How much are the carriage tours?
We offer six different carriages tours of the city, which can be viewed in detail on our website. The most popular 1-hour tours are priced at just $36 per person on our group carriages, which seat no more than 8 people. We also have shorter tours priced at just $18 per person. Advanced tickets can be purchased on our website.
Do you have carriages for just two?
Yes. We have small private carriages that hold no more than four passengers. The carriage is priced at $90 for the Classic` Carre Carriage Tour of the French Quarter, which would break down to just $45 per person for 2 passengers OR $22.50 per person for 4 passengers. This ½ hour carriage tour is perfect for your introduction to the elaborate history, the architectural landmarks, and features some of the oldest bars and restaurants in America. Each licensed tour guide customized the tour to suit your interests. We also have 1-hour private carriages tours available. Advanced tickets can be purchased on our website.
Which tour should I take?
The most popular tour is the 1-hour History & Haunts Carriage Tour. On this 1-hour carriage tour, our licensed tour guide will bring you to sites of documented hauntings, which have been documented in police records, city archives, and various paranormal investigations through the years. Customers have actually captured ghost-like activity in photographs, so we encourage our guests to bring their cameras along for the ride. This tour is offered nightly.
Another best-selling tour is our 1-hour Dixie Bohemia Carriage Tour of the Faubourg Marigny, which was a former plantation. Today, the Marigny is home to the local music district known as Frenchmen Street, where the authentic jazz clubs can be found far away from Bourbon Street. This neighborhood is also filled with tiny shotgun homes and brightly colored Creole cottages, as well as the grand Creole mansions and townhomes of Esplanade Avenue. This tour is only available via carriage, priced at just $36 per person on our group carriages, and we also have private carriages available if you are interested.
Do you do cemetery tours?
YES! Royal Carriages is the ONLY carriage company licensed by the Archdiocese to enter the cemetery gates of St. Louis #1, where Marie Laveau the Voodoo Queen was laid to rest. This is the oldest above ground cemetery in North America, and it is also where the actor Nicolas Cage chose to build a pyramid tomb for himself. The 1-hour carriage tour of the cemetery also includes a tour of the French Quarter. Our licensed guide will tell you the stories of our elaborate history while bringing you past some of the oldest bars and restaurants in America. The Hallowed Graves St. Louis Cemetery Carriage Tour is priced at just $36 per person on our group carriages, and we also have private carriages available if you are interested.
That’s expensive! I’m not sure…
Walking tours offered by other companies are priced at $25 per person will have no less than 27 people in each group. These large groups can only hit a limited amount of locations within 2-hours. In 1-hour, our carriage tour covers more ground, and there are no more than 8 passengers on each of our group carriages. At just $36 per person, carriages tours are not only a better value but also a better experience. We also have private carriages are also available if you are interested.
Are the carriage drivers licensed tour guides?
YES! To become a carriage driver, you must first have a tour guide license, issued by the city of New Orleans, before you apply to obtain your carriage driver license. All Royal Carriage have current tour guide licenses, as well as licenses provided to us by the Archdiocese to enter St. Louis Cemetery #1. Often time, guest will say that they learned more on a 1/2 carriage tour than they did on a 3-hour bus tour. Carriage drivers are able to customize their tour route to suit your personal requests.
Is there a set route? Is there a script?
NO! The city does not restrict where the carriages are allowed to go, but the city does restrict the route of the tour bus companies. Our carriages have the ability to travel throughout all areas of the city. We offer six different carriages tours throughout the city. Also, there is no script! Each driver has prepared their own research, choosing the stories they feel best represent New Orleans. We encourage our guide to continue their education, and we provided historical reference guides for their use. Each tour is completely different from the next! Returning guests always learn new information!
Why mules?
Royal Carriages began to use mules in 1975. In 1982, it became a city ordinance for all carriage companies to use mules for carriage tours. This decision was made mostly because of the humid heat in the summertime. Being half dessert animal (donkey), mules tolerate the heat far better than horses. Just because they tolerate the heat better doesn't mean that they work in the extreme heat. When the temperature hits just 95 degrees, all carriage tours are suspended until the temperature cools. During this time, all carriage mules are relocated to the stable. Carriage mules work no more than 7 hours per day, 5 days per week, and no more than 9 full months out of each year. Each Royal Carriage mule receives 3-6 months vacation on 100 acres of farmland just north of Lake Pontchartrain.