14 New Orleans Boat Tours Worth Booking

1.New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise with Dinner Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 7,533 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $58Our pick

Board at Toulouse Street in the French Quarter for a three-hour evening aboard the Steamboat Natchez, or its sister vessel, the City of New Orleans. Enjoy calliope music, narration, Mississippi views, and live jazz by the Dukes of Dixieland. Add a buffet of gumbo, fried chicken, crawfish étouffée, and bread pudding.

“Very romantic boat ride and meal. Food was a full buffet and tasted great! Waistress was attentive and welcoming. The views of the city and bridge were spectacular and magical. Easy access via streetcar as well”

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2.New Orleans Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour with Transportation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5,399 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $70Top rated

Ride from the French Quarter to Honey Island Swamp, then cruise narrow waterways on a quiet 22-passenger boat. Guides such as Steve, Marc, Jody, and Scottie point out alligators, raccoons, birds, wild boar, and swamp plants while explaining Cajun life and wetland preservation.

“Well run, no complaints. My son loved it and the price is worth it. Not as many animals in January but also not hot, so it’s a trade off.”

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3.New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Jazz Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 5,334 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $43

Board the Steamboat Natchez at 400 Toulouse Street in the French Quarter for a two-hour Mississippi River cruise. Enjoy live jazz by the Steamboat Stompers, commentary from the captain and crew, views of the port and Chalmette Battlefield, and an optional Southern-style buffet lunch.

“The boat was nice, unfortunately was pretty cold so everyone packed inside. The band was mediocre at best. There was a narrator that provided some interesting insights about the surrounding area and history.”

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4.Evening Steamboat Jazz Cruise + Optional Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4,548 reviews · 2 hours · from $58

Board the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS at 6pm for a 7pm to 9pm Mississippi River cruise. Hear live jazz by the Grammy-nominated Dukes of Dixieland, listen to captain’s narration, explore four decks, and add a Creole dinner buffet if you want a full evening out.

“We had a lovely dinner. The service great and the experience was terrific.”

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5.Daytime Steamboat Jazz Cruise + Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4,164 reviews · 2 hours · from $43

Spend two hours aboard the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS, the current stand-in for the Steamboat NATCHEZ. Hear live jazz from the Steamboat Stompers, listen to the captain’s narration, explore four decks and the engine room, and add a plated Creole lunch if you want catfish, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and bread pudding.

“We totally enjoyed Kendall, who was our driver and tour guide. He was knowledgeable and well versed in New Orleans History, especially the cemetery tour. It was so pleasant to see a tour guide who really cared about New Orleans and it's history. We learned a lot, especially that Kendall is a great asset to your company. He was personable, caring and very kind hearted. It was such a great tour, we wished it could go on longer. Kendall was not only our tour guide, but he took us back to our hotel and saved us the cost of a taxi. Kudo's to Kendall!”

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6.Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,303 reviews · 7 hours 45 minutes (approx.) · from $131

Ride from the French Quarter to Oak Alley or Destrehan Plantation, then take a covered pontoon boat through Manchac Swamp. Local guides such as Dionne, Robert, Jane, Tom, Justin, and Dustin have led portions of this trip, which combines plantation history, wetlands, and wildlife in about 7 hours and 45 minutes.

“Very Interesting and Time well spent. For those interested in antebellum history, this plantation is great. Swamp tour was very entertaining, saw gators, boar, eagles, raccoons. Tour was a good two hours and well narrated on the swamp.”

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7.Transport Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,824 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $37

Drive to Slidell for a two-hour Honey Island Swamp cruise in a quiet, open-air boat holding up to 22 people. Guides such as Jody, Emmett, Dustin, and Wade G. share stories about wildlife, Cajun life, and wetland preservation while you look for alligators, raccoons, birds, turtles, and wild boar.

