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London National Gallery Virtual Tour

London National Gallery 

The National Gallery in London is my all time favourite! It has this peace and tranquil atmosphere, large halls, incredible pieces of artwork that I want to come and explore more and more. This time however, I decided to embark on a virtual tour of The National Gallery . 

A place to reflect

I visited the National Gallery London twice after it opened its doors again in the summer 2020. I was over the moon to be able to wonder the halls and marvel at the ancient art. But at the same time I wanted to have a way to explore the works more in depth. Another thing,  let’s be honest reading all the plaques next to those amazing paintings can be quite tiresome. So when I discovered the gallery has a virtual tour that I can visit sitting in my living room, I immediately jumped at it.  

The National Gallery has some incredible things on display. It was founded in 1824 and since then it has accumulated over 2,300 paintings dating dating from the mid-13th century to 1900s. They have a splendid permanent collection, as well as temporary exhibitions. There is always something going on in the gallery. 

My favourite part is the section of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. So many years of human culture collected in one place. It’s mesmerising, it makes you appreciate how far we’ve gone as a species, and how much there is still to learn.

Can art be remedy for the sole? Embark on the National Gallery virtual tour

There is a certain stillness in the halls of the gallery. Certain pieces of artwork move you. Sometimes they help you understand things, get over something or just be present, meditate in the moment. But you don’t have to be physically present to start discovering the stories behind art works. You can learn about the world, history, humanity and culture virtually. So take this National Gallery London virtual tour today.

It may not provide direct answers, but it will definitely broaden your horizons or even entirely change your perspective! 

What’s next? How about checking out Christmas in London 2020 article?

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14 Of London’s Very Best Virtual Museum And Exhibition Tours

Chances are you’re twiddling your thumbs, aching to go out.

Join the club. But there are still lots of ways you can pass the time, while also feeling like you’re out in the heart of London culture. While there are countless virtual tours that you can dive into around the world , many of the most wonderful online museums, exhibitions and walking tours can be found on London soil. We’ve rounded up some of the best.

1. Greenwich Painted Hall

The beautiful Greenwich Painted Hall only reopened after works a year ago . So, only a lucky percentage have seen it in all its glory in recent years. Nevertheless, keen art-lovers can still catch the marvellous paintings online. You’ll get beautiful 360-degree views of the hall, including the stunning benches, windows and full-wall murals.

Check out Greenwich Hall with the full stunning surfaces right here.

2. British Museum 

View this post on Instagram

Take a scrolling stroll around the British Museum and head through their virtual time-capsule. You’ll make Marty McFly look like a fool with this one, as the tool lets you look at artefacts from as far back as 5000 BC. This site gives you a tour of any year, whether it’s 1400 AD or 2000 BC. It beckons the nation to come out of the lockdown as well-rounded, esteemed historians.

Take the scroll of your life through the British Museum right here.

3. Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum was one of the first London museums to close its doors , before all the others were ordered to follow suit. But, if Ben Stiller taught us anything, it’s that life lives on in museums regardless of human movement inside. The dinosaurs, the blue whales and the scary skulls are all on hand to provide us with a cracking virtual display. The museum’s website gives a host of options on ways to interact with all things natural and historic. The pick of the bunch, however, has to be a guided interactive tour of Hintze Hall led by none other than Sir David Attenborough .

Check out the vast array of museum tour opportunities right here. 

4. Yayoi Kusama’s world-renowned Infinity Rooms, which were due to hit the Tate Modern

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by The Broad (@thebroadmuseum) on Apr 1, 2020 at 7:12pm PDT

Yayoi Kusama’s spectacular Infinity Rooms have gripped the public as they make their way to different stops around the globe. Kusama’s Infinity Rooms are chambers just big enough for three people, filled with stunning beams of light for a unique, individual experience. They were due to hit the Tate Modern on 11 May , but sadly have been halted due to COVID-19. Never fear, Instagram is here. The Broad Museum has provided an interactive view of Kusama’s room via the app , which aims to transport you from your sofa to the radiant glow of infinity.

