virtual tours in france

Armchair travel: 21 virtual tours in France to try in 2021

We’ve rounded up some of France’s best virtual tours so you can take a French holiday from home

The travel forecast may slowly be improving, but for those of us desperate to return for France, virtual visits are the next best thing. From gardens to Gallo-Roman ruins, from châteaux to museums, these virtual tours of France’s landmarks are the perfect chance to see some of the country’s best-loved sights without the tourist crowds.

1. Explore Monet’s garden, a riot of colour that inspired some of his most famous artworks, at the Fondation Monet in Giverny .

2. Marvel at the Gothic grandeur of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris , dating back to the 13th century.

3. See some of the theatre world’s most beautiful costumes at the Centre National du Costume de Scène (National Centre for Stage Costume) in Moulins.

4. Go underground to see a different side to Paris in the city’s eerie catacombs .

5. Visit the fairytale-like Château de Chambord in Loir-et-Cher.

6. Step back in time at the Gallo-Roman remains at La Roquebrussanne .

7. Explore Strasbourg’s breathtaking cathedral , completed in 1439.

8. Soak up the Alpine atmosphere at the legendary La Folie Douce in Val d’Isère.

9. Immerse yourself in the historic surroundings of Fontevraud Abbey in the Loire Valley.

10.Take a trip to the pretty-in-pink Château de Voltaire in Ferney.

11. Pay a visit to the world-famous Sanctuary at Lourdes , at the gateway to the Pyrenees.

12. Visit the setting of the Festival d’Aix , the international music festival in Provence.

13. Follow in the footsteps of royalty at the Château de Versailles near Paris.

14. See one of France’s most unusual art galleries – La Piscine, Roubaix .

15. Discover prehistoric France at the Musée de Préhistoire des Gorges du Verdon .

16. Explore the fantastic Mediterranean gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Côte d’Azur.

17. See some of the Louvre’s top exhibits without the crowds.

18. Visit some of Corsica’s most beautiful beaches , including Plage de Palombaggia.

19. Tour the fortified Château de Kerjean in Finistère.

20. Discover the Museum of Street Art in Paris , with some of the city’s best contemporary designs on show.

21. Finally, for young Francophiles, take these child-friendly tours of some more of Paris’ top museums.


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Online tours - Enjoy the Louvre at home!

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Virtual tours Enjoy the Louvre at home! Online tours

Virtual tours, louvre at home.

Visit the museum rooms and galeries, admire the palace architecture and enjoy the views!

From afar. Travelling Materials and Objects

Through materials and objects, this exhibition describes exchanges between distant worlds – exchanges often far more ancient than the explorations of the 16th century.   From deepest antiquity, carnelian, lapis lazuli, ebony and ivory circulated along trade routes...

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The Advent of the Artist

For its 5th edition, the Petite Galerie takes a closer look at the transition from the typically anonymous craftsman of the classical period to the artist of the Renaissance, featuring works by Delacroix, Rembrandt, Tintoret and more.

Power plays

This third Petite Galerie exhibition focused on the connection between art and political power, from antiquity to the present day.

The Body in Movement

In its second season, the Petite Galerie explored one of the performing arts: dance. How did artists use different materials and techniques to represent movement?

Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader

The very first Petite Galerie exhibition looked into how illustrators, sculptors, painters, puppeteers, filmmakers, and musicians around the world have drawn inspiration from myths, given them form, and brought them to life.

What activities does the Louvre offer that can be enjoyed from home?

Events at the auditorium (in French)  

Podcasts (in French)  

Louvre Kids  

“Mona Lisa Beyond the Glass” virtual reality experience  

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360° virtual tours

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Explore the Palace of Versailles and relive its temporary exhibitions remotely, with our collection of 360° virtual tours. 

Horace vernet 

Find all the artworks in this exhibition in a unique setting using 360° photo technology. An immersive experience, to discover the world of Horace Vernet. A key figure at Versailles during the reign of  Louis-Philippe , the artist produced, over period of 13 years, some of the most beautiful paintings in the  Historical Galleries , making Versailles home to the largest collection of his works today.

Curator:  Valérie Bajou, General Curator at the National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon.

