• Grades 6-12
  • School Leaders

Don't Miss the Grand Prize: A $2,500 Office Depot/OfficeMax Card!

20 Famous Art Museums You Can Visit from Your Living Room

Art from around the world has never been closer to home.

Best Virtual Museum Tours for Kids & Families

Did you know that you can access art museum virtual field trips, tours, and resources from around the world for free ? Why not take your students on virtual museum tours to the lavish Louvre in Paris? Or the majestic Metropolitan Museum of Art? Or any one of these historic art museums from around the world? Check out the list below to get started!

1. Benaki Museum

Benaki Museum

Located in Greece, the Benaki Museum features European and Asian pieces of artwork dating all the way back to prehistoric ages. In addition to having a massive collection of art you can explore virtually, the Benaki also offers audio tours for several of their larger exhibits. Our favorites include Chinese and Korean Art, Historic Heirlooms, and Childhood, Toys, and Games.

2. The Frick Collection

The Frick Collection

Frick, yeah! Click your way through this interactive map for a tour of the beautiful building and collections of art from the likes of Bellini, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and more.

3. The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum

Explore thousands of items in the Getty’s collection  with help from Google Arts & Culture. The J. Paul Getty Museum specifically has several interactive options for exploring their collection: a “museum view” virtual tour, three ebook-style online exhibits, and the library of over 15,000 collected pieces of art.

[contextly_auto_sidebar]

4. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

The largest art museum in the western United States is offering art museum virtual field trips. Watch videos and museum walkthroughs, listen to soundtracks and live recordings, learn with online teaching resources and courses, browse their art collection, and more on LACMA’s redesigned website.

5. The Louvre

The Louvre art museum virtual field trips

One of our favorite art museum virtual field trips—and the world’s large museum—is the Louvre with options for some of their best exhibition rooms and galleries. Explore rare Egyptian artifacts, iconic paintings, the beautiful structure of the building, and much more through their 360-degree viewing feature.

(NOTE: Several of these virtual tours require Flash Player.)

6. Metropolitan Museum of Art’s #MetKids

Metropolitan Museum of Art's #MetKids

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka the Met) developed #MetKids for, with, and by kids—but we think parents and teachers will have just as much fun using it. Our favorite features include a fun and highly interactive map, a “time machine” search function, informational and how-to videos, and so much more.

7. Musée d’Orsay

Musée d’Orsay

Instantly transport to the middle of Paris with the Musée d’Orsay and their online tours and art collection. Here you can explore art history with the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces from renowned artists such as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and many more.

8. Museo Frida Kahlo

Museo Frida Kahlo

Also known as La Casa Azúl (the Blue House), this historic art museum was developed where renowned artist Frida Kahlo lived and created masterpieces. While there, you can learn about her life, her art, and more as you take a virtual tour through her former residence.

9. The Museum of the World

The Museum of the World

The British Museum and Google Cultural Institute teamed up to create one of our favorite interactive projects: The Museum of the World. The British Museum’s digital art collection lets users travel through time—starting with 2,000,000 BC—while seeing how each historical piece in their collection connects with others. Wow!

10. The National Gallery

The National Gallery

Click and scroll your way around the National Gallery in London with their three interactive virtual tour options. The National Gallery has hundreds of paintings in its collection ready to be viewed online, many of which are from the Renaissance period.

11. The National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art

Washington D.C.’s National Gallery of Art has a wide variety of great educational resources,  including video tours of their exhibitions, in-depth looks at the best pieces of their collection, downloadable learning resources and exercises, pre-recorded lectures by artists and curators, and more.

12. Pergamon Museum

Pergamonmuseum exhibit

One of Germany’s largest museums, Pergamon is home to a variety of ancient artifacts, including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon Altar.

13. Rijksmuseum

Rijksmuseum -- art museum virtual field trips

The Rijksmuseum is the museum of the Netherlands and contains an online collection of well over 160,000 items. Not only is their digital collection incredibly stocked, but it’s also one of the more immersive collections online today. In addition, we highly recommend you try their “stories” feature (shown above), which walks users through the story and emotions behind the artwork created.

14. San Diego Museum of Art

San Diego Museum of Art 360 exhibit

Step inside the San Diego Museum of Art from anywhere! Enjoy 360-degree scans of your favorite galleries, zoom in to see art details, and read full label text in both English and Spanish, all from the comfort of home.

15. San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts

San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts -- art museum virtual field trips

The San Francisco MoMA offers exclusive content featuring artists and their work online. Watch videos, read articles, and more right on their website.

16. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum -- art museum virtual field trips

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has several art museums around the world, which means more history to absorb virtually! Their Collection Online has over 1,700 diverse artworks by over renowned 600 artists—and it is definitely worth checking out as one of our top art museum virtual field trips!

17. Tate Modern: Andy Warhol Exhibit

Tate Modern: Andy Warhol Exhibit -- art museum virtual field trips

The Tate Modern put together this video tour of their famous Andy Warhol exhibit. Museum curators Gregor Muir and Fiontán Moran talk in-depth about Andy Warhol and his work through the lens of the immigrant story, his LGBTQ identity, and more.

18. Uffizi Gallery

Uffizi museum exhibitions

Here you’ll find the art collection of one of Florence, Italy’s most famous families, the de’Medicis. Wander the halls from any classroom!

19. The Van Gogh Museum

The Van Gogh Museum

With an obvious focus on Vincent van Gogh, the Van Gogh Museum is home to the largest collection of van Gogh pieces in the world. The museum, virtual tours, ebook “stories,” and online collection dive into the life of van Gogh and the inspiration behind his art. Moreover, we think teachers everywhere will appreciate how big a fan he was of reading books!

20. The Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums

You can finally say you’ve seen the Sistine Chapel thanks to this online program! And, you can also virtually visit the Raphael Rooms, the Chiaramonti Museum, and more historic sites through these virtual tours by the Vatican Museums.

Did we miss one of your favorite art museum virtual field trips? Share them with us, and we might just add it to this list!

Also, check out the best field trip ideas for every age and interest (virtual options too).

20 Famous Art Museums You Can Visit from Your Living Room

You Might Also Like

Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

No permission slips needed. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market.  See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our  credit card rating methodology .

The 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours Around the World [Art, History, Science, and Technology]

Jarrod West's image

Jarrod West

Senior Content Contributor

442 Published Articles 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 21 U.S. States Visited: 24

Keri Stooksbury's image

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

35 Published Articles 3232 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 47 U.S. States Visited: 28

The 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours Around the World [Art, History, Science, and Technology]

Table of Contents

Google arts and culture, 50 art museums with virtual tours, 5 natural history museums with virtual tours, 10 science and technology museums with virtual tours, 10 history museums with virtual tours, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our  Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

You can now access collections from many of the world’s top museums without ever leaving home! We’ve put together an ultimate list of 75 world-class museums that offer virtual tours you can visit from the comfort of your couch.

Many of the virtual tours include exhibit walk-throughs and the ability to examine some of the world’s best paintings, sculptures, and other pieces up close and personal. These virtual tours are jam-packed with enough details to make you feel like you’re really visiting the museum. The experiences are sure to entertain the whole family, an art or history buff, or even those who want to imagine the joys of travel!

We’ve broken our list into 4 easy-to-review sections, including art, natural history, science and technology, and history museums. So whether you prefer to take in a painting at the Van Gogh Museum, check out an SR-71 Blackbird at the Museum of Flight, or gaze upon the Rosetta Stone, this list has it all!

Many of the virtual exhibits in this article are offered through a collaboration with Google Arts and Culture. If you’re not familiar, Google Arts and Culture is an online platform that showcases high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from more than 2,000 museums throughout the world. You can zoom in and out of images in great detail and view some of the best pieces of artwork ever created without leaving your couch.

The platform is available in 18 languages and has been praised internationally for increasing access to art to those who may have not had the opportunity otherwise. It’s available for web , iOS , and Android .

1. The Albertina Museum (Vienna, Austria)

Albertina

Year Opened:  1805

The Albertina Museum features one of the most important European collections of international modern art and houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and 1 million old master prints. Hundreds of the works housed in the museum, like “Study for the Last Supper” by Da Vinci and “The Water Lily Pond” by Monet, can be viewed online thanks to a partnership with Google Arts and Culture.

To view the online exhibits, click here .

2. Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)

Art Institute of Chicago

Year Opened: 1879

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the U.S., hosting approximately 1.5 million people annually. Its collection features more than 5,000 years of human expression from cultures around the world and contains more than 300,000 works of art in 11 curatorial departments.

The online tour allows you to view major pieces from the museum’s collection, such as “American Gothic,” “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” and “Nighthawks.” The site also offers projects to get creative at home, educator resources, and JourneyMaker, a digital tool that allows visitors to create unique, personalized tours of the museum.

To view the online tour, click here .

3. Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece)

Benaki Museum Athens

Year Opened: 1930

Established in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, the Benaki Museum houses Greek works of art from prehistoric to modern times and an extensive collection of Asian art. It also hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop.

The entire museum can be viewed virtually in great detail.

To view the online virtual tour, click here .

4. The Broad (Los Angeles, California)

The Broad

Year Opened: 2015

The Broad is a contemporary art museum named for philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The Broad houses a nearly 2,000-piece collection of contemporary art, featuring 200 artists including works by Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol. Notable installations include Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room” (pictured above) and Ragnar Kjartansson’s expansive 9-screen video “The Visitors.”

The Broad has put together a series of YouTube videos to give you a first-hand look at the museum.

5. Centre Pompidou (Paris, France)

Centre Pompidou

Year Opened : 1977

The Centre Pompidou, named after the president of France from 1969 to 1974, is the largest museum for modern and contemporary art in Europe and the second-largest in the world. The museum has more than 12,000 pieces of artwork on display, including works by Kandinsky, Dalí, and Valadon.

The Centre has dozens of videos available on its YouTube channel that provide walk-throughs of the museum and explanations of its most important works.

To view the video tours, click here .

6. The Dalí Theatre-Museum (Figueres, Spain)

Salvador Dali Mae West

Year Opened : 1974

Dedicated to the life and work of the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, the Dalí Theatre-Museum displays the single largest and most diverse collection of works by the artist. In addition to Dalí paintings from all decades of his career, there are Dalí sculptures, 3-dimensional collages, mechanical devices, and other curiosities from Dalí’s imagination. Through the website, guests can take a virtual tour in 360-degree of the entire museum.

To view the virtual tour, click here .

7. Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan)

Detroit Institute of Arts

Year Opened: 1885

With more than 100 galleries covering over 658,000 square feet, the Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the U.S. Its collection features works spanning from ancient Egypt and Europe all the way to modern contemporary art.

The museum has put together “ At Home With DIA ” to offer school field trips from home, weekly film screenings, senior resources, and home projects. DIA also has a partnership with Google Arts and Culture to provide online exhibits including:

  • Frida Kahlo in Detroit
  • Ordinary People by Extraordinary Artists
  • Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry
  • Self Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States

8. Frick Collection (New York City, New York)

Frick Collection

Year Opened: 1935

Located in the Henry Clay Frick House, the Frick Collection houses the art collection of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection features some of the best-known paintings by major European artists, including Bellini, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, as well as numerous works of sculpture and porcelain.

The entire museum can be viewed virtually.

9. Galleria dell’Accademia (Florence, Italy)

Statue of David

Year Opened : 1784

The Galleria dell’Accademia, while small compared to other museums featured, is still the second most visited museum in Italy. Its command of visitors is in large part due to its display of perhaps the most famous sculpture in history — Michaelangelo’s statue of David.

You can view a short, video-guided tour of the museum, which includes 360-degree viewing, allowing you to get a close look at the museum’s offerings.

To view the video tour, click here .

10. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (Sante Fe, New Mexico)

Georgia OKeeffe Museum

Year Opened: 1997

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and her contributions to American Modernism. The museum’s collection includes many of O’Keeffe’s key works, ranging from her innovative abstractions to her iconic large-format flower, skull, and landscape paintings, to paintings of architectural forms, rocks, shells, and trees. Initially, the collection was made of 140 O’Keeffe paintings, watercolors, pastels, and sculptures, but now includes nearly 1,200 objects.

The museum website offers creative activities, stories, and education about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, along with several virtual exhibits available through Google Arts and Culture, including:

  • Georgia O’Keeffe
  • American Modernism
  • United States

11. Grand Palais (Paris, France)

Grand Palais

Year Opened : 1900

The Grand Palais is a large historic site, exhibition hall, and museum dedicated to the organization of exhibitions, publishing books, art workshops, photographic agency, and hosting major fairs and events. The museum receives 2.5 million visitors each year. The partnership with Google Arts and Culture brings extensive online exhibits to life, from the construction of the building to the masterpieces that lie within it.

12. Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Hermitage Museum

Year Opened : 1764

The Hermitage Museum is the second-largest and eighth-most visited art museum in the world. The Hermitage has more than 60,000 pieces of artwork on display, including the “Peacock Clock” by James Cox, “Madonna Litta” by Leonardo Da Vinci, and works by Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Antonio Canova.

The online tour is extremely comprehensive and allows you to virtually walk through all 6 buildings in the main complex, treasure gallery, and several exhibition projects.

13. High Museum of Art (Atlanta, Georgia)

High Museum of Art HeartMatch

Year Opened : 1905

The High Museum of Art offers over 15,000 works of art in its collection and is the leading art museum in the southeastern U.S. The museum focuses on 19th- and 20th-century American art, historic and contemporary decorative arts and design, European paintings, modern and contemporary art, photography, folk and self-taught art, and African art.

The museum’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture also offers online exhibits for viewing including:

  • Bill Traylor’s Drawings of People, Animals, and Events
  • How Iris van Herpen Transformed Fashion
  • Incredible, Innovative, and Unexpected Contemporary Furniture Designs
  • Photos From the Civil Rights Movement

14. The J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, California)

The J. Paul Getty Museum

Year Opened: 1953

The J. Paul Getty Museum is made up of 2 campuses — the Getty Center and Getty Villa — that receive more than 2 million visitors per year. The Getty Center features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts and photographs from the 1830s through present-day from all over the world. The Getty Villa displays art from Ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria.

The museum has put together online resources like art books, online exhibitions, podcasts, and videos, all viewable on its website .

It has also partnered with Google Arts and Culture to showcase online exhibits including:

  • 18th Century Pastel Portraits
  • The Art of Three Faiths: Torah, Bible, Qur’an
  • Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
  • Getty Museum Acquisitions 2019
  • Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well

To view the online galleries, click here .

15. Kunsthaus Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland)

Kunsthaus Zürich

Year Opened : 1910

The Kunsthaus Zürich features one of Switzerland’s most important art collections from the 13th century to the present day. While the museum places an emphasis on Swiss artists, including Alberto Giacometti, you’ll also find work from the likes of Monet, Picasso, and Warhol.

The museum’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture has digitized several of the museum’s best collections for viewing.

16. La Galleria Nazionale (Rome, Italy)

La Galleria Nazionale

Year Opened: 1883

La Galleria Nazionale displays about 1,100 paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries — the largest collection in Italy. It features work from famous Italian artists including Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Alberto Burri, and foreign artists including Cézanne, Monet, Pollock, Rodin, and Van Gogh.

It has teamed up with Google to offer 16 virtual exhibits for online viewing.

17. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles, California)

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Year Opened: 1910

LACMA is the largest art museum in the western U.S., attracts nearly a million visitors annually, and holds more than 150,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient times to the present.

The website (click LACMA @ Home ) includes exhibition walkthroughs, soundtracks and live recordings, online teaching resources, and courses.

To view the LACMA’s online virtual tour from Google Arts & Culture, click here .

18. Mauritshuis (The Hague, Netherlands)

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Year Opened : 1822

The Mauritshuis is home to some of the best Dutch paintings from the Golden Age of Art. The museum consists of 854 works by artists like Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt Van Rijn, and Jan Steen. Famous works include “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (pictured above) and “View of Delft” by Vermeer, and “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” by Rembrandt.

The museum has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring several of its best works to life for virtual viewing.

To view the Mauritshuis’ online exhibits, click here .

19. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, New York)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Year Opened: 1870

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, also known as “The Met,” is the largest art museum in the U.S. and the fourth most visited museum in the world with more than 6 million visitors each year. The permanent collection contains more than 2 million works from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all of the European masters (including Monet’s Water Lillies), and an extensive collection of American and modern art. It also has extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine, and Islamic art.

The museum has extensive different online exhibits available for viewing through Google and its own Art at Home website .

20. Musée du Louvre (Paris, France)

Louvre Museum

Year Opened:  1793

The Louvre Palace, which houses the museum, began as a fortress under Philip II in the 12th century to protect the city from English soldiers that were in Normandy. It wasn’t repurposed as a museum until 1793. Now, the Louvre is easily one of the most historic art museums in the world. Not only is the Louvre the largest art museum in the world at 782,910 square feet (72,735 square meters), but it also had 9.6 million visitors in 2019, making it the most visited museum in the world as well. Featured masterpieces include “Mona Lisa,” “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” “Venus de Milo,” and “Hammurabi’s Code.”

The Louvre has several virtual galleries on display, including:

  • The Advent of the Artist, including works from Delacroix, Rembrandt, and Tintoretto
  • Egyptian Antiquities, featuring collections from the Pharaonic period
  • Remains of the Louvre’s Moat — visitors can walk around the original perimeter moat and view the piers that supported the drawbridge dating back to 1190
  • Galerie d’Apollon, destroyed by fire in 1661 and recently rebuilt for viewing

To view the Louvre’s virtual tour page, click here .

21. Musée d’Orsay (Paris, France)

Musée d’Orsay

Year Opened: 1986

The Musée d’Orsay is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It is one of the largest art museums in Europe and had more than 3.6 million visitors in 2019. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, including works by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Seurat, Sisley, and Van Gogh.

The museum allows you to virtually walk through one of its popular galleries, featuring hundreds of paintings from French artists.

To view the Musée d’Orsay online gallery, click here .

22. Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid, Spain)

Museo Del Prado

Year Opened : 1819

The Museo Nacional del Prado is considered to have one of the greatest collections of European art in the world and offers guests the single largest collection of Spanish art. The collection currently comprises around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures. Well-known works include “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez, “The Third of May 1808” by Francisco De Goya, and “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch.

The museum’s online gallery allows you to get a close look at over 10,000 different pieces of art. The Prado also offers a 1-hour live show on Instagram every morning at 4 a.m. EST.

To view the online gallery, click here .

23. Museo Frida Kahlo (Mexico City, Mexico)

Museo Frida Kahlo

Year Opened: 1958

The Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the Blue House due to its blue walls, is a historic museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The building was Kahlo’s birthplace, the home where she grew up, lived with her husband Diego Rivera for many years, and where she later died in a room on the upper floor. The museum contains a collection of artwork by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other artists, along with the couple’s Mexican folk art, pre-Hispanic artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, personal items, and more. Find out more in our guide to the best museums in Mexico City .

24. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid, Spain)

guernica

Year Opened: 1990

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, also called the Museo Reina Sofía, is one of the most popular art museums in the world. The museum includes large collections of Spain’s 2 most popular artists, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Famous works on display include “Guernica” and “Woman in Blue” by Picasso and “Cubist Self Portrait” by Dalí.

You can view collections of artwork at the Reina Sofía through its partnership with Google Arts and Culture.

25. Museu de Arte de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)

Museu de Arte de São Paulo

Year Opened: 1947

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo is Brazil’s first modern art museum. The museum is internationally recognized for its collection of European art, as it’s considered the finest museum in Latin America and all of the Southern Hemisphere. The museum primarily features Brazilian art, prints, and drawings, as well as smaller collections of African and Asian art, antiquities, decorative arts, and others, amounting to more than 8,000 pieces. MASP also has one of the largest art libraries in the country.

You can now take a virtual tour of online galleries the museum has to offer, including:

  • Art from Brazil until 1900
  • Art from Italy: Rafael to Titian
  • Art from France: from Delacroix to Cézanne
  • Art in Fashion
  • Histories of Madness: The Drawings of Juquery
  • Picture Gallery in Transformation

26. Museum of Broken Relationships (Los Angeles, California and Zagreb, Croatia)

Museum of Broken Relationships

Year Opened: 2010

The Museum of Broken Relationships is dedicated to failed love relationships. Its exhibits include personal objects left over from former lovers, accompanied by brief descriptions. The museum was founded by 2 Zagreb-based artists, film producer Olinka Vištica and sculptor Dražen Grubišić, after their 4-year relationship came to an end.

The virtual tour includes a close-up collection of dozens of the museum’s most interesting pieces.

27. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)

Museum of Fine Arts Boston

The 17th largest art museum in the world, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) hosts one of the most extensive art collections in the U.S. It houses over 8,000 paintings, surpassed only by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and exceeds 1 million visitors each year. Pieces by world-renowned artists like Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Monet are featured alongside sculptures, mummies, ceramics, and other artifacts from ancient civilizations.

There are currently 16 online exhibits available for viewing.

28. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Houston, Texas)

Museum of Fine Art Houston

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is one of the largest museums in the U.S., and its collection features over 64,000 works from 6 continents. The collection places emphasis on pre-Columbian and African gold, Renaissance and Baroque painting and sculpture, 19th- and 20th-century art, photography, and Latin American art. Read our guide to the best museums in Houston for more information.

The museum has 14 online exhibits available for viewing in collaboration with Google Arts and Culture.

29. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (New York City, New York)

The Museum of Modern Art

Year Opened: 1929

Regarded as one of the largest and most influential museums of modern art in the world, MoMA’s art collection features an overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books, and artist’s books, film, and electronic media. MoMA’s holdings include more than 150,000 individual pieces including Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” in addition to approximately 22,000 films and 4 million film stills.

MoMA’s website offers 86,000 works of art that can be viewed online, along with a partnership with Google Arts and Culture to create a virtual display of its Sophie Taeber-Arp exhibit.

To view the website’s collection, click here . To view the Google exhibit, click here .

30. National Gallery (London, England)

National Gallery London

Year Opened : 1824

The National Gallery features more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900, including works such as “Sunflowers” by Van Gogh, “The Virgin on the Rocks” by Da Vinci, and “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan Van Eyck.

Its website offers a few virtual tours, showcasing many rooms in the museum, the Sainsbury Wing, and a Google Virtual tour.

31. National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)

National Gallery of Art

Year Opened: 1937

The National Gallery of Art and its attached Sculpture Garden are located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and are open to the public free of charge. The museum was privately established in 1937 for the American people by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress.

The National Gallery is widely considered to be one of the greatest museums in the U.S. It ranks second in total visitors of all American museums, 10th in the world, and features incredible pieces including Jackson Pollock’s “Number 1,” Leonardo da Vinci’s “Ginevra de’ Benci,” and Degas’ “Little Dancer Aged 14.”

The museum has put together a collection of educational resources on its website for teachers, families, and children. It also features online exhibits through Google Arts and Culture including:

  • American Fashion — highlights from 1740 to 1895
  • Johannes Vermeer — Dutch Baroque painter

To view the National Gallery of Art online collection page, click here .

32. National Gallery of Victoria (Victoria, Melbourne, Australia)

National Gallery of Victoria

Year Opened: 1861

The National Gallery of Victoria is Australia’s oldest, largest, and most visited art museum. The museum offers a wide variety of international and Australian art in its collection, including paintings, drawings, photography, and sculptures.

The online tour includes walk-throughs of exhibits, including highlights from the NGV Triennial 2020 and Chinese Collection, as well as exhibits featuring Goya and KAWS.

33. National Museum of China (Beijing, China)

Resplendence of the Tang Dynasty National Museum of China

Year Opened : 2003

The National Museum of China covers Chinese history from 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Notable works include the “Houmuwu” Rectangle Ding, a rectangular bronze sacrificial vessel made in the late Shang Dynasty, the heaviest piece of ancient bronze ware in the world, and a Han Dynasty jade burial suit laced with gold thread. It is one of the largest museums in the world, and the second most visited art museum in the world, just after the Louvre.

The museum has virtual exhibits available for 360-degree viewing including:

  • Resplendence of the Tang Dynasty
  • Sunken Silver

34. National Museum of Korea (Seoul, South Korea)

National Museum of Korea

Year Opened : 1909

The National Museum of Korea is the top museum of Korean history and art and has been committed to various studies and research activities in the fields of archaeology, history, and art, continuously developing a variety of exhibitions and education programs.

The museum’s virtual tour provides a 3D walk-through of exhibits, including 1,000 years of Korean design and 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty.

35. National Museum, New Delhi (New Delhi, India)

National Museum New Delhi sculpture

Year Opened: 1949

The National Museum, New Delhi is one of the largest museums in India. The museum has around 200,000 works of art, both of Indian and foreign origin, including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, ancient texts, armor, and decorative arts ranging from the pre-historic era to modern works — covering over 5,000 years.

The museum has partnered with Google to bring its online exhibits to life, including:

  • Art of Caligraphy
  • Cadence and Counterpoint
  • Indian Bronzes
  • Nauras: The Many Arts of the Deccan
  • Pottery from Ancient Peru
  • Treasures of National Museum, India
  • Radha and Krishna in the Boat of Love

36. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, South Korea)

Museum of Modern Contemporary Art Seoul

Year Opened: 1969

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art was first established in 1969 as the only national art museum in South Korea, accommodating modern and contemporary art of Korea and international art of different time periods. The museum features over 7,000 pieces of artwork, including works of contemporary Korean artists such as Go Hui-dong, Ku Bon-ung, Park Su-geun, and Kim Whan-ki.

Google’s virtual tour takes you through 6 floors of contemporary art from Korea and all over the globe.

37. National Palace Museum (Taipei, Taiwan)

Garden of Compassion and Tranquility at National Palace Museum Taipei

Year Opened : 1965

The National Palace Museum has a collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks. The collection encompasses 8,000 years of history of Chinese art, including jade, paintings, bronzes, and porcelain that were formerly held in the Forbidden City of Peking.

The museum offers 360-degree virtual tours of many different exhibits.

To view the virtual tours, click here .

38. National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.)

National Portrait Gallery

Year Opened : 1962

The National Portrait Gallery has a collection of over 21,000 works of art. The collection focuses on images of famous Americans and how they’ve shaped U.S. culture. A major attraction of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection is the Hall of Presidents, which contains portraits of nearly all American presidents. It is the largest and most complete collection in the world, except for the White House collection itself.

The museum has several collections featured on Google Arts and Culture, but also offers digital workshops, and distance learning resources for children and teachers.

To view the online resources, click here .

39. Pergamonmuseum (Berlin, Germany)

Pergamon Altar, view of the Gigantomachy frieze / north risalit

The Pergamonmuseum houses monumental buildings, such as the Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and the Market Gate of Miletus reconstructed from the ruins found in Anatolia, as well as the Mshatta Facade. The museum is subdivided into the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art. It is visited by over 1 million people every year.

The museum has dozens of structures and other artifacts that can be viewed online.

40. Picasso Museum (Barcelona, Spain)

Museu Picasso

Year Opened: 1963

The Picasso Museum, located in the heart of Barcelona’s Latin Quarter, is visited by millions every year. They come to marvel at the best works of Picasso, perhaps the most famous painter of all, but stay to marvel at the best-preserved medieval architecture in Barcelona. With 4,251 works by the painter exhibited, the museum has one of the most complete permanent collections of his works.

The online tour offers a large selection of Picasso’s finest works, as well as virtual tours of the museum’s beautiful courtyards.

41. Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Rijksmuseum

Year Opened: 1798

The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague in 1798 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace. The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1885. The museum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history from the years 1200 to 2000, and a total collection of 1 million objects. The museum features masterpieces including Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and “The Jewish Bride,” plus works by Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer, who are known to have been major contributors to the Golden Age of Dutch art.

Google offers a street view tour of some excellent art pieces located in the museum, and the museum has put together an entire virtual tour of all of the museum’s masterpieces viewable on its website.

To view the Google street view tour, click here . You can also view the museum’s From Home microsite and masterpieces tour .

42. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, California)

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is composed of over 33,000 works of art spread throughout 7 gallery floors and 45,000 square feet of space. Following a 3-year closure for expansion, the museum reopened in 2016 and is now one of San Francisco’s must-see destinations.

SFMOMA’s website is updated regularly with videos and articles regarding current exhibits, projects, and artist showcases and provides behind-the-scenes looks of the museum. 

To view the museum’s multimedia features, click here .

Read our guide to the best museums in San Francisco to find out more.

43. Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museums (Vatican City)

Sistine Chapel

Year Opened: 1483

The Sistine Chapel, located inside of the Apostolic Palace (the official residence of the pope in Vatican City), is easily the most popular chapel in the world. The chapel is famous for its magnificent ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, and is considered to be one of the best artworks to come out of the Italian Renaissance. The primary panels of the ceiling showcase 9 scenes from the Book of Genesis, of which “The Creation of Adam” (pictured above) is the best known and most recognized.

Its website offers a virtual tour of the chapel’s most stunning sites, including the ability to marvel at Michelangelo’s ceiling from the comfort of your couch.

44. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City, New York)

Guggenheim NYC

Year Opened: 1939

The Guggenheim Museum was established by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1939. It is the permanent home of a continuously expanding collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.

Google’s  Street View feature lets you tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase and some of its art pieces. It also offers a handful of online collections on its website .

45. Tate Modern (London, England)

Tate Modern

Year Opened: 2000

Tate Modern is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, consisting of art dating from 1900 until today. The gallery receives over 5 million visitors a year, making it the sixth most visited art museum in the world and the most visited in the U.K.

The Tate Modern has published dozens of videos on its YouTube channel that give you an in-depth look at many of its exhibits, including the Andy Warhol exhibit and the Aubrey Beardsley exhibit.

To view the Tate Modern’s YouTube channel, click here .

46. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid, Spain)

Thyssen Bornemisza Museum

Year Opened: 1992

Located in Madrid, the Thyssen has over 1,600 paintings inside its walls and was once the second-largest private collection in the world after the British Royal Collection. It includes works from the Italian primitives, the English, Dutch, and German schools, Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the 20th century. It also features pieces from the continent’s most celebrated artists including Rembrandt and Dalí.

The virtual tour includes a detailed look at the permanent collection, along with exhibits including the Rembrandt and Impressionist galleries.

47. Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo, Japan)

Tokyo National Museum

Year Opened : 1872

The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest art museum in Japan, and one of the largest art museums in the world. At the museum, you’ll find a collection of artwork and cultural objects from Asia, ancient and medieval Japanese art, and Asian art along the Silk Road.

The museum has teamed up with Google’s Arts and Culture to provide an inside look at what the museum has to offer.

48. Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)

Uffizi Gallery

Year Opened: 1581

The Uffizi was designed by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de’ Medici, whose family members were by far the largest patrons of art in Renaissance Italy. The museum now spans over 139,000 square feet with 101 different rooms that house its art pieces, including famous pieces such as “The Birth of Venus.” Over 2 million people visit the Uffizi each year, making it the most viewed art museum in Italy.

The museum has teamed up with Google to showcase online galleries including:

  • Piero di Cosimo, Perseus Freeing Andromeda
  • The Santa Trinita Maestà, Cimabue
  • The Creative Process Behind Federico Barocci’s Drawings
  • Drawings by Amico Aspertini and other Bolognese artists

49. Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Van Gogh Museum

Year Opened: 1973

The Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to perhaps one of the most famous artists of all time — Vincent Van Gogh. The museum contains the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters. The museum has over 2 million visitors each year and is the 23rd most visited art museum in the world. Find out more in our review to the best museums in Amsterdam .

The museum has teamed up with Google to create online exhibits on Vincent Van Gogh’s love life and the books he loved to read. You can also visit the museum’s website for a selection of things to do for young children, including school lessons and coloring pages.

50. Victoria and Albert Museum (London, England)

Dior Exhibit Victoria and Albert Museum

Year Opened : 1852

The Victoria and Albert Museum collection spans 5,000 years of art from Europe, North America, Asia, and North Africa. The collection of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewelry, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings, and photographs is among the largest and most comprehensive in the world.

The virtual tour, in partnership with Google Arts and Culture, offers several online exhibits ranging from fashion to surrealism.

1. American Museum of Natural History (New York City, New York)

American Museum of Natural History

Year Opened : 1869

One of the largest natural history museums in the world, the American Museum of Natural History contains 34 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts.

The museum’s 360-degree virtual tours offer an up-close look at permanent exhibits, current exhibits, past exhibits, and research stations.

2. The British Museum (London, England)

British Museum

Year Opened: 1759

The British Museum is one of the largest in the world and houses over 8 million works within its walls. Established in 1759, it was the first public national museum in the world. Visitors can tour the great court and view some of the most famous objects in history, like the Elgin Marbles of Greece and the Rosetta Stone of Egypt.

The Museum is the world’s largest indoor space on Google Street View and you can go on a virtual visit to more than 60 galleries.

The British Museum also has virtual galleries on display, including:

  • Prints and Drawings

To visit the British Museum’s virtual tour page, click here .

3. National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico City, Mexico)

National Museum of Anthropology Sun Stone

Year Opened: 1964

The National Museum of Anthropology is the largest and most visited museum in all of Mexico. The museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage, such as the Stone of the Sun (or the Aztec calendar stone) and the Aztec Xochipilli statue.

The museum has made more than 100 items available for Google visitors to explore from home.

To view the museum’s online collection, click here .

4. National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.)

Smithsonian Natural History

Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is the 11th most visited museum in the world and the most visited natural history museum in the world. With over 325,000 square feet of exhibition space, the museum’s collections contain over 145 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts — the largest natural history collection in the world. Highlights of the collection include the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire.

You can view all of these specimens from the comfort of your home as the museum has dozens of different online exhibits that can all be accessed on its website.

To view the museum’s virtual tour, click here .

5. Natural History Museum (London, England)

Natural History Museum London

Year Opened: 1881

Undoubtably one of the best Museums in London , the Natural History Museum in London showcases 80 million life and earth science specimens of great historical and scientific value, even housing pieces collected by Charles Darwin. There are 5 categories within the museum: botany , entomology , mineralogy , paleontology , and zoology . Over 5 million people visit this museum each year, making it the most visited natural history museum in Europe.

One of the museum’s most prominent displays is the skeleton of an 82-foot long blue whale named Hope, which you can learn more about through a self-guided virtual tour, along with several other galleries. 

1. London Science Museum (London, England)

London Science Museum

Year Opened : 1857

The London Science Museum holds a collection of over 300,000 items, including famous items such as Stephenson’s Rocket, Puffing Billy (the oldest surviving steam locomotive), the first jet engine, some of the earliest remaining steam engines, and documentation of the first typewriter.

Thanks to Google Street View, guests can take a virtual tour of the entire museum, or watch curator gallery guides on the museum’s YouTube channel.

To view the virtual tour or videos, click here .

2. Museo Galileo (Florence, Italy)

Museo Galileo

Dedicated to the scientist and astronomer Galileo Galilei, the Museo Galilei is housed in an 11th-century palace known as the Palazzo Castellini. The museum has a collection of over 5,000 ancient scientific instruments dating back to the 13th century, and among its most notable items is the telescope Galileo used to discover the satellites of Jupiter.

Visitors from around the world have the opportunity to explore the inside of the museum and can access more than 1,000 permanent exhibition objects through the online catalog.

3. The Museum of Flight (Seattle, Washington)

The Museum of Flight

Year Opened: 1965

The Museum of Flight is the largest private air and space museum in the world and attracts over 500,000 visitors every year. The museum has more than 150 aircraft in its collection, including the Lockheed Model 10-E Electra (the aircraft Amelia Earhart was piloting when she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean), Boeing 747s, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (pictured above).

The museum offers 360-degree tours that let you step inside dozens of these iconic aircraft.

4. The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium (Brussels, Belgium)

The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium

Year Opened: 1846

The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium is dedicated to natural history and is part of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. The dinosaur hall of the museum is the world’s largest museum hall completely dedicated to dinosaurs, and its most important pieces are 30 fossilized Iguanodon skeletons, which were discovered in 1878 in Bernissart.

It has partnered with Google to set up virtual exhibits for viewing, including:

  • 360-degree guided tour
  • The Bernissart Iguanodons
  • From Salehanthropus to Homo Sapiens
  • Over 250 Years of Natural Sciences
  • Past, Present, Future: The Marvels of Evolution

To view the museum’s online exhibits, click here .

5. Museum of Science, Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)

Museum of Science Boston

Year Opened: 1830

The Museum of Science, Boston, receiving over 1.5 million visitors annually, is a museum and indoor zoo with more than 700 interactive exhibits and over 100 animals, many of which have been rescued and rehabilitated.

The museum offers a phenomenal virtual tour full of digital exhibits, videos, and audio presentations.

6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Washington, D.C.)

NASA Astronaut Edward White during first EVA performed during Gemini 4 flight

NASA, founded in 1958, was created by the federal government to develop the civilian space program, as well as to conduct aeronautics, space, and astrophysics research. Since its inception, NASA has been responsible for historic space missions including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the space shuttle.

NASA has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring many online exhibits to life to showcase the beauty of space exploration.

7. National Air and Space Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Air and Space Museum

Year Opened : 1946

The National Air and Space Museum is a center for the history and science of aviation, spaceflight, planetary science, terrestrial geology, and geophysics. It is the fifth most visited museum in the world (the second most visited in the U.S.), and contains the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, the Friendship 7 capsule, the Wright brothers’ Wright Flyer airplane, and Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.

The virtual tour offers a 360-degree walk-through of the entire museum.

8. National Museum of Computing (Bletchley Park, England)

National Museum of Computing

Year Opened: 2007

The National Museum of Computing is dedicated to collecting and restoring historic computer systems. The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers dating back to the 1940s, including a rebuilt Mark 2 Colossus computer, alongside an exhibition of the most complex code-cracking activities performed at the Park.

In the 3D virtual tour, viewers can move around the galleries looking at the machines and their descriptions with the added bonus of hyperlinks to video and text explanations providing further detail and history of the exhibits.

9. National Museum of the United States Air Force (Riverside, Ohio)

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Year Opened: 1923

Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Riverside, Ohio, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display.

The virtual tour allows visitors to take a virtual, 360-degree, self-guided tour of the entire museum by navigating from gallery to gallery.

10. Oxford University’s History of Science Museum (Oxford, England)

Oxford University's History of Science Museum

Year Opened: 1683

Oxford’s History of Science Museum holds a leading collection of scientific instruments from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

The museum, ever ahead of the times, has offered virtual tours since 1995. You’ll get to explore the fantastic exhibits and artifacts of some of the most important scientific discoveries in science history.

1. Acropolis Museum (Athens, Greece)

West and South Frieze Acropolis Museum

Year Opened : 2009

The Acropolis Museum is centered around the archaeological findings at the site of Athens’ most important structure — the Acropolis. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and surrounding slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece.

The museum has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring the museum to life virtually. Now you can view rock, marble, and sculptures certificates, all of which are thousands of years old, all from the comfort of your couch!

2. American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours

American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours

The American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours offers the incredible opportunity to experience 360-degree virtual tours of more than 20 American Revolution and Civil War battlefields. You can explore Gettysburg, with 15 different stops, each of which features icons that discuss in great detail the history and significance of the battle.

3. Anne Frank House (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Anne Frank House

Year Opened: 1957

What was once the house where Anne Frank went into hiding during WWII is now a museum dedicated to increasing awareness of Anne’s story and life in the attic. The Anne Frank House was established in cooperation with Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, and now welcomes over 1 million visitors from around the world each year.

The museum’s website offers a virtual reality tour of the annex, along with other educational resources about Anne’s life.

4. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum (Hyde Park, New York)

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library Museum

Year Opened: 1941

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. president (1933 to 1945). The museum showcases the history behind FDR’s story, his presidency, New Deal policies, assassination attempt, and wartime decisions.

The 360-degree online tour gives you a close look at original documents, artifacts, and videos from FDR’s life.

5. National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.)

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Year Opened: 2003

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African-American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African-Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts.

The museum website offers more than 15 different online exhibits covering African American history and culture.

Check out its online virtual tour  and digital resources guide .

6. National Museum of American History (Washington, D.C.)

Smithsonian Museum of American History

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has more than 1.8 million objects that highlight the history of the U.S — including the original Star-Spangled Banner, Julia Child’s kitchen, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, Indiana Jones’ fedora and whip, and more!

The museum offers about 100 online exhibits from its encyclopedic collections, each with a mix of photos, video, graphics, and text on topics ranging through the nation’s entire history.

7. National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Dolly the Sheep at National Museums Scotland

Year Opened : 1866

The National Museum of Scotland is dedicated to Scottish antiquities, culture, and history. The museum contains artifacts from around the world, encompassing geology, archaeology, natural history, science, technology, art, and world cultures. Popular items from the collections include Dolly the Sheep, the Arthur’s Seat coffins, and the Cramond Lioness sculpture.

The Museum’s galleries have been captured digitally in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, along with a virtual walk-through thanks to Google Street View.

8. National Women’s History Museum (Alexandria, Virginia)

National Women's History Museum

Year Opened: 1996

Founded in 1996 by Karen Staser, the National Women’s History Museum researches, collects, and exhibits the contributions of women to the social, cultural, economic, and political life of our nation in the context of world history.

Its website currently features 29 different online exhibits!

9. Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an at Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum (Xi’an, China)

terra cotta warriors of xian

Year Opened: 1974 (created third century B.C.)

The Terracotta Army at Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210 to 209 B.C. to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The sculptures include warriors, chariots, and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the 3 pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits near Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum.

The online experience allows you to get up close and personal with the sculptures in a full 360-degree experience!

To view the online virtual experience, click here .

10. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.)

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Year Opened: 1980

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is the country’s official memorial to the Holocaust. It is located on the National Mall alongside other monuments dedicated to freedom. Each year, the museum encourages its 1.6 million visitors to promote human dignity, confront hatred, prevent genocide, and strengthen democratic values. The museum’s collection includes millions of archival documents, artifacts, photographs, footage, and a list of over 200,000 registered survivors and their families, among other historical items.

Its website offers a wide selection of educational resources, including a virtual tour, and is available in 16 languages.

There you have it — 75 amazing #MuseumsAtHome options filled with one-of-a-kind artifacts covering art, science, history, and natural history, all of which can be “visited” virtually while you lounge in your pajamas! So whether you’re a massive fan of art, looking for an educational experience for your children, or simply need a way to keep yourself entertained, you can’t go wrong with a virtual tour of any of these world-class museums.

Frequently Asked Questions

What museums have virtual tours.

There are dozens of museums worldwide offering virtual tours — we have 75 on this list alone! But some of our favorites are the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the British Museum!

How much do virtual tours cost?

Every single virtual tour included on our list is completely free of charge!

What is a virtual museum tour?

A virtual museum tour is, in essence, a simulation of what you might experience when visiting the museum in person. Virtual tours are usually comprised of a collection of videos, still images, 3D walkthroughs, and narration that help you feel as though you’re visiting the museum — without actually doing so!

How do you do a virtual tour?

Doing a virtual tour is easy! Often, the museum will have a dedicated website page allowing you to view all of their virtual resources on 1 page.

In the case of museums that have a 3D walkthrough, you can “walk” yourself through the museum by clicking from artwork to artwork, and exhibit to exhibit, as if you were actually visiting the museum in person!

Are virtual tours worth it?

Absolutely! If you’re currently not able to visit a museum in person, but want to experience all it has to offer, a virtual tour allows you to do just that — all from the comforts of your home!

Was this page helpful?

About Jarrod West

Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in outlets like The New York Times.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE ™

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the  latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's  privacy policy   and  terms of service   apply.

Related Posts

All Our Best Travel Product Reviews – In One Place

UP's Bonus Valuation

This bonus value is an estimated valuation  calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

The Geographical Cure

50 World Class Museums To Enjoy Virtually Online For Free

Scoping out some museums for art-inspired travel? Here’s my guide to the best virtual museums you can visit online at home from the comfort of your couch or computer.

the Louvre Museum and I.M. Pei Pyramid

Many world class museums have released some or all of their collections online. Or they’ve partnered with Google Arts & Culture to make collections accessible in high resolution.

Some museums have used the technology that powers Google Street View to let you zoom in to see floor plans or specific art works.

If you can’t travel for any reason, this is a splendid time to travel virtually to a museum of your choice. There’s an almost dizzying array of virtual options.

It’s not quite like walking through a museum. But it has its own strange pleasures.

The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, 1485-86

World Class Museums With Online Collections and Virtual Tours For At Home Viewing

Here’s my list of virtual tours for 50 amazing museums:

1. Uffizi Gallery, Florence Italy

Art lovers are rushing to the Virtual Uffizi Gallery Facebook page. Launched in 2020, the page already has over 50,000 followers.

The Uffizi is one of Europe’s best museums, housing priceless treasures of Italian Renaissance art collected by the powerful Medici family. The Uffizi has the world’s best collection of Gothic and Renaissance art.

This is where you can admire Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera , Laocoön and his Sons , and Raphael’s Portrait of Pope Leo X with Two Cardinals .

Install the Google Arts & Culture App to explore the entire collection .

Here’s my comprehensive guide to the Uffizi Gallery and my must know Uffizi tips to prepare for your museum visit.

the British Museum in London

2. British Museum, London England

In London’s artsy Bloomsbury area is one the world’s foremost museums, the British Museum . Opened in 1753, it’s a universal museum, holding a massive collection of the world’s most important historic artifacts. It seeks to provide a cross cultural understanding of art owned by “humanity.”

But it’s owned by humanity in name only. Many of the goodies on display date from England’s reign as a major world super power.

It’s utterly amazing how much stuff the Brits gobbled up, with their obsessive fervor for quirky collecting. Like the hotly disputed Elgin Marbles taken from the Pantheon.

The British Museum allows virtual visitors 360 views of the Great Court, the ancient Rosetta Stone, and the Egyptian mummies. You can also find hundreds of artifacts on the museum’s virtual tour that can be enlarged, with links to curator descriptions of the pieces.

Here’s my complete guide to the British Museum .

the Solomon Guggenheim Musee in NYC

3. Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City

Google’s Street View feature lets visitors virtually tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase designed by Frank Lloyd Wright . From there, you can see incredible masterpieces from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary art periods.

Visit the museum’s popular online collection . There, you’ll find some of the Guggenheim’s most famous works, including Vasily Kandinsky’s Composition 8 (the most popular piece in 2019), Jackson Pollack’s Alchemy , and Edouard Manet’s Before the Mirror .

You can also check out the Guggenheim’s blog , with in-depth analyses of artists and art works.

virtual tours of art museums for students

4. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

The National Gallery of Art is home to some of the most amazing paintings in the world. Plus, as a Smithsonian branch, it’s free to visitors.

But since you can’t visit right now, the museum features two online exhibits through Google. The first is an exhibit of American fashion from 1740 to 1895. The second is a collection of works from Johannes Vermeer, the famous Dutch Baroque painter.

The museum also has a rotating collection of museum highlights online. The most famous pieces will wow you — Pablo Picasso’s Family of Saltimbanques , da Vinci’s Portriat of Ginerva de’ Benci , Vincent Van Gogh’s Roses , Claude Monet’s Woman with a Parasol, and Mary Cassat’s The Boating Party.

For more information, here’s my complete guide to the National Gallery .

Claude Monet, Houses of Parliament, 1904

5. Musée d’Orsay, Paris France

Ah, this is one of my favorite museums in Paris , housed in a beautiful converted railway station.

If you can’t visit the museum, you can virtually see dozens of famous works from French and European artists who toiled in Paris between 1848 and 1914. You’ll see artworks from Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, and so many other artists.

In particular, the d’Orsay is a Van Gogh treasure trove. You can inspect his Self Portrait, Starry Night, Dr. Gachet , The Church at Auvers , and The Siesta .

Other masterpieces at the d’Orsay include Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass and Olympia, Paul Cezanne’s Card Players , Claude Monet’s Houses of Parliament , and Auguste Renoir’s Moulin de la Galette .

Here’s my comprehensive guide to masterpieces of the Orsay and must know tips for visiting the Orsay .

Michelangelo, The Rebellious Slave, 1513  -- originally intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II

6. Louvre, Paris France

The Louvre is Paris’ iconic landmark and the world’s most visited museum. This treasure trove of history is closed right now. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an arrangement with Google Arts & Culture.

But the Louvre does offer free virtual tours of some of its important exhibits, like the Egyptian Antiquities, Napoleon’s Rooms, the Medieval Louvre, and works by Michelangelo.

Via my blog, you can also explore the Louvre’s underrated masterpieces or take my virtual tour of the Louvre . I think the best painting in the Louvre , Theodore Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa .

If you’re a Beyonce fan, her recent music video featured pieces from the Louvre. Now, you can follow the Beyonce Louvre Trail .

READ : Louvre Survival Tips

Paul Cezanne, Portriat of Ambroise Vollard, 1899

7. Paris Museums Collections

In a collective effort, Paris museums have made 100,000 images of artworks from Paris museum collections freely available to the public.

This includes digital downloads of masterpieces by artists including Rembrandt, Gustave Courbet, and Eugène Delacroix.

Here’s the digital collections portal .

the Spy Museum in Washington D.C.

8. The Spy Museum, Washington D.C.

The Spy Museum is always a crowd pleaser. But if you’d like to avoid crowds, you can just visit online.

The Spy Museum gives you 360 degrees views of every room. It’s also got an amazing Pinterest account , featuring photos of its precious artifacts.

The Spy Museum even has a list online of the 10 most important pieces in its collection, including the Enigma Machine that Germany used in WWII to secretly communicate.

Raphael, School of Athens, 1509 -- in the Raphael Rooms of the Vatican Museums

9. The Vatican Museums, Vatican City

I recently visited the Vatican Museums twice during a trip to Rome . The Vatican Museums are the public art and sculpture museums in the Vatican City complex.

The works in the Vatican are invaluable crowning glories of Western art. They tell stories of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the history of the Catholic Church, and the birth of the Renaissance.

You can take an online virtual tour of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel , the Pio Clementino Museum, and the Raphael Rooms .

I’ve also quite a few pieces on in which you can check out the art work.

  • Vatican’s must see masterpieces
  • Raphael Rooms  
  • Hidden gems of the Vatican
  • Best sculptures in the Vatican
  • Sistine Chapel in the Vatican

the Dali Theater and Museum in Figueres Spain. The building looks like it has goosebumps.

10. The Dali Theater Museum, Figueres Spain

This is a delightfully eccentric single artist museum in Salvador Dali’s hometown of Figueres Spain. Designed by Dali himself, the pink bread encrusted museum is a surrealistic object itself.

I’ve written a complete guide to the Dali Museum . But you can also see some of its most famous pieces online .

Check out the Mae West Room, the Labyrinth, the Rain Taxi, the courtyard of golden Oscar statues, and the painting of Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea (a clever double image).

Van Gogh, Almond Blossom, 1890

11. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam Netherlands

The Van Gogh Museum boasts the largest collection of paintings by the Post-Impressions master Vincent Van Gogh .

He’s an artist known for his colorful sunflowers, vivid landscapes, and searing portraits. Online, you can see panoramic views of the museum rooms.

The museum offers almost 1500 images of paintings to inspect. There’s also a 360 virtual tour of its Sunflower Gallery , with paintings from five international museums.

Rembrandt, The Night Watch, 1642

12. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam Netherlands

If you love Dutch art, this is your chance to check out the preeminent source. The Rijksmuseum is well represented on Google Arts & Culture, with 150,000 items on display.

You’ll find masterpieces by Rembrandt ( The Night Watch , The Jewish Bride ), Vermeer ( The Milk Maid) , and Franz Hals ( The Wedding Portrait ) on their virtual tours . There’s also a Google Streets View of its grounds.

Van Gogh, Irises, 1889

13. J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, Los Angeles

Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Richard Meier, the world famous Getty Center in southern California opened to the public in 1997.

The Getty Museum has an outstanding online virtual tour with Google Arts & Culture. It even has an outdoor virtual tour , which uses photography and time-lapse videos to enliven the experience.

There are 15,000 paintings and artifacts to see with accompanying audio explanations. Check out the Getty’s most famous pieces — Van Gogh’s Irises and Rembrandt Laughing , Renoir’s La Promenade , and the Lansdowne Herakles sculpture from Roman antiquity.

For more information, you can check out my guide to the Getty Center .

Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931

14. Museum of Modern Art, New York City US

The venerable MOMA boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of modern and contemporary art in the world. A $450 million expansion in 2019 added 45,000 square feet of space.

It was the first museum solely dedicated to modern art. It has 84,000 pieces art on display online .

It’s seminal masterpieces include works by Jackson Pollack, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, and the ever popular Impressionists. MOMA’s most famous piece is Van Gogh’s Starry Night .

The Marilyn Diptich, Andy Warhol, 1962

15. Tate Modern, London England

The Tate Modern is my favorite museum in London, a city overflowing with marvelous free museums . Opened in 2000, it’s housed in the former Bankside Power Station. The industrial look seems fitting for its cutting edge art.

Among other modern art masterpieces , you can clap your eyes on Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych , Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain , Amadeo Modigliani’s Peasant Boy , Pablo Picasso’s Nude Woman in a Red Armchair, Georgio de Chirico’s the Uncertainty of the Poet , and Henri Matisse’s The Snail, and Salvador Dali’s Lobster Telephone .

You can navigate the Tate Modern via Google Street View or explore its digitized masterpieces online . The Tate is to launch free online film tours of Andy Warhol (April 6) and Aubrey Beardsley (April 13) exhibitions on their YouTube channel .

Leonardo da Vinci, Virgin of the Rocks, 1483

16. National Gallery, London England

London’s National Gallery is an incredibly diverse museum, featuring 2,000 European paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

You’ll find familiar names like Rembrandt, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, J.M.W. Turner, Monet, and Van Gogh.

READ : The Monet Guide To Paris

The most famous painting on display is Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin of the Rocks. But Van Gogh’s Sunflowers also draws hordes of admirers. Wherever you are, you can take a virtual tour .

Here’s my complete guide to the National Gallery .

the Velázquez entrance of the Prado Museum in Madrid Spain

17. The Prado Museum, Madrid Spain

The Prado Museum in Madrid is Spain’s cultural jewel. It boasts one of Europe’s finest and most sensuous painting collections.

The artistic anchors of the Prado are Francisco Goya, Diego Velázquez, and Peter Paul Rubens. But there are also masterpieces by Titian, Bosch, and El Greco.

Now you can Prado in your PJs. If you want to take a virtual tour of the Prado, you can. The Prado recently broadcast a live video in which its director, Miguel Falomir, gave a 20 minute talk on Tintoretto’s famed Christ Washing the Disciples’ Feet .

The Prado also has a 360 virtual tour of its Rubens exhibition and an impressive online collection of over 10,000 works of art. Smarthistory has a large cache of YouTube videos exploring many of the Prado’s best works. The Prado also does a live one hour show on Instagram, also posted on Facebook, every morning at 10:00 am.

Here’s my complete guide to visting the Prado .

courtyard of the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, with a Roy Lichtenstein sculpture

18. The Reina Sofia, Madrid Spain

Opened in 1992, the Reina Sofia is Madrid’s modern art museum. Its collection is comprised entirely of art work from 1900 to the present.

There’s a special focus on Spain’s favorite sons, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali , and their respective schools of Cubism and Surrealism.

The star of the Reina Sofia is Guernica , Picasso’s grim depiction of the seemingly casual Nazi bombing of Guernica Spain in 1937.

The Reina Sofia recently tweeted a video showing the array of content it has online .

a famous portrait of England's most notorious king  -- Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of King Henry VIII of England, 1537

19. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid Spain

Housed in the Villahermosa Palace, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is named after art collector Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.

The museum covers every major period in Western art, from 13th century Italian Renaissance to 20th century Pop Art. It also has an important collection of 19th century American paintings not found elsewhere in Europe.

The museum offers virtual visits to both its permanent collection and temporary exhibits. You can also browse through thematic tours that center on fashion, food, love, and wine.

READ : Best Art Museums in Spain

head of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the Museum of Natural History

20. Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. US

Washington D.C.’s Museum of Natural History is one of the most visited museums in the world. You can inspect some of its wonderful treasures with an online virtual tour of the entire grounds.

Viewers head into its rotunda and receive a comprehensive 360 room by room walking tour of its most exceptional exhibits, including the Hall of Mammals, Insect Zoo, and Dinosaurs and Hall of Paleobiology.

In general, the Smithsonian museums have also released 2.8 million images into the public domain. They’re searchable, shareable, and downloadable via the museum’s Open Access platform . The Smithsonian will continue to digitize and publish their collections.

the State Hermitage Museum, housed in the Winter Palace of the former Russian Emperors

21. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg Russia

The State Hermitage is one of the world’s best museums. It’s the second largest museum in the world. It’s so large that it’s impossible to tackle in one real life visit anyway. Instead, you can explore its artsy endless halls with the Google Art Project guide.

Alternatively, check out the Hermitage website , which boasts a large digital archive with very convenient navigation. In the Highlights section, you’ll find the Hermitage’s most significant pieces: Faberge eggs, sculptures, and jewelry.

Some of its world class paintings include Rembrant’s Danae and The Return of the Prodigal Son , Henri Matisse’s Dance , Titian’s Danae , and Kandinsky’s Composition VI . Other Russian museums with significant online collections can be found here .

Boy Blowing Bubbles, Édouard Manet, 1867, Gulbenkian Museum

22. Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon Portugal

If you’re pining for Portugal , Lisbon’s Calouste Gulbenkian Museum has excellent online viewing options.

Thanks to a wealthy oil magnate, this gem of a museum is stuffed with a stunning range of treasures spanning 4,000 years. It’s one of the world’s largest and best private art collections, compiled over 40 years.

The museum has a 360 tour of the Founder’s Collection and the Modern Collection galleries. It also has an extensive online collection .

READ : 4 Day Itinerary for Lisbon

atrium of the beautiful Tate Britain in London

23. Tate Britain, London England

The Tate Britain may be London’s most beautiful museum. It boasts a domed rotunda, beautiful spiral staircase, terrazzo floors, and Victorian details. Built in the late 19th century, the Tate Britain underwent an extensive renovation completed in 2013. The result is an ultra pretty museum experience.

The Tate Britain is home to J. M. W. Turner’s watercolors and Francis Bacon’s abstract religious triptychs and screaming popes. Some of Tate Britain’s most famous paintings are here, including Sir John Everett Millais’ Ophelia , John William Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott , and John Constable’s Flatford Mill.

Of special note, there are 8 rooms dedicated to Turner, one of Britian’s greatest and most famous artists.

And you can enjoy it all online with Google Arts & Culture. And you can check out my guide to the Tate Britain , with must see masterpieces.

Antonio Canova, Venus Italica, 1822–23

24. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City US

The Met is the largest museum in the United States. It has an extremely good online collection . There are over 200,000 works on Google Arts & Culture.

The Met also offers a 360 tour , consisting of 6 videos. The tour showcases different spaces inside the Met from unique angles.

Check out the Met’s best pieces — Georgia O’Keefe’s Cow’s Skull , Van Gogh’s Self Portrait with a Straw Hat , Monet’s Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies , Jacques Louis David’s The Death of Socrates , and Antonio Canova’s famous sculpture Venus Italica .

big chunks of a domineering Emperor Constantine, pieces of the Colossus of Constantine

25. The Capitoline Museums, Rome Italy

If you love ancient Greco-Roman sculpture, the Capitoline Museums have a virtual tour of its floorplans and collections. You can also examine its exhibits on Google Arts & Culture .

The Capitoline Museums is Rome’s oldest museum complex, sitting atop a beautiful Michelangelo-designed square, the Piazza dei Campidoglio on Capitoline Hill. It gives you a unique look at Rome’s ancient imperial history. If you’re a history or archaeology buff, this is a must see site in Rome .

READ : 5 Day Itinerary For Rome

The Capitoline Museum boasts an enormous array of ancient Roman, medieval, and Renaissance art — statuary, paintings, and relics. The most famous pieces are the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius , Dying Gaul , Medusa , Capitoline Venus , Spinario , and Bust of Commodus .

Here’s my complete guide to the Capitoline Museums .

Raphael, Self Portrait, 1506

26. Raffaello Exhibit, Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome Italy

2020 marked the 500 year anniversary of the death of the Renaissance master Raphael . In honor of the great artist, Rome planned a landmark exhibition.

200 paintings had been gathered from all over Italy, from the Vatican Museums, and on loan from major museums worldwide.

Titled RAFFAELLO, the exhibition was planned to run from March 5th – June 2nd. But it was closed after several days. Fortunately a free virtual tour is now available. It’s narrated in Italian. But you can still admire the beauty of the art works.

Aca Pacis, the Altar of Peace

27. Ara Pacis | Museum of the Altar of Peace, Rome Italy

The Ara Pacis Museum is dedicated to a single item — an ancient arch dedicated to the gods.

The arch was built by soon-to-be emperor Augustus, who had just pacified the barbarians. This victory marked the beginning of the Pax Roman, a 200 year golden age where arts and architecture flourished.

Opened in 2006, the altar-museum is housed in a modern pavilion designed by American architect Richard Meier. Examine all the intricacies of the altar with the museum’s virtual tour here .

the original Caryatids from the Erechtheion, on display in the Acropolis Museum

28. The Acropolis Museum, Athens Greece

In 2009, Athens opened a gorgeous new museum, the Acropolis Museum.

Designed by French-Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi, it’s a $200 million state of the art rebuttal to the British Museum’s claim that Athens had nowhere to properly store and display the Elgin Marbles , disputed statuary from the Parthenon’s frieze.

The Acropolis Museum recreated the Parthenon friezes for display. It’s also home to 5,0000 year old artifacts excavated from the Acropolis, home to the Parthenon. Both the ruins and the neighboring museum are free to explore virtually on Google Maps .

READ : One Day In Athens Itinerary

the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, in Naples Italy

29. Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples Italy

Located in the Capodimonte Palace, the Capodimonte Museum houses a collection of fine and decorative arts mostly from Naples. The core of its collection was compiled by the powerful Farnese and Bourbon families.

The Capodimonte Museum has works by Caravaggio, Masaccio, Titian, Raphael, El Greco, Bruegel, and Sebastiano del Piombo (who also decorated the Villa Farnesina in Rome). The museum’s most famous painting is probably The Gypsy Madonna by Correggio. You can visit the museum’s online collection here .

Thanks to the museum’s collaboration with Google Arts & Culture, the cultural and artistic gems of the Capodimonte Museum can be admired online from home.

The online Google Art & Culture platform contains over 536 works of art. The Google Street View tool allows visitors to enjoy 14 themed stories and virtual tours of museum masterpieces.

inner courtyard of Picasso Museum in Barcelona

30. Picasso Museum, Barcelona Spain

Founded in 1963, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona was launched with a donation of 574 works by Picasso’s secretary, Jaime Sabartés. In 1970, Picasso himself donated 800 more pieces to the museum.

In this museum, you’ll find one of the most extensive collections of his work, 4000 pieces, certainly the best collection in Spain. The best part of the museum is where it’s housed — in five glorious adjoining medieval palaces.

You can browse the highlights of the museum’s online collection here , though the images are rather small. You can take a virtual tour of the palaces here . The palace tour takes you on a private guided tour of the museum’s architectural elements.

If you’d like more Picasso, here’s my guide to the Picasso museums in Europe and my guide to the Picasso Museum in Paris .

the Artemis statue in the courtyard of the Isabella Stewart gander Museum in Boston

31. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston MA

Ah, this is one of my favorite museums in the United States. If you’re a museum or art lover, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a must see site in Boston Massachusetts . I just adored it.

The museum houses gorgeous paintings from the Italian Renaissance and Dutch Golden Age in an exquisite Venetian-style palazzo. The collection was assembled by Gardner herself, who was a wealthy maverick and avid art collector.

Gardner carefully curated and installed her collection amid the three floors of intimate gallery spaces and the interior courtyard with a skylit roof. Each room is named and sumptuously decorated.

In effect, the museum is a total work of art with Gardner as the installation artist. You’ll find pieces by John Singer Sargent, Rembrandt, Francisco Zurburan, Titian, and Sandro Botticelli.

Here’s my guide to the Gardner Museum . You can also take a virtual tour through Google Arts & Culture . If you’ve never watched the fascinating introductory video on the museum’s homepage , now’s the perfect time.

Claude Monet's water lilies at the Musee de L'Orangerie in Paris

32. Musee de L’Orangerie, Paris France

Paris’ Musée de l’Orangerie, or the Orangerie Museum, is one of the best small museums in Paris . It’s a quick 10 minute walk from its more popular sister museum the Musée D’Orsay. And it’s completely worth the detour, a hidden gem in Paris just waiting for avid fans of the Impressionist painter Claude Monet.

The Orangerie’s main claim to fame is its famed collection of Monet’s water lilies, some of which can also be found at the equally stunning Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris’ 16th arrondissement.

In 1927, the water lilies were set in massive curved panels and installed in two adjoining oval shaped rooms in the new museum. Some art historians call the Orangerie the world’s first “art installation” because the space was designed specifically for Monet’s water lilies.

Here’s my complete guide to the Orangerie . You can also visit the museum masterpieces virtually on Google Arts & Culture.

Marc Chagall, The Birthday, 1887, at the Guggenheim Bilbao

33. Guggenheim Bilbao, Bilbao Spain

Who can argue with the emblematic Guggenheim Museum ? Inaugurated in 1997, Frank Gehry’s twisting shimmering museum is the star of the underrated city of Bilbao Spain .

The space age building is an awe-inspiring blend of titanium, glass, and limestone. The scaly exterior evokes a silvery fish and the wings of the building the wind-filled sails of a ship.

Outside, there’s a veritable sculpture museum. Inside, the Guggenheim’s modern art collection is on par with Europe’s best modern art museums. You’ll find works by Robert Motherwell, Yves Klein, Andy Warhol, Eduardo Chillada, and Anselm Kiefer.

Via Google Arts & Culture, you can explore the Guggenheim Bilbao. The online offering includes cinematographic photos, videos, and guided tours of masterpieces from the collection.

READ : 2 Day Itinerary for Bilbao

Andy Warhol, silkscreen of Botticelli's Renaissance painting The Birth of Venus, 1984

34. Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh PA

This wonderful single artist museum celebrates Pittsburgh’s hippest native son, who made himself a world famous Pop artist. As the Prince of Pop, Andy Warhol was a hugely significant artist of the second half of the 20th century. Warhol cannily merged superficial commerce and fine art, popularizing robotic everyday images.

Opened in 1994, the Andy Warhol Museum is a chic urban venue. It’s an immersive and well curated museum. The museum has 7 floors in chronological order. You’ll see seminal works from the 1940s to Warhol’s death in 1987, with explanations of Warhol’s creative process.

The Warhol Museum has some of its art and archives online here . You can read about Warhol’s life here .

If you want to see more Warhol work, you can read my guide to the Warhol Museum and find other Warhol’s pieces on Google Arts & Culture .

Van Gogh, Self Portrait, 1887

35. Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago IL

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the best, and incredibly diverse, museums in the United States. It has the best collection of Impressionist paintings outside Paris and a spectacular modern art section.

The museum’s standout masterpieces include Grant Wood’s American Gothic , Georges Seurat’s Sunday on La Grand Jatte , Andy Warhol’s Liz #3 , Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks , Joan Mitchell’s City Landscape 1955, and Monet’s Stacks of Wheat.

You can now tour the renowned museum on Google Arts & Culture . If you’re interested in interiors, take a virtual tour of the Thorne Miniature Rooms.

If you want to explore ancient Roman ruins, there are over a 1,000 pieces online , including a noseless bust of Emperor Hadrian.

Museo Napoleonico in Rome Italy

36. Museo Napoleonico, Rome Italy

Housed in the Palazzo Primoli, this Roman museum is dedicated to the period of Napoleon and his connection to Italy. Located just north of the Piazza Navona, the museum contains the collections of Count Giuseppe Primoli. He was the great grandson of Joseph and Lucien Bonaparte.

Primoli’s aim was to present the imperial family from his own private point of view. The museum is still arranged as he envisioned it.

You’ll find painting, artifacts, sculptures, Napoleon’s outfits, books, memorabilia, etc. If you’re a history buff, this museum is for you.

The Museo Napoleonico has an excellent multimedia virtual tour . You can take a 360 tour of the collection. Or you can go to the photo gallery, click on a specific photo, and get a wealth of information.

Paolo Veronese, Rape of Europa, 1570 -- in the Doge's Palace

37. The Doge’s Palace, Venice Italy

Set in St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace or Palazzo Ducale is the very symbol of Venice and a must see site in the city .

This pink and white marble Gothic-Renaissance building was the official residence of the doges who ruled Venice for more than 1,000 years. It was held Casanova in a cell, but he dramatically escaped

Aside from the gorgeous rooms and staircases, there’s some fantastic works of art on display: Veronese’s Rape of Europe and The Triumph of Venice, many paintings and ceilings by Tintoretto, and Tiepolo’s Neptune Bestowing Gifts upon Venice .

You can tour the Doge’s Palace virtually on Google Arts & Culture , take a 360 tour of the exterior, or take a 360 tour of the city of Venice itself.

READ : 2 Day Itinerary for Venice

the Belvedere Palace in Vienna Austria

38. The Belvedere Palace, Vienna Austria

The Belvedere Palace is one of Vienna’s most visited tourist spots and an important UNESCO site for its showy architectural ensemble. The Belvedere is also one of Europe’s most important museums.

The Belvedere’s a haven of Baroque and Austrian art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Its main claim to fame is the world’s largest collection of Gustav Klimt paintings, including the world famous The Kiss . It also boasts masterworks by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka, two important Expressionist painters.

Here’s my complete guide to visiting the Belvedere Palace . You can also tour it virtually on Google Arts & Culture . There’s also an online exhibit dedicated to The Kiss . If you like Klimt’s gold toned art nouveau pieces, I also have a guide on where to find Klimt art work in Vienna .

Albrecht Durer, Self-Portrait at the Age of Twenty Eight, 1500

39. Alte Pinakothek, Munich Germany

Munich’s most touted museum is the Alte Pinakothek . The museum shows off a collection of European masterpieces from the 14th to 19th centuries.

You’ll see a goodly number of paintings from the Italian Renaissance, including works by da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, and Titian. You’ll also find Albrecht Durer’s mysterious Self Portrait, and other old master treasures.

You can virtually tour the Alte Pinakothek online at Google Arts & Culture , where they have a massive collection. I also like this Rick Steve’s video about the museum.

READ : 4 Day Itinerary for Munich

Museum of Fine Arts in seville

40 . Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla, Seville Spain

The Museo de Bellas Artes , or Museum of Fine Arts, is a smashing museum, quite lovely. It’s known, after the Prado, as the “second art gallery in Spain.” It’s housed in a salmon colored former convent in Seville Spain .

The museum has art from the middle ages to the 20th century. But it’s most known for its collection of 17th century art from Spain’s Golden Age, featuring Spain’s top painters Zurbarán, Murillo, El Greco, and Velazquez. You’ll see a lot of monks, balding saints, cherubs, and depictions of Christ.

You can take a virtual tour of the Seville Museum of Fine Arts’ masterpieces on Google Arts & Culture . There are excellent online exhibits on Baroque masters and on the museum’s superstar Murillo .

Ignacio Zuloaga, Portrait of the Countess Mathieu de Noailles, 1913 -- gorgeous portrait!

41. Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao Virtual Tour, Bilbao Spain

Often overshadowed by the famous Guggenheim Bilbao, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao is nonetheless one of Spain’s best museums. If you’re an art lover, you should definitely visit in person one day.

Located in Bilbao’s Abando neighborhood, the museum boasts over 10,000 art works, arranged chronologically from the 12th century to the present. It has works by Spanish artists Picasso , Goya , El Greco, Zurbaran, and Chillada, as well as many international artists.

You can explore the collection of the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts on Google Arts & Culture .

the beautiful Rodin Museum in Paris, housed in the Hotel Biron

42. Musee Rodin, Rodin Museum, Paris France

Opened in 1919, the Rodin Museum is a shrine to the complex life and oeuvre of one of France’s most revered artists, Auguste Rodin . Rodin is considered the father of modern sculpture. Rodin’s titular museum is housed in the 18th century Hotel Biron, a romantic mansion where Rodin created some of his greatest works.

The museum’s permanent collection includes many iconic Rodin sculptures and works from Rodin’s brilliant student Camille Claudel . The Rodin Museum also has a vast and verdant sculpture garden. In it, Rodin hand placed some of his favorite and most iconic sculptures.

The Rodin Museum has added some online audio tours. You can take a virtual tour of his famous sculpture The Thinker , read stories about Rodin’s life, and view and learn about 40 of the figures in his masterpiece The Gates of Hell .

You can also explore over 300 Rodin sculptures on Google Arts & Culture . Here’s my complete guide to the Rodin Museum , if you want to know more.

the gorgeous second floor of the Picasso Museum showing his piece Grand Nu au Fauteil Rouge

43. Musée National Picasso, Picasso Museum, Paris France

Paris’ Picasso Museum is a fantastic single artist museum. It holds one of Paris’ most treasured art collections, shown off in an elegant private mansion in the Marais.

What I love most about the Picasso Museum is that it houses all the art that Picasso himself couldn’t part with. It’s a personal collection that he created, curated, lived with, and kept nearby his entire life. The museum showcases all the artistic periods of his long life, all the women he romanced, and reveals his extraordinary range and talent.

Here’s an excellent series of audio tours of Picasso Museum masterpieces. The museum itself doesn’t yet have a very good online collection.

But you can check out virtual tours of the museum on YouTube here and here . Smarthistory offers 13 virtual tours of seminal Picasso works. And you get explore Picasso paintings on Google Arts & Culture .

Here’s my complete guide to visiting the Picasso Museum in Paris .

facade of the Palace of Versailles

44. The Palace of Versailles, Versailles France

The Palace of Versailles has opened its digital doors. Built by the Sun King Louis XIV, the Palace of Versailles is the most ornate and famous royal chateau in France, located just outside Paris. Once behind closed doors, the 17th century palace is now yours for digital viewing at home.

The palace has partnered with Google Arts & Culture to present virtual exhibits online. Google takes users on a journey of the palace’s rich decor and art collection of over 22,000 pieces.

You can also take a plethora of amazing virtual tours on the Palace of Versailles’ website . Nothing is left out! You can see the Hall of Mirrors, the royal apartments, tour the famous Le Notre gardens, etc.

For the full scoop on everything you can see and read online, here’s my guide to taking a digital tour of the Palace of Versailles .

Andy Warhol Room in the Bernardo Museum

45. Bernardo Museum | Museu Colecção Berardo, Lisbon Portugal

The Bernardo Museum is Lisbon’s modern art museum. Located in the Belem district, it’s a fabulous museum with over 1,000 works from the 20th and 21st centuries.

The ultra-white, minimalist gallery displays billionaire José Berardo’s eye-popping collection of abstract, surrealist and pop art.

It includes art work by such luminaries as David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Francis Bacon, and Willem de Kooning. Picasso’s early Tete de Femme from 1909 and Warhol’s iconic Brillo Box are highlights.

You can take virtually visit the museum on Google Arts & Culture. And here’s a 360 virtual tour where you can admire the art up close.

the Cluny Museum in Paris

46. Cluny Museum, the National Museum of the Middle Ages, Paris France

Are you a history buff who wants to be transported back to the late Middle Ages? Or are you, like everyone else it seems, just crazy for mythical unicorns? If so, the Musée Cluny is a must see site in the Latin Quarter of Paris.

It’s truly one of my favorite museums in Paris. The museum’s housed in the Hotel de Cluny, built in the 14th century and adjacent to an extant Roman bath.

The Cluny Museum is dedicated to all things from the Middle Ages. Its centerpiece is the famous Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. They’re considered the Mona Lisa of tapestries and one of the greatest surviving medieval relics.

You can take a virtual YouTube tour of the museum here . And here’s a 360 tour of the beautiful museum. You can also check out my guide to the Cluny .

Portrait of Sarah Bernhardt, 1876, Georges-Jules-Victor Clairin

47. The Petit Palais, Paris France

Like its sister palace the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais was built for Paris’ 1900 World Fair. It became a museum in 1902. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style by famous architect Charles Girault, the Petit Palais is a charming small museum.

It houses French paintings, sculpture, and artifacts from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Petit Palais collection includes artists as diverse as Rembrandt, Fragonard, Delacroix, Cézanne, Courbot, Corot, Monet, Rodin, Sisley, Pissarro, and many others. There’s also a section dedicated to Roman and Greek art.

Though the museum isn’t on Google Arts & Culture, it has a very good online collection for you to explore. You can also virtually visit its current temporary exhibition, In the Drawing Room , featuring Masterpieces of the Prat Collection. And here’s a YouTube video of the museum’s collection.

For more information, here’s my guide to the Petit Palais .

the elegant Palazzo Barberini in Rome

48. Palazzo Barberini | Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Rome Italy

Palazzo Barberini is an underrated museum in Rome. But it’s definitely an art lover’s art gallery. Recent restorations give it an unapologetically grand wow factor. The museum holds some of Europe’s classic paintings by the great masters.

The Barberini Palace is 12,000 square meters and has 187 rooms. It has beautiful staircases by Borromini and Bernini.

It’s home to one of Raphael’s most famous paintings, La Fornarina . It’s a painting of the “baker’s daughter,” whom Raphael had fallen in love with while fresco painting in the Villa Farnesina.

Caravaggio, Judith beheading Holofernes, 1599

Other master works include Caravaggio’s Narcissus and Judith and Holofernes , Holbein’s Henry VIII , and the ceiling fresco by Pietro da Cortona.

You can take a live tour with a museum guide here , a virtual tour with a museum curator on YouTube here , and get a 360 view of the current exhibit on Claude Monet here .

You can also check out my guide to the Palazzo Barberini .

READ : Secret Palace Museums in Rome

Frank Gehry's Louis Vuitton Foundation, designed to look like a sailing ship

49. Louis Vuitton Foundation

Inaugurated in 2014, the Louis Vuitton Foundation houses the collection of Bernard Arnault. It’s a chic little museum tucked into a stunning Frank Gehry designed glass building located in the Bois de Bologne. The Foundation houses modern and contemporary art from the 1960s to the present.

The museum’s permanent collection showcases Pop, Expressionistic, and Contemplative pieces. You’ll find masterpieces by the likes of Egon Schiele, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Henri Matisse, and Ellsworth Kelly. The foundation hosts temporary exhibits as well.

You can take a virtual tour here . Or read my guide to the Louis Vuitton Fondation .

virtual tours of art museums for students

50. NASA Headquarters

If you geek out on science, you’ll be pleased to know that NASA offers virtual tours of its research centers. Their extensive virtual tours combine videos, text, and 360 degree views. You may feel like you’re on a school field trip.

Here are some virtual tours from NASA worth exploring:

NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, USA

NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia

The Space Telescope Operations Control Center at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland

* * * * * * *

This is just a sampling of world class museums to enjoy virtually from home. There are over 2500 virtual tours on Google Arts & Culture. If you’d like to explore more online travel and culture sites, here are my other virtual tour guides:

  • Virtual Rome
  • Virtual Lisbon
  • Virtual London
  • Virtual Barcelona
  • Virtual Paris
  • Virtual Versailles
  • Virtual Venice
  • Virtual France
  • Virtual Andalusia
  • Virtual French Chateaux
  • Virtual Paris Museums
  • Virtual Italian Museums

Virtual Spanish Museums

If you’d like to tour world class museums online, pin it for later.

Pinterest pin for guide to world class museums to enjoy online for free

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Last Updated on March 30, 2023 by Leslie Livingston

  • Search Please fill out this field.
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Newsletters
  • Sweepstakes
  • Attractions
  • Museums + Galleries

These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch

Experience the best museums — from London to Seoul — from the comfort of your own home.

virtual tours of art museums for students

While there's nothing like setting foot inside an iconic museum and laying eyes on a world-famous sculpture created by a renowned artist centuries ago, it's not always possible to hop on a plane to New York City , Paris , or Florence to tour the gallery halls in person.

But there is a way to get a little culture and education while you're at home, gaining inspiration and intel for future trips as well. Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with more than 1,200 museums and galleries around the world to bring anyone and everyone virtual tours and online exhibits of some of the most famous museums around the world.

You get to "go to the museum" and never have to leave your couch.

Google Arts & Culture's collection includes The British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and literally hundreds more places where you can gain knowledge about art, history, and science.

Take a look at just some of Google's top museums that are offering online tours and exhibits. And if you're seeking more thoughtful inspiration from the comfort of your own home, museums around the world are sharing their most zen art on social media . Or, for a dose of nature, you can go "outside" with incredible virtual tours of some of America's best national parks .

The British Museum, London

This iconic museum located in the heart of London allows virtual visitors to tour the Great Court and discover the ancient Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies. You can also find hundreds of artifacts on The Museum of the World interactive website, a collaboration between The British Museum and Google Cultural Institute.

Guggenheim, New York

Google's Street View feature lets visitors tour the Guggenheim's famous spiral staircase without ever leaving home. From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the impressionist, post-impressionist, modern, and contemporary eras.

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

This famous American art museum features two online exhibits through Google. The first is an exhibit of American fashion from 1740 to 1895, including many renderings of clothes from the colonial and Revolutionary eras. The second is a collection of works from Dutch baroque painter Johannes Vermeer.

Musée d’Orsay, Paris

You can virtually walk through this popular gallery that houses dozens of famous works from French artists who worked and lived between 1848 and 1914. Get a peek at artworks from Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin, among others.

Don Eim/Travel + Leisure

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul

One of Korea's popular museums can be accessed from anywhere around the world. Google's virtual tour takes you through six floors of contemporary art from Korea and all over the globe.

Pergamon Museum, Berlin

As one of Germany's largest museums, Pergamon has a lot to offer — even if you can't physically be there . This historical museum is home to plenty of ancient artifacts including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and, of course, the Pergamon Altar.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Explore masterpieces from the Dutch Golden Age, including works from Vermeer and Rembrandt. Google offers a Street View tour of this iconic museum, so you can feel as if you're actually wandering its halls.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Anyone who's a fan of this tragic, ingenious painter can see his works up close (or, almost up close ) by virtually visiting this museum, home to the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh, including more than 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and 750 personal letters.

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

European artworks from as far back as the eighth century can be found in this California art museum. Take a Street View tour to discover a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts, and photographs.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

This less well-known gallery houses the art collection of one of Florence's most famous families, the de' Medicis. The building was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 specifically for Cosimo I de' Medici, but anyone can wander its halls from anywhere in the world .

MASP, São Paulo

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo is a nonprofit and Brazil's first modern museum. Artworks placed on clear, raised frames make it seem like they're hovering in midair. Take a virtual tour to experience the wondrous display for yourself.

National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City

Built in 1964, this museum is dedicated to the archaeology and history of Mexico's pre-Hispanic heritage. There are 22 exhibit rooms filled with ancient artifacts, including some from the Maya civilization.

Not all popular art museums and galleries are included in Google Arts & Culture's collection, but some have taken it upon themselves to offer online visits. For example, the Louvre offers virtual tours on its website .

To see more of Google Arts & Culture's collection of museums, visit its website . There are thousands of museum Street Views on Google as well. Google Arts & Culture also has an online experience for exploring famous historic and cultural heritage sites .

Related Articles

Resilient Educator logo

ChatGPT for Teachers

Trauma-informed practices in schools, teacher well-being, cultivating diversity, equity, & inclusion, integrating technology in the classroom, social-emotional development, covid-19 resources, invest in resilience: summer toolkit, civics & resilience, all toolkits, degree programs, trauma-informed professional development, teacher licensure & certification, how to become - career information, classroom management, instructional design, lifestyle & self-care, online higher ed teaching, current events, virtual museum tours for students.

Virtual Museum Tours for Students

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessarily prevented students from visiting physical destinations like museums and having the enhanced learning experiences that these field trips provide. Fortunately, there are still opportunities to gain enriching experiences from ‘virtual’ travel. Many museums feature world-class websites with online tours that students can attend right from their classroom or home if they’re learning remotely. The following ten museums feature collections that will not only inspire students but are conveniently accessible online.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History features multiple virtual tours, including narrated tours and online visits to some of the museum’s most popular exhibits. What’s great about this museum is that there are so many meaningful exhibits for students to enjoy, no matter their grade level. Students will enjoy these online tours, including the Hall of Fossils, Insect Zoo, Seamonsters Unearthed, and Objects of Wonder exhibits.

The Art Institute of Chicago

As one of the oldest art museums in the U.S., the Art Institute of Chicago features exceptional permanent and temporary exhibits. More than a million people have visited the institute (pre-COVID) to witness its celebrated attractions like Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” and Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks.” Along with online tours, the Art Institute of Chicago provides art activities to do at home and creative lesson plans for teachers.

The Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg, Russia, is one of the most illustrious museums on the planet. Its collection includes over 60,000 works of art by many of the world’s greatest artists, such as Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and da Vinci. The online tour is extensive, which makes this online visit suitable for older students. Or, teachers may want to confine their visit to just one of the tour’s galleries.

British Museum

Located in London, the British Museum is one of the most renowned museums in the world. Its collections hold more than eight million objects from all over the globe, from nearly every epoch of human existence. When visiting the museum online, students can witness virtually some of the most incredible artifacts ever discovered, such as the Rosetta Stone, the Standard of Ur, and Elgin Marbles. Of course, teachers can really impress students by encouraging them to visit the museum’s Harry Potter exhibit!

Virginia Air & Space Center

The Virginia Air & Space Center is the official visitor center for NASA. As such, it’s a venue that brims with wow factor. The center displays exhibits that chronicle more than 100 years of flight and incredible space flight artifacts. One of the center’s most famous holdings is its Apollo 12 Command Module. For science and technology students, this center is a definite must-visit attraction. Pair your online visit with specific class lessons about the history of flight or the first space explorations.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

As one of the most renowned museums in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has invested considerably in its online platforms, making it easy for people to enjoy its collections from virtually anywhere. Students can explore the Met’s outstanding collections of paintings, fashions, musical instruments, and more. Teachers should check out its “MetKids” online platform to find out more about its online features. The Met’s holdings are substantial. Consequently, teachers can pair a virtual visit to this venue with a wide range of curriculum subject matter.

Home to the “Mona Lisa,” the Louvre is filled with world treasures. As it’s located in Paris, it’s not easily accessible at any time unless you happen to be traveling to France. The Louvre features online tours and collections that virtual visitors can explore. From Egyptian antiquities to Renaissance art, the collections span centuries. Be sure to encourage students to check out Hammurabi’s Code and the Lamassu.

National Museum of China

Students don’t need to know Chinese to enjoy a virtual visit to the National Museum of China. The Museum’s information is also presented in English. Students can visit it virtually to learn about China’s vast history, its emperors, its incredible cultural achievements, and everyday life for the Chinese throughout the centuries. Teachers can find many ways to relate artifacts in the collections with topics that students are currently studying.

Museo Galileo

Located in Florence, Italy, the Museo Galileo features a highly notable online platform where students can learn about one of history’s most celebrated scientists and astronomers. The museum features exhibits devoted to Galileo showcasing over 5,000 ancient scientific artifacts and instruments, including Galileo’s telescope. This museum visit is perfect for complementing studies in astronomy, science, and history.

Anne Frank House

Anne Frank, one of the best-known young writers of the last century, is also tragically known for her death at the hands of the Nazis. The Anne Frank Museum pays homage to this young girl, her family, and all the victims of the Holocaust. The museum offers a virtual tour as well as many online resources for anyone interested in learning more about this tragic period in time.

Your students will be blown away by the online exhibits. When your class can’t visit in person, visiting online from the comfort of home is the next best thing.

You may also like to read

  • 3 Interactive Virtual Field Trips for Social Studies Students
  • Students Evaluating Teachers: What Educators Need to Know
  • 7 Cooperative Math Games Teachers and Students Will Love
  • Three Resources for Learning Style Tests for Students
  • How Teachers Can Increase the Impact of Essay Writing for Students
  • How Teachers Can Impart the Benefits of Students Working in Groups

Categorized as: Tips for Teachers and Classroom Resources

Tagged as: Art

  • Online & Campus Master's in TESOL and ESL
  • Certificates in Special Education
  • Online & Campus Bachelor's in Elementary Educ...

Virtual Field Trips

Bring the cma to your students.

The 21 st -century museum, much like the 21 st -century classroom, is a dynamic space that is changing constantly. Whether welcoming your students into our physical space, or providing online options, CMA school programs are developed to align with classroom goals and meet standards across the curriculum to ensure a well-rounded, engaging learning experience. 

CMA virtual field trip options include:

  • in-gallery pre-recorded video tours
  • live experiences with trained educators

Read more below, or reach out to us at 803-343-2163 or [email protected] .

Title 1 Schools

The Art for All program is designed to offer Title I schools the opportunity to enjoy a field trip to the Columbia Museum of Art free of charge, whether in-person or virtually. In 2021-2022, Title I schools are eligible to take advantage of this opportunity while funds remain.

This program is supported by the Lipscomb Family Foundation, the Coles Family Foundation of Central Carolina Community Foundation, and the Sonoco Foundation.

Pre-Recorded Video Gallery Tours

These 30-minute videos follow an educator through the galleries, replicating a CMA visit experience. The educator will incorporate inquiry-based discussion techniques that allow the teacher to further the conversation by pausing the video and facilitating discussion. Each purchase includes a video link and an introduction for teachers on how to facilitate image-based discussion.

$25 per video.

Studio Kit Add-On These kits can be added on to any virtual field trip option for an additional charge. These sets include materials for students to complete the studio lesson that connects with their virtual discussion. $3 per student. Kits can be mailed out for an additional $10 fee or picked up from the CMA for no additional charge. 

Book Yours Today

Program Choices

Animal Nature Come with us on an animal safari! We’ll be on the lookout for creatures of all kinds and learning about the natural environments they inhabit. In the studios we’ll make our own artful animals and habitats. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Sense-ational Art In this tour we’ll be using our senses to make discoveries about the art we see and the world around us. Join us as we explore texture, sound, and smell throughout the galleries and create multimedia masterpieces in the studios. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Rock, Paper, Silver In this tour we’ll explore natural resources and how they make up the materials used in works of art. We’ll use scientific and mathematical skills to discuss three-dimensional works of art from sculpture to architecture. In the studios we’ll create our own 3D creations. Download Pre-Visit Guide

How Art Works From a hammer and chisel to a well-oiled machine, art can be created with all sorts of things. In the studios we’ll learn the ins and outs of how art is made and the impact that art has in society. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Visions of the United States American life has been shaped by so many forces, from Native American tribes and African cultures to European fashions and popular culture. In the galleries we will discuss how art reflects American values and changing ways of life. In the studios students will create their own interpretation of Americana. Download Pre-Visit Guide

The Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher February 6 – June 6, 2021 Get a closer look at one of the most masterful printmakers of all time in The Imaginative Worlds of M.C. Escher. On this tour we’ll explore geometry, perspective, world cultures, and more as we delve into to the intricate and intriguing work of this graphic artist. Download the Pre-Visit Guide

30 Americans Explore some of the most dynamic and thought-provoking works from major Black artists from the last four decades. The varied works in this exhibition touch on historical events, identity, media, and materiality. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Ways of Life Art doesn’t just tell us about the artist’s own ideas; it can tell us about what life is like in a certain time and place. In this tour we’ll explore art spanning from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern-day United States as we discuss how art shapes our understanding of cultures around the world. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Visions from India Was on view October 16, 2020 – January 10, 2021 Explore the diverse and incredibly varied works of 20 contemporary Indian artists, ranging from the meticulously detailed to soaring installations. The tour delves into Indian politics and history as well as current cultural touch points. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Balance of Power Art is one of many ways people have demonstrated prestige and privilege over time. In the galleries we’ll examine figures and symbols in works of art from the powerful to the powerless, discussing who is and is not being depicted and why. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Making a Modern World Being modern has meant different things in different eras. In this tour we’ll explore the notion of modernity through both history and art, from the Renaissance up to the present day. In the studios students will explore modernity and what it means in their daily lives through their own creations. Download Pre-Visit Guide

virtual tours of art museums for students

Pre-Recorded Video Gallery Tour: Black Is Beautiful

Please enjoy this free video tour of the exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite .

In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite used photography to popularize the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful.” This exhibition—the first ever dedicated to Brathwaite’s remarkable career—tells the story of a key figure of the second Harlem Renaissance.

This discussion of Black Is Beautiful is an example of what you'll see in a recorded video tour.

Live Virtual Field Trips

These 40-minute live virtual field trips provide access to high-resolution images of objects in the CMA collection along with live discussions facilitated by trained educators. Supplemental images are included, and in some cases video or audio components. Each virtual discussion comes with a cross-curricular studio art lesson plan that teachers can use to further enhance their classroom experience and reinforce the big ideas of the virtual discussion. 

Virtual discussions with a CMA educator cost $75.