5. Jack The Ripper walking tour

Take yourself out to the spooky spots that Jack The Ripper once roamed through… all from the safety of your own home. In this thrilling tour, you’ll learn about London’s most notorious serial killer, his victims and even investigate other alleged perpetrators. The historical tour displays the Whitechapel crime scenes and lets you draw up your own conclusions about the never-caught killer himself. It’s the most detailed and all-consuming virtual tour you can experience from lockdown.

Find out more about the spooky tour and grab your tickets right here.

6. The Postal Museum

As the magic of the  Postal Museum  remains behind closed doors due to the coronavirus, virtual visitors are able to hop on board the museum’s star attraction: the famous Mail Rail. “Passengers” on the virtual tour will explore the hidden subterranean world of the 100-year-old Post Office Railway, chugging its way through the original tunnels.

Read all about it and get involved here.

7. The National Gallery

The National Gallery provides detailed virtual tours of their different wings. See everything from early renaissance paintings, to 360-degree views of Holstein and Titian. It’s a world to get lost in and immerse yourself in the best art the capital has to offer.

Check out the virtual tours of The National Gallery on offer here.

8. The London Transport Museum

If you’ve got time to kill, this is an excellent, detailed walking tour of the London Transport Museum. As it was filmed this time last year, the crowds in the museum might make you pine for the days where you could join them. It’s a great way to get to grips with London’s historic travel company.

9. Houses of Parliament

While they’re normally bellowing away here, even the MPs are mostly working from home. No matter how you feel they’re handling this ongoing crisis, it doesn’t mean you can’t get a feel for the historic buildings they normally grace. This 360-degree virtual tour lets you wander through the Commons, the Lords and the lobbies, halls and galleries that make up the Houses Of Parliament.

Check out the Houses Of Parliament virtual tour here.

10. Buckingham Palace State Tour Rooms

As it’s the Queen’s birthday this week (April 21), it would be remiss of us not to let you know about the Buckingham Palace virtual tours . Check out the majestic throne room, the grand staircase, the drawing-room and much more. Truly the most royal you can feel at a time like this.

Check out the Buckingham Palace State Room tours right here.

11.  Courtauld Gallery

The Courtauld Gallery has past experience in getting this kind of thing to work. It closed its doors temporarily in September 2018, and offered viewers a virtual tour. This has, of course, come in handy for the current situation. Anyone can gawk at the beautiful work of Manet, Van Gogh and plenty more with a virtual display of every single room.

Check out the full Courtauld Gallery tour right here.

12.  Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Tutanhkamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh‘ exhibit

The Tutankhamun exhibit was one of the hottest tickets in town prior to lockdown—and one of the final chances to see the artefacts before their permanent move to Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum—so news of the online tour is welcome indeed. The gallery invites you to “Enter The Tomb” where you’re able to check out prized artefacts such as vases, coffinettes, and statues.

13. Andy Warhol at Tate Modern

Mainly down to the brilliant weather that London has so typically experienced as soon as everyone got forced inside, this is one that hurts a lot. A day out on the sunny Southbank topped off by cooling down at this Andy Warhol exhibition sounds like complete heaven. Nonetheless, the Tate Modern has ensured that we don’t completely miss out. A full video of the excellent Andy Warhol exhibition can be found online, along with a detailed commentary that explores the exhibition room by room.

14.  NOW Gallery’s “Slices Of Time” installation

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by emmanuelle moureaux (@emmanuellemoureaux) on Feb 3, 2020 at 2:50pm PST

Before the forced closures, NOW Gallery housed Emmanuele Moureaux’s first large-scale installation in the UK. Luckily though, the free exhibition, dubbed “Slices Of Time”, can still be found online. It’s the most brightly-coloured display on this list and is inspired by the artist’s time living in Tokyo among the neon lights. Slices Of Time takes on Moureaux’s invented concept of  shikiri,  which means ‘dividing space with colour’. The exhibition is a sight to behold and it’s available here for free .

See also:  The Netherlands’ Breathtaking Tulip Fields Are In Full Bloom, And You Can Explore Them Virtually

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National Gallery Virtual Tours

The National Gallery website features virtual tours of the Gallery allowing visitors to explore one of the greatest collections of paintings in the comfort of your home.

The Google virtual tour takes a look at some of the Renaissance masterpieces with panoramic views of the Gallery in 360 degrees. Includes masterpieces from Northern Italy, the Netherlands and Germany including works by Tirian, Veronese and Holbein.

Take the tour Here

The National Gallery has teamed up with Oculus using Matterport’s 3D camera technology to create a virtual reality experience of the Sainsbury Wing.

The immersive experience invites you to step into the Gallery’s collection of Early Renaissance paintings from 1200 to 1500.

Enjoy over 270 paintings in virtual reality with a VR headset, or browse a 360 tour on your desktop or mobile Here

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National Gallery launches immersive virtual experience

The National Gallery has launched its first ever immersive experience for mobile phones. From this month, Android users can enjoy the London gallery’s Sensing the Unseen: Step into Gossaert’s Adoration   display in intricate detail from the comfort of their sofas. 

A physical version of the same exhibition opened at the gallery on 9 December 2020 last year. Due to rising Covid cases, Sensing the Unseen was forced to close after just a week.

Overcoming the challenges of lockdown, Emma McFarland, the gallery’s innovation programme lead, worked with independent collaborators on a part-time basis to develop the virtual experience over six weeks. She said: “This experimental mobile experience was created as part of our response to the constraints on exhibition visitor numbers as a result of the pandemic.” 

Both the digital and the physical exhibitions revolve around a single painting: The Adoration of the Kings (1510-15) by Northern Renaissance artist Jan Gossaert. 

Acquired by the National Gallery in 1911, the detailed, 5ft-long oil-on-oak masterpiece depicts the birth of Jesus, surrounded by angels, king, shepherds in a crumbling city instead of a stable. Gossaert was so impressed by the finished piece that he signed his name twice – on King Balthasar’s crown and the king’s attendant’s collar. Now Android users across the world will be able to get closer to the details of the artwork. 

McFarland said: “Virtual exhibitions offer the public an exciting new space in which to engage with a collection in new ways; one which is not tied to a geographical location or a specific building or the materiality of the object.”

Making use of the possibilities of digital, the “sonified” mobile exhibition allows users to journey through high-resolution images of different segments of the painting while listening to ambient sound, music and six poems, in the voice of King Balthasar, that interpret the painting’s six scenes. 

The former young people’s laureate for London, Theresa Lola, wrote and voiced the poems. Users can zoom in and out using their fingers on the touchscreen.

“What virtual offers museums is an opportunity to reimagine and reinterpret our collections in new ways, reaching people far beyond their traditional visitor base,” McFarland said.

“But these technologies do come with some downsides; creating these experiences can be risky and resource-intensive, both of which can be barriers for museums, smaller ones in particular,” she added. For McFarland, designing for a specific audience in mind is key to success.

The innovation team is in the process of deploying the beta version created for iOS soon so iPhone users can also experience the exhibition. 

See Sensing the Unseen  here .

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Backlash over bbc story on value of birmingham’s artworks, nhm launches futuristic mixed reality exhibition.

The National Gallery virtual tour

This virtual tour of the National Gallery in London, launched in 2016, allows users to access the museum virtually using Google Streetveiw style navigation. It also offers users to access ‘stories / further information associated with particular exhibits. For 15 exhibits, users can use their mouse to scroll informative text and zoom-in on specific elements of the paintings.

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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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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

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 .”

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.

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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.

