Take a Virtual Tour of the World's Great Museums

The eighth article in our Tech for the Fun of It series - simple, enjoyable technology without the jargon.

Some of the world’s most remarkable museums are thousands of kilometres from Australia.

Visiting them in person may require international flights, accommodation, entrance bookings and long days of walking. A virtual museum tour cannot completely reproduce that experience, but it can take you surprisingly close.

From home, you can move through historic galleries, inspect ancient objects, enlarge the details in a painting and listen to experts explain why a particular work matters.

There are no queues, no closing-time announcement and no need to see everything in one visit.

What we’re going to discover

We are going to:

• find trustworthy virtual museum experiences;

• understand the different kinds of online tour;

• enter and navigate a 360-degree gallery;

• enlarge artworks and museum objects;

• open information points;

• use full-screen mode and captions;

• save interesting discoveries;

• solve common navigation problems; and

• plan a small virtual journey of our own.

You do not need a virtual-reality headset.

A computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection is enough.

What you’ll need for a virtual tour the world's great museums online

You will need:

• a computer, tablet or smartphone;

• a reliable internet connection;

• a modern web browser;

• approximately 15 to 30 minutes; and

• an interest in art, history, science or the wider world.

A laptop or desktop computer usually provides the easiest experience because its larger screen gives you more room to see the gallery and its controls.

A tablet is also a good choice.

A phone will work for many tours, although labels and navigation controls may feel cramped.

Headphones are useful when a tour includes narration or video, but they are not essential.

Not every virtual museum is the same

The phrase virtual tour is used for several different experiences.

Understanding the difference will help you choose one you enjoy.

A room-by-room walkthrough

This is the closest experience to walking through a museum.

You may be able to:

• look in every direction;

• move between rooms;

• follow arrows along the floor;

• open a floor plan;

• zoom towards a display; and

• select information points.

These experiences may be described as:

• 360-degree tours;

• virtual walkthroughs;

• Street View tours;

• panoramic tours; or

• 3D tours.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, for example, provides self-guided room-by-room tours of exhibitions and research areas. Its tours include 3D views, maps and selected close-up information points.

An online collection

An online collection may not let you walk through the building.

Instead, it allows you to search for and inspect individual objects or artworks.

You may be able to:

• enlarge extremely detailed photographs;

• search by artist, culture or period;

• read the history of an object;

• compare related works;

• create a personal collection; and

• follow a themed exhibition.

The British Museum’s online collection contains millions of object records, while the Rijksmuseum provides high-resolution images, themed pages and tools for comparing and collecting works.

A guided video or presentation

This works more like a television program.

A curator, historian or guide takes you through the museum while explaining selected exhibits.

A guided video is often the easiest option when you do not want to learn unfamiliar navigation controls.

Unlike a self-guided tour, however, you generally follow the route and pace chosen by the presenter.

An online exhibition

An online exhibition combines images, text, recordings and video to tell a particular story.

It may cover:

• one artist;

• one historic event;

• a cultural tradition;

• a group of related objects; or

• a former exhibition that is no longer physically displayed.

Google Arts & Culture provides both museum views and curator-created online exhibitions from institutions around the world.

Step 1: Choose something that genuinely interests you

Do not begin by trying to explore an entire museum.

Choose one manageable subject, such as:

• ancient Egypt;

• dinosaurs and fossils;

• Australian First Nations art;

• European paintings;

• clocks and mechanical objects;

• fashion;

• space exploration;

• sculpture;

• archaeology; or

• the history of a particular country.

A specific interest gives your visit a purpose.

You can always wander into something unexpected later.

Step 2: Start from an official website

Search for the museum’s name followed by words such as:

• official virtual tour;

• online collection;

• explore from home;

• 360 tour; or

• online exhibitions.

For example:

Louvre official virtual tour

Look carefully at the web address before opening the result.

Official museum addresses commonly end in recognisable domains such as:

• .org

• .gov

• .edu

• a museum’s own country domain; or

• the museum’s official name.

A search result marked Sponsored is an advertisement. It may be legitimate, but you do not need an advertisement to reach a museum’s official tour.