Show Me a Story Art can tell all sorts of stories. Join us in the galleries to unravel these tales, discovering stories about famous figures and everyday events. Along the way we’ll explore ways artists use shape, color, and other elements of art to create new worlds before creating our own in the studios. Download Pre-Visit Guide

All Around Our State While art can tell us about cultures around the world, it can also give vital information about our own region. In this tour we’ll span centuries of South Carolina history and culture, from one of the first Colonial artists to Native American art all the way up to the 21st century. In the studios students will explore how art and the written word intersect to inform historical understanding by creating their own periodicals. Supported by the South Carolina Arts Commission . Download Pre-Visit Guide

Balance of Power Art is one of many ways people have demonstrated prestige and privilege over time. In the galleries we’ll examine figures and symbols in works of art from the powerful to the powerless, discussing who is and is not being depicted. Download Pre-Visit Guide

AP Art History: East/Central Asia This super-sized session (1 hour 15 minutes, or two 35 minute sessions) will cover a range of art from China, Tibet, and Afghanistan. Join us for an interactive discussion as students examine works from the 250 and the CMA collection while also gaining an understanding of Buddhism, the Silk Road, and how politics impact art. Download Pre-Visit Guide

Image Sets and Lesson Plans

These pre-existing image sets and editable lesson plans provide teachers with resources they can use to build their own options.

See Them Here

Home

Visit Planning

  • Plan Your Visit
  • Event Calendar
  • Current Exhibitions
  • Family Activities
  • Guidelines and Policies

Access Programs

  • Accessibility
  • Dementia Programs
  • Verbal Description Tours

virtual tours of art museums for students

Explore Art and Artists

Collection highlights.

  • Search Artworks
  • New Acquisitions
  • Search Artists
  • Search Women Artists

Something Fun

  • Which Artist Shares Your Birthday?

Exhibitions

  • Upcoming Exhibitions
  • Traveling Exhibitions
  • Past Exhibitions

Art Conservation

  • Lunder Conservation Center

virtual tours of art museums for students

Research Resources

  • Research and Scholars Center
  • Nam June Paik Archive Collection
  • Photograph Study Collection
  • National Art Inventories Databases
  • Save Outdoor Sculpture!
  • Researching Your Art

Publications

  • American Art Journal
  • Toward Equity in Publishing
  • Catalogs and Books
  • Scholarly Symposia
  • Publication Prizes

Fellows and Interns

  • Fellowship Programs
  • List of Fellows and Scholars
  • Internship Programs

Featured Resource

A painting of an eye seen in the reflection of a mirror

  • Support the Museum
  • Corporate Patrons
  • Gift Planning
  • Donating Artworks
  • Join the Director's Circle
  • Join SAAM Creatives

Become a member

A couple dances while a string band plays music

Go explore American art Beyond the Walls, a virtual reality experience that transports you directly into the galleries of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  Beyond the Walls blends photorealistic 3D capture imagery of artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection with augmented elements which let you interact with and learn about the museum’s collection using a headset and handheld controller.

Beyond the Walls  is a high fidelity, immersive museum experience, and is compatible with Oculus and Vive headsets.  Available for FREE download after July 15.

Tips for a Great Virtual Reality Experience

  • The experience requires use of a VR headset, so find a place where you are free to move and rotate safely.
  • To “click” on an a teleport marker within the space, press the trigger, point to the teleport location with your handheld controller and release the trigger.
  • Although headphones are not required, they are highly recommended for the audio narration track and ambient sound of the media artworks.
  • Although a VR headset can be used at any age, we recommend this experience for 13 years of age and older.

Learn more about the artworks from Beyond the Walls at the Smithsonian American Art Museum

This virtual museum presents a selection of unique paintings, sculpture, and multimedia artworks for you to engage and interact with as you freely explore the museum’s east wing from inside a VR headsets. Four of the museum’s artworks serve hotspots which feature a little bit of extra VR “magic”:

Frederic Edwin Church

virtual tours of art museums for students

Frederic Edwin Church,  Aurora Borealis ,  1865, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum

In this painting, Frederic Edwin Church has taken the aurora borealis—ethereal, dynamic, and alien—and captured it in oil paint, making you believe that you are standing underneath that phenomenon, witnessing the colors reflected off the ice. In VR, you can stand closer to the painting than might ever be permitted in real life, allowing you to examine its texture and observe its rich custom frame. VR users standing in front of the painting can trigger a teleportation hotspot which sends them to a remote mountain in Iceland, where they are suddenly in a dark landscape, looking around at jaw-dropping, 360-degree 6K video footage of an actual aurora blazing in the sky, provided by designer and photographer Olafur Haraldsson. The ability to compare and contrast the two scenes offers rich opportunities for learning and observation.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens

virtual tours of art museums for students

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Roman Bronze Works,  Adams Memorial ,  modeled 1886-1891, cast 1969, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum

In 1885, Marian Hooper “Clover” Adams, an amateur photographer and the wife of the writer Henry Adams, committed suicide by drinking poisonous chemicals used to develop film. Her grieving husband commissioned prominent sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to create a memorial to her that would express the Buddhist idea of nirvana, a state of being beyond joy and sorrow. Saint-Gaudens modeled a powerful shrouded figure, and then worked closely with architect Stanford White, who designed a secluded, contemplative setting for Clover’s gravesite in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C.. Decades later, the Smithsonian American Art Museum acquired a bronze cast made after the original in the cemetery. When standing in front of SAAM’s bronze cast in VR, you can choose to teleport to Clover’s actual gravesite, coming face-to-face with the same sculpture, but this time in the context of the private outdoor memorial for which it was originally intended. Soft sunshine filters through a bank of trees, which move softly in the background, and the bench surrounding the sculpture allows for a moment of quiet contemplation. Flashing back and forth between the museum’s version and the outdoor version, you can notice the differences, sometimes subtle, that distinguish the two casts, and the effects of weather on the outdoor installation.

Hiram Powers

virtual tours of art museums for students

Hiram Powers,  Model of the Greek Slave ,  1843, plaster and metal pins, Smithsonian American Art Museum

The original marble sculpture of the Greek Slave propelled its artist, Hiram Powers, to international stardom. The Greek Slave was almost immediately associated with the anti-slavery movement in the United States, as abolitionists used images of it to promote their cause. The 3D model that appears in the VR app was rendered from a scan of the original plaster model that dates to 1843; in fact, this VR edition is a not work that exists in the real world at all. The presence of this sculpture in VR provides an opportunity to draw parallels between contemporary 3D scanning technology and nineteenth-century mechanical reproduction techniques, and to talk about the slippery (and often unhelpful) concept of “the original,” when it comes to sculpture.

virtual tours of art museums for students

Alex Prager,  Face in the Crowd ,  2013, three-channel video installation, color, sound; 11:52 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum

The only contemporary artwork to appear in the Beyond the Walls  VR experience is a selection from a video installation by Los Angeles-based artist Alex Prager. When you experience it in the physical museum, Face in the Crowd is installed in a black box gallery, where video plays asynchronously on three of the walls. The experience in VR looks no different, with one notable exception: the artist herself is standing in the room with you. You can walk up to Prager (or around her—she was volumetrically scanned and has been fully rendered in three dimensions) as she tells you about the inspiration for her artwork as you experience it “together.”  Prager’s artwork deals with the anxiety of being swept up by the masses while trying to create and maintain a sense of self—conditions long present in the physical world—and how this anxiety can be amplified in the virtual spaces we inhabit today. 

Virtual reality tours

Step inside world-class museums.

Virtual Travel

A Smithsonian magazine special report

Smart News | March 20, 2020

Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit

Museums are closing their doors amid the coronavirus crisis, but many offer digital exhibitions visitors can browse from the comfort of home

Vatican (mobile)

Nadine Daher

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, museums and cultural institutions across the globe are closing their doors to the public. But while visitors can no longer roam the halls of these institutions, virtual tools and online experiences mean anyone with an internet connection can browse world-class collections from home.

The Smithsonian Institution , of course, has its own array of virtual tours, experiences and educational resources . Among the other experiences on offer: Scroll through an extensive trove of 3-D photographs from the Minneapolis Institute of Art , explore online exhibits from the National Women’s History Museum in Virginia, or admire artistic masterpieces from the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Spain. Additionally, around 2,500 museums and galleries, including the Uffizi Galleries in Florence and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, are offering virtual tours and presenting online collections via the Google Arts and Culture portal.

For those in search of armchair travel inspiration, Smithsonian magazine has compiled a list of ten museums that have found new ways to fulfill their critical mission of cultivating creativity and spreading knowledge.

The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

Home to the world’s second largest private collection of art, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza owns masterpieces by giants of virtually every art movement—to name just a few, Jan van Eyck, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Picasso and Dalí. To spotlight these artistic treasures, the Madrid museum offers an array of multimedia resources . Users can take a virtual tour of the entire building (or a thematic tour covering such topics as food, sustainability, fashion and even “inclusive love”); browse current and closed exhibits ; and watch behind-the-scenes videos featuring interviews, lectures and technical studies.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

Committed to offering a culturally rewarding experience since opening its doors in 2013, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul (MMCA) has established itself as a prominent cultural platform and leader in Korean art. In collaboration with Google Arts and Culture, the MMCA is now offering a virtual tour of its collections. This experience takes visitors through six floors of modern and contemporary art from Korea and around the world. Those seeking an educational walkthrough can follow along by tuning into curator-led recorded tours.

The Anne Frank House

Anne Frank House

The Anne Frank House , established in cooperation with the famed diarist’s father, Otto, in 1957, strives to inform the public through educational programs and tours of the building where the teenager and her family hid during World War II. To delve deeper into the story detailed in Frank’s diary, online visitors can watch videos about her life; virtually explore the Secret Annex ; look around the house where she lived before going into hiding; and view the Google Arts and Culture exhibition “ Anne Frank: Her Life, Her Diary, Her Legacy .”

The Vatican Museums

Vatican (social)

Home to some 70,000 artworks and artifacts spanning centuries, continents and mediums, the 5.5-hectare Vatican Museums are among Italy’s finest cultural institutions. Virtual visitors can tour seven different sections of the sprawling complex, enjoying 360-degree views of the Sistine Chapel , perhaps best known for Michelangelo’s ceiling and Last Judgment fresco; Raphael’s Rooms , where the Renaissance artist’s School of Athens resides; and lesser-known but equally sumptuous locations such as the Pio Clementino Museum, the Niccoline Chapel and the Room of the Chiaroscuri.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Guggenheim

“Since its founding, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has maintained a belief in the transformative powers of art,” reads the Manhattan museum’s website . “In uncertain times such as these, art can provide both solace and inspiration.”

In a nod to this mission, the Guggenheim , a cultural center and educational institution devoted to modern and contemporary art, has opened up its collections to online visitors. The building itself, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is an architectural masterpiece; audiences can listen to an audio guide of its history or journey up its spiral halls via a Google Arts and Culture virtual tour . For those who want to take a deeper dive into the museum’s collections, the Guggenheim’s online database features some 1,700 artworks by more than 625 artists.

The London National Gallery

The National Gallery

Take a virtual tour of 18 gallery rooms, enjoy a panoramic view of the museum’s halls and click through a wide collection of artistic masterpieces using the National Gallery ’s virtual tools . Based in London, this museum houses more than 2,300 works reflecting the Western European tradition between the 13th and 19th centuries. Collection highlights include Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers and J.M.W Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire .

NASA Research Centers

Katherine Johnson at Langley Research Center

For those fascinated by space exploration, NASA offers online visitors the chance to take a behind-the-scenes look inside its facilities. Visitors can take virtual tours of the organization’s research centers, where aeronautic technology is developed and tested, and learn more about the functions of different facilities. The online tour of Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, covers 16 locations, including the Flight Research Hangar and the Katherine Johnson Computational Research Facility. The virtual tour of the Glenn Research Center in Ohio, meanwhile, takes visitors inside facilities such as the Supersonic Wind Tunnel, where high speed flight is researched, and the Zero Gravity Research Facility, where microgravity research is conducted.

The National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City

National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City

Home to the world’s largest ancient Mexican art collection, in addition to an extensive collection of ethnographic objects, the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City preserves the country’s indigenous legacy and celebrates its cultural heritage. In collaboration with Google Arts and Culture, the museum has made some 140 items available for online visitors to explore from their homes. Among the objects available for viewing are the famous Aztec calendar sun stone and the striking jade death mask of ancient Mayan king Pakal the Great.

San Francisco’s De Young Museum

de Young Museum

One of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco , the de Young Museum ’s new copper-clad building in Golden Gate Park combines art with architecture. The collection features a priceless array of American art dating from the 17th to the 21st centuries, as well as artifacts from Africa and Oceania, modern and contemporary art, costumes, and textiles. Through Google Arts and Culture, the de Young offers 11 exhibits, including “ Cult of the Machine ” and “ Ruth Asawa: A Working Life .”

The Louvre

Housed in a large fortress along the banks of Paris’ Seine River, the Louvre regularly tops rankings of the most-visited museums in the world, with millions of visitors flocking to its halls in search of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa , the Venus de Milo and other instantly recognizable artworks. Virtual tours offered by the Louvre include a walkthrough of the Egyptian antiquities wing and a view of the museum’s moat, which was built in 1190 to protect Paris from invaders.

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Nadine Daher

Nadine Daher | | READ MORE

Nadine Daher is a digital intern at Smithsonian magazine. She is a senior at Northwestern, where she studies journalism and international studies.

  • Visit & See
  • Give & Support
  • Digital Publications
  • Plan Your Visit
  • Exhibitions
  • Accessibility
  • Tivoli at the Nelson Atkins
  • Search Collection
  • Collection Highlights
  • Teen Programs
  • A Frame of Mind Podcast
  • Community Programs
  • Conservation
  • Museum Store
  • Rozzelle Court Restaurant
  • Thou Mayest Coffee
  • Event Rental
  • Careers & Internships
  • Get Involved
  • Ways to Give
  • Annual Report
  • Business Council
  • Digital Member Card
  • French Paintings Catalogue
  • Starr Miniatures Catalogue
  • Missouri Remembers
  • Explore Digitized Collections

DETAILS & SCHEDULING

Registration.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is excited to offer three virtual tour topics developed specifically to be a live, interactive online experience for students. Live Virtual Tour experiences are available for students grades 3-12 and strongly aligned with district, state, and national learning standards.

Tour Requests for the Fall Semester, 2021, will open beginning September 1, 2021

  • Each tour is 45 minutes, in Central Standard Time & through Zoom
  • Students will participate through the chat function and/or spoken discussion
  • Maximum of 1 class/30 students per virtual school tour
  • Minimum of 10 students required for tour
  • Available Mon, Tue, Wed & Fri 9 am & 1 pm; Thur 2 pm
  • FREE– must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance
  • After submitting your request, you’ll receive a request acknowledgment email. NOTE: the Live Virtual School Tours are not confirmed until a confirmation email is received
  • The Zoom link and password to your confirmed Live Virtual Tour will be sent in an email 7 days prior to your event

virtual tours of art museums for students

Museum Unframed: Behind the Scenes at the Nelson-Atkins

virtual tours of art museums for students

Grades 3-12

Go behind the scenes of an art museum to learn about the people and processes involved in caring for and displaying works of art. Students will consider the function and purpose of museums, the science of art conservation, and the choices that go into preparing and presenting works of art to the public.

Find tour details and pre-/post-tour resources by clicking below.

Bringing History Alive: Exploring Primary Sources

virtual tours of art museums for students

Discover how primary sources are an eye-witness account of the time and place in which they were made. Students will explore objects in two of the following collections: Ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Native American. If you have a preference of which two collections are presented in your tour, please indicate that in the notes on your request. Ancient Egyptian and Native American collections will be presented if no preference is indicated . IMPORTANT: Please review featured objects listed on the MORE INFO page before submitting a request for this tour.

Being Seen: Art for Social Change

virtual tours of art museums for students

Grades 8-12

“The role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible,” said writer Toni Cade Bambara. How have artists inspired, aided, and engaged with social movements? Together, we will consider how contemporary artists are challenging the narratives that make up our cultural history. Students will explore works of art that served as catalysts for social change and continue to spark discussions about justice and equality today. Students are invited to choose as a class between three social issues on this tour. If you would like to pre-select the social issue discussed, please see the MORE INFO page below and indicate your preference in the notes section on your tour request form.

What can a portrait tell us about a person? How do artists depict the stories of an individual or a community through portraiture? Students in grades 3 through 6 are invited to explore identity through examining portraits. Students will learn to “read” a portrait, compare historical and contemporary portraits through interactive discussions, and consider the power of representation. Students are invited to choose as a class between two works of art on this tour. If you would like to pre-select the artwork discussed, please see the MORE INFO page and indicate your preference in the notes section on your request form.

To register, please click on the following and read our guidelines.

Virtual Tour Guidelines & Registration

  • Each teacher needs to register for their own class, please do not schedule for others.
  • Encourage students to participate! The experience is best when students engage with museum educators and one another through the chat function and/or through spoken discussion.
  • Be respectful of yourself and others, both when speaking aloud and typing in the chat.
  • Students will enter the tour on mute.

Group Size Due to the interactive nature of this experience, virtual school tours are intended for classes of 30 or fewer students watching together, on individual devices, or remotely from their homes. Please email [email protected] for more information or questions about virtual capacity.

  • Minimum of one adult chaperone is required for your Virtual Field Trip.
  • Chaperones may be a teacher, para-professional, parent, or other school staff member.
  • Chaperones help monitor chat appropriateness, assist students with technology issues, and encourage participation and respectful behavior.
  • Ask chaperones to identify themselves by hovering over their displayed name in the participants list and clicking “Rename”. Example: Name, chaperone.

Technical Requirements for Live Virtual Tour Experiences

Option 1 In-person class with a smartboard or digital projector including a computer with camera, microphone, and internet connection. It’s best if computer audio is connected to speakers to allow the entire classroom to hear the museum’s educators.

Option 2 In-person class with individual devices connected to the internet and headsets for each student.

Option 3 Remote (at home) each student will need a device connected to the internet to participate via Zoom’s chat feature and/or through audio/video conversation.

How We Connect Virtual Tours are shared via Zoom. Other platforms will be considered but must be requested in the notes of your initial order and require additional steps to arrange.

One week before your scheduled Live Virtual Tour: A Zoom link and password will be included in an email with information about how to connect with us via Zoom at the scheduled date and time.

Day of scheduled Live Virtual Tour: Click the Zoom link to connect 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time of the Live Virtual Tour:

If students are working remotely, share the link with each of them and all chaperones. If this is the first time using the Zoom platform, a link will prompt you to install the free software. Installation should take less than two minutes and does not require the creation of a zoom account. If students are working remotely please have them login earlier to allow time for download if needed.

Projecting the Virtual Tour to Students On-Site in the Classroom

  • Please have the camera set so the docents/educators may see the students.
  • Some computer microphones are more sensitive than others, the docents/educators may or may not be able to hear verbal responses from your students. If the docents are unable to hear the students, please position yourself closer to the computer to help call on students and relay their comments verbally.
  • Each tour has sections that allow students to choose the objects they wish to discuss. Students will be asked to vote on the objects they want to investigate by raising their hands for each option. Teachers will need to count the number of hands and tell the docent which objects receive the majority of votes.

