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The 75 Best Virtual Museum Tours Around the World [Art, History, Science, and Technology]

Jarrod West

Senior Content Contributor

452 Published Articles 1 Edited Article

Countries Visited: 21 U.S. States Visited: 24

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

41 Published Articles 3360 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 50 U.S. States Visited: 28

Table of Contents

Google arts and culture, 50 art museums with virtual tours, 5 natural history museums with virtual tours, 10 science and technology museums with virtual tours, 10 history museums with virtual tours, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our  Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

You can now access collections from many of the world’s top museums without ever leaving home! We’ve put together an ultimate list of 75 world-class museums that offer virtual tours you can visit from the comfort of your couch.

Many of the virtual tours include exhibit walk-throughs and the ability to examine some of the world’s best paintings, sculptures, and other pieces up close and personal. These virtual tours are jam-packed with enough details to make you feel like you’re really visiting the museum. The experiences are sure to entertain the whole family, an art or history buff, or even those who want to imagine the joys of travel!

We’ve broken our list into 4 easy-to-review sections, including art, natural history, science and technology, and history museums. So whether you prefer to take in a painting at the Van Gogh Museum, check out an SR-71 Blackbird at the Museum of Flight, or gaze upon the Rosetta Stone, this list has it all!

Many of the virtual exhibits in this article are offered through a collaboration with Google Arts and Culture. If you’re not familiar, Google Arts and Culture is an online platform that showcases high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from more than 2,000 museums throughout the world. You can zoom in and out of images in great detail and view some of the best pieces of artwork ever created without leaving your couch.

The platform is available in 18 languages and has been praised internationally for increasing access to art to those who may have not had the opportunity otherwise. It’s available for web , iOS , and Android .

1. The Albertina Museum (Vienna, Austria)

Year Opened:  1805

The Albertina Museum features one of the most important European collections of international modern art and houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and 1 million old master prints. Hundreds of the works housed in the museum, like “Study for the Last Supper” by Da Vinci and “The Water Lily Pond” by Monet, can be viewed online thanks to a partnership with Google Arts and Culture.

To view the online exhibits, click here .

2. Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois)

Year Opened: 1879

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the U.S., hosting approximately 1.5 million people annually. Its collection features more than 5,000 years of human expression from cultures around the world and contains more than 300,000 works of art in 11 curatorial departments.

The online tour allows you to view major pieces from the museum’s collection, such as “American Gothic,” “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” and “Nighthawks.” The site also offers projects to get creative at home, educator resources, and JourneyMaker, a digital tool that allows visitors to create unique, personalized tours of the museum.

To view the online tour, click here .

3. Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece)

Year Opened: 1930

Established in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, the Benaki Museum houses Greek works of art from prehistoric to modern times and an extensive collection of Asian art. It also hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop.

The entire museum can be viewed virtually in great detail.

To view the online virtual tour, click here .

4. The Broad (Los Angeles, California)

Year Opened: 2015

The Broad is a contemporary art museum named for philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The Broad houses a nearly 2,000-piece collection of contemporary art, featuring 200 artists including works by Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Ed Ruscha, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol. Notable installations include Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Mirrored Room” (pictured above) and Ragnar Kjartansson’s expansive 9-screen video “The Visitors.”

The Broad has put together a series of YouTube videos to give you a first-hand look at the museum.

5. Centre Pompidou (Paris, France)

Year Opened : 1977

The Centre Pompidou, named after the president of France from 1969 to 1974, is the largest museum for modern and contemporary art in Europe and the second-largest in the world. The museum has more than 12,000 pieces of artwork on display, including works by Kandinsky, Dalí, and Valadon.

The Centre has dozens of videos available on its YouTube channel that provide walk-throughs of the museum and explanations of its most important works.

To view the video tours, click here .

6. The Dalí Theatre-Museum (Figueres, Spain)

Year Opened : 1974

Dedicated to the life and work of the surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, the Dalí Theatre-Museum displays the single largest and most diverse collection of works by the artist. In addition to Dalí paintings from all decades of his career, there are Dalí sculptures, 3-dimensional collages, mechanical devices, and other curiosities from Dalí’s imagination. Through the website, guests can take a virtual tour in 360-degree of the entire museum.

To view the virtual tour, click here .

7. Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan)

Year Opened: 1885

With more than 100 galleries covering over 658,000 square feet, the Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the U.S. Its collection features works spanning from ancient Egypt and Europe all the way to modern contemporary art.

The museum has put together “ At Home With DIA ” to offer school field trips from home, weekly film screenings, senior resources, and home projects. DIA also has a partnership with Google Arts and Culture to provide online exhibits including:

• Frida Kahlo in Detroit
• Ordinary People by Extraordinary Artists
• Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry
• Self Portrait on the Borderline between Mexico and the United States

8. Frick Collection (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1935

Located in the Henry Clay Frick House, the Frick Collection houses the art collection of industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The collection features some of the best-known paintings by major European artists, including Bellini, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, as well as numerous works of sculpture and porcelain.

The entire museum can be viewed virtually.

9. Galleria dell’Accademia (Florence, Italy)

Year Opened : 1784

The Galleria dell’Accademia, while small compared to other museums featured, is still the second most visited museum in Italy. Its command of visitors is in large part due to its display of perhaps the most famous sculpture in history — Michaelangelo’s statue of David.

You can view a short, video-guided tour of the museum, which includes 360-degree viewing, allowing you to get a close look at the museum’s offerings.

To view the video tour, click here .

10. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (Sante Fe, New Mexico)

Year Opened: 1997

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and her contributions to American Modernism. The museum’s collection includes many of O’Keeffe’s key works, ranging from her innovative abstractions to her iconic large-format flower, skull, and landscape paintings, to paintings of architectural forms, rocks, shells, and trees. Initially, the collection was made of 140 O’Keeffe paintings, watercolors, pastels, and sculptures, but now includes nearly 1,200 objects.

The museum website offers creative activities, stories, and education about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, along with several virtual exhibits available through Google Arts and Culture, including:

• Georgia O’Keeffe
• American Modernism
• United States

11. Grand Palais (Paris, France)

Year Opened : 1900

The Grand Palais is a large historic site, exhibition hall, and museum dedicated to the organization of exhibitions, publishing books, art workshops, photographic agency, and hosting major fairs and events. The museum receives 2.5 million visitors each year. The partnership with Google Arts and Culture brings extensive online exhibits to life, from the construction of the building to the masterpieces that lie within it.

12. Hermitage Museum (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Year Opened : 1764

The Hermitage Museum is the second-largest and eighth-most visited art museum in the world. The Hermitage has more than 60,000 pieces of artwork on display, including the “Peacock Clock” by James Cox, “Madonna Litta” by Leonardo Da Vinci, and works by Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Antonio Canova.

The online tour is extremely comprehensive and allows you to virtually walk through all 6 buildings in the main complex, treasure gallery, and several exhibition projects.

13. High Museum of Art (Atlanta, Georgia)

Year Opened : 1905

The High Museum of Art offers over 15,000 works of art in its collection and is the leading art museum in the southeastern U.S. The museum focuses on 19th- and 20th-century American art, historic and contemporary decorative arts and design, European paintings, modern and contemporary art, photography, folk and self-taught art, and African art.

The museum’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture also offers online exhibits for viewing including:

• Bill Traylor’s Drawings of People, Animals, and Events
• How Iris van Herpen Transformed Fashion
• Incredible, Innovative, and Unexpected Contemporary Furniture Designs
• Photos From the Civil Rights Movement

14. The J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, California)

Year Opened: 1953

The J. Paul Getty Museum is made up of 2 campuses — the Getty Center and Getty Villa — that receive more than 2 million visitors per year. The Getty Center features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts and photographs from the 1830s through present-day from all over the world. The Getty Villa displays art from Ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria.

The museum has put together online resources like art books, online exhibitions, podcasts, and videos, all viewable on its website .

It has also partnered with Google Arts and Culture to showcase online exhibits including:

• 18th Century Pastel Portraits
• The Art of Three Faiths: Torah, Bible, Qur’an
• Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
• Getty Museum Acquisitions 2019
• Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well

To view the online galleries, click here .

15. Kunsthaus Zürich (Zürich, Switzerland)

Year Opened : 1910

The Kunsthaus Zürich features one of Switzerland’s most important art collections from the 13th century to the present day. While the museum places an emphasis on Swiss artists, including Alberto Giacometti, you’ll also find work from the likes of Monet, Picasso, and Warhol.

The museum’s partnership with Google Arts and Culture has digitized several of the museum’s best collections for viewing.

16. La Galleria Nazionale (Rome, Italy)

Year Opened: 1883

La Galleria Nazionale displays about 1,100 paintings and sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries — the largest collection in Italy. It features work from famous Italian artists including Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Alberto Burri, and foreign artists including Cézanne, Monet, Pollock, Rodin, and Van Gogh.

It has teamed up with Google to offer 16 virtual exhibits for online viewing.

17. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles, California)

Year Opened: 1910

LACMA is the largest art museum in the western U.S., attracts nearly a million visitors annually, and holds more than 150,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient times to the present.

The website (click LACMA @ Home ) includes exhibition walkthroughs, soundtracks and live recordings, online teaching resources, and courses.

To view the LACMA’s online virtual tour from Google Arts & Culture, click here .

18. Mauritshuis (The Hague, Netherlands)

Year Opened : 1822

The Mauritshuis is home to some of the best Dutch paintings from the Golden Age of Art. The museum consists of 854 works by artists like Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt Van Rijn, and Jan Steen. Famous works include “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (pictured above) and “View of Delft” by Vermeer, and “The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” by Rembrandt.

The museum has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring several of its best works to life for virtual viewing.

To view the Mauritshuis’ online exhibits, click here .

19. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1870

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, also known as “The Met,” is the largest art museum in the U.S. and the fourth most visited museum in the world with more than 6 million visitors each year. The permanent collection contains more than 2 million works from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all of the European masters (including Monet’s Water Lillies), and an extensive collection of American and modern art. It also has extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine, and Islamic art.

The museum has extensive different online exhibits available for viewing through Google and its own Art at Home website .

20. Musée du Louvre (Paris, France)

Year Opened:  1793

The Louvre Palace, which houses the museum, began as a fortress under Philip II in the 12th century to protect the city from English soldiers that were in Normandy. It wasn’t repurposed as a museum until 1793. Now, the Louvre is easily one of the most historic art museums in the world. Not only is the Louvre the largest art museum in the world at 782,910 square feet (72,735 square meters), but it also had 9.6 million visitors in 2019, making it the most visited museum in the world as well. Featured masterpieces include “Mona Lisa,” “Winged Victory of Samothrace,” “Venus de Milo,” and “Hammurabi’s Code.”

The Louvre has several virtual galleries on display, including:

• The Advent of the Artist, including works from Delacroix, Rembrandt, and Tintoretto
• Egyptian Antiquities, featuring collections from the Pharaonic period
• Remains of the Louvre’s Moat — visitors can walk around the original perimeter moat and view the piers that supported the drawbridge dating back to 1190
• Galerie d’Apollon, destroyed by fire in 1661 and recently rebuilt for viewing

To view the Louvre’s virtual tour page, click here .

21. Musée d’Orsay (Paris, France)

Year Opened: 1986

The Musée d’Orsay is housed in the former Gare d’Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. It is one of the largest art museums in Europe and had more than 3.6 million visitors in 2019. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, including works by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Seurat, Sisley, and Van Gogh.

The museum allows you to virtually walk through one of its popular galleries, featuring hundreds of paintings from French artists.

To view the Musée d’Orsay online gallery, click here .

22. Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid, Spain)

Year Opened : 1819

The Museo Nacional del Prado is considered to have one of the greatest collections of European art in the world and offers guests the single largest collection of Spanish art. The collection currently comprises around 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, and 1,000 sculptures. Well-known works include “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez, “The Third of May 1808” by Francisco De Goya, and “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch.

The museum’s online gallery allows you to get a close look at over 10,000 different pieces of art. The Prado also offers a 1-hour live show on Instagram every morning at 4 a.m. EST.

To view the online gallery, click here .

23. Museo Frida Kahlo (Mexico City, Mexico)

Year Opened: 1958

The Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the Blue House due to its blue walls, is a historic museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The building was Kahlo’s birthplace, the home where she grew up, lived with her husband Diego Rivera for many years, and where she later died in a room on the upper floor. The museum contains a collection of artwork by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and other artists, along with the couple’s Mexican folk art, pre-Hispanic artifacts, photographs, memorabilia, personal items, and more. Find out more in our guide to the best museums in Mexico City .

24. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid, Spain)

Year Opened: 1990

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, also called the Museo Reina Sofía, is one of the most popular art museums in the world. The museum includes large collections of Spain’s 2 most popular artists, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Famous works on display include “Guernica” and “Woman in Blue” by Picasso and “Cubist Self Portrait” by Dalí.

You can view collections of artwork at the Reina Sofía through its partnership with Google Arts and Culture.

25. Museu de Arte de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil)

Year Opened: 1947

The Museu de Arte de São Paulo is Brazil’s first modern art museum. The museum is internationally recognized for its collection of European art, as it’s considered the finest museum in Latin America and all of the Southern Hemisphere. The museum primarily features Brazilian art, prints, and drawings, as well as smaller collections of African and Asian art, antiquities, decorative arts, and others, amounting to more than 8,000 pieces. MASP also has one of the largest art libraries in the country.

You can now take a virtual tour of online galleries the museum has to offer, including:

• Art from Brazil until 1900
• Art from Italy: Rafael to Titian
• Art from France: from Delacroix to Cézanne
• Art in Fashion
• Histories of Madness: The Drawings of Juquery
• Picture Gallery in Transformation

26. Museum of Broken Relationships (Los Angeles, California and Zagreb, Croatia)

Year Opened: 2010

The Museum of Broken Relationships is dedicated to failed love relationships. Its exhibits include personal objects left over from former lovers, accompanied by brief descriptions. The museum was founded by 2 Zagreb-based artists, film producer Olinka Vištica and sculptor Dražen Grubišić, after their 4-year relationship came to an end.

