New Orleans Ghost ToursHaunted History Tours New Orleans: Dead of Night Ghosts and Cemetery Bus Tour
Haunted History Tours New Orleans runs this 2 hour night bus ride past haunted locations and the cities of the dead, leaving from 740 N Rampart St at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM. The operator has run tours since the mid-1990s. The ticket costs $45 and covers an air-conditioned bus and a licensed guide. The listing gives no stop list, so you book on trust rather than a route map. This page sets out what the price buys, what it does not, who the ride suits and who should book something else. Compare it with the other ghost tours New Orleans.
About This Tour
This is a night-time bus tour with a licensed guide covering murder, betrayal and strange urban legends across the city. The ride crosses one of the most notorious streets in America, once called the port of missing men, and passes the above-ground cemeteries locals call the cities of the dead. The bus is air-conditioned and the tour runs in rain or shine.
The listing gives no stop list, so you do not know in advance exactly where the bus pauses. Some walking is involved, so bring comfortable shoes. Food, drinks and gratuities are not included in the $45 price, despite what the summary Includes list on the platform shows. The Know before you go section is the one to trust.
$45 per person, booked on GetYourGuide
2 hours
740 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116. Arrive 20 minutes before departure
Group size not stated. The tour is in English only
Pickup and drop-off from the French Quarter meeting point and a licensed tour guide. Food, drinks and gratuities are not included, and no entry ticket to any building or cemetery is stated
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later
Check Dates and Availability
Departures run at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM nightly. The booking calendar shows live seats for each departure, so check availability for the date you want.
Quick answer The short answer
This Haunted History Tours New Orleans night bus costs $45 per person, runs 2 hours and departs from 740 N Rampart St at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM nightly.
Key takeaways
- The price covers the air-conditioned bus and a licensed guide, but food, drinks and gratuities are extra, as the what the price covers section explains.
- No stop list is published, so if you want a fixed route on foot, compare the French Quarter ghost, voodoo and vampire walking tour instead.
- The tour does not claim to enter St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which is closed to solo visitors. The only way inside is the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 official walking tour at about $25.
- Want a cheaper bus with your own drinks? The Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour costs $30 and invites you to bring them.
What the Price Actually Covers
The listing's Includes list and its Know before you go section disagree about food and drink, so this page follows the Know before you go wording, which is the stricter of the two.
Included
Two things are safely in the $45. First, pickup and drop-off from the meeting point in the French Quarter, meaning you board and leave the bus at 740 N Rampart St. Second, a licensed guide. New Orleans requires tour guides to be licensed by the city.
The bus itself is air-conditioned, which matters in a city where summer heat and humidity sit heavily on the streets. The tour runs in rain or shine.
- Pickup and drop-off from the French Quarter meeting point
- Licensed tour guide
- Air-conditioned bus
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
Not Included, Despite What the Summary Says
The platform's Includes list shows food and drink and optional gratuities. The Know before you go section states plainly that food, drinks and gratuities are not included. Treat food and drink as extras you buy yourself. No entry ticket to any building, museum or cemetery is stated as included, so plan on seeing the stops from the bus and on foot outside.
The honest warning here is the conflict itself. If you book expecting a drink in hand, you will be buying it. If you want a bus that invites you to bring your own, the Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour at $30 does exactly that.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Air-conditioned bus | Yes | Runs in rain or shine |
| Licensed guide | Yes | English only |
| Pickup and drop-off at the meeting point | Yes | 740 N Rampart St, arrive 20 minutes early |
| Food and drink | No | Know before you go says not included |
| Gratuities | No | Optional, paid on the day |
| Entry to any cemetery or building | Not stated | No ticket is listed as included |
What You Might Pay on the Day
The stated extras are your own food and drink before or after and a tip for the guide if you choose to leave one. No museum admission applies on this route because the listing claims no interior visits. If you want to go inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 afterwards, the official walking tour from Basin St. Station starts at about $25 and is the only way in, since the Archdiocese has limited entry to registered guides and relatives since 1 March 2015.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, one of the cities of the dead. Photo: FragileStatic, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Route, Stop by Stop
The listing publishes no stop list, so this section describes what the operator says the ride covers and the places its themes point to, without inventing stops.
