5 Reasons a Private French Quarter Walking Tour Is the Best

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Every city around the world has a unique twist or perhaps an iconic landmark that immediately makes you aware of where you are. New Orleans is no different, in fact I would say that the Crescent City is even more unique than any other city that I have visited. Stereotypically identified by the gorgeous French Quarter district, we wanted to learn more about this area stretching from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue. What better way to explore this neighborhood than by having our very own private French Quarter walking tour!

french quarter walking tour new orleans

I have previously taken my very own ‘self-guided’ walking tour of the French Quarter but after taking our recent ‘private’ tour, it quickly makes you have a greater appreciation of the vintage architecture and history that surrounds this beautiful city.

Have you walked the French Quarter before? Do you know the rich history that surrounds this part of the city? Did you also know the significance of Canal Street and the divide between the French Quarter Catholics and Protestants on the other side? We definitely appreciated learning about all of this and much more!

Historic New Orleans

Thanks to Historic New Orleans, we participated in the awesome Twilight French Quarter walking tour. What we didn’t realize when we headed to our rendezvous spot was that we would be the only individuals on the Friday evening tour…but no complaints here because that just made the tour even more special!

Historic New Orleans Tours is the place to go for authenticity rather than sensationalism (Frommers)

Our tour guide, the one and only Tony Paone (we had no idea who this was until I just did a quick Google search and noticed that he is an Italian-American actor who grew up in New Orleans and has starred in movies such as ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’ and ‘Are You Here’), was awesome and offered an unlimited amount of knowledge on the eclectic melting pot of New Orleans along with a myriad of stories throughout the French Quarter.

french quarter walking tour

You may be wondering by now what exactly makes a private walking tour of the French Quarter such an appealing attraction? $20 for a two hour tour may not seem particularly expensive but you at least want to learn something a little more than what you could experience if you just walked the route yourself.

Let’s take a look at our top 5 reasons to taking a French Quarter walking tour with Historic New Orleans based on our experiences.

1. Royal Sonesta Hotel and Grateful Dead

Love history? Check! Love architecture? Check! That pretty much sums up both Heather and myself so taking the private tour around the French Quarter was a no-brainer, especially when Tony highlighted some of the key topics we would be learning as we walked around.

Our tour started at the Bourbon Cafe Beignet directly across from the Royal Sonesta Hotel (sorry Tony for being 45 minutes late but traffic in and around New Orleans at 5:00PM on a Friday is crazy!). Even on Bourbon Street, the intricate details of the buildings are awesome, something you probably don’t associate with the stereotypes I am sure you are aware of surrounding this iconic part of the city.

french quarter walking tour

Immediately Tony related a story about how the Grateful Dead referred the Royal Sonesta in their song ‘Truckin’ because of how they were ‘Busted down on Bourbon Street’ (of course the group members were busted inside the hotel room but they made their millions from using this experience in their lyrics). After all, we are on Bourbon Street and this was well and truly a “Welcome to New Orleans!”

Walking through the French Quarter we passed by the Louisiana State Supreme Court and as we peered through the bars at the gorgeous architecture, Tony shared some of his childhood memories of how he was able to just relax on this properties grounds at any time and there were no signs of high security around the perimeter…of course all this changed after 9/11.

2. Napoleon’s House and Chartres Street

At the end of the 18th century, Napoleon’s exile lead to rumors that he was heading for New Orleans hence the reason we today have a historic house located on Chartres Street that was supposedly constructed and chosen for Napoleon’s residence.

napoleons house new orleans

The octagonal lookout tower that provides 360 degree panoramic views across the city of New Orleans was allegedly the spot where Napoleon would have resided had he made it across the Atlantic and into the port of New Orleans.

napoleon house new orleans

Of course the plans to bring Napoleon to this part of Louisiana were halted after the announcement of his death in 1821.

napoleons house new orleans

Today this has been renovated into a restaurant that offers a variety of local cuisine specialties along with the infamous British inspired Pimms drink which is one of the most popular throughout New Orleans.

french quarter new orleans

As we continued walking along Chartres beyond Napoleon’s House, we wandered past the historic New Orleans Pharmacy which is essentially an apothecary with exhibits of ancient medicines and cures.

french quarter new orleans

This is a popular spot for events and is frequently closed for private functions but if you get the opportunity to go inside to explore the museum, it is well worth a visit.

