I should be in Bruges right now. I don’t mean that in the metaphorical “I wish I were sipping mai tais on a beach in Jamaica” way, although that is also true. I was actually scheduled to be in Belgium this week and I should be eating waffles, cruising along the river, eating waffles, walking around Medieval buildings and also eating waffles right now. (Seriously you guys, those waffles.) But, I am not. Like most of you, Covid-19 means I am at home for the foreseeable future. Suddenly, “traveling” means going from my living room to my kitchen… maybe to my balcony when things get really exciting. And that is exactly how it should be. Now is not the time to jump on a plane, stay in a hotel or tour a crowded museum with throngs on other folks. But, we are all in this together, and together we will come out the other side happy and healthy. Very soon we will all be back out there, exploring the world and eating waffles. Until then, the World Wide Web has loads of resources that allow us to explore new places, see new sites and satisfy our travel cravings from the safety and comfort of our own couches.
Whether you are in isolation, or if you just don’t have the time, budget or energy to travel right now, these websites offer amazing virtual tours to keep you entertained.
Explore the Art World with Google Art and Culture
Let’s start with the big boy of virtual tours. Google Arts and Culture allows you to explore 2,500 museums, galleries and cultural spaces around the world, without waiting in line or buying a ticket. With that many options, you could spend your entire quarantine or stay-cation clicking through exhibits, but there are a few must-see museums that you should navigate your way through first.
This museum is close to both my heart and my home, so I was delighted to see that I could explore the collections online until I can make that 2k walk to the real thing again. In addition to checking out the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism collections, be sure to click through the story showcasing how the deserted train station was transformed into a world-class museum.
If you are more into wearing art than hanging it on the wall, pop over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s virtual tours. Though the online collection does include an impressive amount of paintings and engravings, it’s the fashion-based stories that are really wow-worthy. I spent an obscene amount of time getting lost in the Christian Dior Ball Gowns and Coco Chanel Romanticism virtual exhibits.
Last year, my husband surprised me with a trip to Venice for a milestone birthday. The iconic canals and Doge’s Palace were highlights of that amazing weekend, but the crowds were not. This virtual tour gives you the best of Venice, without the overcrowding. The tour starts with a “street” view of the canals, and then you just scroll down to peek into the palace and read up on the major works of art inside.
Virtually Visit the Louvre
Though Google Arts and Culture hosts online tours of many of the world’s most famous museum, the Louvre is not one of them. But, never fear! There are a few ways to check out the Louvre’s collections and exhibits online.
Visit Selected Works on the Louvre’s website
Many of the museums most famous pieces can be viewed up-close with just a few clicks through online galleries arranged around various themes, including landscapes, jewelery and portraiture. I recommend the Masterpieces collection, which features my favourite piece, The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Best of all, each piece of art is accompanied by an in-depth explanation in English.
Visit the temporary exhibit in the Petite Gallery
Another option for your virtual visit to the Louvre is to explore the Petite Gallery. This space features a short-term exhibit which tends to rotate a few times a year. Currently, the Petite Gallery houses an exhibition titled “The Advent of the Artist” which showcases the links between Renaissance art and literature. This is a true virtual tour, which means you can click through 360-degree photos of the exhibit and see everything in place, just as if you were there.
Get “outside” with Google Street Art Tours
After being inside for days on end or wandering around museums, it might be nice to take your love of art “outside”, so pop over to Google’s Street Art Project. With both audio tours and online galleries, this is an excellent way to learn a bit about urban art around the world. While having my tea and yogurt this morning, I watched the audio tour of The Talking Walls of Buenos Aires and clicked through the gallery of street art in Austin, TX.
Tour the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
While I love art museums, my husband’s favourite museum ever is the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. I can not even tell you how much time we spent in this space during our Washington D.C. trip. I was so delighted to see an impossibly well-done tour on their website. Not only can you virtually walk through the Permanent and Current exhibits, but you can also time travel back to Past exhibitions.
Visit the Vatican
Italy might be on complete lockdown, but you can still visit the Pope’s house online. The Vatican Museum website features virtual tours of many of the museums and archaeologically areas. The best of the best is the Sistine Chapel, which consists of videos, a 360 tour and detail photos with in-depth descriptions of the artwork. Also not to be missed is the area devoted to the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis.
Take a Hike Through National Parks
Nature is good for the soul, but right now, we might need to embrace a merger of the great outdoors and technology. Happily, there are loads of ways to visit America’s National Parks virtually.
The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks
Stop number one for online park visits comes courtesy of our old friends, Google Arts and Culture. Their feature, The Hidden Worlds of National Parks is hands down highest quality, most engaging virtual park visit on the web. Not only are the videos and visuals top notch, the commentary from park rangers provides authority. After an overarching video, there are five parks to explore. All are excellent, but the Hawai’i Volcano National Park, which contains a walk through a lave tube and a fly over of an active volcano is my personal favourite.
National Parks of the United States via Google Earth
The powerhouses over at Google have yet another way to help us explore the National Park System. This Google Earth roundup features 31 easy-to-navigate tours, each with stunning images, photo spheres and descriptions. Each is enjoyable, but Glacier National Park is my top pick.
This incredibly in-depth tour of California’s Yosemite National Park is the brainchild of VR photographer Scott Highton. Use the map feature to click around the huge park and explore dozens of point of interest. While the spectacularly realistic photos and vast amount of information are what will capture your attention right away, it’s the sound effect…. rushing water, creaking trees, bird chirps, insects and even the sounds of visitors… that will make you feel like you are there.
