3D Virtual Tours from Around the World

Some of this is live stream, or recorded live stream, and some is activities for the kids. But it's one of those things that's both fun and educational. There are a number of different activities going on, so be sure to scroll down the whole page to see what's on offer. 

This virtual tour of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with the legendary David Attenborough has some wonderful visuals. It's a video-heavy experience with the interactivity being minimal, but it's an exceptional look at this wonder of the world over the years, and a discussion of its future. Set aside a little time for this one.

The Kid Bucket List has a listing of 8 Wildlife Webcams to brighten your day. These include: the Penguin Burrow Cam, Live Royal Albatross Cam, Reef Cam, Port Philip Bay, Koala Cam and more. Pop on over and have a look at the full list.

At this time I can't comment on this webcam as it's not working for me, but I think that's my connection and location. It's working fine for others. So please, enjoy the snow monkeys in Japan!

Contributed by: Wendy Werneth of The Nomadic Vegan

This site is set-up for kids, but c'mon, who doesn't love learning about animals. These are the WebCams, but click around the site and you'll learn a bunch of facts, be able to hear what the animals sound like and watch videos. The live animal webcams include: Ape Cam,  Baboon Cam, Condor Cam, 

Elephant Cam, Giraffe Cam, Koala Cam,
Panda Cam, Penguin Cam, Polar Bear Cam and Tiger Cam.

There are 3 webcams on the same page: Blacktip Reef, Jellies Invasion and Pacific Coral Reef. Take a break and set one of these cams to full screen and just relax. They're beautiful.

Note: the jellies cam is not live at this time, but the video they run is very cool.

Okay, this one is really cool. This cave was only discovered in 1991 and it's the world's largest natural cave. They only allow about 1000 visitor permits per year. To get one is difficult and expensive. We've gotten to hike through some limestone caves here in Southeast Asia and I've sort of fallen in love with them. This tour around Sơn Đoòng Cave is just fantastic. 

This is another Google Maps look-around, but there's more to it as you can follow the team's trek up the mountain. It's a cool look at a destination many of us will never get to.

This is a really nice virtual tour that definitely gives you a sense of being in Yosemite. You can click around to a lot of different points within the park and get a good view of the surroundings, with sound to give you a full sense of the place. It's easy to navigate and you have full control, so if you want to mute it, or stop the auto-rotate, you can. Definitely worth a visit.

The famous Gaudi basilica was gorgeous while we were there, and their virtual tour does a good job of capturing the magic. There are multiple screens to view. Just do yourself a favor and make sure you look UP.

Another wonderful example of Gaudi architecture. Awesome creativity. We loved the terrace rooftop, unfortunately the nighttime shots they use in the virtual tour don't do it justice. Just put it on your bucket list for when you can go. You won't regret it. One of the wonderful things about Gaudi is that every structure he created feels different. You won't burn out touring multiple Gaudi sights. We loved Casa Batllo and we hope you do too. 

We'll go for the Gaudi trifecta since they have such great virtual tours. La Pedrera was probably my personal favorite of the sights we saw while in Barcelona. Because Tim was in a wheelchair with his broken leg, we got to ride in the original elevator that's not open to the general public (but is the only way for someone in a wheelchair to complete the tour).

The controls take a little getting used to, but this virtual tour of one of the most amazing structures ever takes you through some fantastic scenery and at least one panel where you can see snow on the Great Wall.

We visited there back in 2007 and went to one of the 'more interesting, less touristy' sections of the Wall. No one warned us that it might be too difficult for someone who was visually impaired. It was falling apart. We managed - and have the tales to tell. 

Go check out the virtual tour. It'll make you want to go.

The Paris catacombs are both creepy and cool. Thousands of human skulls and bones arranged, surprisingly artfully, beneath the streets of Paris. A wonderful, cave-like experience, but with aged bricks, wall carvings and proper pathways. This virtual tour is a series of full 360 photos (don't forget you can look up and down, too. To get to the next room, click on the double arrows on the lower right or left. 

This detailed map of Blarney Castle and virtual tour of the gardens, grounds and interior of the castle are very nice. Of course, the page I landed on was in the 'Poison Garden' so that's intriguing. I mean, a whole garden full of poisons? I'm sure there's an innocent explanation...  Have fun!

Contributed by: Nils from Let's Go Ireland

Okay, so they're calling these virtual tours, but they're really just interactive maps with some photos and info. So don't go in expecting a true, mind-blowing virtual tour of Yellowstone. Some cool stuff, though, and easy to do some trip planning when that becomes a reasonable thing to do.

Hey, we visited here! I love the giant monster-faced guardians at the entrance - both in person and on this virtual tour. If you poke around the different spaces, you can see the gold Buddha statue. However, I don't think they actually show you the inside of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, their pride and joy. Nice visuals here, though.

The Stonehenge tour is a nice 360. The cool part is the little pulsing circles. Click on one and a video pops up and you can have a historian explain to you the significant features of this mysterious structure. Worth a visit. 