new orleans french quarter

3. Jackson Square

After a brief walk along Royal Street, we headed towards probably the most famous location in the French Quarter – Jackson Square. Notably named after the infamous General Andrew Jackson who fought off the British attacks to maintain American possession of New Orleans in the early 19th century, Jackson Square is now an iconic representation of everything this city possesses in terms of history and culture.

french quarter walking tour

The stunning sight of St. Louis Cathedral towers over Jackson Square and provides the backbone of the Catholic beliefs that run throughout the French Quarter. Meanwhile the Cabildo and Presbytere stand either side of this ancient cathedral.

cabildo jackson square new orleans

We toured the inside of the Cabildo the following day but essentially this was the spot where General Jackson recruited many of his army in the infamous ‘Pirates Alley’ which runs directly between the cathedral and former court/jail.

jackson square new orleans

As merchants made deliveries at the port of New Orleans, pirates would make their way up and down Pirates Alley. These hardy folks were the perfect fighting men for Jackson so it made perfect sense to him to issue a pardon to the most infamous pirate – Jean Lafitte and then encourage his men to join and fight the British.

pirates alley french quarter

This obviously worked out pretty well for them!

new orleans french quarter

Located in the heart of Vieux Carré, a visit to Jackson Square wouldn’t be the same without heading inside the gated park (open during daylight hours) and admiring the towering memorial to General Jackson himself. This is the perfect spot with the cathedral and other significant architectures in the background for a memorable picture.

french quarter new orleans

4. Place de Henriette DeLille

Walking through Pirates Alley imagining all those battles that took place in and around this location soon became distant thoughts as Tony directed us along Royal Street and pointed out a plaque at the back of St. Louis Cathedral. Shining bright in the evening sky as the sun had almost set, this commemorative memorial on the sidewalk represented Venerable Henriette DeLille who is one of the most famous females to have walked the streets of New Orleans.

french quarter walking tour

Predominantly known for her role in seeking change and the founder of the Roman Catholic order of the Sisters of the Holy Family in New Orleans, DeLille was always caring for others and clearly recognized her role as a nun throughout the amazing work she carried out.

place henriette delille

Since 1988, there has been an order out to make her a saint and the current Pope has declared that should DeLille be granted this canonization while he is at the helm, he will perform this at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans – a fitting tribute to a woman that has been so iconic for many throughout the region.

5. European Architecture

Our final reason for taking the Historic New Orleans French Quarter tour is pretty much a summary of everything you experience as you stroll around this neighborhood. The rich heritage of European influence is apparent throughout the French Quarter, notably the French and Spanish designed constructions that reflect the periods where both nations had control over Louisiana prior to the Louisiana Purchase.

french quarter walking tour

Tony pointed out a number of key designs throughout the tour and highlighted the inspirations that you see as you wander through some of the lesser known streets in the French Quarter.

french quarter walking tour

The cast iron balconies that are the epitome of Spanish influence are still visible and provide an iconic representation of New Orleans architecture.

french quarter walking tour

It is worth noting though that the majority of the buildings front facades are examples of a re-design, particularly inspired by Greek revival which is also very apparent throughout New Orleans’ Garden District.

french quarter walking tour

Many of the ‘original’ buildings were destroyed due to fires in the late 18th century but it is also interesting to see that many of today’s constructions that you see are preserved and renovated using as many of the original materials as possible.

french quarter walking tour

Summary

Walking around the French Quarter is a great experience regardless of whether you do this alone or with a tour company like Historic New Orleans. The benefits of taking this type of tour are highlighted above but I am sure you would likely have many other benefits simply because tour guides like Tony very rarely give two tours alike. The routes differ and it just makes the overall experience more rewarding because you never know what story will be told next!

I think the overall learning experience that provided us with a better understanding of not only the history and architectural brilliance of the French Quarter, but also of the underlying cultures that lie within the confines of this mysterious and beautiful part of New Orleans. I encourage you to take a tour though should you decide against this, be sure to take your very own French Quarter walking tour because you never know what piece of history you may stumble across!

Disclaimer – We would like to thank the New Orleans CVB for hosting us on this trip, and Historic New Orleans for providing complimentary tickets for the French Quarter Walking Tour. These are solely our personal opinions/experiences and we were not financially compensated for this post. 