Discover the exhibition     Discover the tour

louis xv passions of a king exhibition (2023)

Discover all the works of this exhibition in a unique scenography thanks to the 360° photo technology. An immersive experience, to discover the passions of Louis XV.

Curators : Yves Carlier, Chief Heritage Curator at the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, Hélène Delalex, Heritage Curator at the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.

the king's animals exhibition (2021-2022)

The Palace of Versailles, located in the heart of a huge forest in Île-de-France, has fostered the development of a new relationship with the animal world. From the object of study and collection to the animal as a political attribute and symbol of power, what relations did the Court have with pets, wild and exotic animals?

Exhibition curators : Alexandre Maral, Curator General, Head of the Sculpture Department of the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon and Nicolas Milovanovic, Head Curator of the Paintings Department of the Louvre Museum.

hyacinthe rigaud or the sun portrait exhibition (2021)

The palace of Versailles presents the first major monographic exhibition dedicated to the work of  Hyacinthe Rigaud . This most famous portraitist of the Sun King dominated portraiture for nearly a century and set new codes in the discipline.

Exhibition curators : Laurent Salomé, Director of the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, Élodie Vaysse, Curator of Heritage and Ariane James-Sarazin, Curator General of Heritage, Deputy Director of the Musée de l'Armée.

Discover the exhibition      Discover the tour

versailles revival exhibition (2020)

The exhibition «Versailles Revival» shows the enthusiasm and passion for the Versailles of the Ancien Régime, which developed a hundred years after the French Revolution through 350 works, documents and photographs. In parallel, the Republic gathers its assemblies and receives foreign sovereigns, gardens attract tourists and large waters become a popular destination. 

Exhibition curator : Laurent Salomé, Director of the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon et Claire Bonnotte, scientific collaborator of the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.

the king is dead exhibition (2015-2016)

The exhibition explores the role of the king’s death in the monarchical imagination and court society, placing the death of Louis XIV in the context of the funeral rituals of European rulers from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. It presents major works of art and historical documents, some of which have never been exhibited before, relating to the survival of this ritual after the French Revolution .

Exhibition curators : Béatrix Saule, Director and Head Curator of the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, assisted by Hélène Delalex, Conservation Officer at the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon

versailles and the ancient exhibition (2012-2013)

A political and aesthetic ideal, antiquity was glorified in all the courts of Europe since the Renaissance and the Greek and Roman remains were collected with passion by the princes and powerful. But with the reign of Louis XIV, this admiration took on a completely different dimension. To impose in the eyes of all the advent of the absolute monarchy and the power of France, the Sun King conceived his palace as a new Rome dedicated to the cult of Apollo, as well as a sanctuary for his prestigious collection of statues, busts, vases, cameos and medals.

Discover the tour

wardrobe of LOUIS xvi

The wardrobe cabinet , made in 1788, is considered the masterpiece of Versailles royal art. It is a small cabinet of about 13 m2, located in the interior apartment of Louis XVI and accessible through a hidden door. The white and golden woodwork is unique in Europe and represents a peak of French decorative art of the 18th century.  

napoléon rooms

The Napoleonic collections are now presented in several spaces in the palace: in the Coronation Chamber showcasing Napoleon 's rise to become Emperor ; in the rooms known as the « Revolution Room », the « Consulate Room » and the « Empire Room », on the ground floor of the South Wing, presenting the most important moments in Napoleon's rise and his reign in the political, military, diplomatic and dynastic domains ; and in the Gallery of Battles , on the first floor of the same wing. On the second floor, known as the Chimay and South Attics, the story of Napoleon is illustrated by other works, accompanied by many portraits of the Emperor's entourage and the society of his time.

Voyage d’hiver 2017-2018

The Best of Virtual Paris

Live Virtual Tours of Paris

Culture online, eating & drinking french, 360° virtual city tours & videos, museums & monuments, best films set in paris, interesting shorts, sounds of paris, watching french content from outside france: get a vpn.

#ExploreParis is one of my current favorite tour organizers for discovering unique places off the tourist track. They’ve been hosting virtual tours since the pandemic, and although most are in French, keep an eye out for English ones that occasionally come onto their schedule.