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You can do virtual tours of almost every major London museum and gallery

Life without art and museums is just a whole lot of Netflix and cheap lager, that’s what self-isolation has taught me. Good heavens, I miss museums. The smell, the light, the people, the ART. I really miss art. But it’s good to know that way before everything went crazy last year, most of London’s museums digitised their collections and even created virtual tours of their spaces. If you miss those places as much as I do, especially now that we're deep into yet another lockdown, then this might just be the balm your restless soul needs. From Tate Modern through to the Natural History Museum, here are our favourite virtual tours of our most beloved London cultural institutions.

Tate Modern

Photograph: Facebook/Tate

The Tate’s collection is staggering: Monet, Picasso, Rothko, all the big names. In this tour, Tate Modern’s director Frances Morris takes you on a tour of one of the Tate’s new buildings, showing you works by Louise Bourgeois, Carl Andre and plenty of others. For some reason, Nick Grimshaw’s there too. I don’t know why. I don’t like it.

The Courtauld Gallery of Art

Photograph: Courtauld

This is a virtual tour of a museum that was shut even before the current crisis. The Courtauld’s been closed for refurbishment for ages, but cleverly created this digital tour for posterity’s sake. It’s room by room, so start at the beginning with Cranach the Elder’s ‘Adam and Eve’, scoot through the portraits of old dead people in room four and then head straight for the Impressionist and modernist delights of rooms six and seven. Van Gogh, Manet, Kandinsky? Yes please!

The National Portrait Gallery

Photograph: National Portrait Gallery

Ah, London’s museum Marmite. The NPG is filled with stuff you either love or despise with a hatred so intense it’s all-consuming. ‘The Cholmondeley Ladies’ painting? Amazing, love it. The portrait of Ed Sheeran? I’d rather stab my eyes out with a pair of tweezers. But don’t listen to me, take the tour and decide for yourself.

The National Gallery

Photograph: National Gallery

This one’s done in collaboration with Google Street View, so you get all the thrills of scouring your local streets to see if they caught you picking your nose, but with paintings instead. The National Gallery’s collection has some of the greatest artists who ever lived – Renaissance masters, Baroque painters and Impressionist adventurers – and there is nowhere better to lose yourself for an afternoon in London. Plus, you get to stand in exactly the right spot to see the skull straighten out in Holbein’s ‘The Ambassadors’. And online, there are no Italian schoolkids with giant backpacks getting between you and the Raphael. Heaven.

The British Museum

Photograph: British Museum

Woo, things were hotting up for a while there with Brexit. As Britain formally withdrew from the European Union, bills were being drafted in Brussels that would basically force the British Museum to give the Parthenon Marbles back to Greece. The CV crisis has put the kibosh on all that for now, so there are probably some very relieved people at the BM. But in the meantime, let’s all enjoy it online while we can (and the mummies, obviously: everyone loves the mummies).

Want more virtual art exhibitions? Have a look at this heartbreaking show we’ve part-hosted  here .

Then check out more   virtual tours of museums around the world .

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

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Virtual london tours: the 10 best armchair travel experiences.

Why do you travel?

For some, it’s an opportunity to decompress, perhaps in a warm climate with a good book as a companion. Others seek out new experiences, including sampling local cuisine. But for many, travel is an opportunity to learn more about the place, its people, its culture and its history.

Extend your horizons beyond your living room by taking a virtual London tour of its iconic landmarks and flagship attractions. Here are the best of the bunch.

1. Explore the British Museum from home

The British Museum is one of my favourite places to visit in London. But just because you may not be able to visit it doesn’t mean that you can’t dive into its vast collection.

Its online collection is outstanding, allowing visitors to search over four million object records online or to explore collection highlights and stories. Many of the museum’s objects have more than one image.

Podcasts are also available.

For a different virtual experience, you can take a  virtual museum tour with Google Street View , including the hugely popular –  and usually rammed – Egyptian Gallery.