Weekend Wanderlust


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Chris Boothmanhttps://abritandasoutherner.com
Chris Boothman is the co-founder of A Brit and A Southerner. Born near Manchester, England, Chris moved to USA in 2006 where he soon after met his wife and travel partner in crime, Heather. They have since embarked on an amazing journey of travel as they challenge others to follow in their paths of working full-time but also being able to travel frequently! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Chris at [email protected]

37 COMMENTS

  1. Another great post, again, totally pinning this for future reference! I think there is a lot of value in taking walking tours, especially if you have an interesting guide! I know I have been on a few where the guides have been kind of dull and then others where the guides are funny or have loads of interesting stories, those ones are always the best!

    • Thanks Hannah! Definitely know what you are talking about with those guides that are lacking a little…this certainly cannot be said about Historic New Orleans who clearly have a great selection of tour guides at their disposal! Tony was excellent.

    • Thanks so much for linking up with us for Weekend Wanderlust, we really appreciate it! Hopefully see you next week linking up with us 🙂

    • Thanks so much for linking up with us for Weekend Wanderlust, we really appreciate it! Hopefully see you next week linking up with us 🙂

  2. Love it! I really like reading all the neat things you covered in your tour with Tony Paone. I also had no idea Napoleon had plans to live in New Orleans – learn something new everyday!

    • Likewise…we had no idea about Napoleon’s connections with New Orleans but when you see the tower, it certainly looks like it would have been a perfect spot for him to lie low while in exile!

  3. I have always wanted to go to New Orleans. We have debated it several times and I can’t decide if we should take the kids or go without them. I love the look of the French Quarter and I totally LOVE walking tours. I hadn’t tried them until this past summer when we were in Europe. I feel like I have such a better appreciation and understanding of a destination after spending some time with a great docent walking and being educated on the history and culture. Kudos for a great post! Makes me hungry for a beignets 🙂

    • Thanks so much for your comments, we appreciate it! Walking is the BEST way to see any city…but I love how some cities are so much more suited to walking around than others. The French Quarter is just waiting for you to hop out of your vehicle and walk around on foot.

  4. Brilliant post! You know I love New Orleans, and you are right – a tour with a local makes a ton of difference! We even got to visit a private residence (mansion, really!) who’s owner was restoring it to authentic antebellum era. Beautiful. If anyone is debating – do it! You will not regret a walking tour in any part of New Orleans. (Highly recommend the Garden District, also.)

    • Thanks Lydia, we really appreciate your kind comments! It’s a must-see for everyone I think because it is so different not only to anything else in New Orleans, but anywhere else in USA.

  5. I used to avoid tours like the plague, but after taking a few, I have found that a good tour guide is a wealth of information and can really add to a travel experience. The photo that included K-Paul’s restaurant reminded me of a meal I had there the last time I was in New Orleans. It was a poignant memory with the recent passing of Paul Prudhomme last month

    • That poignancy you speak of was certainly apparent as he passed away the week prior to us visiting New Orleans. I certainly agree with you on tours like this because all too often when you are grouped in a large party, it takes away from the experience. But when you get smaller tours, there is much more interaction that can add so much value and we really learned a lot more than what we could have done had we just strolled around ourselves.

    • Thanks so much for linking up with us for Weekend Wanderlust, we really appreciate it! Hopefully see you next week linking up with us 🙂

  6. I haven’t been to New Orleans since long before Hurricane Katrina, but it looks like the city has recovered quite well. Some really interesting hidden gems you pointed out.

  7. Beautiful captures! Haven’t been to this part of the country, but I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about it. Would love to be there someday!

    • Hopefully you will have the opportunity to visit NOLA sooner rather than later Olivia! This is my third time to the Crescent City and each time I have experienced something unique that makes me want to return. But each time the one consistent thing that I have experienced….amazing cuisine, especially in and around the French Quarter.

  8. I love reading new perspectives on the French Quarter! I visit there fairly often and even filmed a TV show about one of the bars on Bourbon St. I need to take a tour and learn more of the history. I did the Voodoo walking tour and it was fascinating. Thanks for sharing!!

    • You are very welcome Nancie and thanks for your kind comments. That’s cool about the TV show you filmed on Bourbon Street…New Orleans really is the Hollywood of the South!!

    • I think the local tour guide really adds so much value to a tour. We generally take ‘self-guided’ tours but after this experience in the French Quarter, it certainly offered a different perspective and definitely great value for the price.

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