Lafayette Cemetery No.1
Lafayette Cemetery No.1
4.5
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 2:30 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
About
The burial site for many of the people who lived in the mansions of the surrounding Garden District.
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Garden District
Head to the Garden District for the full-on New Orleans experience replete with quaintly clanking streetcars, proudly grandiose antebellum mansions, picture perfect avenues lined with live oaks loaded down with Spanish moss, and a wealth of beautiful churches and many more architectural marvels. Even a brief excursion here makes plain why it’s called the Garden District. So, when you visit be sure to give yourself ample time for admiration at a languidly slow pace befitting such gentile strand of riverside living and to allow you to maximize each opportunity to stop and smell the roses – and whichever other blooms you might come across. While taking it all in, you’d do well to dine at one of the city’s most beloved destinations for regional cuisine. Gourmands from far and wide (and right round the corner) swear the age-old Commander’s Palace is the best restaurant in town – and have been doing so since it opened back in 1880.
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4.5
2,854 reviews
Excellent
1,482
Very good
1,012
Average
304
Poor
37
Terrible
19
Cliff L.
Eastvale, CA45 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
This is our first time to NO and of course we wanted to visit the cemetery. We got a ride down just to learn it’s closed for remodeling. Apparently if you have a tour guide you can go in but outside of that, you can only look through the four entrance gates. It looks amazing and I wish I got to experience it.
Written 7 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roberts69
Northampton, UK18,987 contributions
Feb 2023
Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is a historic cemetery in the Garden District neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was founded in 1833 and still in use today and was included in the National Register of Historic Places on February 1, 1972, for its architectural and social-historical importance. Unfortunately the cemetery has very limited opening hours and so when I visited I could not walk around the cemetery but that said it was still an interesting place to see even just from the gates!!
Written 13 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tara Austad
Battle Creek, MI42 contributions
Feb 2020
Though it's very touristy, there is a reason. There is a lot of history to be learned from this cemetery, and not just Marie LaVeau. We had an amazing guide name Mikko, and he was very passionate and knowledgeable about NOLA history - I learned a lot more than I thought I knew coming into the tour! Beautiful old tombs - a must visit for anyone!
Written 11 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
drwatson32
Shawnee, OK1,517 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Our tour guide, Will, did a good job explaining the history and facts about New Orleans burials. Very interesting! The admission price is a little high at $25 for adults, in my opinion, but I enjoyed the guides commentary. Check out Marie Laveau's tomb and the tomb Nicholas Cage has purchased as well.
Written 15 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tanya T.
Illinois1,658 contributions
Aug 2019
We took a stroll through the Garden District and stumbled upon this cemetery. Parts of the headstones are newer, the I was most impressed with the architectural detail and worn appeal of the older ones. We did not have a guide and entrance is free. You can pretty much walk up and down the pathways at your own pace, pause when need. I am not sure if anyone famous is buried here, but ohhhh the stories that could be told.
Written 20 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hunter H
Olney, IL253 contributions
Dec 2019
We could look through the fencing, but it was closed for maintenance when we came by the cemetery. We parked a few blocks away and walked around the garden district. You could look into the cemetery, so check before you go. It's free to get in.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AimIrv
Edwardsville, Illinois644 contributions
May 2020
When we were there, there were no tours due to Covid. Unfortunately, we were not able to hear the history of the cemetery. However, it was still interesting just looking at the mosoleums from so long ago. I would love to go back and visit again when more tours are open.