Vivre Paris Virtual Tours (only in French): There are several themed live tours available each week as a live Facebook event that you pay €4.49 to access, following along with your guide for an hour (you can ask questions or just enjoy the scenery). If you miss it, the recording is available afterwards for those who paid.

Paris Virtual Tours by The French Travel : I’ve only just discovered this tour company, but they are a locally-based company registered with tourism office and other “serious” travel organizations, and they offer private, virtual tours of Paris (or Versailles) in English, French or Spanish at reasonable prices.

Evenings with an Author : The American Library of Paris’s popular evenings with authors from all over the world are now live on Zoom for free (but for a limited number of participants, register in advance), every Tuesday and Wednesday evening. There are also virtual events for kids and online writers workshops.

Opéra de Paris : in order to keep their productions going during the pandemic, the Paris Opera has started showing their performances online, “L’Opéra Chez Soi”. Some are shown free on Arté (French TV), but you can also pay to watch them on demand for a limited time. Right now “The Magic Flute Live” is being rebroadcast until February 22 nd for €11.90 (French or English subtitles), and Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”, Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” and “The Barber of Seville” are €7.90 to “rent”. There are also many free shows in the “ Carrousel ”, including concerts and the Gala Opening of the Ballet.

La Comédie Française : One of the oldest theatre troupe’s in France is now doing FREE live performances as part of their “Théâtre à la table” where they spend one week rehearsing a show, then perform a first reading of it live on their YouTube channel Saturday at 8:30pm. Some examples have been “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov and “In Search of Lost Time” by Marcel Proust.

Collège de France: Ready to geek out? The famous Collège de France was founded (near the Sorbonne) in 1530 to offer secular, free education to anyone who wished to sit in on their lectures from prominent scholars and researchers from around the world. Now they’ve put their entire catalogue of over 10,000 university lectures online, many available in English. You can search by subject, including literature, linguistics, history, archeology, humanities and social science, mathematics, natural sciences, etc, and follow their entire cursus. Look around and you may find something surprising like “War Turned Love Upside Down” about literature during WWI.

Bilingual Acting Workshop (BAW) : Normally these classes are in person in Paris, but there are currently masterclasses, weekly courses, and weekend workshops taking place online. The website isn’t always updated, so get on their mailing list: “We will be organising masterclasses over Zoom with casting directors from New York and LA over the summer months. We’ll also be organising workshops on Zoom with Amy Werba and Peter Meagher, based on techniques from their new book “ Be your own coach “.

Opsis TV: This French platform is dedicated to streaming performing arts videos live or on-demand for €5.99/month or €59/year after a 7-day free trial (and you can cancel any time). You’ll find mostly theatre prodictions (classical, modern, comedies, kids, etc), but also danse, operas and musicals, the Festival d’Avignon, and theatre masterclasses. It’s available worldwide, but only in French.

IGTV with David Lebovitz : Chef and cookbook author David Lebovitz has been doing live Instagram videos several times a week sharing recipes from his new Drinking French book, but also tips on cooking, cheese and wine, and other French foodie stuff, with his usual joie de vivre (and cameos from his adorable French partner, Romain). If you miss them live you can peruse his IGTV archives.

La Cuisine Cooking Classes : La Cuisine now offers a selection of live classes on Zoom, their French Cuisine Camp, “Focusing on classic French ‘Maison’ (home) recipes to understanding the world of French Wine and Cheese.” They also have pre-recorded video classes here .

Cook’n with Class : Private or small group live online cooking classes via Zoom. “When you can’t make it to France, we’re bringing the flavors of France to you.”

Wine Tasting in Paris : Live wine-tasting classes via Zoom, either for private groups or with others, where you learn about French wines, how to read labels, and have all your questions answered. You can bring your own French wine or find one locally from the list you’ll be provided when signing up.

These are a lot of fun because you can look at painted ceilings in the Louvre, spin around to see stained-glass windows in Sainte Chapelle, see what the crowds really look like at in Versailles (at least pre-pandemic), and basically turn your attention towards what YOU want to look at. Sometimes there are specific controls on the dashboard, sometimes you just “grab” the screen with your mouse and dragging the camera angle to where you want it to point. Just pause the video if you want to keep looking around a specific spot.

Don’t forget you can use Google Street View to explore the city street by street, just type in the address or monument name.