Test Calls/Event A test call is not required if you have used Zoom. If you are a new user or would prefer a test call, please check the box on the request form. The test call will be scheduled separately via email and should take no more than 3-5 minutes. Test calls are scheduled at 3:45 pm.

Late Starts Due to scheduled events we may not be able to extend your Live Virtual Tour. Please have everyone ready to begin 3-5 minutes before your confirmed, scheduled time.

Cancellations and Changes To cancel or make a change to your scheduled Live Virtual Tour, please email [email protected] . Please include your name, phone number, order number, name of school, and date and time of your scheduled tour. Cancellations are requested at least 48 hours before your scheduled event.

All changes to date, time and tour will require the cancellation of your scheduled event and a new request to be submitted via the Virtual Tour Request form, requiring at least three weeks advance submittal for a new date.

Questions? For additional information please email [email protected] We look forward to meeting and learning with you!

By clicking “REGISTER” you acknowledge you have read and agree to the guidelines above. Registration will begin on the next page.

Powered by HTML5 Responsive FAQ

PureWow logo

12 Virtual Museum Tours for Kids You Can Do Right This Second

Author image: purewow author

Being stuck at home can be frustrating, but it’s even more so if you have young kids running around looking for something to do. Luckily, in this digital era many museums have put their collections online or created virtual tours that can help alleviate that boredom. Google Arts & Culture (which also has an app) has digitized the collections of numerous big museums, from the Van Gogh Museum to New York’s MOMA. Not all of them will be totally appealing to kids, but some museums are ready with online entertainment for all ages. Whether you need a trip to the aquarium or want to check out some mummies, here are some virtual museum tours your kids will enjoy. (Plus, all of these visits can lead to further reading or Googling, which means even less boredom.)

15 Great Indoor Games for Kids

virtual musuem tours for kids the lourve

1. The Louvre

Best for: Kids obsessed with ancient Egypt or medieval architecture

The Louvre may be closed, but you can still access its many treasures online. The French museum’s virtual tour takes you to some of its galleries, including into the basement ruins of the building’s original moat, which dates back to 1190. Don’t miss the Egyptian antiquities, where you can learn more about the pharaonic period. While the entire museum isn’t available as a tour, much of the collection is available as images on their website, so you and the kids can search for the most memorable works, including the Mona Lisa .

virtual musuem tours for kids the british museum

2. The British Museum

Best for: Kids ready to explore a more interactive experience

Ever wanted to see the Rosetta Stone or a real-life mummy? Look no further than the British Museum, which you’d usually have to seek out during a vacation in London. The tour is interactive, with artifacts searchable by era, region or type, and you can discover all sorts of interesting objects, including a bank check from Barclays and a papyrus poem from ancient Egypt.

virtual musuem tours for kids the met

3. The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

Best for: Future time travelers

New York’s Met Museum has an entire section of its website dedicated to young ones called MetKids. The online-only experience features a time machine, where you can search by time period, idea or location to uncover objects and artwork from the museum’s rooms. The “Big Ideas” search tool allows kids to look into topics like inventions, fashion and battles, and see all the relevant artifacts—a cool way to learn without it really seeming like you’re learning. There are also videos, as well as an interactive map of the museum that allows you to check out various exhibitions around the building.

virtual musuem tours for kids van gogh

4. Van Gogh Museum

Anyone who’s been to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam knows how amazing it is to view all of the artist’s works in one place. Since you can’t actually jet off to Amsterdam, take your kids on a virtual journey through the collection via Google Arts & Culture. Don’t miss Almond Blossom, one of Van Gogh’s most delightful oil paintings, which is calm and transportive. It’s also a good way to discuss the history and culture of other countries, as Van Gogh painted in Japan and has a few relevant pieces in the collection.

virtual musuem tours for kids bostons childrens museum

5. Boston Children’s Museum

Best for: Mimicking the real thing

A children’s museum would be the best place to take the kids when they’re off from school, but a virtual experience will have to do for now. The Boston Children’s Museum welcomes online visitors into its exhibits (no lines!) and you can supplement the images with your own at-home activities and games.

virtual musuem tours for kids natural museum of natural history

6. Smithsonian National Museum Of Natural History

Best for: An all-encompassing educational experience

Take yourself on a tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, whether it’s through the temporary exhibitions or the permanent collection. Along the way, check out dinosaur skeletons, animals from around the globe and even past exhibits that are no longer on display in reality. It’s a great way to keep your kids learning about the world around them even when they can’t be in school, and there are plenty of follow-up activities or readings you can do after the tour. While you’re there, stop by the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, both of which have adjoining virtual tours.

virtual musuem tours for kids national gallery of art

7. The National Gallery Of Art

Best for: Taking advantage of online-only exhibits

Another Smithsonian museum, the National Gallery of Art has thousands of items and paintings online via Google. You can explore the current exhibition Fashioning a Nation to learn about American fashions from 1740 to 1895, or search through the various periods, from baroque to modern art. The National Gallery is home to some very important works, so look for Vermeer’s Woman Holding a Balance , Cassatt’s Little Girl in a Blue Armchair and Gauguin’s Words of the Devil . It’ll make you want to visit the real thing, so look into a trip to D.C. when this is all over.

virtual musuem tours for kids uffizi

8. Uffizi Gallery

Best for: Kids or teens studying European history

Florence’s Uffizi Gallery can be explored on Google Arts & Culture, and there’s a lot of art to see. Most of the works are from the Renaissance (be prepared to explain all the naked ladies) and there’s an emphasis on paintings by Italian artists. It’s not just about the paintings—the collection tells you a lot about Italian history and the country’s past rulers, which can be really helpful if you have a teenager studying European history this year.

virtual musuem tours for kids easter island

9. Easter Island

Best for: Getting some “fresh air”

Take things outside to Easter Island, where Google has created a virtual tour of the island’s famed statues. There’s also a short video of the island and its massive ancient creations, which could make for a good opportunity to discuss world geography with your kids.

what is tamari monterey bay aquarium

10. Monterey Bay Aquarium

Best for: Aquatic exploration with a side of meditation

Who doesn’t want to look at peaceful videos of undersea life when they need a break from reality? The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s live web cams will delight both you and your young ones, especially the adorable penguin cam. To find something soothing, watch the hypnotizing moon jelly cam or the kelp forest cam, which showcases leopard sharks moving among the kelp. When the live cams aren’t running (they operate during specific hours), there are pre-recorded videos to fill in.

virtual musuem tours for kids roald dahl museum

11. Roald Dahl Museum And Story Centre

Best for: Kids who devoured James and the Giant Peach

Start your day off with a virtual tour of the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, which is located outside London, before having a marathon day of reading The Witches or The BFG to your kids. You can search through the exhibits and even learn more about the picturesque countryside outside the museum in Buckinghamshire. While it can be easy to feel like you’re missing out by only seeing something online, this museum is a great opportunity to delve into the fantastical world of an author who can really help with escapism right now.

Tour the Roald Dahl Museum

virtual musuem tours for kids nasa

12. Nasa Glenn Research Center

Best for: Future space cadets

Take a virtual tour of the NASA Glenn Research Center or the Space Telescope Operations Control Center, which houses the Hubble Telescope. At NASA Glenn, delve into the ballistics impact lab or the supersonic wind tunnel, which could, of course, lead to a discussion about physics that you might not be that equipped to have. Don’t worry, NASA has a lot of stuff online, making it a great resource during this time at home.

How to Work from Home With Kids, According to the ‘Toddler Whisperer’

purewow author

Your Collection

Log in to the harvard art museums, virtual student guide tour.

  • Add to Calendar
  • Share on Facebook

In this photomontage, a young woman wears a puffy jacket in a snowy college quadrangle. She smiles at the viewer while gesturing toward a floating oil painting that shows a young woman casually reading and eating breakfast in a mostly burgundy and white room with sparkling silver dishes around her.

Tour 8:00pm - 8:30pm

Emily Axelsen ’23 will explore the museums’ collections with an eye to how ritual has brought meaning to the mundane and the monumental. She will focus on an ancient Greek drinking cup attributed to the Theseus Painter (c. 510–500 BCE ); The Breakfast Table , a small painting that John Singer Sargent made in Paris (1883–84); and Untitled [portrait of a wedding party, New York] (1923) by African American photographer James Van Der Zee.

This interactive tour will take place online via Zoom. To join, click the following link: https://harvard.zoom.us/j/93032933639 (free admission; no pre-registration required).

Virtual Student Guide Tours take place every Thursday at 8pm (Eastern) on Zoom. Each tour is unique and offers a chance to explore the collections of the Harvard Art Museums through the eyes of a Harvard student. Drop in and join the conversation!

Read these instructions on how to join a meeting on Zoom. For general questions about Student Guide Tours, email [email protected] .

This program is supported by the Ho Family Student Guide Fund.

The Ho Family Student Guide Program at the Harvard Art Museums trains students to develop original, research-based tours of the collections. These tours, designed and led by Harvard undergraduates from a range of academic disciplines, focus on objects chosen by each Student Guide and offer a unique, thematic view into the collections.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at [email protected] at least 48 hours in advance.

The Harvard Art Museums are open to the public. Currently, reservations are required for all visitors and can be made up to three weeks in advance. Please visit the museum website for more information.

  • Corrections

18 Free Online Museum Tours To Enjoy Without Leaving Your Couch

Culture up your day without leaving the comfort of your home with these free online museum tours from around the world.

free-online-museum-tours

As the history of museums is entering its digital age, more and more art institutions are choosing to expand their online services. Most large museums today offer online access to their collections. Other online resources such as videos, podcasts, games, etc, are also quite common. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, virtual tours of museums have become a popular substitute for physically visiting museum exhibitions. As a result, free online museum tours are becoming more and more available to the international audience.

From Paris to Seoul, and from Moscow to Mexico City, this is our list of 18 free online museum tours. For additional online art experiences, don’t forget to check our 9 Amazing Online Art Resources To Enjoy At Home .

Free Online Museum Tours

1. the louvre museum, france.

murilo-silva-louvre-museum-photograph

The Louvre’s Petite Gallerie offers virtual tours in the famous museum of Paris. This is the best way to explore the architecture, the exhibits, and the history of France’s leading museum without leaving the comfort of your home.

You can also watch 800 Years of History , a short documentary on the history of the museum, or a series of YouTube videos offering guided tours. In addition, the Louvre offers a VR experience of the Mona Lisa as well as a closer look at its masterpieces through multiple audiovisual supplements.

Get the latest articles delivered to your inbox

Please check your inbox to activate your subscription, 2. musée d’orsay, france.

musee-d-orsay-impressionists-gallery

See works by famous Impressionist and Expressionist artists like Monet , Renoir , Van Gogh , Degas , Claudel and so many more with a virtual visit at Paris’ Musée d’Orsay.

Worth exploring is also the research program The digital worlds of Orsay, where historian Pierre Singaravélou offers a new text three times a week on famous or unknown works from the museum’s collection.

3. Rijksmuseum, Netherlands

rijksmuseum-masterpieces-free-online-museum-tours

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is one of the leading museums in Europe offering a rich variety of online resources . At the center of its home services, lies the Rijkstudio , which allows you to dive into the museum’s vast collection of 707,967 works of art.

Take a free online tour of the museum through Google’s Art and Culture project. Worth exploring is also the Discover Masterpieces virtual tour which takes you through the most prized exhibits of the Dutch museum.

Among the museum’s most famous artworks is without a doubt Rembrandt’s Night Watch.  The Rijksmuseum offers a virtual tour explaining all the details you need to know about the famous painting.

You can also play Key Challenges , an interactive game set in the museum’s main exhibition.

Rijksmuseum from Home is a series of videos where museum employees share their favorite objects from the collection.

If you are still not satisfied with these tours and resources, then have a look at “10 ways to visit Rijksmuseum without leaving home.”

4. Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands

van-gogh-museum-free-online-museum-tours

One of Europe’s most popular attractions, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is a true monument to the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh . Take a full virtual tour of the museum’s exhibition and immerse yourself in the post-impressionist art of Van Gogh.

If you are a fan of the Dutch painter, you should also check out Van Gogh Worldwide , the most complete resource of Van Gogh paintings and archival material.

5. Vatican Museums, Vatican

raphael-rooms-vatican-museum-virtual-tour-min

The Vatican Museums consist of 54 galleries or sale. These received 6 million visitors in 2019 making the Vatican Museums the third largest museum in the world.

You can explore the galleries at the Vatican Museums website . The institution also offers 360 virtual tours of some of its most iconic monuments like the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s Rooms with painted decoration by Michelangelo and Raphael respectively.

6. Uffizi Galleries, Italy

uffizi-galleries-florence-interior

Florence’s leading museum that started as the collection of the Medici family in the Renaissance , is home to some of the most famous artworks in the world.

If you visit the museum’s website you will be able to explore its online collections and take a free virtual tour of its new gallery, as well as other exhibitions like the one on Saint Francis. The Uffizi can also be explored via Google Art and Culture .

7. Reina Sofia, Spain

reina-sofia-museum

If you like 20th-century Spanish artists like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali , then the Reina Sofia in Madrid is the museum for you. However, if Spain is out of your reach, why not check out this virtual tour and the museum’s online resources.

Reina Sofia’s Rethinking Guernica is an online space devoted to material related to Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica. Also, the museum’s Gigapixel is a project offering a selection of hi-resolution artworks by artists like Dali, Miro, Mason, Picasso, Santos, and more.

Other multimedia like podcasts, lectures, and short video documentaries on the Reina Sofia are available here .

8. Acropolis Museum, Greece

acropolis-museum-athens-online-museum-tours

The Acropolis Museum is home to the archaeological treasures of the Acropolis of Athens . The museum offers a series of online activities and resources.

You can browse through its collection and discover the history of the Parthenon marbles thanks to the museum’s collaboration with Google Art and Culture .

Also, the museum offers a series of online interactive games that are ideal for young explorers interested in the secrets of classical antiquity.

9. The State Hermitage Museum, Russia

state-hermitage-museum

The Hermitage in St Petersburg is one of the richest museums in the world with more than three million items in its collections. The museum’s exhibition includes everything from Egyptian and Greek, to Renaissance and Modern art.

You can visit all of the museum’s rooms with a virtual tour and experience the Hermitage without wearing your wintertime clothes to go to Russia.

10. Pergamon Museum, Germany

pergamon-museum

Berlin’s world-famous institution offers a comprehensive range of online and virtual material. You can take a virtual tour of the museum or play around with a 3d model of the Pergamon altar , the jewel of the museum and a marvel of Hellenistic art .

Worth seeing is also the colorful Ishtar Gate from Babylon.

11. British Museum, United Kingdom

wong-british-museum-free-online-museum-tour

The British Museum grew out of the cabinet of curiosities of the British collector Hans Sloane and now includes a massive collection of more than eight million items.

There are many ways to experience the museum online. The best are to take a virtual tour  or visit its virtual galleries .

The British Museum also offers other resources like online access to its collections, podcasts, audio tours, videos, and more.

If you are interested in finding more ways to explore the British Museum from the comfort of your home, then you should read this British Museum blog .

12. Tate Britain, United Kingdom

tate-britain-museum-exhibition

Tate Britain houses one of the largest collections of J.W. Turner’s paintings which you can now explore with this virtual tour.

The museum’s website provides audio tours of the museum and various online tours on various themes.

13. National Museum Of Anthropology, Mexico

national-museum-anthropology-mexico

The National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City is devoted to the history of Mexico’s prehispanic civilizations.

Explore the past of the American continent and take a virtual walk at the museum’s rooms with this free online virtual tour .

14. The Met, U.S.A.

met-museum-entrance

The Metropolitan Museum is another institution that has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to offer free online museum tours to a worldwide audience.

Also on the museum’s website, you will find multiple online resources like The Met 360° , a series of six short videos inviting viewers to virtually experience the Met’s architecture and art.

Worth exploring is also the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History offering more than 1,000 essays on art and global culture using the Met’s collection as a point of reference.

15. MoMA, U.S.A

van-gogh-starry-night

New York’s leading institution on modern and contemporary art is also offering free online museum tours and resources.

There is a comprehensive virtual tour of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) available on Google Arts and Culture.

Furthermore, the museum has a series of online resources and projects available on its website that allow you to explore its collections and exhibitions. An absolute highlight is the 3D model of Van Gogh’s Starry Night .

16. J. Paul Getty Museum, U.S.A.

paul-getty-villa-california

Los Angeles is only a second away. Just click here and you will immediately teleport to the virtual tour of the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Take a look at the museum’s website for other online resources and access to its collection.

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

national-museum-modern-contemporary-art-seoul

Dive into the history of Korean modern art with this virtual tour of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and travel to Seoul without buying a plane ticket.

Don’t forget to check the Online Museum section at the museum’s website which offers interviews with artists and curators, exhibition guides, and more.

18. Museu National, Brazil: A Virtual Tour Against Destruction

marajoara-globular-beaker-museum-nacional-brazil

Brazil’s National Museum made headlines in 2018 when a good part of its building was destroyed in a fire.

However, thanks to a Google Arts and Culture virtual tour , you can still travel in space and time to take a virtual peek at the museum and its collections before the destruction of 2018.

Double Quotes

History of Museums: A Look at The Learning Institutions Through Time

Author Image

By Antonis Chaliakopoulos MSc Museum Studies, BA History & Archaeology Antonis is an archaeologist with a passion for museums and heritage and a keen interest in aesthetics and the reception of classical art. He holds an MSc in Museum Studies from the University of Glasgow and a BA in History and Archaeology from the University of Athens (NKUA) where he is currently working on his PhD.

gorgon-medusa-facts

Frequently Read Together

metropolitan museum of art

Free Art Online: 9 Amazing Resources To Enjoy At Home

impressionist art beginners guide

Impressionist Art for Dummies: A Beginners Guide

The Dessert: Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse (also known as Red Room or Harmony in Red), 1908, Hermitage Museum

Expressionism: 10 Iconic Paintings & Their Artists

  • Utility Menu

University Logo

72a1f7f6e071e66b3c32803c6a42b3cb

HARVie  Harvard Information For Employees logo

  • Classifieds
  • Training Portal
  • Contingent Workforce

573afce095134b6b933403ff00bbab3c

Harvard art museums virtual student guide tour.

Thursday, February 10, 8-8:30pm

Harvard undergraduates lead these tours focused on several objects in our collections. This interactive tour will take place online via Zoom. The link to join will be updated here soon. The tours are free and open to all; no pre-registration required.

Virtual Student Guide Tours  take place every Thursday at 8pm (Eastern) on Zoom. Each tour is unique and offers a chance to explore the collections of the Harvard Art Museums through the eyes of a Harvard student. Drop in and join the conversation!

Read  these instructions on how to join a meeting  on Zoom. For general questions about Student Guide Tours, email  [email protected] .

This program is supported by the Ho Family Student Guide Fund.

