While I wouldn’t call myself a museum nerd, I’ll always include a few museums on my itinerary.
Now, we all have times in which we can’t travel, but luckily, there are plenty of virtual museum tours that allow us to enjoy some of the best cultural institutions in the world while sitting in our PJs (and eating ice cream).
As a huge Europe lover, I wanted to find the very best European virtual museums, so here’s a roundup of 40 amazing tours you can take from the comfort of your couch.
General tip: I find it easier to navigate and enjoy these virtual tours on my laptop rather than on mobile.
Good to know: Many of these virtual museum exhibitions are available on Google Arts & Culture. It’s an incredible online platform that also gives you access to images of artworks from the best museums in the world and information about them.
*This post may contain affiliate links from which I earn a commission (for more info, read my disclosure). As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
*I try to keep the information on this blog as updated as possible, but I still recommend consulting the latest prices, opening hours, and other details on the official website of each site, hotel, and tour, as well as checking the updated public transport routes and timetables.
Art and History Virtual Museum Tours
Louvre Museum (Paris, France)
As one of the most iconic French landmarks and one of the oldest, biggest, and most famous museums in the world, I don’t think the Louvre needs any introduction, so if you want to visit it online, check out this 360° tour.
Obviously, it only covers a small part of the museum, but surprisingly, it’s so much better than the virtual tours you’ll find on the Louvre’s official website (which are underwhelming, to say the least).
Bilbao Fine Arts Museum (Bilbao, Spain)
Such a cultural city like Bilbao has to be on this list.
With works of art by icons like El Greco, Goya, and Sorolla, it’s no wonder why this museum is one of the most visited ones in the Basque Country region (located in northern Spain). Explore it with this online museum tour (not available at the moment).
National Coach Museum (Lisbon, Portugal)
More luxurious royal vehicles are found in one of Lisbon‘s most visited museums. This tour will give you access to a collection of 16th, 17th, and 18th-centuries carriages and coaches of the royal family of Portugal.
More about Lisbon:
Pergamon Museum (Berlin, Germany)
Located on Berlin‘s Museum Island, this museum houses three major collections. These include massive archaeological structures like the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon Altar.
Therefore, it’s one of the most visited museums in Germany, and now you can also visit it from the comfort of your home.
National Gallery (London, UK)
One of the most visited art museums in the world (and one of the best free museums in London), the National Gallery also offers several 360° tours.
They won’t take you through the entire collection, but access to over 600 paintings should be enough, right?
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid, Spain)
One of Madrid‘s must-visit art museums is the Thyssen-Bornemisza. With artworks by Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, and many other cultural icons, you have to try its virtual tours.
You can take a 360° tour through the permanent collection and some of the temporary exhibitions, and even upgrade your experience with VR glasses.
National Archaeological Museum (Madrid, Spain)
Want to learn more about the history and prehistory of Spain?
This thorough virtual tour of the National Archaeological Museum is for you. It was founded in the 19th century and is now one of the most visited museums in Madrid.
Want to see more of Spain? Check out these virtual tours of Spain‘s best destinations!
Prado Museum (Madrid, Spain)
A famous landmark in Madrid and possibly the most important art museum in Spain, the Prado houses such a huge collection that even a real visit is only enough to cover a tiny part of it (seriously, after two hours, I think I’ve only seen about 2% of it).
Luckily, the official website lets you explore thousands of different pieces by artists like Goya, El Greco, and many others.
You can search for artworks by artist, century, type (drawing/sculpture/etc.), and even by the objects that appear in them. Visit the Prado online here.
Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)
If you’re looking for the best virtual tours of Italy, this is definitely one of them.
One of the oldest, most famous, and most visited art museums in the world, the Uffizi Gallery is known for its impressive collection of Italian Renaissance pieces (painted by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and many others).
Take a tour of this marvelous gallery on Google Arts & Culture.
Mocak – Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow (Krakow, Poland)
This gallery, located in a former part of Oskar Schindler’s factory in Poland, presents the works of contemporary artists from the last couple of decades. It offers eleven different online tours, which you’ll find here.
Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest, Hungary)
Housing one of the largest, most important collections of European art, as well as other art pieces from all over the world, this museum is a must-see spot in Budapest, Hungary. Visit it online with this tour.
Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna, Austria)
Free museums in Vienna can be challenging to find, so visiting them online is a good place to start.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History) is the largest art museum in Austria. Housing royal collections of the House of Habsburg, it’s also one of the most important museums in the world.
You can visit it online on Google Arts & Culture or download the official app (called KHM Stories) that offers about ten different virtual museum tours.
Musei Capitolini (Rome, Italy)
Sitting on top of Capitoline Hill in Rome, this group of archeological and art museums dates back to the 15th century. Fun fact: They’re also considered the first museums in the world (how cool is that?)!
I don’t have any other way to describe them other than impressive, and I think you should definitely take a tour of this amazing place.
Museo de Bellas Artes (Seville, Spain)
Situated in southern Spain and housed in a beautiful building from the 16th century, in this museum, you’ll mainly find Spanish art from medieval times to the 20th century. You can explore it with this Google Arts & Culture tour.
British Museum (London, UK)
Containing about 8 million objects, the 18th century British Museum is one of the biggest, most famous museums in the world.
With antiquities from all around the globe, one of its missions is to show how different cultures are interconnected, and that’s something you can see on the museum’s unique virtual tour.
Once you click on an object on the interactive timeline, apart from reading about it and listening to an audio guide, you’ll see its connections to other objects from other continents.
Museum of Arts and Crafts (Zagreb, Croatia)
This 130-year-old museum boasts a great collection of objects like paintings, ceramics, and furniture, and it even houses one of the oldest photography collections in the world. You can visit it virtually on Google Arts & Culture.
National Museum of Denmark (Copenhagen, Denmark)
As Denmark’s largest museum of cultural history, this is the place to learn about Danish history and prehistory (think Vikings and ice-age hunters). Have a glance at some of its exhibitions with this virtual tour.
Mnac – Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain)
Housed in the stunning building of the Palau Nacional, this is one of the biggest museums in Spain and one of the top places to visit in Barcelona.
If you’re interested in medieval and modern Catalan art, you’ll love this virtual museum tour.
The National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design (Oslo, Norway)
This museum holds Norway’s most extensive collection of art, architecture, and design pieces, and you can visit it virtually here.
Mauritshuis (The Hague, the Netherlands)
Boasting a collection of 17th-century Dutch paintings, in this museum, you’ll find pieces created by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and other Dutch painters.
Take this virtual tour to see some of the museum’s highlights, including Vermeer’s internationally famous work of art – Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Looking for the best virtual tours of Amsterdam and want to visit the Netherlands‘ largest art museum? Take this amazing tour that includes pieces by artists like Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, and Van Gogh.
Imperial Carriage Museum (Vienna, Austria)
Located within the Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens complex, this unique museum boasts a magnificent collection of old royal vehicles, including a dreamy golden one that looks like a real-life Cinderella carriage (I’m seriously drooling over it). Enjoy it with this 360° online museum tour.
Acropolis Museum (Athens, Greece)
The Acropolis Museum exhibits antiquities found in the Acropolis of Athens’ archeological site. Google Arts & Culture offers a tour of two of its galleries, which you’ll find here.
Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece)
One of the best private collections in Athens, this museum houses Greek art from prehistorical to modern times. It offers a 360° virtual tour with audioguides in six different languages, which you can check out here.
The National Museum of Art of Romania (Bucharest, Romania)
I got to visit this museum back when I went on a trip to Romania with my family to explore my roots. Situated inside the Royal Palace, it comprises a collection of Romanian (and international) medieval and modern art.
Along with a few other art museums in Bucharest, it offers several virtual tours you can take here.
Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Any Van Gogh fan surely knows the art museum in Amsterdam dedicated to him.
As it should, the museum holds the largest collection of his paintings and drawings in the world, and now you can visit it from the comfort of your home.
Nationalmuseum (Stockholm, Sweden)
Sweden’s main art and design museum boasts a collection of hundreds of thousands of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Explore it with this tour on Google Arts & Culture.
Looking for more ways to travel from home? Transport yourself to Europe with these:
- Books set in Spain
- Books set in Greece
- Books set in France
- Books set in Tuscany
- Romantic novels set in Italy
Virtual Tours of Museums of Natural History and Science
Museum of Natural Sciences (Brussels, Belgium)
It is not just another natural history museum because this one in Brussels actually houses Europe’s largest dinosaur collection!
This might be the Ross Geller part of me talking, but you have to admit that’s cool. Explore it with this 360° tour.
Natural History Museum (London, UK)
Housing about 80 million objects (SHOCKER), the Natural History Museum of London is one of the most popular museums in the city, and thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can now take a short virtual tour inside it.
Estonian Museum of Natural History (Tallinn, Estonia)
This museum offers a virtual tour of several rooms with videos and audio about the different exhibits (although a few of them are in Estonian, so that’s a bit weird). You check it out here.
National Museum of Ireland – Natural History (Dublin, Ireland)
If you’re looking for virtual tours of Dublin, add this museum to the list.
Although not all of them are on display, this 19th-century museum’s collection contains more than 2 million items, and you can visit all four of its floors with these 3D virtual tours.
Natural History Museum (Vienna, Austria)
Another natural history museum worth visiting is the one in Vienna.
It houses the world’s largest and oldest public collection of meteorites and other unique objects, and you can take a virtual tour of it on Google Arts & Culture.
Virtual Palace Museum Tours
Palace of Versailles (Versailles, France)
I don’t think this UNESCO World Heritage Site needs any introduction, but as the main royal residence in France in the 17th and 18th centuries, you’d probably want to take a peek at some of its rooms and stroll through its iconic gardens.
Royal Castle (Warsaw, Poland)
Formerly the residence of the Polish monarchs, the Royal Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in Warsaw’s Old Town.
It’s one of the best things to see in Warsaw and a top Polish landmark, and you can take this 360° tour and marvel at the palace’s gorgeous interiors.
Love castles? Check out the best virtual tours of castles in Europe!
Royal Palace (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
The Royal Palace, which is still in use by the Dutch royal family, is one of the top attractions in Amsterdam. If you want to visit it from the comfort of your couch, this tour will give you a glance at some of its rooms.
Schönbrunn Palace (Vienna, Austria)
Who can say no to a glance at such an impressive royal residence of the House of Habsburg (and one of the top Austrian landmarks)?
While you can’t visit all 1,441 rooms of this UNESCO site online, this virtual tour can certainly give you an idea of the luxurious life of the former emperors of Austria.
Other Online Museum Tours
Charles Dickens Museum (London, UK)
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the famous author’s home in London (where he wrote Oliver Twist) with this fabulous tour that will take you through every single room of his house.
Mercedez-Benz Museum (Stuttgart, Germany)
After all these art and history institutions, I bet you want to see something a bit different. So why not take a virtual tour of a museum dedicated to one of the most famous automobile brands in the world?
There are a few ways to visit the Mercedez-Benz Museum virtually, including a guided tour on Instagram and online access to the coolest vehicle collection I’ve ever seen (with a 360° view). Check them out here.
Read more about Europe:
- Best winter breaks in Europe
- Myths and legends from Europe
- Spring destinations in Europe
- Best islands in the Mediterranean
- Must-see European squares
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