Meeting Point on North Rampart Street
You check in at 740 N Rampart St, on the edge of the French Quarter, 20 minutes before your 7:00 PM or 9:30 PM departure. New Orleans sunset falls at about 5:03 PM in December and about 8:03 PM in June, so the 9:30 PM departure runs after dark all year.
The Port of Missing Men
The one named feature of the ride is a crossing of one of the most notorious streets in America, once referred to as the port of missing men. The listing does not name the street. Your licensed guide carries the tale.
If the port of missing men theme is the reason you booked, and you want it on foot in the Quarter, the adults-only true crime and ghost walking tour covers dark city history in a similar register for guests 17 and over.
Haunted Locations Across the City
The bus moves between haunted locations the operator does not list, and the listing claims no building entry. The French Quarter's best known haunted address is the LaLaurie Mansion at 1140 Royal Street, where Delphine LaLaurie lived until a kitchen fire on a night in 1834 led rescuers to find seven people, in the words of the New Orleans Bee, more or less horribly mutilated. The house is a private residence and can only be seen from the street.
Read the background in the LaLaurie Mansion guide.
The Cities of the Dead
The ride takes in the above-ground cemeteries the city calls the cities of the dead. The high water table made in-ground burial unreliable here, so by the 1820s oven tombs and family tombs were the norm, and a tomb cannot be reopened for at least a year and a day. The oldest, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, was founded in 1789 and holds the Glapion family crypt associated with Marie Laveau.
The listing states no cemetery entry. Entry to St. Louis No. 1 has been limited to relatives, scholars and visitors with an Archdiocese-registered guide since 1 March 2015. If standing between the tombs matters to you, book the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 official walking tour, and read the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 guide first.
Sources: solarwatch sunset data
Who This Tour Rules Out
No age limit, language option or access rule is stated on the listing, which cuts both ways for buyers.
English Only
The live guide speaks English. Travellers who need another language are not catered for on this listing. If language matters, check with the operator before booking.
- Guide language: English
- Group size: not stated, so ask the operator if a small group matters to you
No Stated Age Limit, but a Late Finish
No minimum age is stated, so families can book. The honest caution is the clock. The 9:30 PM departure is a late night for young children, and some walking is involved.
Families with early risers may prefer the Dark Side of New Orleans family friendly ghost tour, a 1.5 hour walk that starts and ends at St. Louis Cathedral and keeps all stops outside.
- Minimum age: none stated
- Wheelchair access: not stated, so confirm with the operator before booking
- Difficulty: not stated, but some walking is involved
No Bar Stop, No Scares Stated
Unlike some bus tours, this listing promises no drink stop, since drinks are not included and none is offered. The tone is storytelling about murder, betrayal and urban legends rather than staged scares, and no costume or jump-scare element is claimed. Travellers who want to bring their own drinks can look at the Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour instead.
Anyone Who Wants a Fixed Route
The published route names no stops, so if you are the kind of traveller who plans around a specific house or cemetery, this listing leaves you guessing. The French Quarter ghost, voodoo and vampire walking tour publishes its stop list, from the Witches Brew Gallery to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar, and the haunted history carriage tour offers a fixed quarter loop by mule-drawn carriage for up to 8 people.
Could You Do It Without a Tour?
Partly. The streets are free and open, but the cemetery gates are not, and the stories come from a guide.
What Is Free to See Alone
Every haunted house on a typical route stands on a public street. You can walk to the LaLaurie Mansion at Royal and Governor Nicholls and look at its facade any evening for nothing, and the haunted places in New Orleans guide lists more addresses you can see free from the sidewalk. A self-guided night walk through the Quarter costs only shoe leather.
The New Orleans cemetery tours guide explains which grounds you can enter and which you cannot.
- The LaLaurie Mansion exterior, free from Royal Street
- Marie Laveau's St. Ann Street, free to walk
- The Basin Street neutral ground and its Storyville sign, free
What You Cannot Do Alone
You cannot walk into St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. Since 1 March 2015 the Archdiocese has limited entry to relatives of the dead, scholars and visitors with a registered guide, after vandalism that included pink paint over the tomb linked to Marie Laveau. The only way inside is a registered tour, and the official one, run from Basin St. Station, starts at about $25 for a guided walk past the Laveau crypt and the tomb of Homer Plessy.