The virtual tour includes a close-up collection of dozens of the museum’s most interesting pieces.

27. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)

The 17th largest art museum in the world, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) hosts one of the most extensive art collections in the U.S. It houses over 8,000 paintings, surpassed only by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and exceeds 1 million visitors each year. Pieces by world-renowned artists like Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Monet are featured alongside sculptures, mummies, ceramics, and other artifacts from ancient civilizations.

There are currently 16 online exhibits available for viewing.

28. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Houston, Texas)

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) is one of the largest museums in the U.S., and its collection features over 64,000 works from 6 continents. The collection places emphasis on pre-Columbian and African gold, Renaissance and Baroque painting and sculpture, 19th- and 20th-century art, photography, and Latin American art. Read our guide to the best museums in Houston for more information.

The museum has 14 online exhibits available for viewing in collaboration with Google Arts and Culture.

29. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1929

Regarded as one of the largest and most influential museums of modern art in the world, MoMA’s art collection features an overview of modern and contemporary art, including works of architecture and design, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, prints, illustrated books, and artist’s books, film, and electronic media. MoMA’s holdings include more than 150,000 individual pieces including Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” and Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” in addition to approximately 22,000 films and 4 million film stills.

MoMA’s website offers 86,000 works of art that can be viewed online, along with a partnership with Google Arts and Culture to create a virtual display of its Sophie Taeber-Arp exhibit.

To view the website’s collection, click here . To view the Google exhibit, click here .

30. National Gallery (London, England)

Year Opened : 1824

The National Gallery features more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900, including works such as “Sunflowers” by Van Gogh, “The Virgin on the Rocks” by Da Vinci, and “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan Van Eyck.

Its website offers a few virtual tours, showcasing many rooms in the museum, the Sainsbury Wing, and a Google Virtual tour.

31. National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened: 1937

The National Gallery of Art and its attached Sculpture Garden are located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and are open to the public free of charge. The museum was privately established in 1937 for the American people by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress.

The National Gallery is widely considered to be one of the greatest museums in the U.S. It ranks second in total visitors of all American museums, 10th in the world, and features incredible pieces including Jackson Pollock’s “Number 1,” Leonardo da Vinci’s “Ginevra de’ Benci,” and Degas’ “Little Dancer Aged 14.”

The museum has put together a collection of educational resources on its website for teachers, families, and children. It also features online exhibits through Google Arts and Culture including:

• American Fashion — highlights from 1740 to 1895
• Johannes Vermeer — Dutch Baroque painter

To view the National Gallery of Art online collection page, click here .

32. National Gallery of Victoria (Victoria, Melbourne, Australia)

Year Opened: 1861

The National Gallery of Victoria is Australia’s oldest, largest, and most visited art museum. The museum offers a wide variety of international and Australian art in its collection, including paintings, drawings, photography, and sculptures.

The online tour includes walk-throughs of exhibits, including highlights from the NGV Triennial 2020 and Chinese Collection, as well as exhibits featuring Goya and KAWS.

33. National Museum of China (Beijing, China)

Year Opened : 2003

The National Museum of China covers Chinese history from 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Notable works include the “Houmuwu” Rectangle Ding, a rectangular bronze sacrificial vessel made in the late Shang Dynasty, the heaviest piece of ancient bronze ware in the world, and a Han Dynasty jade burial suit laced with gold thread. It is one of the largest museums in the world, and the second most visited art museum in the world, just after the Louvre.

The museum has virtual exhibits available for 360-degree viewing including:

• Resplendence of the Tang Dynasty
• Sunken Silver

34. National Museum of Korea (Seoul, South Korea)

Year Opened : 1909

The National Museum of Korea is the top museum of Korean history and art and has been committed to various studies and research activities in the fields of archaeology, history, and art, continuously developing a variety of exhibitions and education programs.

The museum’s virtual tour provides a 3D walk-through of exhibits, including 1,000 years of Korean design and 500 years of the Joseon Dynasty.

35. National Museum, New Delhi (New Delhi, India)

Year Opened: 1949

The National Museum, New Delhi is one of the largest museums in India. The museum has around 200,000 works of art, both of Indian and foreign origin, including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, ancient texts, armor, and decorative arts ranging from the pre-historic era to modern works — covering over 5,000 years.

The museum has partnered with Google to bring its online exhibits to life, including:

• Art of Caligraphy
• Cadence and Counterpoint
• Indian Bronzes
• Nauras: The Many Arts of the Deccan
• Pottery from Ancient Peru
• Treasures of National Museum, India
• Radha and Krishna in the Boat of Love

36. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul, South Korea)

Year Opened: 1969

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art was first established in 1969 as the only national art museum in South Korea, accommodating modern and contemporary art of Korea and international art of different time periods. The museum features over 7,000 pieces of artwork, including works of contemporary Korean artists such as Go Hui-dong, Ku Bon-ung, Park Su-geun, and Kim Whan-ki.

Google’s virtual tour takes you through 6 floors of contemporary art from Korea and all over the globe.

37. National Palace Museum (Taipei, Taiwan)

Year Opened : 1965

The National Palace Museum has a collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks. The collection encompasses 8,000 years of history of Chinese art, including jade, paintings, bronzes, and porcelain that were formerly held in the Forbidden City of Peking.

The museum offers 360-degree virtual tours of many different exhibits.

To view the virtual tours, click here .

38. National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened : 1962

The National Portrait Gallery has a collection of over 21,000 works of art. The collection focuses on images of famous Americans and how they’ve shaped U.S. culture. A major attraction of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection is the Hall of Presidents, which contains portraits of nearly all American presidents. It is the largest and most complete collection in the world, except for the White House collection itself.

The museum has several collections featured on Google Arts and Culture, but also offers digital workshops, and distance learning resources for children and teachers.

To view the online resources, click here .

39. Pergamonmuseum (Berlin, Germany)

The Pergamonmuseum houses monumental buildings, such as the Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, and the Market Gate of Miletus reconstructed from the ruins found in Anatolia, as well as the Mshatta Facade. The museum is subdivided into the antiquity collection, the Middle East museum, and the museum of Islamic art. It is visited by over 1 million people every year.

The museum has dozens of structures and other artifacts that can be viewed online.

40. Picasso Museum (Barcelona, Spain)

Year Opened: 1963

The Picasso Museum, located in the heart of Barcelona’s Latin Quarter, is visited by millions every year. They come to marvel at the best works of Picasso, perhaps the most famous painter of all, but stay to marvel at the best-preserved medieval architecture in Barcelona. With 4,251 works by the painter exhibited, the museum has one of the most complete permanent collections of his works.

The online tour offers a large selection of Picasso’s finest works, as well as virtual tours of the museum’s beautiful courtyards.

41. Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Year Opened: 1798

The Rijksmuseum was founded in The Hague in 1798 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace. The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1885. The museum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history from the years 1200 to 2000, and a total collection of 1 million objects. The museum features masterpieces including Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and “The Jewish Bride,” plus works by Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer, who are known to have been major contributors to the Golden Age of Dutch art.

Google offers a street view tour of some excellent art pieces located in the museum, and the museum has put together an entire virtual tour of all of the museum’s masterpieces viewable on its website.

To view the Google street view tour, click here . You can also view the museum’s From Home microsite and masterpieces tour .

42. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, California)

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is composed of over 33,000 works of art spread throughout 7 gallery floors and 45,000 square feet of space. Following a 3-year closure for expansion, the museum reopened in 2016 and is now one of San Francisco’s must-see destinations.

SFMOMA’s website is updated regularly with videos and articles regarding current exhibits, projects, and artist showcases and provides behind-the-scenes looks of the museum. 

To view the museum’s multimedia features, click here .

Read our guide to the best museums in San Francisco to find out more.

43. Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museums (Vatican City)

Year Opened: 1483

The Sistine Chapel, located inside of the Apostolic Palace (the official residence of the pope in Vatican City), is easily the most popular chapel in the world. The chapel is famous for its magnificent ceiling, painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, and is considered to be one of the best artworks to come out of the Italian Renaissance. The primary panels of the ceiling showcase 9 scenes from the Book of Genesis, of which “The Creation of Adam” (pictured above) is the best known and most recognized.

Its website offers a virtual tour of the chapel’s most stunning sites, including the ability to marvel at Michelangelo’s ceiling from the comfort of your couch.

44. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City, New York)

Year Opened: 1939

The Guggenheim Museum was established by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in 1939. It is the permanent home of a continuously expanding collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.

Google’s  Street View feature lets you tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral staircase and some of its art pieces. It also offers a handful of online collections on its website .

45. Tate Modern (London, England)

Year Opened: 2000

Tate Modern is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, consisting of art dating from 1900 until today. The gallery receives over 5 million visitors a year, making it the sixth most visited art museum in the world and the most visited in the U.K.

The Tate Modern has published dozens of videos on its YouTube channel that give you an in-depth look at many of its exhibits, including the Andy Warhol exhibit and the Aubrey Beardsley exhibit.

To view the Tate Modern’s YouTube channel, click here .

46. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Madrid, Spain)

Year Opened: 1992

Located in Madrid, the Thyssen has over 1,600 paintings inside its walls and was once the second-largest private collection in the world after the British Royal Collection. It includes works from the Italian primitives, the English, Dutch, and German schools, Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the 20th century. It also features pieces from the continent’s most celebrated artists including Rembrandt and Dalí.

The virtual tour includes a detailed look at the permanent collection, along with exhibits including the Rembrandt and Impressionist galleries.

47. Tokyo National Museum (Tokyo, Japan)

Year Opened : 1872

The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest and largest art museum in Japan, and one of the largest art museums in the world. At the museum, you’ll find a collection of artwork and cultural objects from Asia, ancient and medieval Japanese art, and Asian art along the Silk Road.

The museum has teamed up with Google’s Arts and Culture to provide an inside look at what the museum has to offer.

48. Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy)

Year Opened: 1581

The Uffizi was designed by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de’ Medici, whose family members were by far the largest patrons of art in Renaissance Italy. The museum now spans over 139,000 square feet with 101 different rooms that house its art pieces, including famous pieces such as “The Birth of Venus.” Over 2 million people visit the Uffizi each year, making it the most viewed art museum in Italy.

The museum has teamed up with Google to showcase online galleries including:

• Piero di Cosimo, Perseus Freeing Andromeda
• The Santa Trinita Maestà, Cimabue
• The Creative Process Behind Federico Barocci’s Drawings
• Drawings by Amico Aspertini and other Bolognese artists

49. Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Year Opened: 1973

The Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to perhaps one of the most famous artists of all time — Vincent Van Gogh. The museum contains the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters. The museum has over 2 million visitors each year and is the 23rd most visited art museum in the world. Find out more in our review to the best museums in Amsterdam .

The museum has teamed up with Google to create online exhibits on Vincent Van Gogh’s love life and the books he loved to read. You can also visit the museum’s website for a selection of things to do for young children, including school lessons and coloring pages.

50. Victoria and Albert Museum (London, England)

Year Opened : 1852

The Victoria and Albert Museum collection spans 5,000 years of art from Europe, North America, Asia, and North Africa. The collection of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewelry, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings, and photographs is among the largest and most comprehensive in the world.

The virtual tour, in partnership with Google Arts and Culture, offers several online exhibits ranging from fashion to surrealism.

1. American Museum of Natural History (New York City, New York)

Year Opened : 1869

One of the largest natural history museums in the world, the American Museum of Natural History contains 34 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts.

The museum’s 360-degree virtual tours offer an up-close look at permanent exhibits, current exhibits, past exhibits, and research stations.

2. The British Museum (London, England)

Year Opened: 1759

The British Museum is one of the largest in the world and houses over 8 million works within its walls. Established in 1759, it was the first public national museum in the world. Visitors can tour the great court and view some of the most famous objects in history, like the Elgin Marbles of Greece and the Rosetta Stone of Egypt.

The Museum is the world’s largest indoor space on Google Street View and you can go on a virtual visit to more than 60 galleries.

The British Museum also has virtual galleries on display, including:

• Prints and Drawings

To visit the British Museum’s virtual tour page, click here .

3. National Museum of Anthropology (Mexico City, Mexico)

Year Opened: 1964

The National Museum of Anthropology is the largest and most visited museum in all of Mexico. The museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage, such as the Stone of the Sun (or the Aztec calendar stone) and the Aztec Xochipilli statue.

The museum has made more than 100 items available for Google visitors to explore from home.

To view the museum’s online collection, click here .

4. National Museum of Natural History (Washington, D.C.)

Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History is the 11th most visited museum in the world and the most visited natural history museum in the world. With over 325,000 square feet of exhibition space, the museum’s collections contain over 145 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, human remains, and human cultural artifacts — the largest natural history collection in the world. Highlights of the collection include the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire.

You can view all of these specimens from the comfort of your home as the museum has dozens of different online exhibits that can all be accessed on its website.

To view the museum’s virtual tour, click here .

5. Natural History Museum (London, England)

Year Opened: 1881

Undoubtably one of the best Museums in London , the Natural History Museum in London showcases 80 million life and earth science specimens of great historical and scientific value, even housing pieces collected by Charles Darwin. There are 5 categories within the museum: botany , entomology , mineralogy , paleontology , and zoology . Over 5 million people visit this museum each year, making it the most visited natural history museum in Europe.

One of the museum’s most prominent displays is the skeleton of an 82-foot long blue whale named Hope, which you can learn more about through a self-guided virtual tour, along with several other galleries. 

1. London Science Museum (London, England)

Year Opened : 1857

The London Science Museum holds a collection of over 300,000 items, including famous items such as Stephenson’s Rocket, Puffing Billy (the oldest surviving steam locomotive), the first jet engine, some of the earliest remaining steam engines, and documentation of the first typewriter.

Thanks to Google Street View, guests can take a virtual tour of the entire museum, or watch curator gallery guides on the museum’s YouTube channel.

To view the virtual tour or videos, click here .

2. Museo Galileo (Florence, Italy)

Dedicated to the scientist and astronomer Galileo Galilei, the Museo Galilei is housed in an 11th-century palace known as the Palazzo Castellini. The museum has a collection of over 5,000 ancient scientific instruments dating back to the 13th century, and among its most notable items is the telescope Galileo used to discover the satellites of Jupiter.

