Tour
What to Expect:
Immerse yourself New Orleans’ ghoulish side on this spooky ghosts and spirits walking tour. Wind through the French Quarter’s dark corridors and hear tales of famous hauntings from your local guide. You’ll visit infamous and eerie locations such as the Jackson Brewery and the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. By the end, you’ll understand why haunted New Orleans is a hotspot for paranormal investigators and historical videographers.
Highlights:
- Explore New Orleans' ghosts and spirits on a walking tour.
- Visit infamous locations like Jackson Brewery and Bourbon Orleans Hotel.
- Hear tales of famous hauntings from a local guide.
Book Now: New Orleans Ghosts and Spirits Walking Tour
10. New Orleans Haunted History Ghost Tour
What to Expect:
Discover New Orleans’ dark side on this haunted history ghost tour. Hear tales of famous hauntings from your local guide, and visit the French Quarter’s most infamous and eerie locations, hotspots for paranormal investigators and historical videographers. By the end, see the Vieux Carré in a different (and profoundly more ominous) light.
Highlights:
- Discover New Orleans' dark side on a haunted history ghost tour.
- Visit infamous and eerie locations in the French Quarter.
- Hear tales of famous hauntings from a local guide.
Book Now: New Orleans Haunted History Ghost Tour
11. The Ghosts of New Orleans Tour
What to Expect:
Dig into some of New Orleans' scary history with this walking tour. Visit some of the city's most haunted locations in the French Quarter.
Highlights:
- Explore New Orleans' haunted locations in the French Quarter.
- Learn about the city's scary history on a walking tour.
- Hear ghost stories from a knowledgeable guide.
Book Now: The Ghosts of New Orleans Tour
Tips for Enjoying New Orleans' Ghost Tours
Dress Appropriately
New Orleans' weather can be unpredictable, so it's important to dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes, especially for walking tours.
Book in Advance
Ghost tours in New Orleans are popular, especially during the fall season. Booking in advance ensures that you get a spot on your preferred tour.
Bring a Camera
You never know when you might capture something spooky on film, so be sure to bring a camera or smartphone to document your ghost tour experience.
Respect the Sites
Many ghost tours visit historic sites and burial grounds. It's important to respect these locations and follow the tour guide's instructions to ensure a respectful and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Keep an Open Mind
Ghost tours are not just about seeing ghosts; they're about experiencing the history and stories that make New Orleans such a fascinating city. Keep an open mind and enjoy the stories, whether you believe in ghosts or not.
Picking the right New Orleans ghost tour
If you want the cemeteries, the BYOB bus tour is the only one here that gets you inside the gates after dark. If you want a drink in your hand, the pub crawls cover the French Quarter's oldest bars. And if you just want the stories, any of the walking tours will keep you out past your bedtime for the right reasons. Planning the rest of the trip? Our New Orleans guide covers tours, hotels, and things to do.
For the record, we do not run tours in New Orleans. Freaky Foot Tours leads ghost and history walks in Flagstaff, Tucson, and Prescott, Arizona; find every city we cover on our locations page.
Questions people ask
Which New Orleans ghost tour goes inside a cemetery?
The Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour is the one on this list with after-dark cemetery access. Most other tours stay on the French Quarter's streets and stop outside the gates.
What is the LaLaurie Mansion, and which tours visit it?
A Royal Street mansion often called the most haunted spot in town. It anchors several routes here, including the #1 Haunted Ghost, Voodoo, & Vampire Tour and the Haunted Pub Crawl. What happened inside is a story best heard on the sidewalk out front.
Are New Orleans ghost tours mostly walking tours?
Mostly, yes. This list leans on French Quarter walks, plus a handful of pub crawls and one bus tour for the cemeteries. Comfortable shoes are the one piece of equipment every option requires.
When should you book a New Orleans ghost tour?
Ahead of time, especially in October. Fall evenings fill first, and the small-group tours cap their numbers.