Step 3: Look for the entrance to the experience

On the museum’s website, look for buttons or links labelled:

• Virtual Tour

• Explore

• Start Tour

• Launch Tour

• Online Collection

• Museum View

• From Home

• Enter

• View Gallery

Some museums place their virtual experiences under headings such as:

• Art and Artists

• Exhibitions

• Discover

• Learn

• Collections

• Visit From Home

The tour may open in a new browser tab. That is normal.

If nothing seems to happen, check whether your browser has displayed a message saying it blocked a pop-up window.

Step 4: Learn the basic controls

Every museum uses a slightly different system, but several controls appear repeatedly.

Drag to look around

Place the mouse pointer over the gallery image.

Hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse slowly. The view should turn in the direction you drag.

On a touchscreen, place one finger on the picture and slide it gently.

Click an arrow to move

Look for arrows or circles on the floor.

Click or tap one to move to the next viewing position.

Move one step at a time. Rapidly clicking several arrows can make it difficult to understand where you have gone.

Use the map

Some tours provide a small floor plan or map, often in a corner of the screen.

The map may show:

• your current room;

• nearby galleries;

• selectable floors; and

• other available exhibitions.

Select a room on the map when you want to move directly to another part of the museum.

Zoom in

Look for + and − controls.

You may also be able to:

• roll the mouse wheel;

• use the trackpad;

• double-click an object; or

• spread two fingers apart on a touchscreen.

Extremely detailed artwork images may allow you to see brushstrokes, cracks, fabric texture and tiny inscriptions that would be difficult to inspect during a crowded physical visit.

Open an information point

Look for symbols such as:

• a letter i;

• a camera;

• a circle;

• a small photograph;

• a label; or

• a glowing marker.

Selecting one may open:

• the object’s name;

• the artist or maker;

• its date;

• historical information;

• a close-up photograph;

• audio commentary; or

• a video.

Step 5: Use full-screen mode

Virtual tours are easier to navigate when the museum fills the screen.

Look for a full-screen symbol resembling four outward-pointing corners.

Select it to hide most of the browser controls.

To leave full-screen mode:

• press the Esc key on a computer;

• move the pointer towards the top of the screen and look for an exit control; or

• use your phone or tablet’s back gesture.

If you become unsure, pressing Esc is a safe first step on a Windows or Mac computer.

Step 6: Take your time

A physical museum visit often creates pressure to keep moving.

A virtual visit does not.

You can:

• spend ten minutes examining one object;

• reread a description;

• replay an explanation;

• enlarge a difficult detail;

• pause for tea;

• leave the tour open while you investigate something; and

• return another day.

Trying to see an enormous museum in one session quickly becomes tiring.

For your first visit, choose one of these modest goals:

• explore one room;

• examine five objects;

• learn about one artist;

• follow one short guided tour; or

• spend 15 minutes in an exhibition.

Seven excellent places to begin

1. Google Arts & Culture

Google Arts & Culture is a useful starting point when you do not yet know which museum you want to visit.

Its Museum Views collection provides panoramic tours of museums and heritage sites. Its online exhibitions combine images and expert explanations, while other experiences explore art, architecture, history and natural science.

The broader service includes material from more than 2,000 museums, galleries and cultural institutions.

Start here:

Google Arts & Culture Museum Views

You can browse without planning a destination in advance.

Choose a museum, open its tour and experiment with dragging the view and following the arrows.

2. The Louvre, Paris

The Louvre provides online tours of selected museum rooms and exhibitions.

These are not a complete virtual reproduction of every Louvre gallery. Instead, they provide several focused experiences covering particular exhibitions, objects and parts of the palace.

The official Louvre page describes the tours as opportunities to visit museum rooms and galleries, admire the architecture and explore selected themes from home.

Start here:

Louvre online tours

Select Launch virtual tour beneath the experience you want to enter.

3. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

The Vatican Museums provide a series of panoramic virtual tours.

Current choices include:

• the Sistine Chapel;

• Raphael’s Rooms;

• the New Wing;

• the Pio Clementino Museum;

• the Salone Sistino; and

• the Profane Museum.

Start here:

Vatican Museums virtual tours

Choose a location, then drag the image to look towards the walls and ceiling.

The Sistine Chapel experience is particularly suited to this format because you can look upwards without standing in a crowded room.

4. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington

This is one of the strongest choices for learning how a virtual walkthrough works.