Written 12 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rsr6
Bel Air, MD43 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
We decided to try our own walking tour of this NO historic cemetery. Located in the Garden District, it wasn’t within walking distance of our hotel near the French Quarter, but it was just a short and inexpensive Uber ride away. It’s one of the oldest cemeteries in New Orleans and is still active. This cemetery is the most filmed one in New Orleans. Admission is free, since it is a public rather than a privately owned cemetery. The St Luis Cemetery #1, in contrast, is owned by the Diocese of New Orleans, which restricts/controls all activity in the cemetery, and charges admission to walk through it. I downloaded and printed text and pictures for a self-guided tour of the Lafayette cemetery from freetoursbyfoot.com, searching for Lafayette Cemetery #1 in New Orleans on Google. Worked out great; took us about 45 minutes to leisurely follow the guide throughout the cemetery. The pictures that I printed from the website with the text were most helpful in finding the tombs of interest. No entrance fee, but hawkers at the Washington St entrance can be a bit aggressive selling their wares. After touring the cemetery we walked 3 blocks to Magazine Street, then a block west to CC’s Gourmet Coffee House for some delicious scones and specialty coffee. We Uber’d back to our hotel from there. We also toured the St Luis Cemetery #1 the next day as part of a carriage ride in the French Quarter. The guided tour of the St Luis Cemetery by our carriage driver complemented our Lafayette Cemetery self-guided walking tour very well. If historic cemeteries interest you, do the self-guided walking tour of the Lafayette and get a guided tour (~30 min) of St Luis as part of a carriage ride package. They are both unique and different; really almost no overlap in information. You’ll really enjoy both.
Written 3 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DeanMurphy2020
Orlando, FL7,755 contributions
May 2013 • Solo
Several companies charge fees to detail the history and guide you to renowned graves. Save money with a self-guided tour. Take the St. Charles Streetcar (in Central Business District off Canal Street, which separates CBD from French Quarter and where St. Charles Avenue becomes Royal Street). A daylong streetcar pass is only $3 and is good on any of the four lines. At Sixth Street or Washington Avenue, walk 1½ blocks toward the river.
In the Garden District what TripAdvisor identifies as Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 at 1427 Sixth Street is actually in the 1400 block of Washington Avenue, which parallels Sixth Street, a block away. Both are the same cemetery, and the grounds poorly maintained, regardless of which entrance. Though headstones date to the late 1700s, many marble markers covered in an algae patina indicate burials in the 1990s, and even one in 2008. Stone tombs allow for aboveground burials and prevent caskets from floating during flooding, as much of New Orleans is at sea level. As flooding from Hurricane Katrina reminds, some parts below sea level.
Signs along the Canal Streetcar Line indicate “Cemeteries.” I passed these on the way to the airport; they have statuary that rival Savannah’s famed Bonaventure Cemetery, which I reviewed on April 6, 2013 for TripAdvisor as “Rest in…a piece of history”. On my next N’Awlins visit, these cemeteries will top my bucket list.
In the Garden District what TripAdvisor identifies as Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 at 1427 Sixth Street is actually in the 1400 block of Washington Avenue, which parallels Sixth Street, a block away. Both are the same cemetery, and the grounds poorly maintained, regardless of which entrance. Though headstones date to the late 1700s, many marble markers covered in an algae patina indicate burials in the 1990s, and even one in 2008. Stone tombs allow for aboveground burials and prevent caskets from floating during flooding, as much of New Orleans is at sea level. As flooding from Hurricane Katrina reminds, some parts below sea level.
Signs along the Canal Streetcar Line indicate “Cemeteries.” I passed these on the way to the airport; they have statuary that rival Savannah’s famed Bonaventure Cemetery, which I reviewed on April 6, 2013 for TripAdvisor as “Rest in…a piece of history”. On my next N’Awlins visit, these cemeteries will top my bucket list.
