Tour New Orleans by Bicycle for a Different Take on the City

New Orleans is based upon tourism.  When you visit the Big Easy, after settling into your French Quarter hotel, you will be bombarded with hundreds of different tour options.

There are many ways to see New Orleans, the Big Easy. You can walk, you can rent a car or a scooter, or be driven in a horse run carriage.  Although most of these can be a great time and you will most likely enjoy yourself, if you want an intimate look into what makes New Orleans special, you should take a bicycle tour of New Orleans.

New Orleans Bike Tours

Bicycle Tours Start in New Orleans

In the last 10 years, the influx of tourists and the push to be health conscious, New Orleans has spurred bicycle tours. Since New Orleans started the trend, the popular way to see a city has grown to many other metropolitan areas across the country. 

What could be a better way to experience a 300 year old city, particularly when the weather is cooperative, what not try something different and go on a guided bicycle tour? You are out in the fresh air, they make frequent stops so you can get drinks, socialize and catch your breath, and you certainly see things on a bicycle that you won’t observe from a car.

Popular New Orleans Bicycle Tours

There are many areas of interest in New Orleans but a few of the most popular include:

The Fabulous French Quarter and the Garden District

First, the French Quarter is fabulous to ride around in the daytime. There are not nearly as many tourists, prices are much better in the day for dining, and instead of being blinded by bright lights (not to mention alcohol-fueled revelers,) the sights of these historic buildings and the famous houses in the Garden District are not to be missed.

In addition, you get to see many of the sites of the Mardi Gras Parade without all of the madness.

A typical tour will run around 4 hours, and that’s perfect for getting to know the city. And participants on the tours tend to bond together long after the tour is over.

Traditional Jazz City Tour

Hitting places such as City Park, Louis Armstrong Park, Congo Square, St. Louis Cemetary #3 The Tremme Neighborhood and the Avenue of the Creoles, this is a tour of old N’Awlins for people who want to get away from the noise and the crowds of Bourbon Street. This is a perfect, leisurely tour.

Ghost Tours

Another tour, and one that may surprise tourists, is the Crescent City Ghost Town bicycle tours. See the sinister side of Old Crescent City, where voodoo and murder mixed. Not for the squeamish, but delightful never the less.

Small Group Tours

Love to bicycle and dig the idea of a tour, but you are not so comfortable with going with a big riding group? Not to worry, there are small group bicycle tours throughout the city, that cover the same ground as the larger group, but here 8-people is the norm, making it seem more attractive, particularly if you have children or adults who like to pedal slower.

Historic New Orleans Tours

The trouble with walking is that you can spend hours getting from one historic site or building to another. Historic bike tours take you to the shortest path between two points, and get you into the historic sites and sound fast. And small group tours are frequently available

The best thing about these bike tours is that they have been, and continue to be popular for years. The vendors provide good, comfortable bikes, helmets, water, and tend to be very outgoing and entertaining. They know from experience how to run a quality tour when to start when to stop for rest, snacks or drinks.

Bicycle tours tend to be a very class act and are quite reasonably priced, enabling you to see the City from a perspective you might otherwise miss.  Do yourself a favor and book a bike tour the next time you’re in New Orleans.