Covers the towns that sell their ghosts: the Deep South, the old Florida coast, Salem and Gettysburg.
Updated
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This is a ghost-tour town. Nine of the ten tours on this page are about the dead in one way or another, and the tenth is a jazz dinner cruise that only scrapes in because it leaves at 6 p.m. and floats into dusk.
The French Quarter does most of the work. Gas lamps, iron balconies, courtyards you can see into through a gate but can't enter: by day it's shops and brunch lines, and after dark the same blocks look like a stage set someone forgot to strike. A good guide just stands you on the right corner and talks. Most walks here run under two hours, cost under $40 (€36) and leave from somewhere within a few blocks of Jackson Square.
The ranking below is our Night Score, which weighs rating, review count, price per hour and how much the dark actually matters. The top walk wins on a perfect 5.0 from more than two thousand reviewers. The real surprise sits at number two: a bus tour, which normally I'd tell you to skip, except this one unlocks a cemetery at night.
At a glance
Best overall
Adults-Only True Crime and Ghost Walk (Streets of Sin), 7.8, from $38 (€34)
Best for cemeteries
After Dark Haunted Cemetery Bus Tour: you walk inside one at night
Cheapest good one
French Quarter Phantoms Ghost and Vampire walk, from $21 (€18.80)
Smallest group
New Orleans Paranormal ghost hunt, 13 people max
Skip
The standard Steamboat Natchez dinner cruise (rated 4.1, didn't make the list)
When it gets dark
About 6:54 p.m. in October, 8:29 p.m. in June
On this page
The 10 best night tours in New Orleans, ranked
Every tour we scored in New Orleans that cleared our bar (rated 4.4 or more from 50+ reviews), in Night Score order. Night Score = 30% rating, 10% review count, 20% price per hour, 40% how much the night is the point. How we score
New Orleans Adults-Only True Crime and Ghost Walking Tour
Ghost tours
7.8/10Night Score
From $38 (€34)
1 hour 45 minutes
Starts: Evening
Large group, 17+
5.0 (2,164 reviews)
A 5.0 from 2,164 reviewers. Nothing else in the city comes close on rating, and that's what puts it on top even though its after-dark score is only middling. Streets of Sin mixes real murder cases with the ghost stories, which is a better ratio than most. It's 17 and up, and guides turn away anyone who shows up drunk, so the Bourbon Street crowd mostly self-selects out. You meet at the Jackson Square fence opposite St. Louis Cathedral and nobody goes indoors. Drinks are sold at the last stop. Groups run up to 28, so arrive early and stand near the guide.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%10.0
Review countData · 10%8.7
Price per hourData · 20%7.7
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: An adults-only true-crime and ghost walk by Streets of Sin, meeting at the Jackson Square fence opposite St. Louis Cathedral.
Good to know: Ages 17 and up; intoxicated guests are turned away. Drinks are sold at the last stop, no buildings are entered, and the tour is rescheduled for bad weather; up to 28 per group.
After dark: Murder and ghost stories told on dark French Quarter streets land harder than the same stops by day.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
After Dark Haunted New Orleans City and Cemetery Bus Tour
Ghost tours
7.0/10Night Score
From $56 (€50)
2 hours
Starts: After dark
Large group
4.7 (1,865 reviews)
This ranks second for one reason: it gets you inside a cemetery at night, usually Odd Fellows Rest on Canal Street, for about 35 minutes with EMF readers in hand. Cemeteries here are locked after hours, so that's real access, and it earns the highest after-dark score on the page. The rest is a two-hour air-conditioned bus from 620 Decatur Street past Cypress Grove, Greenwood and the Katrina Memorial. Buses hold up to 42. The product page showed $56 (€50) on 26 October while Viator's listing card showed a $45 (€40) sale, so check both before you pay. Gratuities are included.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.2
Review countData · 10%8.5
Price per hourData · 20%6.7
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A two-hour air-conditioned bus tour by New Orleans Ghost Adventures from 620 Decatur Street, with a walk inside a cemetery at night and EMF readers.
Good to know: The cemetery stop is about 35 minutes; the bus passes Cypress Grove, Greenwood and the Katrina Memorial. Gratuities included; up to 42 per bus, and the listing page showed a $45 sale price on 26 October while the product page showed $56.
After dark: It includes after-dark entry to a cemetery (usually Odd Fellows Rest on Canal Street), which is closed to the public at night.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Ghost and Vampire Walking Tour Of The French Quarter
Ghost tours
6.9/10Night Score
From $21 (€18.80)
2 hours
Starts: Evening
Large group
4.7 (2,560 reviews)
The cheapest well-reviewed ghost walk in the city at $21 (€18.80), with tips and taxes already in. That price is why it scores a perfect 10 on value and why it beats tours rated about the same. French Quarter Phantoms walks two hours from 718 N Rampart Street to Jackson Square, which it reaches after dark; reviewers mention a 6 p.m. departure. Kids are welcome with an adult and there are child rates, which makes this the easy family pick. The LaLaurie Mansion stop is from the sidewalk. Groups go up to 28.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.3
Review countData · 10%9.0
Price per hourData · 20%10.0
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A two-hour nighttime ghost and vampire walk by French Quarter Phantoms from 718 N Rampart Street to Jackson Square.
Good to know: Gratuities and taxes are included; LaLaurie Mansion is viewed from outside. Children welcome with an adult, kid and senior rates; up to 28 per group.
After dark: A nighttime French Quarter walk that ends at Jackson Square after dark, the city's cheapest well-reviewed ghost tour.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Ghost Hunt Inside Haunted Locations with New Orleans Paranormal
Ghost tours
6.9/10Night Score
From $64 (€57)
3 hours
Starts: Evening
Small group
4.8 (547 reviews)
The only small group in the top five that goes inside somewhere. You start at the Hotel Provincial, 1024 Chartres Street, and part of the three hours is spent in its Ice House Bar with ghost-hunting gear. The cap is 13, which is half what the big walks run. It's three hours long and $64 (€57), so per hour it's priced like the shorter walks; a thinner review count (547) is what holds it at fourth. Equipment and tips are included, drinks and water aren't. The operator doesn't recommend it for kids under 8. Honestly, if you care more about "did something happen" than about storytelling, this is your tour.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.1
Review countData · 10%6.7
Price per hourData · 20%7.8
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A three-hour French Quarter ghost hunt by the New Orleans Paranormal Society, starting and ending at the Hotel Provincial, 1024 Chartres Street.
Good to know: Equipment, gratuities and Ice House Bar entry are included; drinks and water are extra. Maximum 13; not recommended for children under 8.
After dark: An evening investigation with ghost-hunting gear, including time inside the Ice House Bar of the Hotel Provincial.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Pub Crawl: New Orleans Lewd Spirits Haunted Tour with Bar Stops
Pub crawls and bar tours
6.8/10Night Score
From $37 (€33)
2 hours
Starts: Earlier or later evening
Small group, 21+
4.8 (901 reviews)
Ghost stories between three French Quarter bars, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Unique NOLA Tours starts it inside their shop at 815 Toulouse Street and caps groups at 15, so you can actually hear. It's 21 and up. The ticket covers the guide, tips and taxes; every drink at the three bars is on you, so budget for that before you compare it with the $37 (€33) walks. A solid 4.8 rating keeps it in the top half. It ends somewhere other than where it starts, which is fine in the Quarter. There's a senior discount.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.5
Review countData · 10%7.4
Price per hourData · 20%8.3
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: An over-21 small-group ghost-story walk with three bar stops by Unique NOLA Tours, starting inside their shop at 815 Toulouse Street.
Good to know: Drinks at the three bars are at your own expense; gratuities and taxes are included. Maximum 15, ends at a different location from the start; senior discount.
After dark: Ghost stories between three French Quarter bars only work at night, when the bars are the point.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Adults-Only New Orleans Ghost, Crime, Voodoo, and Vampire Tour
Ghost tours
6.6/10Night Score
From $37 (€33)
1 hour 45 minutes
Starts: Evening, several departures a
Small group, 17+
4.7 (7,161 reviews)
The most-proven adults-only walk here: 7,161 reviews, enough for a perfect score on that factor. Its 4.7 rating is good, not great, and that's the gap between it and number one. Hottest Hell Tours walks from the Louis Armstrong Park arch to Ursulines Avenue, telling the Ursuline Convent and LaLaurie stories outside at night. Ages 17 and up, max 20. The standard ticket is from $37 (€33); the VIP option with the operator's HELLVISION add-on is from $44 (€39), and the operator says VIP slots sell out fast. You don't go inside any haunted buildings. Drinks are extra.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.4
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%7.8
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: An adults-only ghost, true crime, voodoo and vampire walk by Hottest Hell Tours from the Louis Armstrong Park arch to Ursulines Avenue.
Good to know: Ages 17 and up, maximum 20. Standard tour from $37; the VIP option with the operator's HELLVISION add-on is from $44. It does not go inside haunted buildings; drinks are extra.
