Over the past few months virtual travel was the only way for us to experience the great cities & museums of the world. The digital age has made it possible to visit some of the most famous museums around the world from the comfort of your own home. Now with international travel starting to open up again, you can use the below tours to plan your next adventure.
THE LOUVRE
The Louvre is one of Paris’s most iconic historic monuments and one of the biggest museums in the world. The museum offers free online tours of some of its most important and popular exhibits, such as works from Michelangelo & its Egyptian Antiquities. The 360-degree tour of the museum allows you to tour their collection of rare artefacts to get information on their histories.
THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
Turns out you don’t have to visit the Guggenheim to get an up-close and personal with some of the priceless pieces of artwork inside. The museum makes some of its collections and exhibits available online for travellers who want to experience what the museum has to offer, including works from Pablo Picasso, Franz Marc, Piet Mondrian and Jeff Koons.
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
Since the National Gallery of Art was founded in 1937 it has been open free of charge to the public. If you can’t get to Washington, D.C, the gallery also provides virtual tours of its exhibits and gallery. The museum’s current exhibitions as well as audio and video recordings of past lectures are online to view & listen to.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
London’s British Museum has a collection that totals more than 8 million objects. The museum has made some of its pieces viewable online. The museum also teamed up with the Google Cultural Institute to offer virtual tours using Google Street View technology.
SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Washington, D.C.’s National Museum of Natural History, one of the most-visited museums in the world, offers a peek at its wonderful treasures with an online virtual tour of the entire museum. The museum has room-by-room, 360-degree walking tours of all its exceptional exhibits available online. View the Hall of Mammals, Dinosaurs and Hall of Paleobiology and Insect Zoo from the comfort of your own home.
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
The Met is home to over 2 million works of fine art, many of which can be viewed online. The museum’s website features an online collection and virtual tours of some of its most impressive pieces, including works from Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, and Giotto di Bondone.
NASA
NASA offers virtual tours of Ohio’s Glenn Research Centre as well as the Langley Research Centre in Virginia. The Space Centre Houston also has an app that provides augmented reality experiences, virtual tours as well as videos and audio stories about space exploration.
THE VATICAN MUSEUMS
The Vatican Museums feature an extensive archive of important art and classical sculptures curated by Popes over many centuries. You can take a virtual tour of the museum grounds and iconic exhibits, including Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.
THE GOOGLE ART PROJECT
Google partnered with more than 1000 cultural institutions from across the world to document important pieces of art and to provide virtual tours of museums using Google Street View technology. The Google Art Project features fine art from the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, the White House and even street art from Brazil.
RIJKSMUSEUM
Over in the Netherlands, the Rijksmuseum is an oasis of classical Dutch art, Asian artefacts and 17th-century silver and porcelain. The Street View-style tour is fine, but better to stick to the brilliant online exhibitions, like the interactive guide to the master of throwing shade, Rembrandt.