The Smithsonian provides self-guided, room-by-room tours of current exhibitions, former exhibitions and selected research areas.

Its virtual-tour system uses hundreds of thousands of high-definition images. Available experiences include fossil halls, the Ocean Hall and the museum’s rotunda. Some tours provide additional photographs, video, exhibit labels and navigation menus.

Start here:

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History virtual tours

The museum recommends using the floor arrows or navigation map to move between adjoining areas. Camera symbols provide close-up views of selected objects and displays.

5. The British Museum, London

The British Museum provides more than one kind of online visit.

Its gallery pages include:

• Google Street View tours;

• object highlights;

• timelines;

• family activities; and

• online-only galleries.

The museum says more than 60 galleries can be explored from home. Its separate online collection provides access to millions of object records and high-definition images.

Start here:

British Museum galleries

You could begin with a room that matches an existing interest, such as clocks and watches, ancient cultures or European decorative arts.

6. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum offers several ways to explore from home.

Its online collection provides high-resolution images, stories, research material and tools for comparing artworks and building personal collections.

It also offers guided and interactive experiences, including a virtual visit to the Gallery of Honour and tours focusing on masterpieces such as Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.

Start here:

Rijksmuseum from home

A guided experience is a good choice if you would prefer an expert to explain what you are seeing.

7. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

You do not have to travel overseas for a worthwhile virtual museum experience.

The National Gallery of Australia provides a virtual tour of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander galleries, allowing visitors to explore highlights from the Gallery’s First Nations collection from their own device.

The tour can be navigated using a mouse or keyboard and includes a help control for additional instructions.

Start here:

National Gallery of Australia First Nations virtual tour

This is a particularly relevant starting point for Australian readers and an opportunity to explore works connected to cultures much closer to home.

Something extra to try: create a themed museum journey

Instead of visiting museums randomly, choose one theme and explore it across several institutions.

An ancient-world journey

You could visit:

1. Egyptian and classical objects at the British Museum;

2. sculpture and antiquities at the Louvre;

3. the Pio Clementino Museum at the Vatican; and

4. related objects through Google Arts & Culture.

A journey through European painting

You could explore:

1. the Louvre in Paris;

2. the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam;

3. selected British Museum galleries; and

4. high-resolution collections through Google Arts & Culture.

A natural-history journey

You could:

1. walk through the Smithsonian fossil halls;

2. inspect ocean and animal exhibits;

3. explore natural-history collections through Google Arts & Culture; and

4. search for an Australian natural-history museum’s online collection.

An Australian art journey

You could begin with:

1. the National Gallery of Australia’s First Nations galleries;

2. its searchable national collection;

3. online audio tours and videos; and

4. the websites of your state or territory’s galleries and museums.

Keep a small list of favourite objects as you travel.

Save your discoveries

When you find something worth revisiting, save it as a browser bookmark.

On most computer browsers:

1. Open the page you want to save.

2. Select the star near the address bar.

3. Change the name if necessary.

4. Create a folder called Virtual Museums.

5. Select Save or Done.

On a phone or tablet, open the browser’s menu or sharing button and look for:

• Add Bookmark

• Add to Favourites

• Add to Reading List

• Save Page

You can create subfolders such as:

• Museums to Visit

• Favourite Artworks

• Ancient History

• Australian Collections

• Natural History

• Tours to Continue

A bookmark saves the page address, not a private copy of the museum content. If the museum later changes or removes the page, the bookmark may stop working.

Make the experience easier to see and hear

Enlarge browser text

On a Windows computer, hold Ctrl and press +.

On a Mac, hold Command and press +.

Use Ctrl and 0 or Command and 0 to return to the usual size.

This enlarges ordinary webpage text, although it may not enlarge labels embedded inside a 360-degree tour.

Enlarge the tour

Use the tour’s full-screen control.

If no full-screen option is available, maximise the browser window and close unnecessary side panels.

Turn on captions

For a guided video, look for:

• CC;

• Subtitles; or

• a speech-box symbol.

Automatically generated captions can contain mistakes, particularly with artists’ names and unfamiliar terms.

Adjust the sound

Begin with the device volume low and increase it gradually.

Museum narration may be quieter or louder than other videos.