After dark: Built as an after-dark walk: the Ursuline Convent and LaLaurie stories are told outside at night, when the Quarter is at its eeriest.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
New Orleans Dead of Night Ghosts and Cemetery Bus Tour
Ghost tours
6.6/10Night Score
From $55 (€49)
2 hours
Starts: Evening
Large group
4.7 (2,313 reviews)
A night drive past St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, Charity Hospital Cemetery and the Katrina memorial, run by Haunted History Tours from the Rampart Treehouse at 740 N Rampart Street. It scores well on darkness and on reviews (2,313). The catch is the stop at St. Louis No. 3, which is short, about six minutes. If you want to stand among the tombs at night, number two gives you far longer for about the same money, $55 (€49) here. Up to 28 on an air-conditioned bus, no alcohol on board, and there are kid and senior rates.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%5.2
Review countData · 10%8.8
Price per hourData · 20%6.8
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A narrated night bus tour of cemeteries and haunted sites by Haunted History Tours, leaving from the Rampart Treehouse at 740 N Rampart Street.
Good to know: Air-conditioned bus, up to 28 riders; no alcohol allowed on board. Kid and senior rates exist; the St. Louis No. 3 stop is short (about 6 minutes).
After dark: A night drive past St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, Charity Hospital Cemetery and the Katrina memorial that is built around the dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
New Orleans Premier Ghost, Voodoo and Vampire Walking Tour
Ghost tours
6.0/10Night Score
From $38 (€34)
1 hour 45 minutes
Starts: Evening
Large group
4.6 (13,885 reviews)
Huge review count, 13,885, the most of any tour in the city. The rating is 4.6, though, and at that volume it's the factor that sinks it to eighth. Witches Brew Tours meets at its gallery at 311 Exchange Place and usually finishes outside the LaLaurie Mansion on Royal Street. You pass the Pharmacy Museum, you don't go in. Groups go up to 28, gratuities are listed as included and there are kid and senior rates. At $38 (€34) it's a fine fallback when the top three are sold out on a Saturday in October.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.6
Review countData · 10%10.0
Price per hourData · 20%7.7
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A guided evening ghost, voodoo and vampire walk through the French Quarter run by Witches Brew Tours, starting at the Witches Brew Gallery on Exchange Place.
Good to know: Gratuities are listed as included; drinks are extra and the Pharmacy Museum is passed, not entered. Meets at 311 Exchange Place and usually ends outside the LaLaurie Mansion on Royal Street; up to 28 per tour, with kid and senior rates.
After dark: The French Quarter's balconies and courtyards read as haunted only once the streetlights are on and the day crowds thin.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Real after-hours access: about two hours on the grounds of Destrehan, an 18th-century River Road plantation, after it has closed for the day. That earns a high after-dark score. What holds it down is proof. Only 140 reviews, and a 4.6 rating. NOLA GhostRiders runs the bus from 1140 Decatur Street with transport, admission and tips included for $69 (€62). Groups can reach 56, which is a lot of people on one porch. Reviewers say the bus air-conditioning struggles in summer. Bring water.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%2.7
Review countData · 10%4.6
Price per hourData · 20%7.5
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A three-hour night trip by NOLA GhostRiders from 1140 Decatur Street out to Destrehan Plantation for a haunted tour, with transport and admission included.
Good to know: Transport, plantation admission and gratuities are included; up to 56 travelers, kid rates available. Reviewers say the bus air-conditioning is weak in summer, so bring water.
After dark: It is after-hours access: about two hours on the grounds of an 18th-century River Road plantation once it has closed for the day.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
VIP Jazz Dinner Cruise with Private Tour and Open Bar Option
Night cruises
5.8/10Night Score
From $190 (€170)
3 hours
Starts: 6:00 p.m. (VIP check-in 5:40 p.m.)
Shared boat
4.8 (909 reviews)
It costs $190 (€170) a head, and the value score of 3.5 says what you'd expect. You board at the Toulouse Street Wharf behind Jax Brewery, check in at 5:40 p.m. and sail at 6, with early boarding, reserved seats, an engine-room tour, a buffet, champagne with shrimp cocktail and the Dukes of Dixieland. The open bar costs extra. The VIP group is capped at 20. Time it right: in October the sun sets around 6:30 p.m., so you get the river going dark. In June it's broad daylight the whole way.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.5
Review countData · 10%7.4
Price per hourData · 20%3.5
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A VIP version of the Steamboat Natchez evening jazz dinner cruise sold by Gray Line, boarding at the Toulouse Street Wharf behind Jax Brewery.