Visitors from around the world have the opportunity to explore the inside of the museum and can access more than 1,000 permanent exhibition objects through the online catalog.

3. The Museum of Flight (Seattle, Washington)

Year Opened: 1965

The Museum of Flight is the largest private air and space museum in the world and attracts over 500,000 visitors every year. The museum has more than 150 aircraft in its collection, including the Lockheed Model 10-E Electra (the aircraft Amelia Earhart was piloting when she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean), Boeing 747s, and the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (pictured above).

The museum offers 360-degree tours that let you step inside dozens of these iconic aircraft.

4. The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium (Brussels, Belgium)

Year Opened: 1846

The Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium is dedicated to natural history and is part of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. The dinosaur hall of the museum is the world’s largest museum hall completely dedicated to dinosaurs, and its most important pieces are 30 fossilized Iguanodon skeletons, which were discovered in 1878 in Bernissart.

It has partnered with Google to set up virtual exhibits for viewing, including:

• 360-degree guided tour
• The Bernissart Iguanodons
• From Salehanthropus to Homo Sapiens
• Over 250 Years of Natural Sciences
• Past, Present, Future: The Marvels of Evolution

To view the museum’s online exhibits, click here .

5. Museum of Science, Boston (Boston, Massachusetts)

Year Opened: 1830

The Museum of Science, Boston, receiving over 1.5 million visitors annually, is a museum and indoor zoo with more than 700 interactive exhibits and over 100 animals, many of which have been rescued and rehabilitated.

The museum offers a phenomenal virtual tour full of digital exhibits, videos, and audio presentations.

6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (Washington, D.C.)

NASA, founded in 1958, was created by the federal government to develop the civilian space program, as well as to conduct aeronautics, space, and astrophysics research. Since its inception, NASA has been responsible for historic space missions including the Apollo moon-landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the space shuttle.

NASA has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring many online exhibits to life to showcase the beauty of space exploration.

7. National Air and Space Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened : 1946

The National Air and Space Museum is a center for the history and science of aviation, spaceflight, planetary science, terrestrial geology, and geophysics. It is the fifth most visited museum in the world (the second most visited in the U.S.), and contains the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia, the Friendship 7 capsule, the Wright brothers’ Wright Flyer airplane, and Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis.

The virtual tour offers a 360-degree walk-through of the entire museum.

8. National Museum of Computing (Bletchley Park, England)

Year Opened: 2007

The National Museum of Computing is dedicated to collecting and restoring historic computer systems. The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of working historic computers dating back to the 1940s, including a rebuilt Mark 2 Colossus computer, alongside an exhibition of the most complex code-cracking activities performed at the Park.

In the 3D virtual tour, viewers can move around the galleries looking at the machines and their descriptions with the added bonus of hyperlinks to video and text explanations providing further detail and history of the exhibits.

9. National Museum of the United States Air Force (Riverside, Ohio)

Year Opened: 1923

Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Riverside, Ohio, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display.

The virtual tour allows visitors to take a virtual, 360-degree, self-guided tour of the entire museum by navigating from gallery to gallery.

10. Oxford University’s History of Science Museum (Oxford, England)

Year Opened: 1683

Oxford’s History of Science Museum holds a leading collection of scientific instruments from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

The museum, ever ahead of the times, has offered virtual tours since 1995. You’ll get to explore the fantastic exhibits and artifacts of some of the most important scientific discoveries in science history.

1. Acropolis Museum (Athens, Greece)

Year Opened : 2009

The Acropolis Museum is centered around the archaeological findings at the site of Athens’ most important structure — the Acropolis. The museum was built to house every artifact found on the rock and surrounding slopes, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece.

The museum has partnered with Google Arts and Culture to bring the museum to life virtually. Now you can view rock, marble, and sculptures certificates, all of which are thousands of years old, all from the comfort of your couch!

2. American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours

The American Battlefield Trust Virtual Battlefield Tours offers the incredible opportunity to experience 360-degree virtual tours of more than 20 American Revolution and Civil War battlefields. You can explore Gettysburg, with 15 different stops, each of which features icons that discuss in great detail the history and significance of the battle.

3. Anne Frank House (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Year Opened: 1957

What was once the house where Anne Frank went into hiding during WWII is now a museum dedicated to increasing awareness of Anne’s story and life in the attic. The Anne Frank House was established in cooperation with Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, and now welcomes over 1 million visitors from around the world each year.

The museum’s website offers a virtual reality tour of the annex, along with other educational resources about Anne’s life.

4. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum (Hyde Park, New York)

Year Opened: 1941

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd U.S. president (1933 to 1945). The museum showcases the history behind FDR’s story, his presidency, New Deal policies, assassination attempt, and wartime decisions.

The 360-degree online tour gives you a close look at original documents, artifacts, and videos from FDR’s life.

5. National Museum of African American History and Culture (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened: 2003

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African-American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African-Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts.

The museum website offers more than 15 different online exhibits covering African American history and culture.

Check out its online virtual tour  and digital resources guide .

6. National Museum of American History (Washington, D.C.)

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has more than 1.8 million objects that highlight the history of the U.S — including the original Star-Spangled Banner, Julia Child’s kitchen, Abraham Lincoln’s top hat, Indiana Jones’ fedora and whip, and more!

The museum offers about 100 online exhibits from its encyclopedic collections, each with a mix of photos, video, graphics, and text on topics ranging through the nation’s entire history.

7. National Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Year Opened : 1866

The National Museum of Scotland is dedicated to Scottish antiquities, culture, and history. The museum contains artifacts from around the world, encompassing geology, archaeology, natural history, science, technology, art, and world cultures. Popular items from the collections include Dolly the Sheep, the Arthur’s Seat coffins, and the Cramond Lioness sculpture.

The Museum’s galleries have been captured digitally in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, along with a virtual walk-through thanks to Google Street View.

8. National Women’s History Museum (Alexandria, Virginia)

Year Opened: 1996

Founded in 1996 by Karen Staser, the National Women’s History Museum researches, collects, and exhibits the contributions of women to the social, cultural, economic, and political life of our nation in the context of world history.

Its website currently features 29 different online exhibits!

9. Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an at Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum (Xi’an, China)

Year Opened: 1974 (created third century B.C.)

The Terracotta Army at Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210 to 209 B.C. to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The sculptures include warriors, chariots, and horses. Estimates from 2007 were that the 3 pits containing the Terracotta Army held more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which remained buried in the pits near Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum.

The online experience allows you to get up close and personal with the sculptures in a full 360-degree experience!

To view the online virtual experience, click here .

10. U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.)

Year Opened: 1980

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is the country’s official memorial to the Holocaust. It is located on the National Mall alongside other monuments dedicated to freedom. Each year, the museum encourages its 1.6 million visitors to promote human dignity, confront hatred, prevent genocide, and strengthen democratic values. The museum’s collection includes millions of archival documents, artifacts, photographs, footage, and a list of over 200,000 registered survivors and their families, among other historical items.

Its website offers a wide selection of educational resources, including a virtual tour, and is available in 16 languages.

There you have it — 75 amazing #MuseumsAtHome options filled with one-of-a-kind artifacts covering art, science, history, and natural history, all of which can be “visited” virtually while you lounge in your pajamas! So whether you’re a massive fan of art, looking for an educational experience for your children, or simply need a way to keep yourself entertained, you can’t go wrong with a virtual tour of any of these world-class museums.

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Virtual Tour

Visit our halls anytime..

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of several exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device. Visitors can also access select collections and research areas at our satellite support and research stations as well as past exhibits no longer on display. You can explore the virtual tours here.

Did you know?

The Museum virtual tour is composed of over 750,000 high definition images stitched together!

“Things to Do” 

• Watch narrated virtual tours of select halls.
• Explore teaching resources you can access virtually.
• Search our digital collections .

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VIRTUAL AND SELF-GUIDED TOURS

• Exhibitions & Digital Media
• Virtual and Self-Guided Tours

You can visit our museum anytime from the comfort of home using our immersive virtual tours . When you come visit the museum in person, use the self-guided tours to track down exhibits that have similar content or features so you can be sure to find them all.

Terror of the South Virtual Tour

Coastal NC Virtual Tour

Snakes of NC Virtual Tour

Living Conservatory Virtual Tour

Arthropod Zoo Virtual Tour

Nature's Explorers Virtual Tour

Mountain Cove Virtual Tour

Naturalist Center Virtual Tour

Biodiversity Tour

Bug Out Tour

Extinct Tour

First Time Visitor Tour

Hidden Gems Tour

Staff Picks Tour

Test-Your-Skills Tour

Youngest Visitors Tour

Support the museum with a donation.

Self-Guided Tours

Hayagriva Mandala , 1996. Created by monk-artists of Seraje Monastic University, India: Geshe Thubten Sonam (b. 1965, Tibet), Sonam Woser (b. 1964, Tibet), Lobsang Lungrig (b. 1974, Tibet). Sand mixed with mineral pigments. Denver Art Museum purchase with funds from the Asian Art Association, Mr. and Mrs. Yale H. Lewis, NBT Foundation, Fay Shwayder, and the Asian Art Department Acquisition Fund. 1996.54

Look out for these artworks on view at the museum, then continue the fun at home with resources on our website:

• From the monks of the Seraje Monastery in Tibet, the Hayagriva Mandala .
• Theodore Waddell’s Montanan landscape, Motherwell’s Angus .
• Berthe Morisot’s impressionist piece, The Lesson in the Garden .

Explore and interact with the buildings, outdoor sculptures, and spaces at the museum by participating in the gallery games and activities we have available. Physical activity cards can also be picked up at the visitor services desk.

Related Creativity Resources

Artmaking Workshops

Art and Social Consciousness: Environmental Lens

Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France

Perception Games

Imagination Games

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Tour the Ryman: Iconic Stage + Music Museum

Explore music’s most iconic stage. the must-see nashville music museum on every artist’s and fan’s bucket list..

Self-Guided Tour

• Take home a professional souvenir photo onstage*
• Discover the immersive "Soul of Nashville" theater 
• Experience the brand new "Show Day" video
• Explore our gallery of signed Hatch Show Print posters
• Check out this season's star-studded exhibits
• Snag a piece of music's most iconic stage from the gift shop

*Onstage photo availability may vary.  

GET TICKETS LEARN MORE

Guided Backstage Tour

• Hear insider stories about the venue's iconic performances and the stars who have taken its stage
• Take advantage of exclusive photo opportunities
• Step into the footsteps of music legends backstage*

*Limited tickets available.  Backstage access based on availability.

Ryman VIP Tour

• Get a customizable tour with backstage access (when available)
• Stop at Rock Hall at the Ryman – a powerful exhibit in partnership with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
• Get a professional souvenir photo onstage
• Take home a commemorative VIP lanyard & Ryman poster

Maximum of 10 guests per tour.

Country Duos Tour

• Start with an immersive video hosted by Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood
• Go on an expert guided tour backstage
• See the themed dressing rooms where superstars & rising stars prepare to take the stage
• Stand where your favorite country artists have stood at the Opry in the famous wooden circle

Ryman Tour:

• Take in over 130 years of diverse music history
• See this season’s star-studded exhibits
• Watch the immersive “Soul of Nashville” video
• Step onto the stage where your favorite artists play

Group Tours

Plan an unforgettable outing. Bring your group of 15 or more to the Ryman for a group-friendly tour or performance.

To speak to a Group Sales representative, call 615-871-5043 or fill out the form .

SCHEDULE TOUR LEARN MORE

“I genuinely, hands-on-heart, believe this is the best venue in the United States of America.” Ed Sheeran

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Self-Guided Tours

Large group self-guided visit.

(10-50 visitors)

Length of Visit: Approximately 2 hours Group Size: 10-50 (Not including chaperones for groups with visitors under age 18)

What to Expect

The self-guided visit is available for groups of 10-50 visitors looking to explore the exhibitions at their own pace. Each self-guided visit lasts approximately two hours, including independent exploration time. Our exhibits are designed to be self-guided and are most appropriate for visitors of sixth-grade age or older.

Self-guided visits include:

• A short orientation to the CDC Museum and CDC
• 1 or 2 short 4–6-minute intro videos played on the  Global Symphony
• Optional paper scavenger hunt  or  code for mobile Goosechase digital scavenger hunt (Goosechase app should be downloaded from mobile app store prior to arrival)
• Independent exploration time

Self-guided visit focus can include:

• The Story of CDC  exhibition
• Current temporary exhibition.  See what will be on display during your visit.

Scavenger hunt options:

Paper scavenger hunt: Available at check-in for groups without mobile phone access or for group leaders who wish to discourage distracted phone use during the visit.

Digital scavenger hunt: Activity using Goosechase app on using mobile phone.  App is available in mobile app store and should be downloaded on each device before arrival.

Group Leader Instructions:

Prior to Visit

• Book your tour reservation . Your tour is not scheduled until you receive a confirmation email.
• Email completed “List of Attendees” form  to [email protected] at least seven days prior to tour date. This list is required.
• Review museum behavior expectations  with all group members. Visitors who do not adhere to museum behavior guidelines will be asked to return to the waiting platform for the remainder of the tour.
• Print and read the driving directions & parking instructions . Traffic can be heavy near the CDC campus. Please plan accordingly.
• Review tour FAQ .
• Review and share photo-ID requirements. All visitors must show government-issued picture IDs. Students under 18 years do not need to show IDs if they are accompanied by adults with IDs. Adult non-U.S. citizens must present a valid passport for entry.
• Check our website for mask requirements on the day of your visit.

During Visit

• Please adhere to the museum expectations.

After Visit

Complete post tour survey which will be sent via email.

INDIVIDUAL & SMALL GROUP SELF-GUIDED VISIT

(1-9 people)

Length of visit: Approximately 1 hour (determined by visitor) Group Size: 1-9 people

The CDC Museum is open for self-guided visits to individuals and groups with 10 or fewer participants. Reservations are not required. Visitors may come any time during operating hours.