2. Take a virtual tour of the National Gallery, London

Google has also created  360-degree tours of the National Gallery , including seven rooms as well as its Central Hall. This virtual collection includes Renaissance masterpieces from the likes of Titian and Holbein.

And like the British Museum, you can search the gallery’s vast collection with almost 2,500 of its works available to view online.

3. Find out more about the Wallace Collection’s masterpieces

The Wallace Collection is one of those slightly off-the-main-radar art galleries in London.

Built over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, this collection of paintings, sculpture, furniture, arms, armour and porcelain. It was bequeathed to the British nation in 1897.

It’s easy to explore the  Wallace Collection highlights .

Want to know more about Frans Hals’  The Laughing Cavalier ? Then you are in luck. Where this virtual collection is head and shoulders over its neighbours is the depth of information offered on exhibits, even to the extent of providing suggestions for further reading.

4. Tour the Courtauld Collection from your armchair

The Courtauld Gallery is one of my favourite galleries in London. After a stunning makeover, it has opened its doors to visitors once again.

Get a sneak preview of what is behind its doors by taking a virtual tour of the gallery’s awesome collection . This includes Van Gough’s  Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear  and Édouard Manet’s  A Bar at the Folies-Bergère .

5. Take a virtual tour of the Churchill War Rooms

Touring the Churchill War Rooms is a terrific thing to do in London. But if you can’t physically be there, visit virtually through its impressive collection of images and videos.

You can just imagine Churchill’s ministers and military strategists thrashing out the Allied strategy in smoke-filled rooms.

6. Take a tour of the Houses of Parliament

Explore the nooks and crannies of the home of UK democracy on a  Houses of Parliament 360-degree virtual tour .

Starting at the central lobby, walk through the labyrinthine corridors of power to the House of Commons. Embrace your inner historian by clicking on the information icons on the ‘hotspots’ along the way.

There is also a separate Woman and Parliament Virtual Tour which traces the role of the gentler sex in the UK Government, including the Suffrage movement.

7. Drop into 10 Downing Street

Let’s stay with UK politics. It’s not as if many people will get an opportunity to enter Downing Street, one of the most famous streets in London and the location of the Prime Minister’s home. But you can take a peek inside courtesy of a  virtual tour of 10 Downing Street .

I really like this London virtual tour. The image quality is superb and you can explore 10 Downing Street inside and out.

Start with the iconic staircase, lined with photographs of past Prime Ministers and then venture to the Cabinet Room with its elegant Corinthian columns. Complete your visit by checking out the Prime Minister’s office and the elegant Pillared Room.

Go full-screen for the best experience.

8. Walk in the footsteps of royalty at Buckingham Palace

Don’t stop at seeing where the PM conducts his business. Take a sneaky peek at HM The King’s official London residence with an armchair tour of Buckingham Palace .

This London virtual tour allows you to explore the opulent White Drawing Room, Throne Room and the Grand Staircase.

9. Stalk the corridors of Hampton Court Palace

Anyone who has read Hilary Mantel’s books will be familiar with the magnificent 16 th  Century Hampton Court Palace which was once the home of Henry VIII. One of the  most beautiful royal palaces in Europe , this is a fantastic place to visit, albeit pricey, but – you guessed it – you can now take a  virtual tour of Hampton Court Palace

This 8-minute video, narrated by a ‘Yeoman of the Guard’, starts in the courtyard before moving to rooms inside the Palace. A free online course on the history of royal fashion is also available.

10. Take a narrated tour of the Tower of London

Visiting the Tower of London is a ust-do if you are in town. Sadly, the virtual tour of the Tower of London is no longer available. However, it does have a selction of excellent educational materials on its website .

Which London virtual tour will you take?

These virtual tours of London’s top sights vary hugely in their quality and the depth of information provided. As might be expected, most of these are very visual experiences at the expense of contextual information about what you are looking at.

