City Sightseeing New Orleans HOHO Bus Tour & Bookable Extras

See New Orleans before choosing where to linger. This open-top bus tour gives you a useful first look at the French Quarter, Garden District, Tremé, the riverfront, and the Arts District without making you solve the city’s transport puzzle first. I especially like the live English-speaking guides, who add stories and local tips, and the freedom to use the ticket for one, two, or three days. The main drawback is the early finish: the last departures are at 4pm, and the whole service ends by 5:30pm.

The route is broad, and that matters in New Orleans, where the sights are spread well beyond Bourbon Street. I also like that the longer passes include guided walks, but you should know that attraction entry, food, drinks, and hotel transfers cost extra. At $51 per person, this is best value when you ride the full loop, hop off several times, or use the bus for more than one day.

Key points to know before you go

• The live guide makes the difference: Guides such as Linda, Ron, Chris, Bill, Mary, and Sydney have been praised for mixing history with humor.
• The complete loop takes about 1.5 hours: Ride it first to get your bearings, then choose your stops.
• The route reaches far beyond the French Quarter: You can visit the Garden District, National WWII Museum, Mardi Gras World, Tremé, and the riverfront.
• Two and three-day tickets add guided walks: The Garden District walk comes with two and three-day options; the French Quarter walk comes with the three-day option.
• Buses run about every 30 minutes: That makes short stops practical, but the final bus is too early for a full evening of sightseeing.
• Use the tour early in your stay: It helps you decide where to return for music, food, museums, and architecture.

Why this bus works well on a first day

New Orleans can feel compact on a map, yet its best areas are not all within an easy walk of one another. The French Quarter, Garden District, Tremé, Uptown, Warehouse District, and riverfront each have a different feel. This tour links them in one route.

I would use the bus as an orientation ride on the first morning. Stay aboard for the full circuit if you want to hear the commentary and see how the districts fit together. Then use your ticket as transport, getting off when a museum, street, market, or neighborhood catches your eye.

The live commentary is one of the strongest parts. Several guides are praised for being funny, warm, and full of useful facts. Linda, known for keeping lines moving, is singled out for accurate information and practical tips. Chris is another favorite, while guides including Ron, Colin, Bill, Mary, Deidre, Sydney, Logan, and Ellen have helped make the ride more than a basic recorded tour.

That human element also means the experience can vary by departure. One guide may focus on city history, another on food or local stories. The tradeoff is that sound quality is not always perfect. One passenger found the bus guide difficult to hear, so sit near the guide when possible.

Jackson Square and the French Market

The main starting point is at 700 Decatur Street, near Jackson Square. This is a strong place to begin because you are already beside St. Louis Cathedral, one of New Orleans’ best-known landmarks and the oldest continuously active cathedral in the United States.

Jackson Square also puts you close to beignets and cafe au lait, the classic New Orleans snack pairing. You can make this your first stop for a quick look at the square, the cathedral, and the surrounding French Quarter streets before returning to the bus.

Stop 2 serves the French Market colonnade, French Market, and flea market. This is a good place to browse produce, souvenirs, and local goods. It is less useful if you want a quiet, carefully planned museum visit, since the market is better suited to wandering and short browsing.

From here, you can also walk toward Royal Street. Royal is a good alternative to Bourbon Street when you want antiques, art objects, crafts, and museums rather than the loudest nightlife. The route puts you close to several major French Quarter streets, including Bourbon, Chartres, and Canal.

Marigny, Bywater, and Tremé

Stop 3 reaches Marigny and Bywater, with access to Frenchmen Street music clubs, Crescent Park, JAMNola, and a Bywater brew pub. This stop shows you a side of New Orleans that feels different from the central French Quarter. It is useful for planning an evening of live music, though the bus itself finishes too early to replace an evening outing.

Stop 4 covers Tremé, St. Augustine Church, and the Tomb of the Unknown Slave. This is one of the most meaningful parts of the route because it moves beyond the standard tourist core. You can use the stop to look at the neighborhood and learn about places tied to New Orleans’ Black history and culture.

Basin St. Station is Stop 5. It is one of the early departure points, with buses beginning there between 9:30am and 9:40am, along with Stops 1, 6, and 17. If you want to start early, check the exact departure board rather than assuming every stop begins at the same minute.

Canal Street, Bourbon Street, and the central city

Stop 6 is the practical center of the route. It serves Canal Street, Bourbon Street, Royal Street, Chartres Street, and hotels along Canal. If you are staying in or near the French Quarter, this may be the easiest place to board.

Canal Street is useful for changing your day’s plan. Get off here for the French Quarter, stay on for the Garden District, or use the stop as a return point after exploring. It is also near many of the city’s busiest streets, so allow extra time when crossing and finding your way back to the bus.

Stop 7 serves Caesars New Orleans, the American Italian Cultural Museum, and the Italian Piazza. This is a smaller stop in sightseeing terms, but it can appeal if you want to add a cultural museum or see a less obvious part of the central city.

Stops 8 and 9 reach Poydras and Loyola, Lafayette Square, Gallier Hall, and St. Charles Avenue. These stops connect the French Quarter side of the city with the downtown business district and the beginning of the Garden District route. Lafayette Square and Gallier Hall give you a chance to see grand civic buildings without spending a full day in a museum.

Museums and the Arts District

Stop 10 is a particularly useful one. It serves the National WWII Museum, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Contemporary Arts Center, and Confederate Civil War Museum. You will not visit all of them during a quick hop-off, so choose in advance.

The National WWII Museum is one of the city’s major attractions, but the bus ticket does not include admission. The same applies to the other museums. This is where the pass can save time, but not necessarily attraction costs. If a museum is your main reason for visiting New Orleans, budget its separate entry fee and give it enough time.