Visit Buckingham Palace (and other British Palaces)
Interested in peeking into the Queen’s house? Buckingham Palace provides a virtual tour of the Throne Room, a few drawing rooms and the Grand Staircase. Sadly, there’s no glimpse of Elizabeth having tea in her curlers and slippers. But, this virtual visit is well worth the time, because, as I mentioned in another blog post, it is fairly difficult to get tickets to see the real thing.
When you finish up with Buckingham Palace, pop over for an online tour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Queen’s official residence in Scotland is full of some pretty impressive tapestries and is making my Paris apartment feel teeny.
Take Virtual Tours of Ireland
After living in Ireland for almost three years, the Emerald Isle will always be a little bit home to me. So, there was no way I could put together a round-up of virtual tours without including some Irish stops.
Happily, you can easily explore dozens of sites around both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland thanks to Virtual Visit Tours. With online 360-degree tours of a vast number of castles, historical sites and churches, this site is almost a one-stop-shop for virtual tours of Ireland.
As I mentioned in my blog post on visiting Blarney Castle, you should plan to spend several hours visiting the real thing. However, the Virtual Visit Tours version, allows you to see both Blarney Castle and the grounds in just a few minutes.
Have a Pint at the Guinness Storehouse (and other virtual imbibing opportunities)
The Guinness Storehouse is Ireland’s top tourist attraction with 1.7 million annual visits. I’m personally responsible for three of those visits, and I can honestly tell you that I prefer YouTuber daracoyne’s video tour. In just over 11 minutes, you can experience the whole thing. I’ve stood in line for a pint in the bar on the top level for longer than that.
On a related note, pop back over to Virtual Visit Tours and check out the Jameson Distillery. I recommend pouring yourself a glass of the famous whiskey before you begin this one, just to set the mood. I like mine with ginger beer and lime, as I learned in the bar which you’ll see at the end of this virtual tour. Though the original Jameson Distillery in Midleton will always be my preference, both in real life and virtually, the Bow Street Experience in Dublin is also worth seeing.
Head out to the Cliffs of Moher
While the Guinness Storehouse is Ireland’s number one tourist attraction, the Cliffs of Moher are a close second. It’s hard to capture the sheer scale of these cliffs without being there, but the virtual tour on the official website comes close. I also love daracoyne’s YouTube video tour. Just turn on a few fans on high for some strong, disorganized wind, and you’ll feel like you are there.
Watch Animals at Zoos and Aquariums
I absolutely love visiting well-done, socially-responsible zoos, so there was no way I was doing a roundup of virtual tours without a few stops to see some animals!
San Diego Zoo will always feel like “my” zoo. During our seven years of living in Southern California, we kept a membership to the zoo and safari park and would often make spur of the moment visits just to see one exhibit. So, it’s no surprise that I keep a close eye on their animal cameras. They currently offer 10 different live cams, plus an archive of the Panda Cam (the pandas have recently returned home to China). The Elephant Cam is probably the most active, but the Giraffe Cam is the one I watch most often.
To get a close-up view of underwater life, head over the the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s selection of live cams. The Open Sea Cam showcases rays, turtles and giant tuna. If you are overdue for a beach break (who among us is not), then log on to the soothing Monterey Bay Cam, where you can watch the waves meet the shore.
Stroll Through Central Park
Is there anything more peaceful than a walk through a park? Thanks to a in-depth walkthrough, complete with audio provided by a Conservancy Discovery Guide, you can explore New York’s Central Park without exhausting your feet. Along the way you’ll learn about the John Lennon Imagine Mosaic, Bow Bridge and the Alice In Wonderland Statue.
Walk Through Vietnam’s Son Doong Cave
If you know much about me, you probably know that I have visited a surprising number of caves. My dad loves caverns, so they were a feature of most of my childhood vacations. So when I came across National Geographic’s virtual tour of Son Doong Cave, it was a must-do. Click through, turn, and look at the world’s largest cave from all angles. The photos are so lifelike, the descriptions of each area are informative, the map is perfect for making the guiding the tour, but the best part is the sound effects. The dripping water is incredibly peaceful, and the soft signing instils a sense of place. I’ll be sending this link on to Dad so that we can explore another cave together.
Learn about the Great Barrier Reef
Has David Attenborough ever done anything that wasn’t absolutely impressive? No. The answer to that is no. David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef Interactive Journey might not strictly be a virtual tour. But, there also isn’t any better way to visit Australia’s coral reef without flippers and an oxygen tank. With loads of videos, underwater photography, and interactive experiences (I loved the Mantis Shrimp vision), the whole thing is so entertaining you might not even notice how educational it is.
Go for a Virtual Scuba Dive
While we are on the topic of underwater exploration, let’s go for a dive! You won’t need a PADI certification to take part in the National Marine Sanctuaries’ virtual dives. This collection of 360-degree underwater photos gives you a chance to feel what it’s like to swim with the fishes.
Take a Virtual Field Trip Through Mont Saint Michel
This week’s cancelled trip to Belgium isn’t my only travel plans threatened by the current pandemic. I have a weekend in Mont Saint Michel scheduled for early April, which is looking unlikely at best. I made the reservations for this bucket-list trip back in November. I know I’ll reschedule eventually, but for now, I am touring the island abbey near Normandy through HistoryView’s VR field trip.
Go Anywhere, ANYWHERE with Google Earth
Perhaps the ultimate virtual travel tool is Google Earth. You can go literally go anywhere, all with your feet propped up while wearing your jammies. Just use the search function to search for any address, city or attraction. Many landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower have stories with 3D views, embedded descriptions, and information on the surrounding area.
So, where do you want to go? I was keen to check out the beach behind the Kahala Hotel and Resort in Oahu, which is where I got married. But, maybe you’ll want to explore Chichen-Itza or the Taj Mahal.
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