Admission and parking are free. All visitors must show government-issued photo ID. This does not apply to visitors under the age of 18 who are accompanied by adults with ID. All adult non-U.S. citizens must present a valid passport for entry. Museum operations are subject to change without notice. Check our website for mask requirements on the day of your visit.

Before You Arrive: Review driving directions & parking instructions . Traffic can be heavy near the CDC campus. Please plan accordingly.

• Request a Speaker
• Public Health Grand Rounds
• CDC History
• Smithsonian Institution
• CDC Museum Brochure [8.8 MB, 2 Pages, 16″ x 9″]
• CDC Museum Press Sheet [2.3 MB, 1 page]
• Hours Monday: 9am-5pm Tuesday: 9am-5pm Wednesday: 9am-5pm Thursday: 9am-7pm Friday: 9am-5pm Closed weekends & federal holidays
• Closures From Oct 25 through Nov 22, the museum will be temporarily closed for the installation of Health is a Human Right II: Achieving Health Equity. Learn more about upcoming exhibitions.
• Location 1600 Clifton Road NE Atlanta, GA 30329
• Phone 404-639-0830
• Tour Questions [email protected]
• Admission & Parking: Always Free Government–issued photo ID required for adults over the age of 18 Passport required for non-U.S. citizens
• Weapons are prohibited. All vehicles will be inspected.

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Ultimate Vatican Self Guided Tour, Attractions Map and Guide

Vatican self guided walking tour to vatican museum and sistine chapel, using the vatican map, explore at your own pace with this complete vatican self guided walking tour.

In this Vatican City self guided tour use google map to explore the Vatican museum and galleries that make up the Vatican Museum. Then head over to the Sistine Chapel. If you have very little time, (3-4 hours) you may want to explore the Pinacoteca Gallery, the Pio-Clementine Museum, the Candelabra, Tapestry and Map Gallery, the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel. 

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If you have less time, concentrate on the Candelabra, Tapestry and Map Gallery, the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel. Most people tend to rush though many of the Vatican museums and make a beeline for the Sistine Chapel and onto to St Peters Basilica however they miss many of the smaller museums located inside the Vatican museum. The Vatican self guided tour is flexible and you can explore at your own pace. Don’t just get caught up and follow the crowd. The number of museums and display items seem overwhelming, take your time to visit the attractions and follow the self guided walking tour to the Vatican attractions.

Click to download an interactive Vatican attractions google map or a PDF map with the Vatican self guided tour

Download the Vatican self guide tour Interactive Map HERE

Download the Vatican self guided walking tour PDF Map HERE

Entry tickets.

The lineups can be very long, I recommend you purchase tickets in advance. There are a variety of packages and combinations (with Sistine Chapel and / or St Peters Basilica) that can be purchased online. The best is to purchase a skip the line tickets. Book online here options include combo entrance tickets (some with guided tours), select the one that best suits you. If you want entry tickets and tours of attractions nearby, several options are available here to book in advance.

Vatican Museum Entrance – Musei Vaticani

To start the Vatican City self guided tour, enter the Vatican museum and turn RIGHT instead of left at the top of the last escalator to go to the Vatican Pinacoteca – Gallery of Old Masters Museum at the Vatican Museum. The Vatican visitor crowd will be going left, do not follow them as you will miss the Pinacoteca Gallery.

How to Visit Vatican Museum: self guided walking tour – Main Floor Attractions

1. vatican museum: pinacoteca gallery of paintings.

This is the first stop in the Vatican Self guided tour. The gallery was opened in 1932, it has some of the finest paintings in the Vatican.  Most Vatican visitors concentrate on the paintings in the Raphael Rooms or the Sistine Chapel, while the treasures found in the Pinacoteca rooms are largely unseen. The Pinacoteca, Vatican Art Gallery is located on the main floor towards the right of the entrance. It is a real treat for art lovers and missed by many Vatican City tours.  It is a long gallery of 18 with rooms on either side separated by a wall.  You will start in Room I and move to the end of the gallery to Room 8 (the Raphael Paintings) and then up the gallery towards the exit at Room 18.

This Vatican self guided tour will lead you to each room with an explanation and highlights. If you love paintings of the Old Masters, do not miss this Vatican attraction! Paintings are displayed in chronological order starting in the 12 th century to the 19 th century as you move from room 1 to room VI, note the changes is style. From Room 14 onwards there are various objects and sculptures including those by Bernini. You will also find Byzantine icons.

Room 2 (13 th to 15 th Century)

Of the paintings by Giotto the most famous is the 1313 paining of Stefaneschi triptych which is used as an altarpiece for one of the alters of Old St. Peters Basilica. The middle panel is that of St. Peter on the throne with saints by his side. Cardinal Stefaneschi is kneeling on Peters right offering up the the altarpiece. The back central piece is similar except St Peter is replaced by Christ. Notice the detailing on the miniature altar piece that the cardinal is holding. The left panel is the crucifixion of St Peter and the right panel is the beheading of St. Paul representing the martyrdoms of St Peter and St Paul (They were held in the Mamertine prison in the Roman Forum ).

Tickets to the Roman Forum are Here or reserve a spot on a Guided Tour Here . Guided tours usually include the ticket entrance fee, check to make sure so that you are not paying twice for the entrance to an attraction.

Room 3 (15 th Century)

This room houses paintings by two monks:  Fra’Angelico and Fillipo Lippi. Fra Angelico’s painting “Madonna and Child”. Madonna holds a rose while St Catherine and St Dominic kneel beside her.  Note the level of gold used in the paintings. As you move to the Raphael rooms the gold leaf painting style is eventually replaced and you will see the use of blue pigments which were used instead of the red and gold signifying a transition in the style of paintings. In 1982 Fra Angelico was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

In Room 3 you will also see Fra Filippo Lippi’s triptych painted in 1460 (note the style difference of the one in room 2 painted by Giotto in 1313). His painting of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary is in the middle panel.  The model for the Virgin Mary was a young woman named Lucrezia Buti. He convinced the nuns to allow her to sit for him for the painting. However this led to more than just painting and he eventually abducted her causing quiet a scandal. The nuns, the Church and the powerful Medici family had to intervene to prevent Lucrezia’s family from bringing charges against the monk. They eventually married and she bore him a son. Filippo became a successful painter.

This room has five Raphael paintings including the 13.5 foot high painting titled “ Transfiguration ” and a number of tapestries. The Altar of Transfiguration is in St Peters Basilica . The Raphael paintings were sketched and painted by Raphael, unlike the Raphael paintings in the Raphael room upstairs. The “Transfiguration” was Raphael’s last painting and one of his best works. It is painted in vivid colors showing the Apostles helping a boy suffering from demonic possession in the lower section and the transfiguration of Christ in the upper section. The painting was discovered almost complete in his workshop when he died suddenly at the age of 37. It was carried through the streets of Rome during his funeral procession.

There is also a tapestry of The Last Supper made in a Flemish workshop and based on Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting, The full scale reproduction of the intricate tapestry work is incredible and a must see.

Contains works from Leonardo DaVinci. Pay particular attention to the painting titled “ St Jerome in the Wilderness “. The Altar of St Jerome found is in St Peter’s basilica. It is an unfinished work where you see St Jerome living the life of a hermit in the desert with a lion. He has just removed a thorn from the lion’s paw. You will notice that the Lion is still a sketch and the rest of the painting has a faded ghostly quality about it. That is because the paining is unfinished.  The Italian painters, such as Raphael and DaVinci, started with a sketch and then painted over them, however the Venetian painters did not have sketches and painted directly onto the canvas. Sometimes Italian painters prepared the sketch while their apprentices completed the paintings. You will see this in the Raphael Rooms upstairs where many of the paintings were sketched by Raphael but painted by his apprentice.

Works of the master painter Titan and Veronese are placed here such as the Veronese painting “The Vision of St Helena”. St Helena was the mother of Emperor Constantine who was famous for her dream that led to the discovery of the “True Cross” in Jerusalem. The painting is of her sleeping peacefully while a cherub holds the cross in front of her. St Helen’s Statue is found in the St Peter’s Basilica .

There are many realism style paintings from Caravaggio including the “Entombment of Christ” painted in 1603-1604. There are not many of Caravaggio’s paintings in the Vatican Museums. The Entombment has been copied by many French and Flemish painters including Cézanne. Caravaggio paints in a “dark” style called tenebrous, where there is no background, just darkness and therefore focusing strictly on the figures. The painting shows John, Mary of Cleophas, Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary removing his body from the cross to place it in the tomb.  Note the details and structure of the torso. 

The twisted pose of the torso and musculature were highly influential in Renaissance and baroque artists. Note the statue of the “ Belvedere Torso ” when you get to the Pio-Celmentino Museum. This was used by Caravaggio and other masters when sculpting torso’s on their statues, if you look closely at the different torso’s you will find they are modeled on the Belvedere Torso. Interestingly not much is known about Caravaggio’s personal life except information found in public police records. He had minor offences like carry a weapon without permit to serious ones including violent fights. He spent the last few years of his life on the run from police after being found guilty of killing a man over a bet.

A room of sculptures including 7 pieces by Bernini. When you have finished viewing the gallery, continue the Vatican Museum self guided tour by visiting the Momo Staircase and the Ethnological Museum located across from the Pinacoteca Gallery (items 2 and 3 below) or if you are short on time, skip to the Egyptian Museum and the Pio-Clementine Museum (items 4 and 7 below).

2. Momo Staircase, double-helix staircase

There are two staircase in the Vatican museum with the same name. The Momo staircase built in 1505. The staircase is in a rectangular tower and connects the Belvedere Palace to the outside. It is located at the back of the Pio Clementine Museum. Bramante got his inspiration from the Momo staircase. It is an intricate double-helix stairs designed by the architect Giuseppe Momo and was inspired by the original Bramante Staircase (Bramante was the palace architect and many of the designs are attribute to him). Unlike the Momo staircase, the Bramante staircase is open to the public.

The Bramante Staircase is found:

– main floor in the pio clementine museum (momo staircase, also called the bramante staircase. this area may be closed) – upper floor in the gift shop which is right next to the escalator going up do not go down the bramante staircase; it is the exit to the museum and you will not be able to get back in.

The next two stops on the Vatican self guided walking tour are the Ethnological Museum and the Egyptian Museum. These two Vatican Museum attractions are not as popular, however they are definitely worth a visit if you can spare the time. Most tour guides skip these museums. As you exit the Pinacoteca, head back to the entrance of the Pinacoteca Gallery; the Ethnological Museum and the Egyptian Museum are across from the Pinacoteca Gallery.

3. Vatican Museum: Ethnological Museum  Misionero Ethnological Museum

A collection of about 100,000 artifacts from non-European religions and cultures around the world including Buddhist, Islam, Hindu, African, Chinese and Native American. As catholic missionaries travelled the world to convert people, they also brought back items of cultural significance that are now displayed in this Vatican attraction. The geographic range of the items displayed is a testament to the reach of the missionaries.

4. Vatican Museum: Egyptian Museum

This Vatican museum opened in 1839 with collection pieces from Egypt are located here. There are many Egyptian antiquities including a brightly painted sarcophagi and mummy box, statues of pharos and queens including one of Rameses II.

General Orientation – From this area you can access the Pine Cone Courtyard (or from the Pio-Celmentine Museum).

if you want to take a break, head out to the Pine Cone Courtyard (Courtille Della Pigna) and explore the area. When you are done come back to this point to continue the Vatican self guided tour. There is another opportunity to visit the Pine Cone courtyard, at item 10 below.

5. Vatican Museum: Museo Chiaramonti

The Museo Chiaramont is the next stop on your Vatican self guided walking tour . It is a passageway (Loggia) that links the Vatican Palaces to the small Belvedere Palace. The Chiaramonti museum is named after the birthplace of Pope Pius VII, Luigi Barnaba Chiaramonti. Built in 1807 and based on the design by Bramante, it is about 300m long. It is a long corridor along the east wall of the Belvedere Museum and houses statues of gods, Roman Patricians and cherubs. You will also find a collection of Roman busts and statues with a variety of expressions, many of which were used in ancestral portraits by the romans. There are about a thousand sculptures, including portraits of Emperors and gods, several fragments, friezes and reliefs of sarcophagi.

6. Vatican Museum: Braccio Nuovo

A room with more Roman statues including one that portrays the Roman Emperor Augustus. This statue was discovered at the villa of Livia Augusta in Pompeii in 1863. The floor is a specular Roman mosaic tiled floor.

The next stop on the Vatican self guided walking tour is the Pio-Clementino Museum. This Vatican attraction is very popular and consists of several rooms.

7. Vatican Museum: Pio-Celmentino Museum  Pius and Clementine’s Museum

Named after Pope Clementine XIV and Pope Pius VI, it has the largest collection of Greek and roman sculptures in the world. A very popular Vatican attraction, The museum has 12 rooms and Bramante’s Staircase (listed in no particular order):

– Sala a Croce Greca sarcophagus of Constantia and her daughter -Room of the Animals – Round Room /  Sala Rotunda (porphyry basin) – Hall of Muses (Belvedere Torso) – Hall of Animals – Cabinet of Masks (may be closed) – Gallery of Statues – Octagonal Courtyard (Belvedere Apollo, Laocoön and the athlete just before entering the courtyard) – Bramante Staircase (access from Pio-Clementine museum may be closed)

Sala a Croce Greca (sarcophagus of Constantia)

In this hall you will see two Sarcophagai. The first one is the porphyry sarcophagi of Constantia, daughter of Emperor Constantine and the second porphyry is the sarcophagus of St. Helena, mother of the Emperor. It was St. Helena who discovered the true Cross of Christ and brought it to Rome. The Statue of St Helen’s is in St Peters Basilica . A painting depicting this scene is in the Raphael Room 1 Hall Of Constantine titled The Vision of the Cross (east wall) .

Round Room – Sala Rotunda

The room has a lot of unique features including the floor, the dome ceiling and of course the huge red salad bowl as the centerpiece.  The well preserved mosaic floor is from a roman villa from the 2 nd century. It is closed off and you cannot walk on it but can admire its intricate details and colorful pattern. The black and white tiles you can walk on are also ancient and authentic.  The dome is designed after the pantheon but on a smaller scale.

