If you’re self-quarantining or simply practicing social distancing at the moment, you might worry about how you’re going to feel when you’ve been stuck inside for days or weeks on end. While it’s good to keep yourself busy with work, crafts, working out, cooking, or other activities, when you’re desperate to be part of the outside world, why not take a virtual tour of some of the world’s most famous museums from the comfort of your couch? Here are just a few places to “visit” when you have some spare time.
- Musée d’Orsay, Paris It’s not the Louvre, it’s better. The Musée d’Orsay specializes in the work of French artists who lived between 1848 and 1914, which is oddly specific but pretty cool. The virtual tour will walk you through art from the likes of Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin just to name a few.
- Pergamon Museum, Berlin I’ve always loved Berlin for its industrial vibes, but as it turns out, it has a pretty awesome museum too! It’s Germany’s largest and is full of loads of ancient artifacts including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and obviously the Pergamon altar too.
- National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City The largest and most visited museum in Mexico, taking a tour of this place is a feast for the senses. With 23 exhibition rooms chock full of ancient artifacts (yes, including some from the ancient Mayans), you’ll be here for hours.
- Guggenheim Museum, New York Ah, my favorite museum (and not just because it’s in my hometown). As you virtually walk the spiral staircase, you can take in works from the likes of Seurat, Degas, Manet, Picasso, Rousseau, Cezanne, and so many more. It’s impressive in its scope and beauty and definitely well-worth a look.
- Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam I’ve actually been here in person when I visited Amsterdam, but that didn’t stop me from walking through it again from the comfort of my own home. Famous works from the likes of Vermeer and Rembrandt, just to name a few, and is well worth a look.
- National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul There are six floors full of contemporary art housed at this popular museum, all of which you can view by taking a virtual tour. Works are by Korean artists as well as international ones, so there’s a big variety here.
- The British Museum, London Another museum full of mind-blowing works of art through the ages, the British Museum houses everything from the Rosetta Stone to the Mummy of Katebet and the Elgin Marbles. Taking a virtual tour is an amazing way to have a look around when you can’t actually be there.
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. This museum is home to the only da Vinci in the entire western hemisphere, and that alone makes it well worth a visit. While you can’t see everything they have to offer online, you can check out two separate and equally fascinating exhibitions, one on the works of Vermeer and the other on American fashion from 1740 to 1895.
- Uffizi Gallery, Florence I’d love to go here one day if only to see Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus in person. Since that’s not possible at the moment, I’m happy to take in that work and many others via a virtual tour.
