10 of the best virtual museum and gallery tours from around the world

Here are some top picks from around the world:

1. J Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Van Gogh’s Irises and Renoir’s La Promenade are just 2 of the many artworks featured in the Getty’s virtual tour.  You can also look inside the gallery spaces via a “museum view”, with clickable artworks presenting further information.

2. Vatican Museums, Rome

The Vatican’s museums have 7 creatively rich sites to explore on their virtual tour. When you enter, don’t forget to look up to take in a series of 360-degree images, including the Sistine Chapel.

3. Guggenheim, Bilbao

The Guggenheim, on the banks of the Nervion River, is one of the world’s most distinctive art spaces.  Their interactive tour takes you around its collection of post-war American and European paintings and sculptures.

4. Natural History Museum, London

The Natural History Museums interactive experience allows you to explore the museums 80 million specimens, encounter prehistoric marine reptiles, as well as navigate its galleries and discover pioneering research.

5. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

This grand museum has a vast collection of art and historical objects across 80 galleries.  Their interactive tour also allows you to get up close to each brush stroke of artists such as Vermeer and Rembrandt.

6. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, South Korea

This museum’s 4 branches have virtual tours, which explore an inspiring mix of print, design, sculpture, photography, new media and other large-scale installations from an international line-up of established artists.

7. Musee d’Orsay, Paris

Home to Cezanne, Monet and other French masters, the Musee d’Orsay has the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works in the world.  Their virtual tour also includes an online exhibition charting the history of the building.

8. British Museum, London

The British Museum is home to many ancient wonders including the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.  Its 360-degree virtual tour also allows you to view up close its magnificent domed ceiling, which is made from 3,212 pieces of unique glass. 

9. The Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo, Brazil

Spanning from the 14th to 20th centuries, this museum has one of the largest historical collections available to view via its virtual gallery platform.

10. National Gallery, London

The National Gallery is home to 2,300 publicly owned paintings, watercolours, drawings and other European art.  Their 360 virtual tour invites you to explore various pieces in their 7 exhibition spaces and the Central Hall.