Paris is Yours! 10 Locations to Visit Paris Virtually : A partnership between the City of Paris and Google Culture (thus available in English), these excellent 360° virtual tours let you explore: the Roman Arènes de Lutèce (go up and around the gardens as well), the decorated tunnels of the Palais de Tokyo (slightly claustrophobic but great if you like contemporary art), the Philippe Chatrier tennis court at Roland Garros (you have to click at all the exits before you figure out how to see inside and outside the stadium, too), the “Petite Ceinture” (although this section is locally known as the Promenade Plantée, going from Bastille to the Jardin de Reuilly), the Office of the Mayor of Paris (you can even se ethe views from her window and go out her office door to the marble mezzanine; check out the famous ballroom here ), the “Underground Lake” of the Opera Garnier (again, you’ll have to click around to figure out which passages you can go down), interior of the Opéra Comique, a cruise on the Seine (click in the water to make the boat go forward), climb to the top of Paris 13 Tower (which was finally torn down, so this is the only chance to see the street artist works, although this is a much more complete view ), and the Grand Palais’s nave.

Montmartre to Sacré-Coeur : A first-person perspective Paris walk through the streets of Montmartre, from Abbesses Metro to Sacré-Cœur Basilica. You’ll see closeups of cafes, restaurants and gift-shops, and you can pause and get closer looks at popular sights Le Moulin Radet, Le Passe-Muraille and Place du Tertre with its artists on a sunny summer day in Paris!

360 Cities is a website that collects VR videos and panoramic images of cities all over the world. This page shows the almost 100 videos shot from around the city. They’re not super exciting, no commentary, but if you’re looking to just stand in a specific street or near a specific monument in Paris as the people and traffic pass by, you may find it here (also works with VR viewers). Here’s the Champs-Elysées on a “car free day.”

Paris 360° Experience “Escape Now” by Captivision is a 5-minute teaser for their longer series (which you have to pay to download, but which is viewable with VR viewers). The videographer visits all of the major Paris sights (including up on the tower of Notre Dame before the fire) and Versailles. The voiceover is a bit basic, so if you already know Paris just mute it.

One day in Paris: 360° Virtual Tour : a similar 5-minute virtual tour of the “best of Paris” (which might make you cringe when you see everyone packed in for the Mona Lisa selfies). The funniest part about these videos is that unlike Google Streetview they make no effort to blur faces. Maybe you’ll see someone you know….or yourself! 

Must Visit Bucket List in France : a 9-minute video with by-far the most annoying commentary (delivered in a monotonous voice), but she gets you up and close to the Louvre Pyramid, Tuileries Gardens, Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elysées, and the Opéra Garnier (including an excellent view of the inside).

Paris Virtual Run : Okay, this isn’t actually 360° because you can’t see anything she doesn’t point the camera at, but she goes all over Paris from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame and – I could be wrong – I think she may be on a scooter not running, because there’s zero bounce, she’s going really fast, and cuts each time there are steps or a curb (I think I hear the rolling on the gravel, too). But it’s so beautiful, I feel like I could watch this on a loop as “background video” of Paris scenery.

Webcams were really big when the internet first really got going in the late 90s, where you could see a “real-time” snapshot of places around the world, usually updated every hour. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like they’ve evolved much, and webcam sites often a lot of annoying ads and pop-ups to wade through, but it’s still one of the best ways to see immediately whether it’s sunny or raining, whether the scaffolding has come off of a big monument being renovated, or just catch a nice sunset. Here are a few with decent images:

Panoramic View from Montparnasse Tower: This is the only good panoramic view I found where you can scroll and zoom on the image, which you’ll want to do because the default image is mostly blocked by a big red metal pillar. First toggle to full screen using the double-arrow button on the bottom right, then “grab” the screen to move around, and zoom with your mouse scroll bar or use the “+/-“ buttons on the bottom left. Go left and you have the Eiffel Tower. In the center is the Louvre (with a green billboard at the moment covering a section under renovations), the Tuileries, Sacré Coeur in the background, and scrolling right you see Notre Dame, Luxembourg Gardens, the Pantheon, and on a clear day waaaaaay on the right my neighborhood in the 13 th with all of the modern towers (you can see the red and blue mural by Shepherd Fairey on one of them). They update every hour, just clock on the “refresh” icon in the footer on the left to see the list of times from the past 24 hours.

