While regular travel is currently off the cards and many of the world’s major attractions are firmly shut, virtual escapism is open to anyone with a working internet connection. As most of the world begins to adjust to a more homebound lifestyle, a variety of cultural institutions are hurrying to open their doors to the public by means of virtual tours. You can bring the world into your home, by joining any one of a growing number of interactive, virtual experiences, and livestream events. They might not exactly replicate the experience of travel, but they will enable you to visit many of the world’s leading museums, galleries, tourist sites, and landscapes, from the comfort of your own home, without any of the jetlag.
Here are ten of the best virtual travel experiences from around the world, to keep you inspired during lockdown. So sit back, relax, and take a stunning flight of fancy over the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, never-before-seen parts of Pompeii, the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, and more.
- The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
Experience many of the Rijksmuseum’s masterpieces without leaving your living room. Although it’s closed to the public until the 1st of June, the Rijksmuseum has just launched a new interactive experience entitled ‘Rijksmuseum From Home’, which allows you to virtually visit the Dutch Golden Age. Almost 700,000 works of art have recently been digitised, enabling you to view Rembrandt’s The Nightwatch and Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, embark on a live virtual tour, and listen to curators share stories about their favourite works of art.
As part of a collaboration with Google, the ‘Rijksmuseum From Home’ presents art lovers the chance to explore eleven online exhibits, in which you can interact with various paintings, take in their history, and see close-ups of the pieces. Who says screen time can’t be highbrow? Check out the ‘Rijksmuseum From Home’ on the museum’s official website.
- The Excavation of Regio V in Pompeii
Discover sections of Pompeii that have not been seen since Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, and buried the city in up to 23 feet of ash. New drone footage, uploaded onto YouTube by the Pompeii Archaeological Park is giving would-be tourists a sneak peak of the excavation of Regio V, a 54-acre archaeological site in the northern part of the ancient ruins. Narrated by the Park’s Director Massimo Osanna, the footage follows the drone as it descends into the ‘House with the Garden’, where the remains of eleven victims of the eruption have been found. After hovering over some of the house’s more beautiful frescos, the drone moves on to the nearby ‘House of Orion’, which takes its name from the colourful mosaics that were found there.
The combination of video and drone footage, which enables virtual visitors to explore the remains of the ancient city and enjoy unparalleled insights into Roman life, can be found here on the The Archaeological Park of Pompeii’s website.
- The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland
Experience breathtaking views of the Aran Islands and the Atlantic ocean with interactive footage of an eight kilometre long stretch of coastline, and watch the sun set over the Cliffs of Moher’s picturesque peaks, by taking a virtual tour of the famous Irish geological landmark. Although known for their changeable weather, which can include heavy fog and strong winds, the virtual tour of the Cliffs of Moher guarantees blue skies and brilliant summer hues. The online experience captures 360 degree views of the country’s most visited nature and wildlife site, and is VR headset-ready if you’re after a fully immersive adventure.
You can stop by the visitor centre, or head to O’Brien’s observation tower, without having to huff and puff your way to the top. There are two different tours available, with the best views on the virtual visit, and a greater level of interactivity on the Google 360 inside tour. Visit the virtual tour page on the Cliffs of Moher website for more information.
- Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
The Rocky Mountain National Park has gone one step further, when putting together its virtual tour, by allowing visitors to use their ears as well as their eyes with an online sound library. You can listen to an array of bird calls and wildlife sounds from the Park, or be instantly transported to the Rocky Mountain National Park with Google Earth. Take in the mountain, lake, and river views, with footage of top sites such as Longs Peak, the East Longs Peak Trail, Chasm Lake, the Many Parks Curve Overlook, Rainbow Curve Overlook, Forest Canyon Overlook, Lava Cliffs Overlook, Alpine Visitor Center, Medicine Bow Curve, Milner Pass, and the Farview Curve Viewpoint, while sitting comfortably at home.
The soundscape library was put together by Jacob Job, a researcher with Colorado State University and the NPS Natural Sounds & Night Skies Division, in order to create acoustic records of sound diversity in the park. You can access the sound library here, and the Google Earth experience on this page.
- The Guggenheim in New York
You can amble through New York’s most iconic gallery virtually via a Google Street View tour, allowing you to explore the structure’s winding corridor and view its artworks up close. Visitors can gaze at roughly 120 pieces of art, including Ivan Navarro’s famous installation Homeless Lamp, the Juice Sucker, Ovitz’s Library by Jonas Wood, and Catherine Opie’s daring Self Portrait/Pervert triptych, at their leisure, or take a deep dive into the museum’s 2013 exhibit “No Country: Contemporary Art For South and Southeast Asia”.
