French Quarter Historical Buildings Walking Tour, New Orleans

French Quarter Historical Buildings Walking Tour (Self Guided), New Orleans

Widely known for its heritage sites with a variety of unique architectural styles, New Orleans has lots of beautiful buildings designed in the Greek Revival, American Colonial, or Victorian styles. Walking around the French Quarter, you'll enjoy these old historic buildings (some open to the public), their old ironwork gates and balcony railings, the antique brick- and stone-paved sidewalks taking you back generations...

Some three centuries ago, on March 29, 1721, New Orleans founder and Governor Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville selected the location for St. Louis Cathedral by drawing a mark in the soil with his sword while laying out the original city. The first church wouldn’t be built for several years, but the sacred spot was selected. Flanked by The Presbytère (circa 1797) and the Cabildo (circa 1799), with Jackson Square in the foreground, the iconic St. Louis Cathedral has been at the center of the city and embedded in the hearts of its New Orleanians everywhere.

While it may be difficult to decide which properties to visit next, the fascinating Hermann-Grima should not be missed. Located right in the French Quarter, this structure gives visitors a peak into the lives of the people who lived and worked within its walls.

New Orleans has no shortage of businesses or private residences that are reputed to be haunted, so if you’re interested in true life that’s definitely stranger than fiction, check out the LaLaurie Mansion. Also in the back of the Quarter, you will see the lovely Beauregard-Keyes House (1826) and adjacent Old Ursuline Convent (1734) – supposedly the oldest structure in the Mississippi River Valley.

To explore these and other places of most interest, follow our self-guided walking tour.

Image Courtesy of Flickr and Pedro Szekely.

How it works: Download the app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next. The app works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walks in New Orleans

Map Instructions: (1) Click the "Nearby Sights" button to view the nearby attractions; (2) click a map pin to see sight information.

Guide Name: French Quarter Historical Buildings Walking Tour
Guide Location: USA » New Orleans (See other walking tours in New Orleans)
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Sightseeing)
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles

Sights Featured in This Walk

WalkBuilder (customize this walk)

Use the WalkBuilder tool below to customize this walk to suit your interests. Instructions: click

at the upper right corner in the map above to view other sights in the city. To learn more about a sight, click a map pin. Click the “+” or “–” to add or remove a sight from the walk. To reorder the selected sights, simply drag and move them up or down the list in the left column.

Click here to view route map

Enter a name for your custom walk, along with your email address, in the fields below. You will receive the instructions for retrieving your custom walk in the GPSmyCity app by email. The GPSmyCity app offers turn-by-turn travel directions to guide you from one attraction to the next.
Walk Name*:
Email*:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I access my walking tour in New Orleans?
Save your walking tour on the website. Then download the GPSmyCity app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign in to your GPSmyCity account. Next, download “New Orleans Map and Walking Tours” within the app. Your walk will appear on the Walks screen.

2. How do I view other attractions in New Orleans?
At the upper-right corner of the map above, click the “Nearby Sights” button to show or hide other sights in the city. Click a map pin to view details about a sight. To add a sight to your walk, find it in the right column of the WalkBuilder tool above and click the “+” button next to it.

3. How do I re-arrange the sight order?
In the left column of the WalkBuilder tool, drag a sight to move it up or down the list. Then click “Click here to view route map”. Repeat this process until the route meets your needs.

4. Can I add my hotel to a walking tour?
Yes. You can add your hotel as the starting point, the ending point, or both (creating a loop route). This feature is currently available only in the GPSmyCity app.

5. Can I add my own sights to a walking tour?
Yes. You can add sightss that are not in our database and include them in your walk. To do so, sign in to your GPSmyCity account on the website or use the GPSmyCity app.

6. How many sights can be included in a walking tour?
For technical reasons, the number of sights in a walking tour is currently capped at 20. This limit may be increased over time.

Walking Tours in New Orleans, Louisiana

Create Your Own Walk in New Orleans

Creating your own self-guided walk in New Orleans is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Top Religious Sites Walking Tour

New Orleans has some of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Louisiana. Some of them, like the St. Louis Cathedral, have become iconic symbols of the city, while others are considered to provide "fresh air" to the busy business quarters.

The churches on this walking tour combine different architectural styles, starting with the Spanish Colonial & French Neo-Gothic design of... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.0 Km or 2.5 Miles

African American Heritage Walking Tour

For over 300 years, the African-American community has played an intrinsic role in creating authentic New Orleans that everyone loves today. The bedrock of the city's life is built on the African-American experience, a heritage both proud and tragic, yet strong enough to have preserved throughout centuries the many aspects of African culture, influencing everything from religion to vibrant... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles

French Quarter Walking Tour

The French Quarter, also known as the Old Square, is New Orleans' oldest and most popular neighborhood. Founded in 1718, it perfectly combines the tempting, noisy and nutty nightlife of Bourbon Street with important historical landmarks, art galleries, sophisticated cafés, and some of the city's oldest churches – all within walking distance, close to Mississippi River.

On this... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles

Voodoo Tour

Voodoo is an ancient ritualistic practice brought by enslaved West Africans onto the American soil upon their arrival in the 18th century. This form of religion was most prominent in New Orleans from the 1820s through the 1860s, when it was introduced by the “Voodoo Queens”. Of these, Marie Laveau became more prominent as she overthrew other queens to become the sole oracle.

Your best... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles

Garden District Walking Tour

It may come as a surprise, but New Orleans’ Garden District is known for its architecture more than for its gardens. The city’s elite residential neighborhood since the 19th century, when wealthy newcomers built opulent structures, it is considered one of the best-preserved collections of historic mansions in the South, and certainly one of the most picturesque. You can see why this is the... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.9 Km or 1.2 Miles