Eiffel Tower and Place de la Concorde from the Westin Paris Hotel: this is a nice sharp image and you can see the Grand Palais and a bit of the Tuileries Gardens, but they only update once per day (click on the little arrow on the upper right of the screen to see all of the available dates, and along the bottom to see multiple shots from that same day).

Eiffel Tower with Trocadéro and La Défense : a close-up view of the Eiffel Tower, one minute video clip taken every hour, with two days archived along the bottom you can scroll through (you may have to repeatedly close the pop-up window on the footer). 

Eiffel Tower with Sacré Coeur: This is yet another angle from a weather website, and the image is sharp but there’s an ugly apartment tower in the foreground. Sacré Coeur Basilica looks great when backlit at sunset.

View from the Eiffel Tower : This virtual experience from Google Arts & Culture allows you to “walk” all the way around the first level of the Eiffel Tower and look out over Paris. A shame they made it on an overcast day, but the image is fairly crisp.

Tuileries Gardens and Musée d’Orsay from the Hotel Meurice: This webcam must be exposed to the elements, because snow and rain sometimes muck up the lens, but it’s a nice view over the gardens (you can see the February 10 th snowfall) and at night you see the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse Tower lit up.

Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower from the Hyatt Regency Hotel: This shows Paris from the Porte Maillot, the far western edge of the city. If you click on the heart icon in the upper right (above the arrow icon with the latest dates), you’ll see a collection of “favorites” over the years, including some cool Bastille Day fireworks shots.

Notre Dame Cathedral: It’s a bit of a distant view with an antenna in the foreground, but this is the best way to see hourly photos of the cathedral as the reconstruction progresses. When it’s windy you’ll see a bit of shale in the image.

Basilique du Sacré Coeur : It’s not the sharpest image (especially at night; maybe someone needs to wipe off the lens?) but you’ll get a nice view of the iconic white domes throughout day on the hour.

Place de la Concorde and the Hotel Crillon : This is one the “liveliest” videos I found because you’re close enough to the square to see the cars, busses, and scooters zipping around. To the left of the Crillon Hotel is the US Embassy (surrounded by a ring of white anti-vehicle pillars).

The Louvre : The biggest museum in Paris has several virtual tours listed on their website, except as of January 2021 “Flash Player” was discontinued by Adobe, so three of the tours don’t work, bummer. There are four additional 360° virtual tours of recent exhibits in the Petite Galerie, but the text is only in French. A bit disappointing, but perhaps they’ll update it soon. One of the most exciting updates is that their entire collection is now viewable free online in their searchable Collections Database (also includes the collections of the Eugène-Delacroix Museum). And if you’re in the mood to download an app to your smartphone you can check out Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass VR experience from the 2019 Leonardo Da Vinci exposition. If you want to feel less bad about not being able to be at the Louvre in person, you can watch these two hour-long Youtube videos ( part 2 here ) walking through the entire museum on a typically crowded day (pre-Covid), with no music or commentary (nice for a change).

Museum of Decorative Arts : You can visit each room of the Decorative Arts Museum – from Middle Ages and the Renaissance through Art Deco and Art Nouveau and up to Modern and Contemporary furnishings. Each room starts with a photo and description (only in French, alas, but Google translate helps) and on the right links to listen to audio clips and “”Découvrez cette salle en panoramique 360°) for about two dozen of them to see them from every angle and zoom in or out.  Jeanne Lanvin’s purple bedroom , boudoir and bathroom are worth a peek! Use the “hamburger” list of rooms on the right to switch rooms once in panoramic mode, or come back to the index page to get the full list.

Musée d’Orsay: this Google Art & Culture view gives you a basic look at the ground level of the museum and toggle to some of the well-know artworks, but it’s pretty restricted where you can go, so this is just a small glimpse.

Le Grand Palais : While the Grand Palais is under renovation works through 2025 we can all see what it used to look like through these virtual tours from Google Arts & Culture. There are 37 slideshow “stories” and one that caught my eye was “Preparing for the Future” , a reminder that the Grand Palais and its stunning glass and steel nave already went through a massive restoration from 1993-2005. Seems to be closed more often than it’s open, but maybe they’ll figure out a way to heat the nave in winter! Scroll down past all the google photos to see the four “museum views” for virtual views of the nave from every angle.