“The tour was worthwhile, efficiently organized, and fun. Guide Jody was very entertaining and quite knowledgeable and safety conscious as he shared his learning, experience, and views on ecology and nature’s wonders. He was very considerate of my 2 grandsons as he included them in his teachings and he made the trip enjoyable for them as well as for all three of us adults. The boat trip was an adventure as we saw numerous alligators, birds, and several raccoons and heard about the swamp and marshland’s variety of life. The young lady at the beginning of the trip was polite and an excellent speaker who made it easy for all…”

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8.New Orleans Manchac Bayou Swamp Cruise W/ Optional Pick-Up

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,587 reviews · 1h 30m · from $35Best value

Ride a pontoon boat through Manchac Bayou for 90 minutes with an English-speaking captain. Expect cypress trees, birds, raccoons, wild hogs, turtles, and possible alligators, plus stories about Frenier and Louisiana’s wetlands. Captains such as Danny, Dustin, and Tom are often praised for their humor.

“Our swamp tour was fantastic. Our guide was thorough, knowledgeable, and really fun!”

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9.Creole Queen History Cruise with Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 1,112 reviews · 2h 30m · from $47

Cruise the Mississippi aboard the Creole Queen with local narration from guides such as Charles or Dr. Lauren, then visit Chalmette Battlefield with a National Park Ranger. Choose the buffet for shrimp pasta, jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish bread, and other New Orleans favorites.

“My activity was excellent. The history cruise was a great teaching experience. I felt like I was transported to another time. The guide was very knowledgeable and had a great storytelling voice.”

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10.Evening Jazz Boat Cruise with Optional Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,024 reviews · 2 hours · from $60

Spend two hours aboard the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen with live jazz from Sullivan Dabney Jr. and the Muzik Jazz Band. Add the Creole buffet for gumbo, jambalaya, seafood pasta, and bread pudding, then step onto the deck for river views, cocktails, and city lights.

“This was a great experience and definitely will do again. So relaxing, good food, great music and the cruise time was great.”

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11.Guided Swamp Cruise by Tour Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 570 reviews · 100 minutes - 4 hours · from $35

Ride from New Orleans to the Barataria Swamps, then cruise beneath moss-draped trees with captains such as Ernie, Dewey, or Bebop. Expect Cajun history, swamp ecology, birds, raccoons, and alligators. A roof, cushioned seats, restroom, and adjustable windows make this a comfortable family outing.

“Our guide had a pet small alligator it was so cute he let us hold it. he fed the big alligator mush mellows and chicken. they’re were over at least 6 alligator we saw. We visited where princess and the frog was filmed at on the exact boat that was my favorite part. He was an excellent guide 7/10 experience we left on time i just wish we saw more alligators and other animals everything else was cool. i’ll try it again definitely round hunting time. I would recommended this i went and they wasn’t a lot of black people (our color) so just fyi that it’s rarely you’ll see…”

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12.Sunday Steamboat Jazz Cruise + Optional Brunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 470 reviews · 2 hours · from $43

Spend two hours on the Mississippi aboard the Riverboat CITY of NEW ORLEANS, with live jazz from the Steamboat Stompers, captain’s narration, indoor and outdoor decks, and views of New Orleans. Add the optional Creole brunch for gumbo, shrimp and grits, king cake, and more.

“We enjoyed the brunch, the staff was exceptional and we loved learning so much history”

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13.Swamp Boat Ride & Oak Alley Plantation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 383 reviews · 7h 30m · from $131

Spend about seven and a half hours visiting Oak Alley Plantation and cruising privately owned Manchac Swamp. Your English-speaking guide handles the road commentary, while a local captain leads the covered pontoon ride. Expect oak trees, plantation exhibits, Cajun stories, and possible alligator sightings.

“This was one of the best tours I have been on. Robi, our tour guide was full of historical knowledge and a character. Our bus driver, Robert was a great driver and lovely man. Highly recommend,”

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14.Swamp Tour on Covered Pontoon Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 283 reviews · 90 minutes - 3 hours · from $35

Ride through 20,000 acres of cypress swamp with a Coast Guard certified captain and local guide. The covered pontoon is quiet, family-friendly, wheelchair accessible, and better for conversation than loud airboats. Guides such as Adam, Larry, and Monkey add local stories and wildlife tips.

“Was shorter than we thought but great way to see the swamp. It was hard to hear the guide with all the loud powerboats but our guide was great. Very knowledgeable”

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