Reduce uncomfortable movement

Some people find rapidly moving 360-degree scenes disorienting.

If that happens:

• stop dragging the view continuously;

• use single arrow clicks;

• wait for each new scene to settle;

• reduce full-screen size;

• sit farther from the screen; or

• choose an online collection or guided video instead.

There is no need to persist with a format that feels uncomfortable.

A short privacy and safety note

Official virtual museum tours are commonly available without paying merely to enter the online experience.

Be cautious if a page:

• demands payment-card details to view a supposedly free tour;

• asks you to install an unfamiliar browser extension;

• displays urgent virus warnings;

• claims you have won a prize;

• repeatedly opens unrelated pages; or

• asks for unnecessary personal information.

Close the browser tab if anything feels suspicious.

Return to the museum’s official home page and use its own menus to locate the tour.

A museum may legitimately sell tickets, memberships, donations or shop items. That does not mean you must provide payment information to explore its free online material.

How to undo it or get help

If you become lost inside the tour

Look for:

• a home symbol;

• a floor plan;

• a back arrow;

• a menu;

• a list of rooms; or

• Restart Tour.

If necessary, close the tab and reopen the tour from its starting page.

If the view moves too quickly

Release the mouse button or lift your finger from the screen.

Use short, gentle movements rather than long swipes.

If clicking does nothing

Try these steps:

1. Wait a few seconds for the tour to load.

2. Click once rather than repeatedly.

3. Check whether the page opened another tab.

4. Allow the museum’s pop-up if your browser blocked it.

5. Refresh the page.

6. Try a different modern browser.

If you see a blank area

The tour may depend on browser technologies or scripts that have been blocked.

Try:

1. refreshing the page;

2. temporarily disabling an aggressive content blocker for that official museum site;

3. checking that JavaScript is allowed;

4. closing and reopening the browser; or

5. trying another device.

The Smithsonian notes that browser settings or blockers affecting JavaScript may interfere with its virtual tours.

If the tour will not work on your device

Choose another format.

A museum may offer:

• an online collection;

• a guided video;

• a photographic exhibition;

• an audio tour; or

• written stories about selected objects.

You are still visiting the museum’s collection, even if you are not walking through a simulated room.

The museum never has to close

A virtual tour cannot reproduce the scale of a sculpture, the atmosphere of a historic room or the pleasure of encountering an unexpected object in person.

What it can do is remove many of the barriers.

You can cross continents in seconds, sit down whenever you want, inspect fine details and spend as long as you like with something that captures your attention.

Choose one museum, one room and one object.

Your first virtual visit does not need to be ambitious. It only needs to make you curious about what is in the next gallery.

Download the printable guide

Keep the one-page guide beside you while taking your first virtual museum tour:

Download the A4 quick-reference guide

Take-a-Virtual-Tour-of-the-Worlds-Great-Museums-Quick-Reference-Guide.pdf

Download PDF • 3.78MB

---

FAQ's

Are virtual museum tours free?

Many official museums provide free virtual tours, online collections and videos. Some websites also advertise paid memberships, tickets or other products, but these are usually separate from their free online experiences.

Do I need a virtual-reality headset?

No. Most virtual museum tours work in an ordinary web browser on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

How do I move around a virtual museum?

Click arrows on the floor, drag the image to look around and use the map when one is available. Controls vary between museums.

Can I enlarge paintings and museum objects?

Yes. Many online collections provide high-resolution images that can be enlarged considerably. A 360-degree room view may offer less detail than the museum’s individual object pages.

What is the best virtual museum tour for beginners?

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History provides clear room-by-room tours. Google Arts & Culture is useful for browsing many institutions, while guided videos are easiest for people who prefer not to navigate independently.

What should I do if a 360-degree tour makes me feel dizzy?

Stop dragging the view, use individual navigation arrows and wait for each scene to settle. You can also choose a still-image collection or guided video.

Helpful Links

• Google Arts & Culture Museum Views

• Louvre online tours

• Vatican Museums virtual tours

• Smithsonian Natural History virtual tours

• British Museum galleries

• Rijksmuseum from home

• National Gallery of Australia First Nations virtual tour

Next time in Tech for the Fun of It, we’ll explore another enjoyable use for everyday technology.