Musée Jacquemart-André : They don’t have virtual tours, but in-depth looks at their “must-see” works of art in English, with great explanations about what makes them worthy of your attention, so you can get your art fix (or prepare your self for when you can see it in person). 

Rodin Museum : a small nod to their garden sculptures, you can see virtual close ups of The Thinker and – more impressive for learning purposes — the Gates of Hell (click open the menu on the left to highlight the different sections).

Monet’s Water Lilies at L’Orangerie : This is a fairly basic way to get a close up of the famous water lily paintings from any angle, but I’m not sure it’s any better than just looking at a good high-res image.

Opéra de Paris : This Google Arts & Culture page has three “stories” which are slideshows with some video clips (the text is only in French), my favorite being the “ Birth of an Opera ” showing what the Place de la Bastille looked like before and during the construction of the Opéra Bastille between 1984-1989. Scroll down past a bunch of photos, and there are four “museum views” which are the virtual visits of the Palais Garnier, the rooftop, the “lake” basement, and the library (all in Palais Garnier).

Notre Dame de Paris in More Than 100 Works is a virtual exhibition of the cathedral depicted in 126 artworks throughout the centuries.

Panoramic virtual tour of Montmatre Sacré-Cœur basilica : This is one of the best virtual 360° tours of a monument, and honestly some of the best information about the basilica I’ve seen anywhere. I also love that you can go up to the domes on the exterior and really get a look at the intricate carvings and statues. The controls take some getting used to (sometimes I lose track of which way is “up”) but after a bit of practice you get used to it. Double-click on the white circles to get in-depth information.

Sainte Chapelle : A great 360° function to see the entire lower and upper floors of the chapel and its famous stained-glass windows. The text descriptions are only in French, though. Click on the four squares on the upper right to “afficher les panoramas” showing all four panorama options to toggle between. The zoom function works really well for close ups of the individual stained-glass panels. For a historic perspective, here’s a video of a historic 3D reconstitution of what the chapel and the royal palace looked like in the 14 th century.

Eglise St-Etienne-du-Mont : This church next to the Panthéon is one of my favorite in Paris. Click on the white arrow to go inside, where you’ll see one of the only remaining jube screens in France (looks like a marble “bridge”).

Mémorial de la Shoah: This 360° virtual visit to the monument to the Holocaust in the Marais includes the Wall of Names (Mur des Noms), the Crypt, and the Wall of the Righteous (Mur des Justes). It’s only available on the French version of the website at the moment. Click on the white box symbol to make it full screen before you start clicking to move around. The blue arrows open up short videos (although it’s usually either text or photos). All of the signs on the walls of the memorial are in French and English, so you can easily zoom in to read.

Paris Catacombes : There are five rooms available to look around (click on the four white boxes on the lower left to see the selection).

Arc de Triomphe : There are nine different viewpoints with 360° views from each one so you can see it from every angle, from afar, from underneath, etc.

Château de Versailles : Allergic to the massive crowds, I’ve avoided Versailles for many years now, but these virtual exhibits actually make me want to go back (for each one, a mix of text, static images and 360° videos you can move around). Their moody 2015 Versailles exposition, The King is Dead , is also still online. If you want to try the immersive VR experience, you can download their “Vivez Versailles” on Steam and attend a ball or see Siam visitors to the court.

Fondation Louis Vuitton : For a virtual visit “from home” you can download their app to visit the collections, or discover the stunning architecture of Frank Gehry’s iceberg-sail-cloud structure in 360° , and in bold colors for the Buren exhibit here .

La Tour St-Jacques : This Gothic tower right in the center of Paris has great views over the city (it’s a pretty cloudy day, but you can see the Centre Pompidou and Notre Dame Cathedral before the fire). You can also click to go down the stairs and find yourself in different little “rooms” in the tower.

The Medici Fountain in Luxembourg Gardens : you can look around 360° and if you see white arrows they’ll take you to other sections of the park (don’t click on the blue arrows, which go to different cities!)

