Nowadays, anyone can visit museums from around the globe without having to leave the house. A plethora of museums have digitized their exhibitions for art enthusiasts to enjoy from the comfort of their homes. This trend has gained traction within the last two years, with more and more museums finding different ways to bring their exhibitions to the people.

Virtual experiences on the rise
From music and culture to sports and entertainment, a variety of experiences can nowadays be enjoyed in the digital realm. Through videos, livestreams, and virtual tours, users can take advantage of immersive experiences without leaving the home. It has, for instance, become increasingly the norm to stream concerts and events online for audiences from around the world. From festivals such as Coachella to classical concert halls like the London Symphony Orchestra, music fans can listen in without having to travel.

A similar trend is evident in the entertainment sector, where digital platforms offer free online casino games to easily be played on the web. Bringing the traditional casino experience online, players can choose between a variety of digital table games such as roulette and blackjack to play for free from their living rooms. Some real-money platforms also offer the option to play with a real dealer via a livestream, allowing for an especially immersive experience.

Now, such digital experiences also let you explore museums from around the world. From the Louvre in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam to the Met in New York and The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Taking a self-guided virtual 360-degree tour
Thanks to high-tech videos, you can take a stroll through a wide variety of museums and galleries online, without even changing out of your PJ. 360-degree interactive videos enable you to click yourself through the corridors of a museum and look at the impressive pieces of art at your own pace and whenever you like. Google has put great effort into bringing collections from around the world into one digital place with its free online platform, Google Arts & Culture. Many museums have taken advantage of the 360-degree videos, such as The National Gallery in London and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, to let digital visitors walk through their impressive buildings virtually on their own terms. Other museums, such as the majestic Louvre in Paris, have digitized their collections so that you can inspect the impressive pieces of art on your screen.

Watching videos and films created by the museum
While self-guided virtual tours let you enjoy a collection completely at your own pace, a video with a guide from the museum can help you gain an even deeper insight into what you are looking at. Many museums and galleries from around the world have introduced a whole array of digital offerings to let you enjoy their exhibitions from the comfort of your home. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, for instance, has published a variety of free videos that take you on a guided tour through the museum. These have been pre-recorded and offer a very lifelike experience to explore the extensive collections. As these videos are available on demand, you are free to access them at any time to travel to Amsterdam virtually.

Enjoying a private virtual tour with a guide
Taking a private virtual tour in real-time allows for a completely personalized and interactive experience that will almost make you feel as if you were really at the location. Many useums have introduced paid virtual tours throughout the last two years, with which art and culture enthusiasts can learn everything about a certain collection with a guide ready to answer any question. These tours can be booked for groups of visitors at a certain ticket price to be taken through the museum via a video call such as Zoom or Teams with a professional guide or curator. You can usually contact the guide ahead of time to let them know about any special interests you might have and ask questions throughout the tour via the integrated chat function. If you can’t go to New York, this is an amazing way to visit the Guggenheim, for instance.

We live in a globalized world where the internet connects people and cultures from all corners of the planet in an instant. Now, it’s possible to experience art, history, and culture and visit some of the world’s best museums from the comfort of your home.