However, the advantage of experiencing London’s key attractions from the comfort of your own sofa is that you can go at your own pace and don’t have to battle with the crowds. A virtual London tour also provides an opportunity to view spaces normally closed to the public, such as 10 Downing Street.

So pause Netflix and just do it.

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About Bridget

Bridget Coleman is a Londoner who has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.

Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.

To get in touch, email her at [email protected] or follow her on social media.

The National Gallery, London

London, United Kingdom

The National Gallery Collection contains over 2,300 works, including many famous works, such as van Eyck’s 'Arnolfini Portrait', Velázquez’s 'Rokeby Venus', Turner’s 'Fighting Temeraire' and Van Gogh’s 'Sunflowers'.

All major traditions of Western European painting are represented from the artists of late medieval and Renaissance Italy to the French Impressionists.

- 13th- to 15th-century paintings: Duccio, Uccello, van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli, Dürer, Memling, Bellini

- 16th-century paintings: Leonardo, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Holbein, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titian, Veronese

- 17th-century paintings: Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velázquez, Claude, Rembrandt, Cuyp, Vermeer

- 18th- to early 20th-century paintings: Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Ingres, Degas, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh

Read more on the The National Gallery, London website

The Collection

• Claude Monet 14
• Paolo Veronese 11
• Johannes Vermeer 5
• Tintoretto 5
• Leonardo da Vinci 4
• Rembrandt 4
• Peter Paul Rubens 3
• Sandro Botticelli 3
• J. M. W. Turner 2
• Hans Holbein the Younger 2
• Gustav Klimt 1
• Hieronymus Bosch 1
• Gustave Courbet 1
• Jan van Eyck 1
• Georges Seurat 1
• Nicolas Poussin 1
• Piero della Francesca 1
• Oil paint 207
• Colored pencil 1
• Renaissance 125
• Italian Renaissance 82
• Venetian painting 33
• Northern Renaissance 27
• Mannerism 17
• High Renaissance 17
• Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting 17
• Modern art 12
• Dutch Golden Age 11
• German Renaissance 11
• Impressionism 8
• Classicism 3
• Romanticism 2
• Gothic art 1
• Florentine painting 1
• American Realism 1
• Sienese School 1
• Ashcan School 1
• United Kingdom 19
• Walthamstow 2
• London Borough of Waltham Forest 2
• Switzerland 1
• Jerusalem 1
• Newcastle upon Tyne 1
• Artemisia Gentileschi 21
• Orazio Gentileschi 5
• Nicodemus 2
• Holofernes 2
• Lazarus of Bethany 1
• Saint Lucy 1
• Belshazzar 1
• Mary of Clopas 1
• Nicholas of Tolentino 1
• Peter of Verona 1
• Saint Apollonia 1
• Hephaestion 1
• Christina of Bolsena 1
• Christina of Denmark 1
• Saint Thomas Aquinas 1

Renaissance

Italian Renaissance

Online Exhibit

Life, death, and our place in the universe: The Ambassadors

Read the story

The 'excellent and learned' Artemisia

Artemisia Gentileschi's life among the great patrons, artists and intellectuals of her day

Monet: The Water Lily Pond

An in-painting tour from the National Gallery, London

Monet's Venice

Monet's London

Virtual visits

Virtual Tour

The National Gallery

Stay in touch

Follow The National Gallery, London on Google Arts & Culture for updates to the collection, new stories and upcoming events.

The National Gallery, London's website

What's on

Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers

Sep 14, 2024 - Jan 19, 2025

Discover Constable & The Hay Wain

Oct 17, 2024 - Feb 2, 2025

Parmigianino: The Vision of Saint Jerome

Dec 5, 2024 - Mar 9, 2025

• Monday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Tuesday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Wednesday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Thursday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Friday 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• Sunday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

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Daily guided tour

A journey into the collection...

The art of mindfulness

Slow looking from the outside to the inside.

British Sign Language tour

Van gogh and post-impressionism.

Discover Constable & The Hay Wain