The ceiling has an oculus and there is a decorative rosette in each of the niches of the dome. The centerpiece is a huge porphyry basin. The reddish-purple porphyry basin gets its name from the word porphyry which is the Greek word for purple, the color of royalty in Rome. Porphyry is an igneous rock and this piece served as Nero’s bath for his golden House (Domus Aurea). The VERY “hard to cut rock” was taken out of a quarry in Egypt and carved into  single piece 2000 years ago. This incredibly heavy bathtub was then transported to Rome.

Hall of Muse / Sala della Muse

This was opened in 1784 to display the Villa of Cassius near Tivoli and have been dated to the time of Emperor Hadrian. It is the location of the famous Belvedere Torso by the Sculptor Appolonios from 50 BC. It is famous as the muscles, bones and veins are so lifelike and it was used as a base of the human torso in other paintings. There is speculation that it is the torso of Hercules. Memorize the structure of the twisted torso and look for its replica in the Sistine chapel.

Hall of the Animals

Designed in the time of Pope Pius VI (1775-1799), it displays statues of animals who were considered protagonists with the goal of creating a “stone zoo”. Here you will find many statutes of animals; one of the best ones is the one of the little boy trying to hold onto a goose.

Cabinet of the Masks (Gabinetto delle Maschere)

The mosaic floor of this room is from the Villa Adriana and shows a display of theater masks, this area may be closed.

Gallery of Statues

The gallery of statues was a summer house of Pope Innocent VIII and was converted into a museum by Pope Clement XIV. Here you will also find the bust of Menander (yes the same Menander from the House of Menander in Pompeii ).

8. Vatican Museum: Octagonal Courtyard

Continuing the Vatican self guided walking tour, you will be approaching the Octagonal courtyard. Before entering the octagonal courtyard, you will find the 1st-century statue of Apoxyomenos , the Statue of an Athlete by Lysippos. He is scraping sweat off his body with a strigil, a curved instrument. It is one of the earliest known sculptures showing a figure whose arm is raised and exposing his entire torso. What is also unusual about this statue is that the athlete’s head is smaller than the body. It is 1/8 the size of the body where sculptures of that time were 1/7 the size of the body. Also unusual is the slender figure of the body rather than the musculature torso of other sculptures.

The octagonal shaped hall was the creation of Simonetti and contains 16 columns made from Carrera marble. It holds two important statues; The Statue of Apollo Belvedere and the Statue of Laocoön.

The Apollo Statue

A marble Greek sculpture of the god Apollo is from 1 st century BC. It was found in the 15 th century and moved to Vatican City into the Belvedere Courtyard, hence the name Apollo Belvedere. This was the first piece of the Vatican art collection that started the entire collection. It was also Napoléon’s favorite piece that he took to the Louvre. It was returned to the Vatican after the fall of Napoléon.

The Laocoön Sculpture

The sculpture from 30 BC was found in the Esquiline Hills of Rome in 1506. Laocoön was a Trojan priest who warned the Trojans not to allow the Trojan horse into the city. They did not listen to his advice and the Greeks leapt out of the horse surprised and killed the Trojans and the capture of Troy. The sculpture is that of Laocoön and his two sons. The sons are being attacked by the serpents. There are many versions of the story surrounding this sculpture; Laocoön was punished for doing something right (in one version) or for doing something wrong (in another version). Whatever the true reason, this is a spectacular sculpture!

9. Vatican Museum: Bramante Staircase- Scala del Bramante

The original Bramante staircase located in the Pio-Clementine museum was built in 1505 by the Vatican architect Donato Bramante. Its’ purpose was to allow people and animals to access the palace from the outside. As a dual function it allowed Pope Julius II to access the palace in his carriage and avoid walking up and down several flights of stairs. The modern Bramante staircase designed by Giuseppe Momo was built in 1932 and inspired by the original Bramante staircase. Like the original, it is also a double helix spiral and allows people to walk up and down the stairs without meeting each other. The balustrade around the ramp is an ornately decorated metal work. It is located at the end of the museum and visitors leave by this route.

There are two ways to access the staircase:

– from the main floor, it is just off to one corner in the Pio-Clemntino Museum (this access may be closed) – as you go up the escalators, enter the gift shop next to the escalator; the staircase is in the gift shop.

Orientation Pinecone Courtyard: It can be accessed from the Pinacoteca Museum Area or the Pio-Clementine museum or the Egyptian Museum.

10. Vatican City: Pine cone courtyard; Cortile della Pigna

Pine cone courtyard, also called Cortile della Pigna named after the 13 foot high bronze pine cone fountain from the 1 st century BC with water coming out of the top. So why a pine cone? The pine cone represents the pinal gland responsible for light and symbol of the “third eye” the center of enlightenment. It is interesting that a symbol of the third eye is in a prominent spot in the conservative catholic city. The pine cone fountain was discovered near the pantheon and it is speculated that it was part of a pagan temple dedicated to Isis. The two peacocks on either side of the pine cone are copies of the bronze peacocks found on the entrance of Hadrian’s Mausoleum (Castel Sant”Angelo). The originals are in the Braccio Nuovo. The courtyard was designed by Donato Bramante (yes, the same guy who designed the staircase and the first designer of St Peters Basilica Cuppolo). One gets the feeling that the entire Vatican was designed by just a few talented craftsman.

The globe in the center is a modern piece sculpted by Arnaldo Pomodoro, to continue the Vatican City self guided walking tour, re-enter the museum to go upstairs for the Vatican Museum attractions located upstairs.

How to Visit Vatican Museum: Upper floor Attraction

11. vatican museum: etruscan gregorian museum  .

Located at the top of the Simonetti staircase, the museum has artifacts from the early iron age to 9 th century BC. The artifacts are from the excavations in the city of Etruria and the Etruscan tombs. There are  Roman antiquities, an extensive collection of greek and Italian vases, jewelry and a statue of a hallow bronze  warrior from the 5 th century, the Marte di Todi (Mars of Todi).

12. Vatican Museum: Gallery of Candelabra – Galleria dei Candelabri

As you continue to explore the upper floors, the next stop on the Vatican self guided walking tour is the Gallery of Candelabra. This area was originally an open air loggia (long narrow covered space running alongside a building, similar to a porch, open to the street). It was walled in the 18 th century closing off the space and creating a long narrow corridor. It has been subdivided into several rooms separated by arches. The first room is the Gallery of Candelabra, completed in 1888 after 5 years of work. It underwent an extensive restoration and opened in 2016 costing 700K Euros. The room is 262 ft long with eight candelabras of white marble and marble columns dividing the area into six sections, displaying Roman antique sculptures and a richly painted ceiling.

13. Vatican Museum: Gallery of the Tapestries – Gallery delgi Tapestries

This was one of my favourite displays. It was really crowded even though we took a private tour before the museum opened to the public. The Vatican self guided walking tour allows you to explore at your own pace, take your time in this gallery as there are many intricate pieces with complicated designs. The tapestry hall is divided by both time and regions. The right side of the wall are mostly pieces made in the 17 th century and showcase scenes from the life of Pope Urban VIII, the pope at that time.

The tapestries were designed by students of Raphael and woven elsewhere. It took years to make them and they were woven from using the finest wools, silk, gold or silver threads made by the most talented weavers who were found in Flanders or Belgium.There are some amazing tapestries on the left wall. There are tapestries from the 1500’s which were woven in Brussels by Pieter van Aelst’s school. There are tapestries based on drawings by Raphael’s pupils depicting the life of Christ starting from his birth in the manger to the Resurrection tapestry.

The tapestry of the “Resurrection of Christ” is an excellent example of moving perspective; as you move past the tapestry the eyes of Christ will follow you. This is similar to the technique found in the Mona Lisa painting but is much more difficult to duplicate in a tapestry and shows the talent of the craftsman involved in the production of these tapestries. A fabulous Vatican attraction, I spent some time here trying to see if the eyes would follow me!

14. Vatican Museum: Gallery of the Maps – Galleria delle Carte Geoprafiche

The ceiling is the second most photographed ceiling in the museum, the Sistine chapel being the most photographed ceiling (even though taking picture in the Sistine Chapel is not allowed, somehow it happens!). The largest collection of geographical paintings are housed in the 120 meter long Gallery of maps. Commissioned in the 16 th century, there are 40 geographically accurate maps of Italy and its provinces. Based on the three year work of the 15 th century monk Ignazio Dante, the maps contain details such as boats and sea creatures.

15. Vatican Museum: Museum of the Carriages – Museo Storico – Padiglione delle Carrozze

Created in 1973 by Pope Paul VI, it is an immense area under the Square Garden. It houses sedan chairs, carriages, cars, the popemobile and other transportation used by the various popes. Busts of bronze and marble are displayed next to their specific mode of transport. Of particular interest are the enclosed sedan chairs with four poles held by porters that was used to transport the pope before carriages and cars were invented.

The next stop on the Vatican self guided walking tour are the Raphael Rooms.

16. Raphael Rooms

Pope Julius II (1503-1513) refused to live in the Borgia apartments and wanted to distance himself from former Pope Alexander VI. He hired a 22 year old artist named Raphael from Umbria to paint his private apartments located above the Borgia apartments. This created an uproar as Raphael was largely unknown however the Pope really liked his work and entrusted him with the task. The numerical rooms are not in chronological order and Raphael started his masterpiece in Room 3 in 1508AD.

Raphael Room 1 Hall Of Constantine

This room is named after Emperor Constantine (306-337 AD) who embraced Christianity and allowed for freedom of religion within his Empire. The walls depict the lives of the Emperor where Raphael started work on this room and sketched the paintings. However the work was completed/painted by his apprentices after Raphael’s untimely death. The Statue of St Helene is found in St. Peters Basilica.

The Donation of Constantine (north wall)

• Constantine kneels before Pope Sylvester, who has the face of Pope Clement VII in a tribute to Clement the VII for the continued support of the Raphael rooms. In this painting the emperor donates Rome to the pope.

The Baptism of Constantine (west wall)

• After he wins the battle with Maxentius, the emperor kneels naked before Pope Sylvester (who has the face of Pope Clement VII) for his baptism .

The Vision of the Cross (east wall)

• Refers to the vision Constantine had before his battle with Maxentius who wanted the throne. Constantine had a vision that he would win the battle as long as he used the cross as his symbol. His mother, St Helena had a vision that indicated where Christ’s cross was to be found. She was instrumental in bringing the cross to Rome based on this vision.

The Battle of Milvian Bridge (south wall)

• The battle with Maxentius takes place of the Milvian Bridge where Maxentius loses and is drowned in the Tiber river while Constantine rides away victoriously on his white horse.

Raphael Room 2 Hall Of Heliodorus (1512-1514)

The themes is political in nature documenting important religious moments in history from the Old Testament to medieval history centered around the protection of god over the church.

Deliverance of Saint Peter (north wall)

• An angel saving St Peter from prison, unshackling him while the guards fall into a deep sleep. The face of St. Peter is Pope Julius II face as Raphael wanted to pay tribute to the pope. A scene depicting St Peter’s baptism of the prison guards is found in St Peter’s Basilica.

The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila (west wall)

• Attila the Hun reaches Rome to complete the invasion of the Roman Empire. He is met by Pope Leo. During the meeting St Paul and St Peter appear armed with swords resulting in Attila not invading Rome. An Altar to Leo the Great is in St Peters Basilica.

The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple (east wall)

• God sends angels who in turn get two youths and a horseman to banish Heliodorus for attempting to steal treasure meant for the temple of Jerusalem.

The Mass at Bolsena (south wall)

• The Christian faith being doubted by many including a priest in 1263 who doubted that the bread and wine offered at mass could be transformed into the body and blood of Christ.  In this scene a white linen cloth on the alter became stained with blood.

Raphael Room 3 Room of the Segnatura (1508-1511)

Started at the same time as the ceiling of the Sistine chapel by Michelangelo in 1508. The Stanza della Segnatura was the private study of Pope Julius II. The della segnatura is the room where the pope signed the verdicts of the segnatura, the church’s tribunal.  This was the only room Raphael completed on his own as he become distracted by his other work such as the work at St Peters Basilica. All the other rooms were completed with the help of his apprentices. Each wall has paintings along the four themes of: Theology, Philosophy, Justice and Poetry representing the concept of Truth, Good and Beauty. This room is well known for the painting of the School of Athens, its most famous fresco.

The Parnassus (north wall)

• Along the themes of poetry and beauty. The painting shows the view from the Vatican of the Parnassus, the mythological home of Apollo. Apollo is seated in the center on Mount Parnassus surrounded by 9 muses on either side of Apollo who are the protectors of arts, poetry and music. Homer, Virgil and Dante are painted at his shoulder.

Disputation of the Holy Sacrament (west wall)

• Painted on the theme of theology, it was Raphael’s first work. The image of the Trinity is surrounded by saints and prophets sitting on a bench of clouds. Below the image are the faces of famous theologists who were hanged or burned including Dante and Fra Angelico. It is an image of the church that spans both heaven and earth.

The School of Athens (east wall)

• Represents philosophy and is one of his most famous paintings in the Raphael rooms.
• The School of Athens receives a lot of attention (Philosophy) as he painted his friends into the paintings.  You will find Plato standing in the center in an orange robe, and Aristotle (in the blue robe) talking to him and on his right. Plato’s face is that of Leonardo Da Vinci. You will see Pythagoras in the very front left in a light pink robe with a book in his hand. Euclid on the right (in the red robe) is drawing on the chalkboard however he has the face of Bramante. You will see Raphael behind the pillar on the bottom right corner looking out at us (in a black hat and black robe) and finally he put Michelangelo front and center. On the left hand side with his head in his arms is the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, however his face is that of Michelangelo.

The Cardinal Virtues (south wall)

• The three cardinal of virtues are personified by the three women in the painting. The virtue of Fortitude (seated on the left holding branch), Prudence (center) and the virtue of Temperance (right). The painting also represents the three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity are that are personified by the cupids. The fourth virtue of Justice is on the ceiling.

