French Quarter Walking Tour

Jackson Square is the beating heart of the French Quarter — a historic park framed by the soaring triple steeples of St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic cathedral in the United States. Originally laid out in 1721 as the Place d'Armes, the square has witnessed Spanish colonial rule, the Louisiana Purchase, and the rise of New Orleans jazz. Today, artists, musicians, and fortune-tellers fill the pedestrian plaza, and the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson at its center has stood since 1856. Your guide will explain why the Cabildo and Presbytere flanking the cathedral are among the most important buildings in American history — the Cabildo is where the Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803.

Standing at 1140 Royal Street, the LaLaurie Mansion is one of the most notorious addresses in American history. Built in 1832 for Madame Delphine LaLaurie and her husband Dr. Louis LaLaurie, the elegant three-story mansion concealed unspeakable horrors. A fire in 1834 revealed the cruelty inflicted on enslaved people in the attic, sparking public outrage and Madame LaLaurie's dramatic midnight escape to France. Nicolas Cage once owned the mansion; it later became the backdrop for 'American Horror Story: Coven.' Your guide will separate the documented history from the legends that have grown over nearly two centuries — and explain why this address remains the most requested stop on every French Quarter tour.

Royal Street is the French Quarter's cultural spine — a 13-block corridor of antique shops, world-class galleries, and some of the finest cast-iron gallery architecture in the world. Unlike its rowdy neighbor Bourbon Street, Royal Street is a pedestrian haven during the day, with street musicians performing beneath wrought-iron balconies draped in ferns. Your guide will point out architectural details most visitors walk right past: the corn-and-morning-glory cast-iron motif at 915 Royal, the Pedesclaux-Lemonnier House, and the secret interior courtyards hidden behind carriageway passages.

The Old Ursuline Convent on Chartres Street is the oldest surviving building in the Mississippi River Valley and the only remaining example of French Colonial architecture in the French Quarter. The Ursuline nuns arrived in 1727 — before the city had paved streets — to open hospitals, schools for girls (including free education for enslaved and Native American children), and an orphanage. The current structure was completed in 1753 and has served as a convent, archbishop's residence, school, and museum. Its formal gardens and quiet cloisters offer a striking contrast to the bustle of the Quarter just steps away.

The weathered brick building at 941 Bourbon Street dates to the 1720s, making it one of the oldest structures in the French Quarter and reputedly the oldest continuously operating bar in the United States. Legend holds that the pirate brothers Jean and Pierre Lafitte used the building as a front for their smuggling operation in the early 1800s. Today, the bar operates by candlelight — no electric lighting in the main room — serving its famous Voodoo Daiquiri. Your guide will share the true story of Jean Lafitte: privateer, hero of the Battle of New Orleans, and one of the most colorful figures in Louisiana history.

The French Market stretches six blocks along the riverfront and has been a trading post for over 200 years — first as a Choctaw trading ground, then as a colonial market, and now as an open-air bazaar of local art, food, and live music. At its western end sits Café Du Monde, serving café au lait and beignets since 1862. Your guide will explain why this is the one stop you'll want to return to after the tour — and share the locals' secret to eating beignets without covering yourself in powdered sugar (spoiler: there isn't one).

Bourbon Street's reputation for nightlife overshadows its deeper history. Named not for whiskey but for the French royal House of Bourbon, this 13-block stretch has been a residential, commercial, and entertainment corridor since the 1700s. Your guide will take you past the Old Absinthe House (where Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde reportedly drank), point out the original gaslamp fixtures that still light portions of the street, and explain why the French Quarter's famous 'go-cups' exist thanks to a unique Louisiana law.