Written 2 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wanderlust s
San Francisco, CA150 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
While there may be history to be learned & a tourist stop to be checked off the list, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is not a place we would care to revisit
Not even inside the walls for 90 sec, when we're accosted for a handout by an unsavory-looking fellow......even large tour groups did not deter these vultures
Thinking it would be safe to make our visit since it was late morning & knowing a lot of tour groups would be around & about, we made the cemetery the 1st stop in our self-planned day in the Garden District
After being dropped off by the taxi, we entered the cemetery & made our way to a smallish corner to pull out area maps & gage where we were & what route we wanted to take from there
This is when we were approached - perfect timing as we're holding large electronics & there was no one else around. Needless to say we gave over some money as opposed to risking a potential full-on mugging
I'd read that there was a large theft threat here at the cemetery but we thought we'd be safe, given the time of day & large number of people visiting.......but no such luck. Though not officially a thief, we definitely did not feel safe staying 1 moment longer in there
So in the 10 feet of ground we saw & the experience we encountered, have to say the thought of another visit invokes, Methinks Not!
Not even inside the walls for 90 sec, when we're accosted for a handout by an unsavory-looking fellow......even large tour groups did not deter these vultures
Thinking it would be safe to make our visit since it was late morning & knowing a lot of tour groups would be around & about, we made the cemetery the 1st stop in our self-planned day in the Garden District
After being dropped off by the taxi, we entered the cemetery & made our way to a smallish corner to pull out area maps & gage where we were & what route we wanted to take from there
This is when we were approached - perfect timing as we're holding large electronics & there was no one else around. Needless to say we gave over some money as opposed to risking a potential full-on mugging
I'd read that there was a large theft threat here at the cemetery but we thought we'd be safe, given the time of day & large number of people visiting.......but no such luck. Though not officially a thief, we definitely did not feel safe staying 1 moment longer in there
So in the 10 feet of ground we saw & the experience we encountered, have to say the thought of another visit invokes, Methinks Not!
Written 20 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi can you tell me if the Lafayette 1 cemetery is open to the public please. We are hoping to go next year. Thank you
Written 30 November 2023
Alexis
Are people able to enter the cemetery without a tour guide?
Written 8 March 2020
The cemetery is completely closed to the public at this time.
Written 15 March 2020
Is Lafayette Cemetery #1 currently closed for repairs? "Tours by Foot" website say it's closed.Visiting New Orleans mid March and it's one of the historic places I want to visit.
Written 21 February 2020
Lafayette No. 1 is currently closed due to repair. Sorry.
Written 1 March 2020
I will be in Nola Feb 2-5 is this cemetery actually open? I’m confused I see tours offered but then I also see some tours that say closed to the general public? I don’t want to pay for a tour only to stand outside of the gates I’d like to actually go inside with a guide if possible. Thx
Written 25 January 2020
When I visited in May 2019 Lafayette Cemetery was open, free, and self guided. However St Louis Cemetery could only be entered with a guide. People confuse the two. Lafayette Cemetery, Anne Rice's Lestat's haunt is in the Garden District while St Louis famous for Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen's tomb is near Basin Street. There is a good visitor center on Basin Street near the cemetery. They can tell you the details but will probably suggest the $25 tour. Go online and shop around for tours. You can find some for about $10 but they don't begin and end in the cemetery. A little walking is necessary but the guides give a lot of info as you walk. Enjoy! Both cemeteries have the above ground tombs as well as the wall vaults. You can't go wrong with either one.
Written 26 January 2020
Has the cemetery re-opened after it was closed for repairs? Can you still visit on your own if it has opened back up? Planning for a trip in March. Thanks!
Written 4 January 2020
Cemetery is closed for repairs at this time.
Written 2 March 2020
My husband and I have a planned trip to New Orleans for the first time in November. I would love to visit this cemetery as I'm a huge "The Originals" fan. We prefer to tour things ourselves, without guides, but I was wondering if this is safe? I've read safety tips that recommend not visiting cemeteries unless on a tour due to pickpockets/people hiding behind graves. Thanks!
Written 10 July 2019
We went during the day- fairly busy. Never felt threatened. Just like in any strange city- be aware of your surroundings There were several guided tour groups going in and out. We actually walked the entire way from our hotel.
Written 13 July 2019
Pets are not permitted in the cemetery unless they are service animals. They don't want pets using the cemetery as a restroom
Written 18 March 2019
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