Raphael Room 4 – Room of Fire in the Borgo (1514-1517)

The painting started during the term of Pope Leo X (and his namesake predecessors Leo III and Leo IV) and shows the political journey of the Pope (1514-1521). It was used as a place for music and dining. The work was the third and last room Raphael worked on and was completed by his apprentices.

The Oath of Leo III (north wall)

• Pope Leo the III is on trial as a result of accusation of misconduct by the nephew of his predecessor Pope Hadrian I. The pope confirms that he is responsible for his actions to god alone.

The Coronation of Charlemagne (west wall)

• The coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas Eve 800 in the St Peters Basilica. The emporer has the face of the Emperor of France and the Pope has the face of Leo X, attesting to the agreement between the Holy See and France in 1515. The round marble stone slab upon which Charlemagne kneeled during his coronation is on the floor of St Peters Basilica. Charlemagne’s Statue is also found in St Peters Basilica .

The Battle of Ostia (east wall)

• The papal armies defeat the Saracens at the mouth of the Tiber River in 849.

Fire in the Borgo (south wall)

• Personally painted by Raphael, the Pope IV is making the sign of the cross from his balcony to miraculously extinguish the fire burning in the Borgo district of Rome.

17. Vatican City: Capella Niccolina Nicola Chapel

This stop in the Vatican self guide tour may not be accessible. The chapel is not on the Vatican map and may be closed. After complete the tour of the Raphael rooms, go to the Sala dei Chiaroscuro (Room of the Chiaroscuri), located in the same area (the Apostolic Palace). The Chiaroscuri room has been used to house parrots, those entrusted with surveillance of the Pope, those responsible for carrying his sedan chair, and as a secret meeting room. It has a 16 th century wooden ceiling and a small doorway in the corner. Enter the doorway to access Chapel of Nicholas V (1447-1449). It may be closed off with a bar.

Chapel of Nicholas V is a tiny chapel with frescoes by Fra’Angelico. This was the private area for Pope Nicholas to pray. It is covered in gold paintings featuring Chritian Martyrs such as St. Peter, St. Laurence and St. Stephen. Much of the gold used here was brought back by Christopher Columbus when he returned from his voyages.

18. Vatican City: Borgia Apartments

The Borgia apartments in the Vatican self guided tour consist of several rooms and are a popular Vatican attraction. The apartments are a series of 6 rooms that were converted into a private apartment for Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo de Borgia and his family. He commissioned Bernadino de Betto de Baigio (known as Pintoricchio) to paint the apartment with frescoes between 1492 and 1495. The frescoes depict religious themes centered on the martyrdom of saints, mysteries of faith and the medieval themes of Trivium and Quadrivium.

The paintings show the Spanish roots of his family from the Spanish mosaic tiles on the floor to the Borgia family symbol, the bull, painted on almost every wall. The entire apartment shows the pride the pope felt towards his Spanish origins and his family name. The most famous fresco in the rooms is “The Disputation of Catherine” which features the images of the Borgia family and St Catherine is said be the image of the pope’s daughter Lucrezia Borgia. The painting is centered around the Arch of Constantine which has the Borgia Bull centered atop it.

Room of the Sibyls

This is the first of the 6 rooms. The ceiling has an astronomy theme with seven planets on a blue background. The bull was the Borgia’s coat of arms. There are 12 lunettes with sibyls (female oracles) and prophets with banners depicting their prophesy.

Room of the Creed

The ceiling has a complex geometrical pattern. Once again there are 12 lunettes but this time with apostles and prophets with banners that have quotes from the scriptures.

Room of Liberal Arts

This is the personal library of the pope. He ceiling is a double barrel vault which is divided by arches. There are motifs are of justice in both biblical and classical examples. There are 7 lunettes divided into three or four. Both Cicero and Bramante can be seen on the throne.

Room of the Saints

Once again the ceiling is divided into vaults with an arch in the middle. The theme is of divine justice and features the Egyptian mythical gods Isis and Osiris. The lunettes depict stories from the lives of the saints.

The next stop on the Vatican self guided tour is the Sistine Chapel.

19. Sistine Chapel

Original sistine chapel.

This is the last stop on the Vatican self guided tour . Take your time exploring the ceiling and wall frescos. There is an immense amount of detail to absorb. I found the fresco of the day of judgement both fascinating and frightening.

The Sistine Chapel is named after the Pope Sixtus IV who commissioned it as a simple palace chapel that would hold the conclave where the college of cardinals meet to elect a new pope. The chapel is on the exact spot of the Great Chapel and was designed by Giovannino De’Dolci. It was to have the the same dimensions as the Solomon Temple that was destroyed in 70 AD  at about forty meters long, 13 meters wide and 20 meters high (seven stories)

Pope Sixtus’s vision for the walls of the chapel were to depict scenes of Moses guiding his people out of Jerusalem and other stories from the bible painted by Perugino, Botticelli and Signorelli. The ceiling was painted a simply blue sky with gold stars and the floor was geometric patterns of multicolored mosaic tiles. The floor is the same that you see today

Sistine Chapel Restoration

After completion of the Sistine Chapel, the excavation of the new St Peters Basilica began next door. It caused a huge crack in the ceiling and the frescoes also suffered damage. Bramante had to reinforce the ceiling. The pope at the time, Julius II was left with the task of restoring the Sistine Chapel. Bramante suggested Michelangelo, a well-known, cantankerous, poverty stricken sculptor who was a rival of Bramante for the restoration work.

Bramante felt sure that Michelangelo would turn it down as he was busy on the tomb of Julius II and he thought that Michelangelo would fail as he was a sculptor and not a painter. Bramante preferred Raphael who was a friend and a relative and felt that Michelangelo’s failure would lead to the hiring of Raphael.

Michelangelo was humiliated at being asked to paint a ceiling and that he considered himself a sculptor and not a painter. He eventually conceded when the pope offered him free reign and accepted the pope’s challenge of transforming what Michelangelo considered “the roof of a barn” into a Vatican jewel.

Michelangelo

Since the walls already had paintings of Moses (left wall) and Jesus (right wall), Michelangelo decided to tell the story of the creation of man. He painted the ceiling and the altar wall. The work was started in 1508, the same year as the Raphael’s salle della segnatura room. Contrary to popular belief, Michelangelo did not paint the ceiling lying down on his back. Originally Bramante built him a scaffold that Michelangelo considered flawed. Upon protest (all the way to the pope), Michelangelo designed his own scaffold and painted the ceiling in a standing position.

He originally worked with assistance, however fired them all as he was not much of a team player. Michelangelo locked himself in the chapel for four years rarely, letting anyone in and working in solitude all the time complaining about his back, his neck and paint dripping into his eyes. The work was completed in October 1512 and the unveiling overshadowed the walls of Jesus and Moses.

In 1536, about 20 years later, Pope Clement VII called upon Michelangelo again to paint a giant fresco, “The last Judgment” behind the altar. In his 60’s now, it took Michelangelo 5 years to paint it from 1536-1541.

Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Sistine Chapel Middle Section of ceiling

The most popular and splendid Vatican attraction. The middle panel of the ceiling are frescoes of nine stories from the Book of Genesis; there are six panels on the stories of Creation and the last three panels depict stories of Noah. The first three panels of Creation represent the six days that God created Earth, resting on the seventh day. The net three panels are taken from the story of Adam and Eve. The creation of Adam shows god reaching out to touch Adam with the spark of light and it is a famous scene The next three panels concern Noah and include the sacrifice made by Noah’s family, being saved from the Great Flood, Noah growing vines and in the process gets drunk and accidently exposes himself.

Sistine Chapel: There were 12 prophets and sibyls Prophetic women

There are four Major Prophets and three Minor Prophets. Though minor, these prophets must have had a significant effect. The five Sibyls were prophetic women who resided at shrines or temples. The five depicted here were said to have prophesized the birth of Christ.

• Jonah (above the altar), Prophet of the Northern Kingdom. Book of Jonah
• Jeremiah, major prophet in the Hebrew Bible, Book of Jeremiah
• Persian Sibyl, also known as Babylonian
• Ezekiel, a Hebrew prophet, Book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel means “God’s Strength”
• Erythraean Sibyl, a prophetess of classical antiquity
• Joel, a minor Prophet of ancient Israel
• Zechariah (above the main door of the chapel), a minor prophet, Book of Zechariah
• Delphic Sibyl, an oracle and priestess of Apollo
• Isaiah, a Jewish prophet from the 8 th century, Book of Isaiah
• Cumaean Sibyl, an Oracle of Apollo
• Daniel, meaning “God is my Judge”, Book of Daniel
• Libyan Sibyl, prophetic priestess of the Oracle of Zeus-Ammon
• The Ancestry of Jesus  – Shows Jesus physical male lineage through his father Joseph, from the time of Abraham as per the Gospel of Mathew

Sistine Chapel Walls

The Walls: I have included the names of the paintings in the walls in the event you want to look them up for their history:

Sistine Chapel Southern Walls 1481–1482:

Stories of moses, s tarting from the altar:.

• Moses Leaving to Egypt painted by Pietro Perugino and assistants
• The Trials of Moses painted by Sandro Botticelli and his assistants
• The Crossing of the Red Sea
• Descent from Mount Sinai  
• Punishment of the Rebels by pained by Sandro Botticelli
• Testament and Death of Moses

Sistine Chapel Northern Walls, 1481–1482

Stories of jersus :.

• Baptism of Christ painted by Pietro Perugino and assistants
• Temptation of Christ painted by Sandro Botticelli
• Vocation of the Apostles painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio
• The Sermon on the Mount ,
• The Delivery of the Keys painted by Pietro Perugino
• The Last Supper painted by Cosimo Rosselli

Sistine Chapel Eastern wall

Resurrection of christ.

• Resurrection of Christ painted by Hendrick van den Broeck (1572) over Domenico Ghirlandaio’s original painting
• Disputation over Moses’ Body painted by Matteo da Lecce (1574) over Luca Signorelli’s original painting

Sistine Chapel The Last Judgment (1536-1541)

The last judgment as described in the book of John, chapter 20. It shows the second coming of Christ who is judging mankind. Christ is high on the wall and surrounded by saints. At the base of the painting are the dead who arise from their graves ready to be judged. The damned are on the left being dragged down to hell and the blessed who are heading to heaven are on the right. There was great controversy around the figures as many of them were nudes especially by the pope’s Master of Ceremonies, Cesena. In response Michelangelo painted Cesenas’ face on Minos, the Judge of the underworld. When Cesena protested to the pope, the pope is to have said that he does not have influence over hell.  Eventually a cloth was painted partially covering the nudes by another painter.

20. Michelangelo wrote a poem describing his work at the Sistine chapel:

I’ve grown a goitre by dwelling in this den– As cats from stagnant streams in Lombardy, Or in what other land they hap to be– Which drives the belly close beneath the chin: My beard turns up to heaven; my nape falls in, Fixed on my spine: my breast-bone visibly Grows like a harp: a rich embroidery Bedews my face from brush-drops thick and thin. My loins into my paunch like levers grind: My buttock like a crupper bears my weight; My feet unguided wander to and fro; In front my skin grows loose and long; behind, By bending it becomes more taut and strait; Crosswise I strain me like a Syrian bow: Whence false and quaint, I know, Must be the fruit of squinting brain and eye; For ill can aim the gun that bends awry. Come then, Giovanni, try To succour my dead pictures and my fame; Since foul I fare and painting is my shame. Unhappy and miserable, Michelangelo produced one of the greatest works of art!!

Day Trips from Rome

• Visit the other sites in Italy including Pompeii, Mt Vesuvius, the Amalfi Coast and Hadrian’s Villa. Book your day trip to explore attractions outside of central Rome. Book your Day Trip Here.

Guided Tours

Guided tours with local guides are booked HERE . Options for tours include combination tours with the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. You can also purchase tickets, without the guided tours, to the various attractions. Some options include explorer pass where you can choose several attractions, or unlimited 24 hour tickets, or the City Card. The lineups to purchase tickets can be long, once tickets are purchased you then have to wait in another line to enter the attractions. We always bought tickets in advance online and often times bought the skip the line tickets. Purchase your online tickets in advance here .

Hop On Hop Off Tours

The hop-on-hop-off is a great option if you are short on time or do not want to worry about transportation to the different attractions. Purchase your hop-on-hop-off online here, various options are available.

Other Attractions in Italy

• Visit the Roman Colosseum. Click on the Roman Colosseum attractions map HERE and accompanying Colosseum attractions guide HERE
• Take the Rome attractions map and self guided tour: It includes the Vatican City attractions map HERE and the Vatican attractions guide HERE
• Self Guided Walking tour to explore the neighborhood of Trastevere with map of attractions HERE and guide of attractions HERE
• Visit St Peters Basilica . Explore all the attractions in St Peter’s Basilica with the attractions guide HERE
• One of my favorite places is the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill . The map of attractions is HERE and the self guided walking tour is HERE
• Visit Pompeii with a complete self guided tour map HERE and the attractions guide to the 49 points of interest HERE
• Spend the day in Florence , this was by far one of my best day trips. The self guided walking tour map is HERE and the attractions guide is HERE

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The ultimate guide to the louvre museum.

There is an overwhelming amount of history and famous artwork in the Louvre that it would take months to actually look at everything. Obviously if you are on a short vacation in Paris, that is simply not feasible!

The Louvre is enormous and you can easily get lost if you don’t have a general plan on what you would like to see. Lucky for you, I have put together this handy guide covering everything you need to know about visiting The Louvre Museum. Be expecting details on where the Louvre is located, ticket prices, best time to go, top things to see at the Louvre, and tips on how to not get lost in this gigantic museum!

I don’t know about you, but famous artwork just isn’t fun to look at unless you know why it’s famous! The Louvre has history plaques, but they only cover VERY general things (sooo… nothing to get excited about or make you really remember a piece of art) . Not only will I give you all the highlights of the Louvre, but what makes them famous and worth seeing!

This is a completely self-guided tour of the Louvre and will take roughly 3 hours to complete. If you prefer to take a guided tour, there are endless tour options to choose from! You can browse pricing and tour options here .

