I love visiting museums! But often time I do not get to spend as much time as I would want in each one. So I use the free virtual museum tours to revisit (or see for the first time) some collections.
Like me, travelers and art lovers from across the globe can now explore famous European museums from home with free virtual tours. From Paris to London or Vienna, these top art museums offer immersive online experiences so you can enjoy world-class collections of paintings and sculptures without leaving home. I have included below many of my favourite art museums, as well as some nice surprises I discovered online!
In this listicle, I highlighted 30 must-see European art museums with free online tours, perfect for culture lovers, students, and globetrotters planning future trips. Be sure to bookmark and share this guide, and check out our other travel and culture articles for inspiration!
Virtual Tours vs. Live Tours
While technology continues to improve, virtual tours serve a different purpose than physical visits. They allow for closer examination of details, and let you visit multiple museums across continents in a single day.
However, the emotional impact of standing before a masterpiece, the social experience of museum-going, and the connection to place cannot be fully replicated digitally. Virtual tours complement rather than replace physical visits—they’re perfect for planning future travels, revisiting favorites, or accessing collections you may never have the opportunity to visit in person.
I visited some of the museums below in person, and it was an excellent experience. However, the online tour allows me to see some details, spend more time admiring one work of art or another or even to see some items that I did not have the necessary time to admire when visiting.
I also visited some of the museums for the first time while writing the article (so that I know what I am talking about, but also because I love visiting museums) and this experience will allow me to enjoy my future trips and future museum visits!
An important note: I cannot include the hyperlinks to all the museums because it would become an article too link-dense. BUT I am including a link to all the tours I mention below – you can simply copy it into your browser and your online museum tour can begin!
Top 30 Art Museums in Europe With Free Virtual Tours
1. The Louvre – Paris, France
The Louvre is the world’s largest art museum and one of…