Private New Orleans City Tour with Local Expert Guide
Recommended by 97% of travelers
New Orleans, USA
- 3 to 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Step beyond the French Quarter and discover the hidden side of New Orleans on this private city tour. From colorful Bywater to historic Bayou St. John, your guide takes you off the tourist trail and into neighborhoods full of culture, history, and character. Along the way, gain insider tips to make the most of your trip and experience the Crescent City like a true local.
- Ask your private guide as many questions as you like
- Go beyond the French Quarter and explore different parts of the city
- See the city through a local lens and avoid the tourist traps
- Discover hidden gems in New Orleans you might miss on your own
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Private customizable tour of New Orleans by car
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
All Nola Detours are Private and provide door-to-door transportation
Itinerary
Faubourg Marigny (Pass By)
Bywater (Pass By)
Bayou St. John (Pass By)
1
French Quarter
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Uptown / Carrollton
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Garden District
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
New Orleans City Park (Pass By)
Audubon Park (Pass By)
4
Magazine Street
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 139 reviews
Kathy_C, Feb 2026
A week or two prior to our tour, the operator asked us if we could reschedule due to a conflict on their end. We could not since we had no flexibility on that date. Then, the night before the tour, the operator canceled, saying they had a wreck and could not do the tour. We were given no alternatives. We did receive a refund. We would never use this tour group again.
It appears Viator favors the tour operators. If the customer cancels less than 24 hours prior to a tour, the customer forfeits their money. However, if the tour operator cancels at the last minute, the customer has their plans ruined with no other options offered. Neither the tour operator nor Viator offered to help us find another tour. Buyer beware!
Louis_N, Dec 2025
Mark, our tour guide, provided an excellent city drive through with detailed narratives of various neighborhoods and events. In addition, to his city narrative, he was flexible in the itinerary to accommodate my family ranging in age from 20-80 with riding and selected stops. I was raised in New Orleans and this tour hit the mark for providing the overview I was hoping to see for my family. I recommend this tour as a starting point for someone's first visit to see the city before delving into its historical richness.
David_T, Oct 2025
We went on a very detailed private tour of the entire city. Stopped at multiple places and saw everything that was on our bucket list.
Daniel_G, Jun 2025
Good well-rounded tour of NO. We would definitely recommend it. The tour operator picked us up from our hotel and was flexible with the tour start time.
Jennifer_D, Jun 2025
Experience was wonderful. We toured the entire city, were able to enjoy a coffee at the French Quarter in New Orleans. Tour Guide was very knowledgeable about the city history.
Roman_B, Apr 2025
This tour is overpriced and highly dependent on which guide you get — something you won’t know until the day of the tour. I would not recommend it.
We booked a private tour for four people. Our guide, Mark, picked us up in a rented van. While Mark was friendly and clearly passionate about his city, that enthusiasm unfortunately did not translate into a good tour experience. Despite our clear request for historical context, Mark provided almost no historical information about New Orleans. He also wasn't particularly engaging or dynamic.
The tour consisted mainly of driving through different neighborhoods and pointing out local landmarks — a very basic experience that felt more like a casual drive than a guided tour. For nearly $700 (including tip), the experience was disappointing and lacked depth. Honestly, we would have gotten more insights from the hop-on, hop-off bus.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. I’m genuinely sorry to hear that the tour didn’t meet your expectations, though I must respectfully clarify a few things - both for your benefit and for anyone reading this review.
As a guide with a strong reputation for delivering rich, engaging, and enjoyable tours of New Orleans, I always strive to provide a well-balanced experience for the whole group. During your tour, one member of your party asked a continuous stream of questions many of them obscure and unrelated to the flow of the tour, which limited my ability to share the stories, culture, and local insight that most of my guests come to enjoy. While I always welcome curiosity, this dynamic unfortunately turned the experience into more of a one-on-one interrogation rather than a guided tour for the full group.
I even made a stop at a historic hotel — that was meant to enhance the experience with an authentic local gem. I clarified that it wouldn’t cut into tour time, and while one guest took a seat and ordered a bite, I remained attentive and available, ensuring that no time was lost from the planned itinerary.
Regarding the “rented” vehicle: We partner with Enterprise with a corporate lease fleet of vehicles to provide a range of safe, clean, and comfortable vehicles appropriate for different tour types — from rugged swamp adventures to luxury city experiences. The van used on your tour had just been picked up that morning, and unfortunately, I wasn’t made aware of a minor issue with the headrest ahead of time. I shared this information about the leased car with full transparency — not as an excuse, but as a courtesy. And I certainly wouldn't expect guests to frown upon having transportation partners
I understand every guest has different expectations, but I believe it’s important to note that this review doesn’t reflect the typical experience we provide nor the one enjoyed by the vast majority of our guests, as seen in our many glowing reviews. I remain committed to offering the highest standard of service, and I’m always open to constructive feedback that helps me do just that.
Wishing you all the best in your future travels.
Marc
Owner Operator
Paula_Y, Apr 2025
The driving tour is a must for anyone visiting NOLA! Marc was so knowledgeable, personable, and gracious. The van was clean and comfortable; the tour was thoroughly enjoyed by our family of 8, aged 24-85, visiting from 4 different states. Marc tailored the tour to our requests, planned stops strategically around our needs for coffee, hurricanes, beignets, restroom breaks and stretching. Seeing the city in this way truly should not be missed. It was a broad overview with detailed insights and a highlight of our week so far! Highly recommend!