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 reopened for guided tours only on 1 October 2026, so confirm current tour details with the Preservation Resource Center.
What the Bus Adds
The guide is the real product. New Orleans requires its guides to be licensed. The bus also gives you air conditioning and a seat in rain.
If you only want the free street views and already know the history, walking alone is enough and costs nothing.
Sources: Tulane on the access rule
How the Night Runs
Departure times below are the ones the listing states. The order of stops is not published, so the middle of the ride is described by theme.
-
20 minutes before departure
Arrive at 740 N Rampart St
Check in 20 minutes before your departure at the French Quarter meeting point. Wear comfortable shoes and dress for the weather.
-
7:00 PM or 9:30 PM
Board and depart
Your licensed guide welcomes you aboard the air-conditioned bus and sets out the night's themes of murder, betrayal and urban legends.
-
First stretch
Out into the dark city
The bus leaves the Quarter for haunted locations across the city. The listing publishes no stop list, so treat the route as a guided survey rather than a checklist.
-
Middle of the ride
The port of missing men
The ride crosses one of America's most notorious streets, once called the port of missing men, with the stories of those who vanished told as legend.
-
Middle of the ride
The cities of the dead
The bus reaches the above-ground cemeteries and the guide explains why New Orleans buries its dead in tombs. The tour does not state that it enters any cemetery.
-
Last stretch
Photo stops in the darkness
The listing invites you to photograph the night as you go. Some walking is involved at stops, so expect short stretches on foot.
-
End of the 2 hours
Return to the meeting point
Drop-off is at the same French Quarter meeting point. Food, drinks and gratuities are your own arrangements.
Pros and Cons
An honest read of what this listing does well and where it asks you to take things on trust.
What we genuinely like
- Air-conditioned bus, so a seat in rain
- Licensed guide, as the city requires of tour guides
- Two departures nightly at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM give scheduling flexibility
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead and reserve now, pay later
- Runs in rain or shine, so no weather cancellations
The honest downsides
- No stop list is published, so you cannot plan around specific places
- The Includes list conflicts with Know before you go on food and drink, so treat both as extras
- No group size, wheelchair access or age rule is stated, so you book without those answers
- Arrive 20 minutes early at a fixed meeting point, with no hotel pickup
- No entry to any cemetery or building is claimed
Who it's NOT for: Not for travellers who need a published route, a language other than English or guaranteed cemetery entry.
Questions About This Tour
How much does the Haunted History Tours night bus cost?
The ticket is $45 per person for the 2 hour ride, booked through GetYourGuide, and free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure. Compare it with the rest of the field in this comparison of New Orleans ghost tours.
Where and when does the tour start?
It departs from 740 N Rampart St at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM nightly, and you should arrive 20 minutes before departure. The availability section links to live times for your date.
Does this tour go inside St. Louis Cemetery No. 1?
No entry to any cemetery is stated on the listing, and St. Louis No. 1 has been closed to unaccompanied visitors since 1 March 2015. The only way inside is the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 official walking tour, which starts at about $25.
Is food or drink included?
No. The Know before you go section states that food, drinks and gratuities are not included, even though the summary Includes list shows them, so budget for your own. If you want drinks on board, the Cemetery and Ghost BYOB Bus Tour at $30 invites you to bring your own.
Is the tour suitable for children?
No minimum age is stated, so children can book, but the 9:30 PM run is a late night and some walking is involved. Families may prefer the earlier starts or a shorter option such as the Dark Side of New Orleans family friendly ghost tour.
What happens if it rains?
The tour runs in rain or shine, and the operator asks you to dress for the weather. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead is the way out if the forecast looks bad.
How old is the company behind it?
Haunted History Tours has operated since the mid-1990s. See how its listing compares on ghost tours New Orleans.
What Travelers Said
I loved a different approach to ghost stories as our guide Shannon used spirit instead of ghosts. The visit to the cemetery and the explanation was great. Highly recommend!
Christian was a passionate and energetic tour guide!
Drew was a fantastic tour guide!! Extremely entertaining and engaging, he combines his theater background and deep historical knowledge of the city to provide an incredible experience!!
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure