If you’ve read any of my other posts, you would know that Ms. Rona (COVID-19) has put a halt to my recent travel plans, leaving me stuck at home. To keep myself busy, I’ve found a few virtual tours that can be taken to explore far away destinations. Within a one hour span, I traveled to the Louvre in Paris, over to the Vatican, and over to the US to visit beautiful national parks that I had no idea existed! Here’s a short list of my recommendations for those looking for a virtual adventure:

• The Louvre (Paris, France)

Check out the website here.

When I initially visited the website, the “History of the Louvre” and “Egyptian Antiques” sections of the museum were only available. It looks as though there are now additional sections that are open for your viewing pleasure. Unfortunately, I don’t think that the section containing the Mona Lisa will be available to view. It’s probably best to see it in person whenever things return to normal 🙂

• Vatican Museums (Vatican City)

Check out the website here.

I had the pleasure of visiting St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City back in 2016. Due to time, I was unable to see the Sistine Chapel (which I previously thought was called the Sixteenth Chapel). Thankfully, there is a 360 virtual tour that can be taken to view Michaelangelo’s beautiful painting on the ceiling of the building. This website also contains virtual tours inside sections of the Vatican Museum that are just as enjoyable to view as the Sistine Chapel.

• Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights (from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada)

Check out the website here.

This website has a live feed to capture the Northern Lights as if you were there. I always catch it at a bad time due to time differences but if you’re truly interested in seeing them, check out the comments to find the best time to view the lights (consider your time zone). Seeing the Northern Lights is on my bucket list, and I hope to one day be able to see them in person!

• US National Parks

Check out the website here.

This website contains virtual tours of the following national parks: Kenai Fjords (
Alaska), Hawai’i Volcanoes, Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico), Bryce Canyon (Utah, and Dry Tortugas (Florida). I would recommend exploring these parks if you’re interested in learning about and viewing volcanoes, canyons, and wildlife. Before visiting this site, I had no idea that these places existed!

• The Great Wall of China

Check out the website here.

Want to visit a section of the Great Wall of China without the physical demand? Here’s your chance!

• World of Wonder Travel

Check out the website here.

Grab your virtual passport and choice from a short list of cities in the US, Ireland, or Jamaica. To be honest, a lot of the virtual tours lead to Youtube links which leads to my next suggestion…

• Youtube

If there is a specific city or attraction that you’re interested in learning or viewing, there are several YouTube videos that you can watch. At the moment I don’t have any specific Youtube channels that I prefer, but I tend to like watching videos by solo travelers to gain any important tips that I’ll need to know. Take some time and explore, just be prepared to go down a Youtube rabbit hole of travel videos.

Please know that this is not by any means an exhaustive list of what is currently available. During this time, try to imagine yourself taking in these beautiful views. I’m not sure how long these websites will be available considering the unique situation that the world is currently in. If you’re feeling down about not traveling, I hope that this brings some type of peace and ease to you for the time being. 

Happy virtual traveling!