Stop 17 reaches the Arts District and Julia Street, with access to galleries, Julia Street shops, and The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk. It is also one of the early departure points. This area is a better choice for art and shopping than for old French Quarter architecture.

The Riverfront stop, listed as Stop 18, serves the Creole Queen paddlewheeler, VUE Orleans Observation Deck, Audubon Aquarium, and Insectarium. These are bookable attractions and are not included in the bus ticket. The stop is still useful because it puts several major riverfront choices in one place.

The Garden District and St. Charles Avenue

The Garden District section is one of the reasons to choose this route over a French Quarter-only tour. Stops 11 through 15 run along Magazine Street and St. Charles Avenue, passing addresses such as 2727 Magazine Street, 3137 Magazine Street, 3338 St. Charles Avenue, 2020 St. Charles Avenue, and the intersections at Louisiana Avenue and St. Andrew Street.

Magazine Street gives you access to shops, restaurants, and neighborhood streets. The exact stop you choose depends on what you want to see, so do not hop off without checking the next return point. The stops are spread out, and the route is more useful when you have a clear target.

St. Charles Avenue gives you a look at the Garden District’s grand homes and broad avenue. The included Garden District guided walking tour comes with the two-day and three-day tickets, not the one-day option. That makes the longer passes more appealing if architecture and local history are high on your list.

The bus can show you the district from above street level, but the walking tour gives you a closer look. If you have only one day, stay aboard for the overview and return later on foot if one section interests you.

Mardi Gras World and the riverfront

Stop 16 serves the Convention Center and Mardi Gras World. Mardi Gras World is one of the more distinctive choices on the route because it connects sightseeing with the city’s famous parade tradition. Admission is not included, so treat this as a convenient transport stop rather than part of the ticket itself.

This section also helps you see how far the route travels beyond the historic core. You get a broader picture of New Orleans, from old streets and cathedrals to convention facilities, parade production, museums, and modern shopping areas.

The bus returns to the Decatur Street area, with the listed drop-off at 700 Decatur Street. That makes the French Quarter a practical base for ending the ride, though route conditions and stop closures can affect the exact experience.

One day, two days, or three days?

A one-day ticket works if your main goal is a city overview. I would ride the complete loop first, then choose two or three stops for the rest of the day. This option is less attractive if you want several museums, a long meal, and a detailed neighborhood walk, since the final departures come early.

The two-day ticket gives you breathing room and includes the Garden District guided walking tour. You can use the first day for orientation and central sights, then return for the Garden District and museums on the second day.

The three-day ticket adds the French Quarter guided walking tour as well as the Garden District walk. This is the best fit if you want a slower visit and plan to use the bus for practical movement between districts. It also gives you more time to revisit places you only glimpsed from the upper deck.

Buses run about every 30 minutes. That is frequent enough for planned stops, but not so frequent that you should wander without checking the time. The first departures from key stops are around 9:30am to 9:40am, and the last departure from any stop is at 4pm. The final tour ends by 5:30pm.

This schedule is the largest practical limitation. You can use the bus to set up an evening of music or dinner, but not as late-night transportation. Do not get off at 3:55pm expecting an easy ride back.

Is $51 good value?

At $51 per person, the value depends on how actively you use it. A single ride around the loop is unlikely to justify the full price for everyone. Several rides, multiple districts, and the included walking tours make the cost easier to defend.

The bus can also reduce the need for separate rides between distant areas. One person specifically found the three-day pass useful for reaching different tour destinations and tracking bus arrivals through the app. Another used a one-day pass, then extended it to see more of the city.

Attractions are extra, and so are meals and drinks. Keep that in mind before treating the pass as an all-in-one sightseeing ticket. Its main value is transport, orientation, and live commentary.

Mobile and printed paper vouchers are accepted. You can redeem them at any stop, but the voucher is valid only for the date chosen at booking. The buses are wheelchair accessible, and smoking and pets are not allowed.

Service does not run on several listed dates, including February 7, 8, 14, 15, and 17, April 18 and 19, November 26, and December 5 and 25. There are also earlier finishes on several February, November, December, and New Year’s Eve dates. Check the calendar carefully if your visit falls near Mardi Gras, major holidays, or festival periods.

Who should book this New Orleans bus?

I would recommend it to first-time visitors, families, older visitors, and anyone who wants a city overview before picking a neighborhood to explore. It is also useful if you want live commentary instead of a recorded headset.

The tour suits you less if you already know New Orleans well, prefer to walk everywhere, or want sightseeing after sunset. The route gives you access to many places, but it does not replace time spent on foot in the French Quarter, Garden District, or Tremé.

Book the one-day option when you want a fast orientation and a few carefully chosen stops. Choose two days for a balanced visit with the Garden District walk. Choose three days if you want both guided walks, several museums, and a slower pace.

FAQ

How long is the complete bus tour?

The full bus tour takes about 1.5 hours if you remain aboard.

How often do the buses run?

Buses run approximately every 30 minutes.

What time does the first bus leave?

First departures from Stops 1, 5, 6, and 17 are between 9:30am and 9:40am.

What time is the last departure?

The last departure from any stop is at 4pm, and the final tour ends at 5:30pm.

Are guided walking tours included?

The Garden District walking tour is included with two-day and three-day tickets. The French Quarter walking tour is included with the three-day ticket only.

Is admission to museums and attractions included?

No. Attraction tickets, food, and drinks are not included.

Where does the tour start?

One listed starting point is 700 Decatur Street. The meeting point may vary depending on the option booked, and vouchers can be redeemed at any stop.

Can I use a mobile voucher?

Yes. Mobile and printed paper vouchers are accepted.

Are the buses wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the buses are wheelchair accessible.

Can I cancel the booking?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. Some bookings also allow you to reserve now and pay later.