ALSO, if you are traveling to Paris soon, be sure to check out my other France guides here:

• 10 Day France Itinerary
• Guide to Champagne tasting in Champagne, France
• Ultimate guide to the Gorges du Verdon in Provence

There’s a chance that this post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you), that goes directly towards little Rosie’s dog treats!

What is the Louvre?

I hope you know what the Louvre museum is if you are looking into going, but you can never be too sure!

The Louvre was originally a small castle that over generations of royalty, they continued to add on making it bigger and bigger. It wasn’t until Louis XIV thought the Louvre was too small and built the Palace of Versailles that it became a museum.

After Louis XIV moved to The Palace of Versailles in 1682, The Louvre began it’s transformation into the famous museum it is today. It holds famous art from all corners of the world and has beautiful architecture like the famous glass pyramids of The Louvre.

Louvre Ticket Price

Louvre ticket prices are extremely consistent, regardless of time of day you plan to go. You can book tickets and schedule a timed entry directly from the Tiqets Website (what I recommend)!  Standard tickets are 17 Euros which include entrance to the museum.

Since the protests in May 2019, The Louvre has mandated time slots. The best time of day slots sell out quick, so be sure you book at least a few weeks in advance if you have a specific time in mind.

If you are on a budget and want to see the Louvre for free, plan to visit on the first Sunday of the month! Everyone get’s free access on this day, but beware it will be extremely busy!

Viator has great options on skip the line tickets, private tour, or audio tours. You can browse through tour options here!

Louvre Museum Hours

The Louvre is open every day but Tuesday from 9am-6pm. On Wednesday’s and Friday’s, they are open extra hours until 9:45pm.

The best time to visit the Louvre is either first thing in the morning (right at 9am) or late evening on Wednesday/Friday. These will be the least crowded and busiest times to visit.

What to pack for a day at the Louvre?

• A book about all the paintings in The Louvre would be extremely beneficial if you are passionate about art and history. You will get the chance to learn about all the paintings before visiting and you can decide for yourself what you would like to see. This would be a great read for the plane ride there! Click here to read reviews and check pricing.
• A good camera that allows you to zoom in without blur is so important for The Louvre! Every famous piece of art will have a crowd of people surrounding it and you might need to zoom in to get your shot. Plus, this might be the only time you will visit the Louvre, so you want to make sure your pictures are high-quality and last a lifetime. The Canon EOS rebel T5 is a great entry level camera and what I have used my entire blogging career so far! It is lightweight, small and takes excellent pictures. Click here to read reviews and check pricing . 
• Walking shoes are crucial to surviving a day at the Louvre! You will be walking miles and sitting rarely, so you will want to make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes. I do not think you could ever go wrong with a pair of white sneakers! Click here for my go-to travel shoes .
• Travel Insurance is something I always get for a trip abroad so I am covered in case something happens. There are a lot of protests in France and reckless drivers, so I think it is super important to cover yourself in case of an emergency. I wrote an entire guide explaining when you do and don’t need travel insurance, you can read it here !

Top things to see at the Louvre

While the Louvre has endless things to see, there are main highlights you won’t want to miss! What I recommend you doing is focusing on seeing all the highlights listed below, and take your time doing so. These are spread out around the museum, so I guarantee you will discover interesting art between walking from one highlight to the next.

There will be signs of the most famous art works like the three ladies of the Louvre (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, & Winged Victory of Samothrace), and if you get lost there will be plenty of people to help you. They also hand out free maps at the entrance to make it easier to find everything you want to see.

History: The most famous piece of artwork in the Louvre is easily the Mona Lisa. Dating back to 1503, Leonadro da Vinci’s work has people traveling from all over the world to see it in person. It was originally painted for Francesco del Giocondo, a wealthy cloth merchant from Florence, as a gift for his wife. Da Vinci never ended up gifting the painting though, and took it with him when he moved to Paris. He continued to perfect his masterpiece throughout his entire life before selling it to the king of France right before he passed away.

Why it’s famous:  While the Mona Lisa has always been considered a master piece, it became wordly famous in 1911 when a Louvre employee stole the painting and kept it in his apartment for two years. This scandal was constantly playing on the news for years, in awe that the painting was never found. After two years passed, the Louvre employee tried to sell the painting to a museum in Florence because he felt that was the rightful home. This made a masterpiece a world-famous masterpiece in a span of two years.

Another reason why the Mona Lisa is so loved is the debates on whether she is smiling or not and the optical illusion of no matter where you stand, it looks like she is looking straight at you.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the Mona Lisa’s real name is Mia Donna Lisa (meaning My Lady Lisa)? The name Mona Lisa came from a spelling error in English and has been called that ever since!

2. V enus de Milo

History: The Venus de Milo is a Greek statue that dates back to 100 – 130 BC. This statue is so historic that people are still unsure who made it and what it is inspired by. The statue wasn’t found until 1820 in ancient city ruins on a small island in Greece (Milos).

Why it’s Famous: The Venus de Milo is famous mainly because of it’s age and mystery. It was found in pieces in an ancient ruin thousands of years after it’s creation. Separated by the top and bottom half, with the arms broken off. It wasn’t until the 1900’s that they classified a similar, yet younger sculpture a treasure that they re-classified the Venus De Milo as well.

Fun Fact: The Venus De Milo has survived wars and burning buildings, completely unharmed. It was shuttled back and fourth during the many wars of France and remains in great condition till this day.

3. Winged Victory of Samothrace

History: The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also known as the Nike of Samothrace, is another Greek sculpture that represents the goddess of victory. This sculpture was estimated to be made around 200 – 190 BC, but wasn’t discovered until 1863.

Why it’s Famous: It is one of the only known masterpiece from the Hellenistic period and has inspired so many artists since it’s discovery. The Winged Victory is a huge sculpture that holds a dramatic spot in the Louvre museum, sitting at the top of the Daru staircase.

Fun Fact: The Winged Victory is meant to be looked at from a three-quarter left view. If you look at the statue, the left side of the body & wing is far more detailed than the right side. This was assumed to be because it was meant to be looked at from one side, and the artist did not want to waste any time perfecting both sides. You can tell the difference in the wings by just looking at the picture below!

4. Egyptian Antiques 

History: Dating back to the prehistoric era of 4000 BC, you can find sarcophagi (stone coffin), sculptures, jewelry, ancient hieroglyphs, sphinxes and so much more! You can explore the large amount of Egyptian antiques in the Sully wing.

Why it’s Famous: The large range of items to look at and how old they are is the main attraction in the Egyptian section. It is crazy, especially being from America where nothing is closely that old, the amount of artifacts are held in such great condition. The history of the Sully section will bring tears to your eyes!

Fun Fact: This entire section is in date order, taking you through time of this amazing countries history!

5. History of the Louvre Room

This was a very cool section of the Louvre that I found was underrated. After you pass the Sphinxes in the Egyptian section, you will see old castle ruins that still remain today. This room takes you through the generations of construction among royalty and modern architecture. You will see the transformation from a small castle along the Seine to the modern Louvre it is today. Walking along the old castle remains was a true highlight!

6. Large-Format 19th Century French Paintings Gallery

This room holds famous paintings of enormous sizes. While the paintings alone were impressive, the size of these paintings is what impresses most. I kept thinking to myself.. how did someone paint this enormous painting?!

7. Cour Marly and Cour Puget Courtyards

These two courtyards are covered by glass domes and bring in a lot of natural light. They hold many sculptures and is a great place to sit down and take a break from the large amount of walking. These were some of my favorite rooms in the Louvre, partially because they were almost empty!

There are obviously so many amazing things to see in the Louvre, but I think these are the most important / stood out the most to me. Like I said before, they are sprinkled around the Louvre, so when you are walking in between the highlights, you will see plenty more! Let me know what your favorite thing is in the comments below 🙂

Click here to buy your tickets & secure your time slot – Which is required before you arrive!

If you are traveling to Paris soon, be sure to check out my other France guides here:

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Awesome post and photos here hun, great article on this amazing museum! ???? I loved visiting there on my first trip to France in 2015 and you’ve mentioned some of the most memorable experiences and artwork there! Great article and thank you for sharing!

Thanks so much Lauren! I am so glad you liked this 🙂

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[…] you are traveling to France, don’t forget to check out my 10 Day France Itinerary, Ultimate guide to the Louvre Museum, and Champagne tasting in Champagne, […]

[…] Encore or Wynn (connected), Waldorf Astoria, or […]

[…] Let me explain: The 11am time slot will most likely have people from the 9am and 10am time slot still. So if you chose the 11am slot, you have to share the space with your time slot, the time slots before you and guess what? In an hour… another time slot is going to be funneling in. So the earlier you go = less people to share the Mona Lisa with! I go into more detail with this decision on my Guide to the Louvre. […]

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Audio Tours

Admission includes a self-guided audio tour for you, your friends, and your family. The audio tour brings USS Midway’s history to life and adds a personal touch to what it was like to live on board a floating city at sea!

Both our self-guided audio tour options and museum map are available in English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German, and French.

Self-Guided Audio Tour

Midway’s audio tour is split into three engaging sections:

Flight Deck: Learn about more than 20 aircraft and listen to Midway pilots describe what it was like to fly aircraft right off this floating airport. Also, visit Admiral’s & Captain’s Country and Midway's pilot Ready Rooms!

Hangar Deck: Midway sailors will tell you what it was like to drop anchor, sleep in an enlisted sailors’ bunk, or fly a WWII aircraft!

Below Deck: Sick Bay, Galley, Laundry, and Engine Room are just some of the spaces you can explore and listen to Midway sailors describe their daily life aboard.

The tour is self-guided, so guests may choose which locations and stops they would like to visit and listen to. Guests should allow 3-5 hours to experience the audio tour.

Family Self-Guided Audio Tour

Our Family Self-Guided Audio is perfect for our little skippers! Families can follow Airman Sam Rodriguez as he leads youngsters on an eye-opening and entertaining audio tour to more than 30 locations throughout the aircraft carrier.

For extra fun, stop by our Docent Information Center at the start of your visit to learn how your youngster can earn his or her Junior Pilot Wings! Read more about the Junior Pilot Program here .

The Family Audio Tour is self-guided, so guests may choose which locations and stops they would like to visit and listen to. Guests should allow 2-3 hours to experience this tour.

Visitor Tip

Make your Midway visit even better! Take a moment to chat with our volunteer Docents stationed throughout the aircraft carrier, easily spotted in yellow hats. They truly bring the ship to life by sharing personal stories and anecdotes of life at sea!

Your Adventure Starts Now

Your email is the key to information that will open up all your possibilities for exploring the mighty Midway!

Visiting Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion? You must join the virtual exhibition queue when you arrive. If capacity has been reached for the day, the queue will close early.

Adult and Personal Groups

The Met welcomes adult groups to explore the Museum's collection. Reserve a private tour with a Museum guide or lecture to your own group in the galleries.

To request a guided or self-guided group visit at The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters, please complete the request form.

Read our  Group Guidelines  and  Visitor Guidelines .

Membership benefits and other passes are not valid for group admission.

Organizations with limited resources may qualify for significantly reduced rates or fee waivers. Please ask for details when you request a reservation.

Group Admission

One group leader per self-guided reservation receives complimentary admission.

Guided Tour

*Subject to gallery capacity. Visiting The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters? Your group can visit the second location on the same day at no additional charge. Reservations are required.

Guided Visits

Engaging, hour-long private tours are led by trained Museum guides and offer extraordinary opportunities for your group to make the most of their encounters with great works of art.

To request a guided visit for your group, please complete the  Group Visit Request Form  above at least  three weeks in advance . All tours are subject to guide availability.

Guided Visit Topics

At The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters , groups may request tours of the collection.

The Met Fifth Avenue Guided Visit Topics (PDF)

The Met Cloisters Guided Visit Topics (PDF)

Limited tours are available in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish (subject to guide availability).

Guided visits are limited to 50 people . Larger groups will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Groups larger than 25 will be divided into smaller groups before entering the galleries.

Visit Schedule

Guided visits are conducted as follows: The Met Fifth Avenue : Sunday through Tuesday, and Thursday, 10:15 am–3:30 pm, Friday and Saturday, 10:15 am–6 pm. Closed Wednesday. The Met Cloisters : Thursday through Tuesday, 11 am–3 pm. Closed Wednesday.

Self-Guided Visits and Lecturing

Groups are invited to explore the Museum's collection independently, and are welcome to visit with their own lecturer. To request a self-guided visit for your group, please complete the  Group Visit Request Form  above at least  one week in advance .

Lecturing is not permitted in special exhibitions. The Museum cannot guarantee access to all galleries at all times.

Self-guided visits are limited to 50 people . Larger groups will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Groups larger than 25 will be instructed to split into smaller groups before entering the galleries. There may be no more than 25 people per lecturer.

Self-guided appointments are available at the following times:

The Met Fifth Avenue : Sunday through Tuesday, and Thursday, 10 am–3:30 pm; and Friday and Saturday, 10 am–6:30 pm. Closed Wednesday.

The Met Cloisters : Thursday through Tuesday, 12 pm–3 pm.* Closed Wednesday.

*The Met Cloisters closes at 4:30 pm November–February.

Audio Guides

Audio Guide devices are not currently available. Stream or download the latest Audio Guide content to your personal device. Enhance your visit to The Met Cloisters with the Bloomberg Connects app.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm ready. how do i book a group visit.

Appointments are required for all groups visiting the Museum. To request an appointment at The Met Fifth Avenue or The Met Cloisters , please fill out the Adult Group Visit Request Form .

We have a guided visit scheduled, but we have additional guests that want to attend. Is this okay?

Please notify us as soon as possible at [email protected] so that we can assess the feasibility of your request.

How do I reschedule or cancel a confirmed group appointment?

All requests to change or cancel existing appointments must be made via email to [email protected] . Please include your name, phone number, confirmation number, name of organization, and date and time of your visit. If you need to reschedule or cancel a guided visit, please let us know at least one week in advance.

If we schedule a guided visit for a specific time, may we arrive earlier and look around on our own?

Due to the number of groups scheduled throughout the day, we ask that you arrive at your scheduled time. Your group is more than welcome to explore the rest of the Museum after your scheduled visit.

