Virtual Museum Tours

Screenshot of a virtual museum tour from the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, 2020.

Coronavirus might close doors to many public and exciting places but open to others. Now is a perfect time to take a look at one of the most famous exhibitions in the world. No need to travel or go anywhere, the museums are opening virtual tours for the public, free of cost.

Google Arts and Culture launched virtual tours in more than 2,500 museums all over the world in order to keep their collections and spaces available during the Coronavirus pandemic. Art lovers can now view thousands of sculptures, paintings, and installations from their comfortable homes.

Each museum offers different types of explorations, from 360-degree videos to voice descriptions and zoomable photos of each artwork that can be chosen by the viewer. In real life, museums often keep their art objects in restricted areas that the virtual tours allow visitors to have a detailed look at from any angle.

With more than 15,000 art pieces, one of the most popular museums for a virtual tour is located on the west coast of the United States. The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California is one of the most visited museums in the world and in addition to possessing creative treasures, it also provides a lovely sculpture plaza, gardens, and views of the city.

The new feature, Xplorit, adds an outdoors element to its digital trip of the J. Paul Getty Museum, allowing "visitors" to enjoy the sightseeing of the museum as well.

The Vatican Museums in Rome are another addition to the list. Established in 1506, it has one of the most unique architectures of all the virtually touring museums. With high vaulted ceilings, baroque murals, tapestries, and surrounded by sculptures, the museum truly gives its visitors an experience of history.

When exploring the Vatican Museum, including the ever-popular Sistine Chapel, the 360-degree images allow the visitors to explore the spaces in detail. The most fun part is the experience of the city itself. The virtual tours also have a feature that allows the user to visit the rest of Vatican City.

But it doesn't end here, museums all over the world are adding this feature to keep the world's treasures visible and available to the public, even though they are closed now due to the coronavirus. Museums such as the Natural History Museum in London, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Musee d'Orsay in Paris, and Guggenheim in Bilbao also provide the virtual tour feature.

As everyone has to stay in their homes and be quarantined until further notice, the virtual tours of museums and sightseeing can give its users a feel of freedom.