The 10 best virtual tours to take from the comfort of your couch
The 10 best virtual tours to take while sitting on your couch
Take a virtual tour of some of the world’s greatest landmarks without the bother of too many tourists, economy seats and overpriced cappuccinos.
All the flights are grounded and no one is going anywhere. Our travel plans have been terminated. We are still fighting with airline companies to get a refund as they fight to survive, a new world order. Our hearts break a little each time we cancel an Airbnb reservation. You were supposed to be touring through the north of Spain this weekend. You were longing to get a photo standing in front of the Sagrada Familia. Instead you are drinking your third cup of coffee or playing your millionth game of Call of Duty.
This sadly is our reality in the age of corona but technology does offer us a chance to gain back a little of what we have lost. Here are 10 of the best virtual tours of famous landmarks you can do from the comfort of your couch. It will never be as good as the real thing but at least no one will hassle you as you marvel at the Eiffel Tower or wander through Angor Wat. Well maybe your kids but you were going to take them anyway.
The history, the architecture, the art, the Vatican is a singular experience proffering many delights. The website offers online tours of most of their museums. Even in the digital world the Sistine Chapel is a breath-taking wonder of human invention.
Walk into the Peruvian Andes and visit this Inca town dating back to 1450 AD. The city was built without the help of wheels or animals to help carry the huge stones up the steep mountainside. The tour is an immersive 360 degree tour filled with interesting insights about what life must have been like. It really is the next best thing to being at this UNESCO world heritage site.
Home to the Mona Lisa this museum needs no introduction. There are a range of virtual tours to choose from, all based on the museum’s permanent collections from Egyptian antiquities to the decorative arts of the Galerie d’Aplon. The selection is exhaustive but easy to navigate with maps and detailed descriptions.
The world’s largest cave can be found in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park in Vietnam. It was only explored for the first time in 2009 but is about to undergo extensive development to get it ready for a tourist explosion. National Geographic created the Son Doong 360 project to preserve the cave in digital form. A high definition zoom and 360 degree images let you fully explore the cave observing everything from giant sink holes to the regional flora.
Wander through “the city of temples”, the largest religious monument in the world. Angor Wat was built as a Hindu complex dedicated to the God Vishnu and then later transformed into a Buddhist centre of worship. Angelina Jolie then brought it into popular cultural fame by shooting bad guys while swinging from vines off the temple walls. It is a vast complex filled with a range of historical and architectural treats. The virtual tour has been put together by archaeologists, historians and CGI artists and does this wondrous place real justice.
The former home of the Sun King and Marie Antoinette is a paean to ostentation. It’s over the top beauty must truly be seen to be believed. Take an interactive stroll through the hall of mirrors and 800 hectares of garden. Marvel at over 18 000 artworks in a comprehensive virtual tour all without the usual throng of tourists that descend here every year.
Built around the 3rd century BC by the Nebetean Arabs, this sandstone city is one of the oldest in the world. Its rose coloured buildings have been featured in blockbuster adventure movies like Indiana Jones and The Mummy. More than 85% of the city remains underground still to be excavated but what you can see is awe-inspiring. Take a journey through the narrow Siq gorge passed tombs and temple ruins and end at the iconic Al-Khaznah whose façade is carved out of the mountainside.
The last of the seven wonders nestled between Cairo and the edge of the desert. Dodge the haggling traders and the overpriced camel rides and take this virtual tour of the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx built over 4000 years ago as tombs for the pharaohs.
If you are looking for something more thrilling than monuments and museums then maybe a trip into the heart of one of the world’s most active volcanoes might be what you are looking for. Descend to the third tier of the Benbow, one of the main vents of the Ambryn volcano in Vanuatu. Join the camera crew as they abseil down into the heart of the beast just 60 metres from the molten lava.
For those who want something more out there how about a virtual tour of an exoplanet. NASA has launched the Exoplanet Travel Bureau, which features artist’s renderings of alien worlds. Pick your favourite and embark on your first space travel experience. NASA at Home also has loads of other Virtual tours for you to enjoy from the comfort of your armchair. To infinity and beyond.