Not quite a full virtual tour, you still get to pick spots on the map and 'visit' a 360 photo. For those of us planning on going there one day, it's enough. For now.

This is really just a Google view of the inside and outside of Scott's Hut, but it's one of those cool, quirky things where you get an interesting peek into the life of an Arctic explorer in the early 1900's.

This is on the Google Arts and Culture site, but it's far more than just a click and walk through a museum. In collaboration with dozens of museums, art collectors and fine art institutes, they have assembled an impressive collection of artworks, videos, tours and commentary. Scroll all the way through the page to find what you want. If you eve wanted to know more about the enigmatic Frida Kahlo, this is the place.

If you can't make it to Amsterdam, this is a great way to see the Van Gogh Museum. True, it's not an interactive VR tour, but it's quite an extensive collection and Van Gogh is awesome, so I wanted to include it here. If you ever have the chance to see Van Gogh's work in person, do it. You will walk away with a huge appreciation for his art after seeing his incredible brushstrokes and being able to truly feel the emotions his paintings invoke. Until then, enjoy these videos.

And in a tribute piece, someone created short, but very cool, 3D VR walkthrough of Van Gogh's famous painting, The Night Cafe. Watch it here. (No VR equipment needed.)

Thank you again to The Kid Bucket List for providing this list of 14 Australian museums with virtual tours. They've got some great ones, like: Australian National Surfing Museum, Art Gallery of South Australia, National Motor Museum and the National Sports Museum. Have a look at their site to see all the options.

This is magnificent for art lovers who can't make it to London right now. Using Google Street View (2016), the National Gallery in London is sharing 360 viewing of Rooms 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, and Central Hall, which focus on Renaissance masterpieces from Northern Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany. There's a 2011 virtual tour that covers 18 rooms, but you need Flash Player installed to view them.

This is one of the coolest virtual tours we've seen yet. First, you have this timeline, and world regions, and various blobs of color. You click on one, only knowing the time and region, but not what's under the blob. A museum item pops up and if it intrigues you, you can Learn More. Then info comes up PLUS an audio guide (optional) that is an expert speaking about the item, not just someone reading the text.

Fantastic! 

Contributed by: Laura at Quizzy Kid

Have a look around the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. This is a Google-style walk-through so there's no extra info on the artwork, but there is some really nice stuff to look at. Thumbnails across the bottom allow you to jump from one place to another.

This is a Top 17 list from Families Magazine, covering an interesting selection of walk-through tours from locations around the globe via Google Arts and Culture. These are fun to have a look and the visuals are usually pretty good, but if you're looking for additional information about a piece, you won't find it here. Great for having a look around, though.

This is more of an 'Explore the Collection' page than a virtual tour, but we're on a Madrid roll so I thought we'd stay on it. Besides, when you're talking about museums, you can't ignore the Prado.

Ooh, all sorts of cool flying machines. Make sure to note the drop down menu on the upper right so you can see everything easily. A few of the info blocks came up 404 Not Found, but some extra info is there. Really excellent exhibits with environment included.

This listing and several others, contributed by: Heather at Embracing Chaos with Love

A Google Arts and Culture walk-through of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Very impressive collections.

Contributed by: Francisca at Travel Goddess

Honestly, this isn't a virtual tour, but a bunch of science projects for kids to mess around with. The site also has tons of image galleries, information about missions, Hubble images and even NASA career aspirations. Great for space geeks of all ages. We would have loved this when we were kids, so we're including it in the list - and because NASA is super cool.

Thanks to NASA, JPL and Google, you get to wander around the real surface of Mars, following the path of the Mars Curiousity rover. Make sure to check the different spots on the map, and listen to the info tags that appear in the landscape. Fun stuff. 

Yes, you can enter the Tardis and have a virtual look around. It's a good, full rendering. I just expected it to be a bit bigger on the inside. 

Okay, not quite a virtual tour, but a fun activity for Harry Potter fans of any age. We figured if we have some sci-fi, we should have a little fantasy, too. Oh, and if you want to attend classes at a fan-created version of Hogart's, go here.

Want to ride some of the best rides at Disneyland without leaving home? These videos will take you there. Unfortunately, you won't be able to feel the climbs and drops and the thrill of pitching side-to-side, or getting splashed. But, you also don't have to stand in the hot sun for hours and pay the crazy ticket price. Seriously, the rides are more fun in person, but these are a great look and if you've been on them before, you'll remember the fun. Here's the list: Indiana Jones Adventure, Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan Dark Ride, Splash Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy Ride and the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride.

Contributed by: Kanupriyaa from mylostcamel.com

Avoid the crowds, check out Disney World from the comfort of your living room. Explore the Magic Kingdom Park, the Disney Animal Kingdom Theme Park, the various resorts, and The Blizzard Beach Water Park. Honestly, the site is a little annoying, with videos that are hard to close and an impatient camera that likes to move. But if you're a Disney fan, this could be fun.

This looks like a really fun amusement park in Sydney, Australia. Makes me want to ride the rooster on that merry-go-round and play some carnival games. Standard Google street view tour, but with plenty to look at. A fun visit.