Elysa_C, Apr 2025
Great way to see the City in a half day! Went to a local bar and restaurant, dessert included!!! Highly recommend
Joanne_C, Nov 2024
Marc was incredibly knowledgeable, interesting and professional. Saw and learned things I didn’t see in 20+ years of coming to NOLA. Truly a tour that is not the usual tourist experience. Highly recommend!
Nicole_M, Oct 2024
This is a very late review (we took this tour all the way back in June), but Marc's tour is the best! I have seen New Orleans through multiple walking tours, by boat, and via trolley and by far this tour showed me so much more than any other tour or independent travel can. It covers a considerably larger distance than I expected, which meant diving much deeper into the history and stories that Marc was extremely knowledgeable about. He was timely, informative, and gave us great tips on where to visit and eat (Broussard’s for brunch & Napoleon House for the Muffuletta!!). We stopped at a great coffee shop for a bite and the rest of the excursion was in the glorious AC of his SUV (again, the best way to tour NOLA in the summer!) I am so grateful for this memorable tour that I was able to share with my dad for his first NOLA visit. Thank you Marc!!
Lynette_U, Oct 2024
Mark took us on a wonderful tour of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. He did a fantastic job of showing us all different areas including the park and a delicious snack. He is very kind and personal.
Kerrie_J, May 2024
Marc seemed a little muted and lacked enthusiasm. He wasn’t able to answer questions in detail and other than pointing things out to us, there was not much background provided. He knows the city well and we saw a lot of it in our 3.5 hours in the car, but it felt more mechanical than entertaining. We’ve done a lot of private tours with guides and I just didn’t feel like this one was worth the $600 we paid.
Josephine_M, May 2024
Marc was great! He took us around the entire New Orleans area. He was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot about the history of New Orleans.
Louise_H, Apr 2024
Our guide Mark made our tour unique to fit our interests. He was very informative. Mark really know New Orleans.
Leigh_O, Apr 2024
Mark was very knowledgeable of the local history and cuisine. It was a pleasure spending our day with him.
Cathy_N, Mar 2024
Great chance to see parts of the city that we would never have seen and learn about the history. Really enjoyed the relaxed pace. Rick is great.
Natalie_P, Mar 2024
Marc was amazing! We got to see the real NOL. What a beautiful, eclectic, and historical city. Marc was very knowledgeable and made sure that we got a taste of his hometown. We definitely recommend this tour.
Laurence_H, Mar 2024
Mark was a font of knowledge. It was great to hear about the history and culture from a native. He took us to many great places and gave us many great recommendations
Virginia_F, Feb 2024
We just loved that our tour guide was so knowledgeable about the area and its attractions. He took us to the Marginy, Treme, & Frenchman Street. The Garden district was great to see the architecture and green spaces. Do this private tour, you will be happy that you made the time.
Giancarlo_L, Jan 2024
We always like to hire a private sightseeing tour during a first day of a trip. This tour was outstanding and above ours expectations ! Mark is a top guide who knows his city and demonstrated he loves his work. He was very kind, highly knowledgeable, sensible to our expectations e one of the best tour guides we met. We really enjoyed this tour and recommend for tourists have few days to visit NOLA.
James_N, Dec 2023
Tour of surrounding communities and some historic points. Our guide grew up in New Orleans so that was an additional perspective
Ann_C, Oct 2023
This was a very enjoyable, informative tour and our local guide had an excellent itinerary. He grew up in the area and had many interesting insights and knowledge of the history of the many areas we went through, current info and suggestions for places to visit, restaurants and very interesting info. He picked us up on time at our hotel and we stopped for beignets and for a really cool Halloween display at a local mansion. I highly recommenf this tour!
Joanne_A, Oct 2023
Our tour guide took us all over the city from The French Quarter to the Ninth Ward. He was knowledgeable and we had a very enjoyable tour. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone that will be in New Orleans.
Jonathan_B, Oct 2023
Had a great time and a great way to see the city. Learnt a lot about New Orleans and the history that made the city.
Darrin_H, Oct 2023
Very relaxing and enjoyable tour with Mark. Appreciate his willingness to show some unique places outside of the normal tourist traps. I would recommend the trip and also recommend you ask a lot of questions.
MaureenM_L, Sep 2023
It was a lovely trip with Marc. This was our third time here and Marc took us to places we haven’t explored. Kind, patient and answered all our questions.
Debra_S, Sep 2023
Marc was wonderful & knows his stuff.
He communicated well & provided a varied tour of the city - inner & outer NOLO. Couldn’t ask for more.
We told Marc we were celebrating r anniversary & had reservations at Commander’s Palace. He called & made sure we were in the garden room for r dinner to make it even more special. Just a little extra srvc & much appreciated.
Michael_G, Sep 2023
Mark was very knowledgeable about the history of NOLA and we visited many areas of the city. It was a fun, informative and enjoyable experience. Highly recommend for anyone wanting a personalized experience.
Christina_M, Jul 2023
He was friendly and knowledgeable of the New Orleans area, having been a lifelong resident he took us to some cool and quaint places :)
jeffreyharrislaw, Jul 2023
What a great tour!!! From pick up to drop off, Mark was not only professional, but knowledgeful and fun! After his tour you will feel like you have lived here for years and will be able to do your own tours for friends and family. Thanks Mark for showing us your beautiful city!!
From $155.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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