9 Virtual Reality Tours You'll Love

By Google Arts & Culture

Google CardboardThe Index Project

With a virtual reality viewer like Google Cardboard, you can use the Google Arts & Culture app on iOS and Android to take a virtual tour of the street art scene in Rome; step inside a creation by famous street artist, Insa; or even travel 2,500 years back in time and look around the ancient Greek temple of Zeus.

Make sure you've downloaded the app to experience these 10 breathtaking virtual reality tours in full. When on a museum or institution's page, scroll down to the 'Virtual Tours' section and click on a tour to launch the Cardboard experience...

Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room - Detail by James McNeill WhistlerSmithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art

1. A 3D Stroll Through the History of the Peacock Room

Take this immersive tour and learn about the dynamic history of the Peacock Room, the renowned decorative interior by American artist James McNeill Whistler. Follow the room’s transatlantic journey from England to America and explore its evolution as it moved from private homes in London and Detroit to its ultimate destination at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art on the National Mall.

Using your Google Cardboard? Then click here, scroll down to 'Virtual Tours' - marked with the Google Cardboard icon - and click to launch the experience.

About the Blue HouseSt. James' Settlement

2. A Walking Tour of the Blue House

Take an immersive trip through the Blue House, Hong Kong, and explore this living time capsule showing you the grassroots community of the old city.

Click here and scroll down for the virtual tour.

Street Artists in Dulwich Picture Gallery (2013) by photo by Richard Howard GriffinDulwich Outdoor Gallery

3. Highlights of the Dulwich Picture Gallery

With this tour, experience the highlights of England’s first purpose-built public art gallery in virtual reality, wherever you are!

Gold-inlaid Iron Sword (Inariyama Iron Sword) (5th Century) by UnknownMuseum of the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds

4. The Story of the Inariyama Sword

The Inariyama Sword (known in Japanese as kinsakumei tekken; roughly, "gold-inscription iron-sword") was excavated from the burial chamber of the Inariyama Kofun, the oldest giant burial mound in the Saitama Kofun Cluster. Discover the story of this Japanese national treasure here and immerse yourself in its fascinating history.

Installation of Gush (2014/2015) by Marilyn MinterThe Water Tank Project

5. The Water Tank Project: A Virtual Walking Tour

Art Above NYC. Water Above All. Explore the streets of New York City on this journey through the Water Tank Project, a street art exhibition that is wrapped around water tanks across the city.

Temple of Juno (-400)Valley of the Temples

6. Virtual Tour: Temple of Juno, Temple of Zeus and Early Christian Necropolis

Click here to embark on a magical journey through the ancient temples of Sicily's Valle Dei Templi.

Aerial view of Robben Island, South Africa by Robben Island MuseumRobben Island Museum

7. A Virtual Tour of Robben Island Prison

Robben Island, South Africa is home to the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years, along with over 3,000 political prisoners during their fight to end Apartheid. Walk in the footsteps of this historic figure with this moving tour.

We Have Crossed the Lake (2009) by Ian WooSingapore Art Museum

8. After Utopia

Go on a search for your utopia through the contemporary Asian art of the Singapore Art Museum.

Click here to scroll down and find the immersive experience.

The primitive model of the Statue of Liberty (1877/1880) by Pierre PetitMusée des arts et métiers

9. The construction of the Statue of Liberty

Liberty Enlightening the World, aka the Statue of Liberty, has been enlightening New York Bay for over a century. From Paris to its home in New York, follow this artistic masterpiece and engineering achievement on its journey across the world.

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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