Good to know: Includes early boarding, reserved seating, an engine-room tour, buffet dinner, a champagne and shrimp cocktail, a gift bag and the Dukes of Dixieland; the open bar is an extra-cost upgrade. The 2-hour cruise sits inside a 3-hour booking; VIP group capped at 20.
After dark: A 6 p.m. Mississippi departure that runs through sunset into dusk over the river and the French Quarter skyline.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Reserve links go to GetYourGuide or Viator. Booking through them can earn us a commission at no cost to you; it never changes a score or a rank. How we make money
What a night in New Orleans is actually like
The Quarter never really closes. Bourbon Street gets louder as the night goes on, which is exactly why ghost walks avoid it. They work Royal, Chartres and the blocks toward Esplanade, where it's dark enough between lamps for a story to land.
Jackson Square is the hub. Half the tours on this page meet within a few minutes' walk of it, and around 7 or 8 p.m. you'll see four or five groups at once, each with a guide holding up a sign or a lantern. Don't panic if yours isn't there yet. Find your operator's exact address in the booking and go there, not to "the square".
October is the crunch. Tour hosts here call it the French Quarter's busiest time of year, and routes shift around parades and festivals. Book a few days ahead for any October weekend.
Music is the other night. Frenchmen Street, just past the Quarter's downriver edge, is where people go after a tour.
Walk, bus, ghost hunt or crawl: how to pick
Walk first. A two-hour walk in the Quarter is the whole point of a ghost tour here, and the top three walks cost $21 to $38 (€18.80 to €34). The adults-only ones are better if you're adults, simple as that: the guides can talk about the actual crimes.
Take a bus only for the cemetery. Most of New Orleans's famous cemeteries sit outside the Quarter and are closed to the public after dark, so a bus is the only way to see several in one evening. But "see" usually means through a window. Number two on our list stops for about 35 minutes inside one; number seven stops for about six. That difference is the whole decision.
Want to go indoors? The Paranormal Society hunt spends time in the Hotel Provincial's Ice House Bar and the Destrehan trip puts you on plantation grounds after closing. Every other walk here stays on the street.
Crawls are fine. Think of them as a bar night with stories, not a ghost tour with drinks.
Cemetery rules: what's locked, what's not
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the one with Marie Laveau's tomb, isn't open to the public at all. The official tour operator's site is blunt: the cemetery is "only for our authorized tours", every guest needs a ticket before arriving, and you check in at Basin St. Station, 501 Basin Street, to get your gate pass. Daytime tours run from $29 (€26) for 55 minutes with up to 20 people, and New Orleans & Company lists departures every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to a last one at 3:45 p.m.
There's also an official After-Dark Tour on select nights, from $46 (€41), same 55 minutes. It isn't in our ranked list (it wasn't in our product research), but if you want St. Louis No. 1 itself at night, that's the only legal way in. Check the operator's site for which nights.
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in the Garden District reopened on 1 October 2026 after seven years closed, for guided tours only: six sessions a day, 16 people or fewer, booked through the Preservation Resource Center. Those are daytime.
Don't climb a wall after hours. Just don't.
The free version: a self-guided night walk
You can do a decent ghost walk on your own. Start at Jackson Square once the lamps are on, cut through Pirate's Alley beside the cathedral, then walk down Royal Street to the LaLaurie Mansion, which every tour views from the sidewalk anyway. From there it's a short walk to the Ursuline Convent on Chartres, then back toward Rampart and the Louis Armstrong Park arch.
What you lose is the stories, and here the stories are the product. I'd do the free walk on night one to get your bearings and pay for a guide on night two. Stay on lit streets with people on them, and read our night tour safety guide if you're walking alone.
Getting back late
Most tours end inside the Quarter, so most people walk back. If you're staying farther out, the streetcar is cheap: $1.25 (€1.10) a ride, or $3 (€2.70) for an unlimited one-day Jazzy Pass, per the RTA's fares page, and you can pay on the Le Pass app.
Hours are where it gets murky. The city tourism board's streetcar page lists the St. Charles line at 24 hours a day, Canal-Cemeteries until 3 a.m., Canal-City Park/Museum until 1 a.m. and Riverfront until 11:30 p.m. The RTA itself announced 24-hour service on both Canal lines back in 2018, and its online schedules don't show last trips. So use the live arrivals in Le Pass before you rely on a 1 a.m. streetcar, and keep a rideshare app as backup.
Buses from the cemetery tours bring you back to their start point.