I have a guided visit scheduled and want to speak with the guides prior to the tour. Is this possible?

Yes, our guides will contact you seven to ten days prior to your visit to discuss your tour in more detail. They usually write to the email address you provided when you requested your visit, so be sure to check your email a week or so prior to your visit.

Do you have a place for buses or large vans to park at the Museum?

Buses may drop off passengers along Fifth Avenue but may not stand or park there. There is no bus parking in the vicinity of the Museum. We recommend referencing the New York City Department of Transportation website for bus layover locations.

The Met Fifth Avenue's parking garage can accommodate smaller vans. The clearance is six feet, six inches (6' 6"). Designated spaces are available in the parking garage for visitors with disabilities. Alternate arrangements can be made in advance for visitors with disabilities traveling in oversized vehicles. Please call 212-650-2010, between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

Some of our group’s attendees are wheelchair users or need to avoid stairs. Is the Museum accessible?

The Met Fifth Avenue is accessible to wheelchair users and others who need to avoid stairs. Accessible entrances are located at Fifth Avenue and 81st Street and through the parking garage at Fifth Avenue and 80th Street.

Accessibility at The Met Cloisters is somewhat limited for wheelchair users and others who need step-free access due to the building’s landmark status. A free shuttle service is available to visitors requiring step-free access to enter the building. The pick-up stop is located near the Postern entrance and will transport visitors to and from an accessible entrance inside the Museum’s courtyard.

For more information and assistance with planning your group visit, contact [email protected] .

How should I prepare for my group visit?

We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Met before bringing your group to the Museum. There are a range of resources for you, including:

• Museum Map The Museum's fully interactive map allows you to learn more about the building's layout and the artworks currently on view.
• Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History presents The Met collection via a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of global art history.
• Collection Areas Read about the Museum's seventeen curatorial departments and how they study, exhibit, and care for the objects in the collections.

Please also review Group Guidelines before bringing your group to the Museum.

I have another question that is not answered here.

We are happy to help. Contact us at [email protected] .

Recommended Route Around Salem

The Salem Witch Museum has created this recommended route to take a self-guided walk around Salem, where you will see various sites related to the witchcraft trials of 1692. Each site has a link to more information on our Online Sites Tour .

If you walk the entire route, you will cover about three miles. Depending on how fast you walk and how much time you spend at each site, it should take you between 1-1/2 to 2 hours (we’re estimating 3-5 minutes per site).

Please wear a mask and practice safe social distancing as you explore Salem!

Salem, MA, USA

More About Recommended Route Around Salem

1 – Begin your tour at 70 Washington Street at the Site of the Salem Court House in 1692.

2 – The approximate Site of Reverend Nicholas Noyes’s Home is just south, at 90 Washington Street .

3 – Continue south on Washington Street and cross Essex Street. Near the corner, near 118 Washington Street , is the Site of Judge John Hathorne’s Home .

4 – Turn right on Essex Street, heading west. Sewall Street runs between the YMCA and 274 Essex Street. One Sewall Street is the approximate Site of Court Clerk Stephen Sewall’s Home .

5 – Keep walking west on Essex Street, cross North Street, and you will see the only structure still standing in Salem that has a direct connection to the witchcraft trials and is open to the public. Judge Jonathan Corwin’s House , aka The Witch House is at 310 ½ Essex Street . Well worth a visit!

6 – Walk west on Essex Street to the Ropes Mansion a few doors away (the exterior of this house was used as Allison’s house in the movie Hocus Pocus ). Turn left, crossing Essex Street, and walk along Cambridge Street to Broad Street. You will see the Salem Council on Aging building in front of you ( 5 Broad Street ). Cross Broad Street. To the right of this building, at the intersection with Winthrop Street, is the entrance to the Broad Street Cemetery .

7 – Leaving the cemetery, turn right and walk east on Broad Street to Summer Street. Turn right on Summer Street, and then left on High Street. On your right, at  21 High Street , you will see the Gedney House , where Mary Gedney ran a tavern in 1692. Today it is owned by Historic New England.

8 – Walk east on High Street to Margin Street. Turn left on Margin Street, pass the Post Office on your left, and cross Norman Street. Just ahead on your left at 148 Washington Street , next to the Dunkin Donuts, is The Merchant hotel. This is the Site of Sheriff George Corwin’s Home . Please respect the present-day occupants! Do not trespass on the property.

9 – Cross Washington Street (to the east) and turn left to walk north up Washington to Essex Street. The Daniel Low Building on your right, at 231 Essex Street , is the Site of the Meetinghouse of the First Church of Salem in 1692 .

10 – If you look to the right down Essex Street, you will see the red awnings of a CVS and a brick building (the back of the Essex Condominiums at 188-190 Essex Street ) just beyond, on the north side of the street. This is the approximate Site of the   Ship Tavern .

11 – Continue north on Washington Street and turn right on Church Street. On the southeast corner of the intersection, where the Salem Five Bank stands today (at 71 Washington Street ) is the Site of Bridget Bishop’s Home . Her orchards were farther down Church Street, at approximately 43 Church Street .

12 – Continue east on Church Street. On your left you will see a parking lot, on the far side of which is a five-story brick building, at 10 Federal Street. The Site of the Salem Jail  is the corner of Federal Street and St. Peter’s Street (called Prison Lane in 1692).

13 –On the corner of St. Peter St. and Brown Street, is St. Peter’s Church at 24 St. Peter Street. The church was built on land given by wealthy Salem merchant Philip English.

14 – Continue walking east on Brown Street. As you near Hawthorne Blvd. you will see the Salem Common in front of you and the statue of Salem founder Roger Conant. To your left, at 19-1/2 Washington Square North is the Salem Witch Museum , which was also the Site of Reverend John Higginson’s Home .

15 – Continue walking east on Washington Square North to the intersection of Winter Street. The Site of Ann Pudeator’s Home  is on the corner, at 35 Washington Square North . Please respect this private residence, it is not open to the public.

16 – Turn right and cross Washington Square North to Salem Common. Turn right and walk around the perimeter of the Common (inside the fence for safety), along Washington Square North and left along Hawthorne Blvd. The historic Hawthorne Hotel ( 18 Washington Square West ) at the intersection of Hawthorne Blvd. and Essex Street, is the Site of John Higginson Jr.’s Home .

At this point , you have probably been walking 45 minutes to an hour. If your time permits, you can turn left on Essex to see five more sites in the waterfront area. OR , you can finish your tour at the Salem Witch Trials Memorial (see #23) by continuing south on Hawthorne Blvd., turning right on Charter Street, and left on Liberty Street.

17 – If you are continuing on the tour, turn left on Essex Street. At 65 Essex Street you will find the approximate Site of Thomas Beadle’s Tavern . Please respect this private residence, it is not open to the public.

18 – Continue east on Essex Street. The Site of Philip English’s “Great House” is on the corner of Essex Street and English Street. Please respect this private residence, it is not open to the public.

19 – Turn right on English Street and walk south toward Derby Street and Salem Harbor. At 60 Derby Street is the Site of the Blue Anchor Tavern . Please respect this private residence, it is not open to the public.

20 – Across Derby Street, opposite 54-58 Derby Street , is the approximate Site of Alice Parker’s Home .

21 – Turn right and head west down Derby Street, back toward town. The House of the Seven Gables aka the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion is at 115 Derby Street . A great place to visit! If you turn left on Turner Street, you can see a great view of the house.

22 – Continue heading west on Derby Street, cross over Hawthorne Blvd. and turn right on Hawthorne Blvd. headed north. Turn left on Charter Street. The entrance to the Old Burying Point Cemetery is at 51 Charter Street , opposite the back of the Peabody Essex Museum.

23 – Leaving by the cemetery entrance, turn right on Charter Street and right on Liberty Street. A perfect place to end your tour is at the Salem Witch Trials Memorial at 24 Liberty Street .

Salem Common in winter

The Custom House on Derby Street

Old Burying Point Cemetery

Salem Harbor sunset

Heading up to Proctor's Ledge

Salem Witch Trials Memorial

• LA Times Crossword
• April 12 2024

Component of self-guided museum tours

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Learn how the BC Archives provides access to records of enduring value to the province for public researchers, scholars and genealogists.

Discover the Natural History of British Columbia

In-Person Field Trips

Guided fieldtrip.

Our guided field trips are interactive ways to take a closer look at the museum’s core galleries. Our museum educators will provide tailored tours, aligning with your curriculum while enhancing the learning experience. Each fieldtrip is 60 minutes long and includes access to a variety of educational materials to support pre- and post-visit learning.

Natural History

Spend an hour with a museum educator as they transform the Natural History gallery into an interactive learning experience. Tailor the focus of this guided tour to suit your curriculum needs and interests. Whether you want to delve into the fascinating world of insects, explore life in a tidepool, understand the impacts of climate change, or study the incredible adaptations in a rainforest, we will work with you on delivering a tour that suites your needs.

When booking this guided fieldtrip please describe what subject your group would like to explore. Self-guided visits to the core galleries are included with your field trip booking at no additional charge. Visits to feature exhibitions or IMAX Victoria theatre require a separate booking through our booking office and are an additional charge.

Audience: Grades K–12 Availability: Wednesdays 9:00–10:00 am, 10:30–11:30 or 1:00–2:00 pm Fridays 9:00–10:00 am, 10:30–11:30 or 1:00–2:00 pm Program length: 60 minutes Cost: $99 per class

Capacity: up to 35 students maximum plus chaperones. If you have additional students please book an additional field trip for another time or day. Chaperone Ratio: 1 adult per 5 students for grade K–8 and 1 adult per 10 students for grade 9–12 required for field trip visits.

Learning Objectives

●  Practice observation skills ●  Be curious about the natural world around you

First Peoples Principles of Learning

●  Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors ●  Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place)

BC Curricular Connections

●  Depends on the grade and subject chosen

First Peoples’ Innovations

Explore a variety of Indigenous innovations and technologies practiced by First Nations' peoples of BC. While sharing and discussing, our Indigenous Learning Program Developer will highlight three to four innovations and practices of BC First Nations with the visual support of images and objects from our handling collection.

Audience: Grades 6–12 Availability: Wednesdays 10:30–11:30 or 1:00–2:00 pm Fridays 10:30–11:30 or 1:00–2:00 pm Cost: $99 per class Capacity: up to 35 students maximum plus chaperones. If you have additional students please book an additional field trip for another time or day. Chaperone Ratio: 1 adult per 5 students for grade K–8 and 1 adult per 10 students for grade 9–12   

Learning Objectives:

●  Analyze the exchanges of ideas, practises, and materials involving First Nations pre-contact and post-contact ●  Describe traditional BC First Nations technologies, including the uses of plants and animals

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

●  Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place)

BC Curricular Connections:

●  Grades 6–12 First Peoples and social studies, example of content ●  Grade 8 Social studies, technological innovations

Self-Guided Field Trips

Explore the museum’s core galleries on a self-guided fieldtrip. Choose an age-appropriate activity guide tailored to enhance your students’ learning experience. Each guide offers creative activities that encourage observation and connection to classroom themes and big ideas. Choose from a variety of activities or customize your field trip to focus on your specific interests.

Please be advised the First Peoples gallery and parts of the Becoming BC gallery are closed as work to modernize the museum takes place.

Request a Field Trip

Audience: Grades K–12 Availability: Tuesday through Friday Cost: BC public and independent grade schools access core galleries free of charge through school bookings made a minimum of two business days in advance. Admission rates apply for other schools or groups, please contact us for more information. Capacity: up to 35 students maximum plus chaperones. If you have additional students please book an additional field trip for another time or day. Chaperone Ratio : 1 adult per 5 students for grade K–8 and 1 adult per 10 students for grade 9–12 required for field trip visits.

Natural History Gallery

Visit the Natural History gallery and turn your learning into an interactive experience. With our activity guides, you can tailor your visit to match your curriculum needs and interests, all while exploring the unique natural heritage of British Columbia.

Whether you want to delve into the fascinating world of insects, explore life in a tidepool, understand the impacts of climate change, or study the incredible adaptations in a rainforest, these activity guides will enhance your visit.

Grades K–2  Themes: change, communities, and the needs of living things found in the galleries.

• Download Natural History Inquiry Guide (English)
• Download Natural History Inquiry Guide (Français)

Grades 3–7 Themes: habitats and communities, ecosystems and diversity of life.

Grades 8–12 Themes: invites conversation and critical thinking about four different objects in each gallery.

Museum Backline Masters

If you are looking for your visit to connect to a specific inquiry theme or question, use one of the Museum Backline Masters pages. These four different activities allow students to make their own observations during an unscripted exploration of the core galleries.

Grades 3–7 Themes: communities past and present, change, Aboriginal cultures, artistic expression and culture, Aboriginal technologies, the environment affecting human activities, transportation, exploration, needs of living things, structures, habitats and communities, simple machines, ecosystems.

• Download Museum Backline Masters (English)
• Download Museum Backline Masters (Français)

Get in Touch

Booking office.

[email protected]

Tours at SPY

The International Spy Museum offers several options for guided tours, including public tours led by docents, private tours for just you and your group, as well as an audio-described tour with tactile opportunities for those who are blind or have low vision.

Private Guided Tours 

Get undivided attention for you and your group by booking a guide for a private tour of the Museum’s permanent exhibit. Tours last 90 minutes. There are various tiers including:  

• Premium Guided Tour : Exclusive Espionage Experience $$$
• Expert Guided Tour : Tour with Museum Professionals $$
• Insider Guided Tour : General Private Tour $ 

Additional fees apply and vary by level. 

Public Guided Tours 

COMING DECEMBER 2024 

Get an overview of the Museum and story highlights in the permanent exhibit from a docent on a public guided tour. Tours will run on Fridays and Sundays. An additional ticket beyond Museum admission will be required and can be purchased only in-person on the day of the tour. Public tours last 45 minutes to an hour. 

Interested in becoming a docent?

Accessibility Tours 

For those who are blind or have low vision, a complimentary 90-minute staff-led audio-described Museum exhibition tour with tactile opportunities is available with advance request and is included in Museum admission. 

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