Discover The Wonders Of The World With These Free Virtual Art Gallery Tours

We might be stuck at home but there's no reason why we can't still get our arts and culture fix! Plenty of art galleries and museums across the world are offering virtual tours of their collections, which means you can visit galleries on other continents that you may never have got the chance to before. Here's our guide to the best virtual galleries that you can visit without getting off the sofa.

Browse the collections and tour gallery rooms in 360° at the National Gallery in London. Explore the Star Trail exhibition, dive into the story of Monet's Water Lily Pond and step into epic Renaissance masterpieces by Titian and Veronese. Plus, with Google Street View you can complete your National Gallery virtual tour and move through Rooms 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15 and Central Hall as if you're actually in the gallery itself.

Tour the National Gallery here.

We're going to New York! Head to MoMA in the Big Apple and explore some of the world's best modern art. Discover everything from Van Gogh's legendary Starry Night to intriguing contemporary art and all the pieces from the hundred-or-so years in between. Read the stories behind the art and explore the gallery in full with Street View.

Check in for your flight to New York here.

While we can't go and see the iconic glass pyramids of the Louvre in person, we can explore plenty of the artworks it holds from the comfort of our own home. Check out the Egyptian Antiquities collection and the remains of the museum's medieval moat.

Click here to discover the home of the Mona Lisa.

You might not have heard of this museum but it's perfect for families! Based on the history of play, it's no wonder it's one of the top museums for families in the US. Check out the Pinball collection, look into the history of dolls and delve into the online exhibit Making Monopoly, which focuses on the story of the world's most famous board game. If you want to be fully immersed, you can also explore both floors at your own pace using Google Street View.

Start your day of play right here.

Next stop: Los Angeles! Head to the Getty Museum and take a virtual tour of some of the rooms. Feast your eyes on the Eat, Drink, and Be Merry exhibit, step back in time with the huge Renaissance collection and check out some of the USA's earliest photographs.

Check out the Getty Museum here.

Celebrate one of history's most renowned artists at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. You'll be able to explore some of the artist's most famous works, along with a number of pieces from his contemporaries. Immerse yourself in the world of Van Gogh as you browse through the art gallery's collections, where you'll find one of the iconic Sunflowers paintings. Read about his influences in one of the online exhibits and explore the museum 'on foot' using the Google Street View tool.

Start your tour of the Van Gogh Museum here.

Home to the exquisite Sistine Chapel, you can definitely still get a feel for how grand and ornate the Vatican Museum is even on a virtual tour. Walk the halls of the Chiaramonti Museum, admire the gold accents in the Room of the Chiaroscuri and gaze up at the magnificent details of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Click here to explore the Vatican Museum.

What do you say we head to the Musée d'Orsay? Learn about the architecture and history of this elegant glass-roofed museum in their From Station to the Renovated Musée d'Orsay exhibit, browse through oil paintings and impressionist art and get lost in the labyrinth of the halls using the Street View tool.

Kick off your museum tour here.

If your older kids are fans of modern art, head to the Guggenheim in New York. On your virtual art gallery tour you can explore the conceptual art collection and discover the Art From Latin America Today exhibit, which focuses on contemporary works of art that were created as a response to events that took place in the region both recently and long ago.

Dive into some of the world's best modern art here.

A sister to Guggenheim New York, this museum is famous for its iconic architecture. Although you might not be able to see this impressive building in the flesh, you can still do a good chunk of exploration virtually! Climb the roof and check out the views from there, admire the collection of installation art and take a look through the gallery of incredible photos of Bilbao itself.

Start your trip to Bilbao here.

Grab your passport, we're going to Amsterdam! You can admire over 160,000 works in the digital collection that spans 800 years of incredible Dutch art. Read up on The Milkmaid, one of Vermeer's most famous paintings, look into the life and works of Rembrandt and move around the museum at your own pace with immersive, 360° virtual tours of 8 different areas of the museum.

Begin your tour of the Rijksmuseum here.

Filled with pieces of art from children of all ages, this Norwegian museum was the first in the world dedicated entirely to art by young people. Search for your favourite piece, admire the talents of the young artists and leave the virtual tour inspired. This art gallery is a great one to explore with budding artists, as it shows them that even as children, everything they create has value. Maybe one day, when lockdown is over, you'll be able to visit the museum in person and see one of their pieces up there too.

Hop on your virtual plane to Oslo now.