When to go: dark times, heat and Halloween
Winter is the easy season for night tours. It's dark by 5:28 p.m. in December, so a 6 p.m. walk is fully after dark, and night lows sit around 48°F (9°C) in January. A light jacket does it.
Summer is a different deal. Full dark isn't until about 9 p.m. in June and July, nights stay near 78°F (25°C), and July has around 23 days with rain. Book a later departure, carry water, and expect the early slots to finish in daylight.
October is the sweet spot for weather and the worst for crowds. It's dark by about 6:54 p.m., lows are around 67°F (20°C), and every operator is busy. Hottest Hell sells a separate Halloween special from $65 (€58) that we didn't rank. Book early or go the week after.
What to skip
The standard Steamboat Natchez jazz dinner cruise. It has more than 8,000 reviews and a 4.1 rating, which is low for something that expensive, so it didn't make our list; the Creole Queen dinner cruise sits at 4.2. If you must be on the river at night, the VIP Natchez above is the one that rates well. Go in the cooler months, when it actually gets dark during the sail.
Also skipped: the small-group haunted carriage tour, which scored 5.0 and missed the cut, and a general haunted pub crawl that scored 5.7 even with a sale price of $30 (€26) through 28 October. Neither is bad. Both are beaten by something cheaper or better above.
And skip any tour that promises to take you into St. Louis No. 1 unless it's the official operator. Nobody else can.
When it gets dark in New Orleans
Times are for the 15th of each month in 2027, local time with daylight saving, computed with NOAA’s solar equations for New Orleans. Dark is the end of civil twilight, when streetlights and floodlights take over; fully dark is the end of nautical twilight. Night lows are 2016–2025 averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive. Every city side by side
Month
Sunset
Dark
Fully dark
Night low
January
5:21 p.m.
5:47 p.m.
6:16 p.m.
48°F (9°C)
February
5:48 p.m.
6:12 p.m.
6:41 p.m.
54°F (12°C)
March
7:08 p.m.
7:32 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
59°F (15°C)
April
7:26 p.m.
7:51 p.m.
8:20 p.m.
63°F (17°C)
May
7:45 p.m.
8:11 p.m.
8:43 p.m.
71°F (21°C)
June
8:02 p.m.
8:29 p.m.
9:03 p.m.
76°F (24°C)
July
8:03 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
9:02 p.m.
78°F (25°C)
August
7:42 p.m.
8:07 p.m.
8:37 p.m.
78°F (26°C)
September
7:06 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:58 p.m.
75°F (24°C)
October
6:30 p.m.
6:54 p.m.
7:22 p.m.
67°F (20°C)
November
5:05 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
5:59 p.m.
58°F (14°C)
December
5:02 p.m.
5:28 p.m.
5:58 p.m.
53°F (11°C)
Also scored in New Orleans
These cleared our bar too, but scored below the ten above. Same score, same data, no write-up.
Yes, more than in most cities. The Quarter's streets are the set, the guides are strong, and the top walks cost $21 to $38 (€18.80 to €34) for close to two hours. Start with a walk; add the night cemetery bus if you want to get inside a graveyard.
Can you go into St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 at night?
Only on the official After-Dark Tour, which runs on select nights from $46 (€41) and checks in at Basin St. Station, 501 Basin Street. The cemetery is closed to the public; every visit is a ticketed tour. Ghost walks only tell its stories from outside.
Which New Orleans ghost tours are good for kids?
French Quarter Phantoms' Ghost and Vampire walk is the obvious one: children are welcome with an adult and there are kid rates. The After Dark Cemetery Bus and the Dead of Night bus also take families. Two walks are 17 and up, the Lewd Spirits crawl is 21 and up, and the ghost hunt isn't recommended under 8.
Can you drink on a ghost tour in New Orleans?
On some. Streets of Sin sells drinks at its last stop, the Lewd Spirits crawl stops at three bars (drinks at your own cost) and the Paranormal Society hunt spends time in a bar. The Dead of Night bus bans alcohol on board, and Streets of Sin turns away anyone already drunk.
What time do New Orleans ghost tours start?
Most run several evening departures and only show exact times in the booking calendar. Reviewers mention 6 p.m. for French Quarter Phantoms and 7 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. for the Dead of Night bus. The Natchez VIP cruise is fixed at 6 p.m. with check-in at 5:40.
New Orleans & Company: streetcars– Listed hours by line (St. Charles 24 hours, Canal-Cemeteries to 3 a.m., Canal-City Park to 1 a.m., Riverfront to 11:30 p.m.); checked October 26, 2026