Launched in collaboration with the Google Cultural Institute, the Guggenheim’s virtual tour is more similar to Google Maps’ Street View feature then other popular gallery tours which encompass live video and human curators. However, it grants a welcome opportunity to take in the building’s incredible architecture and some of its most well known collections without paying the regular admission fee. Find out more on Google Arts & Culture.
- The City of Jerusalem in Israel
Israel’s tourism board is currently promoting a series of virtual tours for armchair travellers under coronavirus lockdown, including one which takes you to the most famous sights in the city of Jerusalem. Holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, Jerusalem is one of the world’s foremost pilgrimage destinations. The video has a voiceover tour guide, which provides you with plenty of information about the city’s holiest places, while the 360 degree functionality gives you the feeling of exploring the sites on your own terms.
The virtual tour has been put together by Sygic Travel, in conjunction with Samsung XR, allowing those suffering lockdown wanderlust to plan their visit in advance, for when things return to normal, or simply learn more about the city from home. You can embark on the Jerusalem tour here, or view the series in full on the Israel 21c website.
- The Icehotel in Swedish Lapland
If you can’t travel to Swedish Lapland in-person anytime soon, the Aurora photography company ‘Lights over Lapland’ is offering the next best thing: a series of virtual experiences allowing visitors to visit the Arctic wilderness from home. Digital explorers can now check-in to the famous Icehotel, meet local huskies and reindeer, join a Northern Lights hunt, and even go reindeer sledding with an experienced guide. Take a trip into the world of ice and frozen art in the magical Swedish Lapland, a vast expanse of spectacular snowy landscape around 195 kilometers inside of the Arctic Circle. Or visit a series of frozen lakes and learn about local wildlife and landmarks on the way, by joining the founder of the Aurora Safari Camp Fredrik Broma on an epic snowmobile ride through the stunning Swedish wilderness.
You can choose to embark on three, free of charge virtual Arctic travel experiences, captured by some of Europe’s best photographers and virtual reality videographers, via the company’s YouTube channel.
- The Musee d’Orsay in Paris
If you’re going through gallery withdrawal due to quarantining circumstances, you’re in luck. You can take an unguided tour of the Musee d’Orsay, housed inside the former Orsay railway station, and view some of the most famous pieces from the gallery’s collection without leaving the house. View the Musee d’Orsay’s stunning Impressionist collection through your computer screen, including paintings by greats such as Renoir, Monet, Degas, Manet, and van Gogh, alongside works by major sculptors. It might not be quite the same as travelling to Paris and seeing the works in person – but the zoom function will get you closer to the art than any supervised gallery tour ever will.
With Google’s Street View tour, you’ll feel as if you’re actually wandering the Musee d’Orsay’s halls, enabling you to explore the history of the building as well as the art collections. Virtual visitors can gain admission to the gallery here.
- Safari in the Sabi Sands Reserve
It might not be exactly the same as rumbling along the Sabi Sands Reserve’s dirt roads, keeping your eyes peeled for lions and giraffes, but tagging along on Instagram Live with rangers as they drive is the next best thing. You can join Singita Castleton Lodge’s resident wildlife photographer and safari guide Ross Cooper, as he drives through the game park, pointing out hyena clans, herds of elephants, and groups of rhinos blocking the road. Alongside Cooper’s Instagram Live videos, Ulusaba Private Game Reserve’s rangers are taking Instagram followers to visit the reserve’s lion pride, a new leopard cub den, and elephant herds, every Monday afternoon.
Ross Cooper’s Instagram stories can be accessed here, while the Ulusaba Private Game Reserve’s rangers’ videos will be made available each Monday on Virgin Limited Edition, for 24 hours.
- The Acropolis in Athens
Last but not least the Acropolis in Athens, a site that’s on many bucket lists and a dream destination for classical history lovers, can be accessed virtually. Home of the world-famous Parthenon, the Athens Acropolis is now explorable online from the comfort of your sofa. Combining 360 degree images of Google Street View with an audio guide filled with information and stories about the site, the ancient Athenians, and their gods, the virtual tour provides a fascinating insight into life in Ancient Greece.
Swap between daylight and night views of the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea, and stand inside the Parthenon and the Erechtheion, to enjoy the view of Athens from the Belvedere. Visitors can wander by the walls surrounding the Acropolis hill remotely, at any time, whether for travel and research purposes or pure curiosity, here.
And there you have it – our top then list of virtual tours to enjoy while on lockdown. So if you’re looking for new things to do at home, or in dire need of a change of scenery during lockdown, simply grab your laptop or phone and join us on a world tour filled with art, history, nature and of course – technology. All of the virtual tours on our list are easy to navigate, filled with interesting and astonishing things to learn about, enjoy, and delve into further. Have we missed a virtual experience that’s on your quarantine bucket-list? Let us know in the comments!
This article was written by Ruby Kelly, from the Australian airport parking comparison company, Flyparks. For more inspiring and informative articles about travel, visit the Flyparks website.