The Ho Family Student Guide Program at the Harvard Art Museums trains students to develop original, research-based tours of the collections. These tours, designed and led by Harvard undergraduates from a range of academic disciplines, focus on objects chosen by each Student Guide and offer a unique, thematic view into the collections.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at  [email protected]  at least 48 hours in advance.

The Harvard Art Museums have reopened to the public. Reservations are required for visitors and can be made up to three weeks in advance. Please visit the museum  website  for more information.

Blog posts by month

  • May 2024 (1)
  • March 2024 (1)
  • February 2024 (2)
  • January 2024 (3)
  • December 2023 (2)

Holocaust museum will host free field trips for eighth graders in New York City public schools

A privately funded effort in New York City will offer a Holocaust education field trips to all eighth graders in public schools.

NEW YORK — A Holocaust museum in New York City will offer free educational field trips to eighth grade students in public schools in a program announced Thursday aimed at  combating antisemitism.

The program will allow up to 85,000 students at traditional public schools and charter schools to tour Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage over the next three years, starting this fall. New York City is the largest school district in the nation, serving more than a million students. Organizers say the museum and the new program have the capacity to host up to one-third of the district’s eighth graders each year.

City Council member Julie Menin said she raised the idea with the museum after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, in an effort to combat rising antisemitism in the U.S. Incidents targeting Jewish and Muslim Americans have been recorded across the country since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, ranging from  offensive graffiti  to  violence .

“We needed a proactive approach to combat this hatred at its roots,” Menin, a Democrat and daughter of a Holocaust survivor, said in a statement. “That’s why I approached the Museum of Jewish Heritage with the vision of a universal field trip program.”

virtual tours of art museums for students

The Associated Press

Electrostal History and Art Museum - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

Public Tour of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust M

Jun 2, 2024 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum 36 Millstone Campus Drive , St Louis , Missouri 63146

May 26, 2024

6B6A1582.JPG

St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum

Students looking at the Lodz Ghetto model at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum

Join us for public educator-led tours at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum! Sundays at 2 p.m. and our new Monday tour at 12 p.m. (summer only). Don't miss these insightful experiences!

unnamed.png

Courtesy of St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum

P.O. BOX 191606 St. Louis, MO 63119 314-918-3000

Company Info

Publications.

  • St. Louis Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Custom Publishing
  • Digital subscriptions
  • Manage my account
  • Purchase back issues

Copyright 2024 SLM Media Group. All rights reserved.

Delaware College of Art and Design to close permanently in Wilmington

virtual tours of art museums for students

Delaware College of Art and Design announced it will be "winding down operations in the coming weeks" — then closing permanently.

DCAD shared the announcement in a press release Thursday, confirming it will not be offering any classes or awarding degrees for the 2024-25 academic year. The college's announcement came just over a week after the Class of 2024 commencement, following nearly 30 years of operation in Wilmington.

“This decision was incredibly difficult, and we explored every possible avenue to avoid it,” President Jean Dahlgren said in a statement. “However, declining enrollment over several years, including for the upcoming year, has made it impossible for us to continue effectively offering our educational programs.”

The college noted broad, ongoing challenges: a shrinking number of college-age students, rising operational costs, unexpected issues surrounding FAFSA.

For students, leaders said, support is available.

The college said it has partnered with Pennsylvania College of Art and Design and Moore College of Art & Design to offer "streamlined direct admission" for current students, as well as those students accepted for next school year.

These Lancaster and Philadelphia institutions offer comparable programs and costs, per the college, though no longer in the state. DCAD has offered associate degree programs in animation, fine arts, game art, graphic design, illustration and photography.

“We understand this news may cause stress and uncertainty,” Dahlgren continued in the release. “We are dedicated to minimizing the impact on our students during this transition and are committed to helping our faculty and staff pursue future opportunities.”

Representatives from both transfer options will be on campus Thursday, May 30, and Friday, May 31, alongside virtual sessions. More details were communicated directly to students, according to DCAD.

Cathy Young, president of Moore College of Art & Design, issued a statement Friday morning on the closure.

"The Moore community is saddened to hear about Delaware College of Art and Design’s difficult decision to close its doors. ... We have partnered with DCAD to create a seamless path for current DCAD students to join us at Moore College of Art & Design, the first and only historically women’s college for art and design, now welcoming non-binary and gender non-conforming students," she writes.

"It’s an honor and a privilege for us to be one of only two institutions selected as teach-out partners for DCAD, and we are eager to support these talented students."

Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at [email protected] or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on X @kpowers01.

  • Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

N.Y.C. Public Schools Will Send 8th Graders to Visit Holocaust Museum

New York City will give schools the option to send eighth-graders on field trips to the Museum of Jewish Heritage as part of an effort to address antisemitism.

An exterior view of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City in Manhattan.

By Emma G. Fitzsimmons

As tension continues to simmer over the Israel-Hamas war, New York City officials have embraced a privately funded initiative to send all eighth graders in public and charter schools to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

The program, part of a $2.5 million public-private partnership to address antisemitism, will be seeded with $1 million from a foundation run by Jon Gray, the president of the investment firm Blackstone.

The citywide field trip plan, which was announced on Thursday, will center on the museum’s efforts to educate younger visitors about the Holocaust. The initiative comes as schools grapple with questions about how to approach the Israel-Hamas war and what to teach about the history of the conflict. It will be optional for schools and will start this fall.

In places like California , there have been pushes for teaching pro-Palestinian lessons in schools. Leaders in New York City’s school system, which is particularly diverse, with tens of thousands of Jewish, Muslim and Arab students, are moving to offer new curriculum materials about antisemitism and Islamophobia .

New York is one of nearly two dozen states that are required to teach students about the Holocaust, and lawmakers included $500,000 in the state budget this year to review and update Holocaust curriculums in schools.

The field trip program was created by Julie Menin, a Jewish city councilwoman from Manhattan whose mother and grandmother survived the Holocaust in Hungary. She said that she was worried about a rise in antisemitic attacks in the city.

“We need a proactive approach to combat this hatred at its roots,” she said.

Ms. Menin said that eighth grade was an appropriate time for students to learn about the atrocities of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed. She said that visiting the exhibition would make a more lasting impression than reading about it in a textbook.

“We know there are Holocaust deniers,” she said. “When you see this exhibition and you personally witness the stories of survivors, it truly makes a difference.”

The program will be offered to more than 85,000 students in public and charter schools over the next three years. The museum , in Lower Manhattan, opened in 1997 and describes itself as a living memorial to the Holocaust.

Shahana Hanif, the first Muslim woman elected to the City Council, who represents a district in Brooklyn, said the program was a good investment and also underscored the need for programming built around Palestinian history.

“There is no Palestinian Cultural Center in New York City, nor an Islamic Heritage Museum,” she said. “These would be great investments for an inclusive education and learning opportunity.”

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also supported the use of field trips to “help students of today recognize and oppose modern genocides, whether in China, Sudan, Myanmar, Gaza or anywhere else.”

Mr. Gray, who is Jewish, has worked with Ms. Menin on other programs to offer free swim lessons and college savings accounts to public school students. He and his wife, Mindy, said in a statement that an “alarming rise in antisemitism today must be addressed through better education about our past — both its darkest moments and the incredible displays of courage in response.”

The museum will hire additional staff to run the program and work with schools to schedule tours and to provide free transportation.

The city’s Education Department is also working with the museum to create a new Holocaust teaching guide for educators that will be released in the fall. The schools chancellor, David C. Banks, has said that by June 2025, the system will offer separate curriculum series on the culture and contributions of Jewish and Muslim Americans to society — as part of a social studies initiative that has already offered materials on Asian Americans and L.G.B.T.Q. stories.

Mr. Banks, who attended the announcement along with City Council members and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, praised the field trip program.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage is currently offering a new exhibit, called “Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark,” which is designed for 9- to 12-year-olds and explores how ordinary Danes saved 7,200 Jews by smuggling them into Sweden by boat.

Troy Closson contributed reporting.

Emma G. Fitzsimmons is the City Hall Bureau Chief for The Times, covering Mayor Eric Adams and his administration. More about Emma G. Fitzsimmons

Special Juneteenth celebration set for Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

A reception planned for evening.

Student artwork celebrating Juneteenth and new historical exhibits and projects by the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums Teen Museum Council will be on display during a public reception June 20.

Hayes, NAACP join to celebrate Juneteenth, youth artwork

Hayes Presidential and the Fremont chapter of the NAACP teamed to showcase students’ artwork that shares what Juneteenth — recognized on June 19 ― means to them, as well as give the Teen Museum Council students an opportunity to share their projects.

The reception is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Refreshments will be served, and visitors will have a chance to talk with the students about their work.

2023: Fremont NAACP unit enjoys Juneteeth celebration

The Juneteenth artwork is part of the NAACP’s annual Juneteenth celebration and will be displayed in the museum auditorium. The Teen Museum Council exhibits will be located throughout the museum.

Special tour of Hayes home set for June 20

Two council members worked together to create a special tour of the first floor of the Hayes Home based on the life of First Lady Lucy Hayes. They will give this 20-minute tour at 6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m.

The tour is free, but registration is required. Advance registration is recommended and can be made online at rbhayes.org .

Teen Museum Council exhibits focus on President Hayes’ law career, First Lady Lucy Hayes’ fashion and historic music.

“We’re so thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to partner with the NAACP’s Juneteenth 2024 Celebration,” said Alina Hart, Hayes Presidential education coordinator. “This collaboration felt like a natural fit that would emphasize our goal to support today’s youth as they become leaders in our community. By teaming up for this event, we hope to create an open space where youth can take ownership and have a voice in their history and heritage sector.”

Teen Museum Council is a new program that invites students from area high schools to meet monthly and learn about the museum field. They have done job-shadowing of Hayes Presidential employees, visited the Toledo Museum of Art and met with staff there and more.

Top Things to Do in Elektrostal, Russia - Elektrostal Must-See Attractions

Things to do in elektrostal.

  • 5.0 of 5 bubbles
  • 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
  • Good for a Rainy Day
  • Good for Kids
  • Good for Big Groups
  • Adventurous
  • Budget-friendly
  • Hidden Gems
  • Good for Couples
  • Honeymoon spot
  • Good for Adrenaline Seekers
  • Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

virtual tours of art museums for students

1. Electrostal History and Art Museum

virtual tours of art museums for students

2. Statue of Lenin

virtual tours of art museums for students

3. Park of Culture and Leisure

4. museum and exhibition center.

virtual tours of art museums for students

5. Museum of Labor Glory

virtual tours of art museums for students

7. Galereya Kino

8. viki cinema, 9. smokygrove.

virtual tours of art museums for students

10. Gandikap

11. papa lounge bar, 12. karaoke bar.

IMAGES

  1. Virtual Museum Tours Free 2024

    virtual tours of art museums for students

  2. What are the innovations of museums?

    virtual tours of art museums for students

  3. What are the innovations of museums?

    virtual tours of art museums for students

  4. Virtual Museum Visit

    virtual tours of art museums for students

  5. Virtual Museum Visit

    virtual tours of art museums for students

  6. Virtual Museum Visit

    virtual tours of art museums for students

VIDEO

  1. Traditional house in Iran.shahriar house

  2. Top 10 Virtual Museums Offering Immersive Cultural Experiences

  3. The Docent Tour Guide: A New Interactive Museum Experience

  4. Open Art Exhibition (December 2022) Curation Virtual Gallery

  5. Top 10 Virtual Tours of Museums Around the World

  6. Top 10 Virtual Museums Offering Immersive Cultural Experiences

COMMENTS

  1. Best Art Museum Virtual Field Trips for Kids & Families

    5. The Louvre. One of our favorite art museum virtual field trips—and the world's large museum—is the Louvre with options for some of their best exhibition rooms and galleries. Explore rare Egyptian artifacts, iconic paintings, the beautiful structure of the building, and much more through their 360-degree viewing feature.

  2. The 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours

    11. Grand Palais (Paris, France) Image Credit: Perry Talk via Flickr. Year Opened: 1900. The Grand Palais is a large historic site, exhibition hall, and museum dedicated to the organization of exhibitions, publishing books, art workshops, photographic agency, and hosting major fairs and events.

  3. 50 World Class Museums To Enjoy Virtually Online For Free

    4. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. The National Gallery of Art is home to some of the most amazing paintings in the world. Plus, as a Smithsonian branch, it's free to visitors. But since you can't visit right now, the museum features two online exhibits through Google.

  4. 12 Museums From Around the World You Can Visit Virtually

    These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch. ... This famous American art museum features two online exhibits through Google. The first is an exhibit of American fashion ...

  5. How to take a virtual field trip

    Near or far. You can take the class to a wide variety of places. From a visit to the local museum, to a quick trip to Mars. You can project the tour on a screen or share it on Google Classroom. These tours are a mixture of 360° and 2D imagery. There are no pop ups within the panoramas.

  6. Virtual Museum Tours for Students

    The Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg, Russia, is one of the most illustrious museums on the planet. Its collection includes over 60,000 works of art by many of the world's greatest artists, such as Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and da Vinci. The online tour is extensive, which makes this online visit suitable for older students.

  7. Virtual Field Trips

    Write. Bring the Columbia Museum of Art to your students. Our CMA virtual field trip options include: live experiences with trained educators, in-gallery video tours, and asynchronous interactive discussions. CMA school programs align with classroom goals and ensure a well-rounded, engaging learning experience.

  8. Beyond the Walls: Experience the Smithsonian American Art Museum in

    Go explore American art Beyond the Walls, a virtual reality experience that transports you directly into the galleries of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Beyond the Walls blends photorealistic 3D capture imagery of artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection with augmented elements which let you interact with and learn ...

  9. Virtual reality tours

    Virtual reality tours. Step inside world-class museums. Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

  10. Visit Us Virtually

    From personal reflections to scholarly discoveries, our various written offerings will keep you learning, thinking, and growing. Enjoy virtual visits to the galleries, go behind the scenes, and engage with art from anywhere with our virtual events, videos, and themed audio tours. Wherever you are, whatever the time, our online resources are ...

  11. Ten Museums You Can Virtually Visit

    Take a virtual tour of 18 gallery rooms, enjoy a panoramic view of the museum's halls and click through a wide collection of artistic masterpieces using the National Gallery's virtual tools ...

  12. Virtual Student Guide Tours

    The free, 30-minute tours will be offered live via Zoom. The Ho Family Student Guide Program at the Harvard Art Museums trains students to develop original, research-based tours of the collections. Participants come from a wide range of backgrounds, including art history, visual and environmental studies, the sciences, history, and literature.

  13. The Nelson-Atkins Museum Virtual Tours for Students

    The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is excited to offer three virtual tour topics developed specifically to be a live, interactive online experience for students. Live Virtual Tour experiences are available for students grades 3-12 and strongly aligned with district, state, and national learning standards.

  14. 12 Virtual Museum Tours for Kids

    Tour the Met. Van Gogh Museum. 4. Van Gogh Museum. Anyone who's been to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam knows how amazing it is to view all of the artist's works in one place. Since you can't actually jet off to Amsterdam, take your kids on a virtual journey through the collection via Google Arts & Culture.

  15. Virtual Student Guide Tour

    Virtual Student Guide Tours take place every Thursday at 8pm (Eastern) on Zoom. Each tour is unique and offers a chance to explore the collections of the Harvard Art Museums through the eyes of a Harvard student. Drop in and join the conversation! Read these instructions on how to join a meeting on Zoom. For general questions about Student ...

  16. Virtual Tours

    College Students; Teens; Interact; Tours; Join Us Expand submenu Collapse submenu. ... Open today: Open today: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm. Buy tickets Become a member. ART & ARCHITECTURE Virtual Tours Experience the permanent collection from anywhere. Permanent Collection. Tour reflects the installation as of February 2023 ... Kimbell Art Museum ...

  17. 18 Free Online Museum Tours To Enjoy Without Leaving Your Couch

    15. MoMA, U.S.A. The Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889, MoMA. New York's leading institution on modern and contemporary art is also offering free online museum tours and resources. There is a comprehensive virtual tour of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) available on Google Arts and Culture.

  18. Harvard Art Museums Virtual Student Guide Tour

    The Ho Family Student Guide Program at the Harvard Art Museums trains students to develop original, research-based tours of the collections. These tours, designed and led by Harvard undergraduates from a range of academic disciplines, focus on objects chosen by each Student Guide and offer a unique, thematic view into the collections.

  19. Museum and Exhibition Center

    Electrostal History and Art Museum. 19. 0.2 mi Art Museums • History Museums. Statue of Lenin. 16. 0.6 mi Monuments & Statues. Park of Culture and Leisure ... Party Airport Transfer Manchester Airport to Liverpool Overnight at Osho Tapobon Dancing salsa in Miraflores parks Full Day Tour In The Soop BTS Ver in PyeongChang Filming Location Self ...

  20. Holocaust museum will host free field trips for eighth graders in New

    The program will allow up to 85,000 students at traditional public schools and charter schools to tour Manhattan's Museum of Jewish Heritage over the next three years, starting this fall.

  21. Electrostal History and Art Museum

    Art MuseumsHistory Museums. Write a review. Full view. All photos (22) Suggest edits to improve what we show. Improve this listing. Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more. The area. Nikolaeva ul., d. 30A, Elektrostal 144003 Russia.

  22. Electrostal History and Art Museum

    19 reviews. #3 of 12 things to do in Elektrostal. Art MuseumsHistory Museums. Write a review. All photos (22) Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more. The area. Nikolaeva ul., d. 30A, Elektrostal 144003 Russia. Reach out directly.

  23. Public Tour of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust M

    Students looking at the Lodz Ghetto model at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum Join us for public educator-led tours at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum! Sundays at 2 p.m. and our new Monday tour at 12 p.m. (summer only). Don't miss these insightful experiences ...

  24. Delaware College of Art and Design announces permanent closure

    Cathy Young, president of Moore College of Art & Design, issued a statement Friday morning on the closure. "The Moore community is saddened to hear about Delaware College of Art and Design's ...

  25. N.Y.C. Public Schools Will Send 8th Graders to Visit Holocaust Museum

    The program will be offered to more than 85,000 students in public and charter schools over the next three years. The museum , in Lower Manhattan, opened in 1997 and describes itself as a living ...

  26. Hayes Presidential, NAACP team up to showcase student's art, projects

    Student artwork celebrating Juneteenth and new historical exhibits and projects by the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums Teen Museum Council will be on display during a public reception June 20.

  27. The 10 Best Things to Do in Elektrostal

    Electrostal History and Art Museum. 19. Art Museums • History Museums ... Southwold Lighthouse St. Pancras International Station Parco Termale del Garda Top Ten Wonders of Islamabad Guided City Tour ... Altea, Benidorm & Calpe: Guadalest & Algar Excursion Private Round Trip to Project Riese Including Tickets Virtual Reality Escape Room ...