The History of Paris Library : This specialized library is housed in one of the 17 th -century Hôtel Lamoignon, one of the historic hôtel particulier in the Marais district. This virtual tour lets you go from room to room to see the different spaces, including the chapel, the garden, the courtyard, the special books collection, and the exterior tower (click on the flag on bottom right to change to English before you start navigating with the buttons on the left). Click on the different icons to see descriptive text and old photographs. In the stacks they highlight a few of the most valuable books in their collection.

Victor Hugo’s Hauteville House in Guernsey : a 360° virtual tour of the novelist’s house, only in French but you can look around and see it has a very similar style to his apartment on the Place des Vosges in Paris.

Sounds Like Kandinsky at Centre Pompidou : a massive virtual multimedia exhibition through Google Arts & Culture that will please anyone who’s interested in learning everything about this artist, with images, videos, augmented reality, sound experiments…there are a lot of rabbit holes to go down here, so pull up a chair and a cup of tea!

Zone Franche (Free Zone): a 360° virtual exposition at the Institut des Cultures d’Islam that tackles the question of the movement of travelers and goods, but also what’s imagined beyond concrete or abstract borders. The text in the exhibits is in French as well as English (beneath the French when scrolling down). You can also enjoy a free guided tour of the exhibit (virtual for now) every Saturday afternoon through #ExploreParis (in French only). Through August 1st, 2021.

Miro Exposition at Centre Pompidou : If you’re really into Miro, you can see the Pompidou Center’s first Virtual Reality exhibit of the three Blues . Apparently it also works if you have VR goggles, but the site allows you a close up look at the pieces. Not really sure it adds any extra value beyond what you’d see on the regular website …aside from obviously feeling like you’re “there”.

Institut Pasteur : Wait! Before you think, “boring”, just have a click through, if only to see the crypt where one of the greatest scientists of all time is buried. Upstairs in his bedroom you’l see oil pastel portraits he made of his family members….when he was just 13! If you can Google translate, you’ll get a better understanding of how we owe this French genius our respect, if not just for our French wine and beer fermentation! 😉

French TV & Films

With streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, it’s not exactly that hard to find almost any current series or films somewhere online (although the free JustWatch app can make it easier to find out where). But there are also a few virtual cinema screenings of current films while cinemas are closed. Note that for all of these, you may have to be in France to be able to access the service. Sometimes you can subscribe to a VPN service (see below) to get past these by redirecting your computer’s IP address, but it’s not foolproof so buyer beware!

Netflix Note: In case you missed it, there are usually quite a few French films and shows available on Netflix at any given time ( here’s a great list for February ), depending on what country you’re in (US and Canada often have different selections). What some of you might NOT know is that there’s usually the option to hear it in the original French and choose either French or English subtitles. A lot of Americans and Australians watched Lupin dubbed over in English because they didn’t realize that was just the default setting that could be changed ( read article here ).

Tubi : a free, ad-supported video-on-demand platform available in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand that has a nice selection of “Foreign Language Films” but you’d have to recognize the French ones, since the titles are all in English   This article will help you identify the best selection of French ones with links to Tubi (I recommend “Paris, Je T’Aime, “All Together” a French film with Jane Fonda, the classic “Germinal”, the drama “Number One Fan”, the adorable “Romantics Anonymous”, “Priceless” with Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh, “Django” about the famous Gypsy swing guitarist, the comedy “The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe”, and “Hunting & Gathering” because my elbow makes a cameo in the Harry’s Bar scene).

MHz Choice : Canadian and American viewers can subscribe to this streaming service  specializing in French and other “international films and series”, available in monthly or annual subscriptions from $7.99/month.

Criterion Collection: An independent streaming service with an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary films from around the world (including many French ones. It’s only available for US and Canadian subscribers from $10.99/month.

Lost in Frenchlation : They specialize in French cinema (both classics and current hits) with English subtitles, and since the pandemic they have started screening them live online for just €6, but you have to be able to geo-localize yourself in France for access.

Molotov.tv : This is a free streaming app you can use on your smartphone or computer to watch French TV. The regular 36 free TV channels are free on the app (TF1, France 2, France 3, Arté, TMC, BFM TV, L’Equipe, FranceInfo, etc.), handy if you want to watch French news in real time. You can also “rewind” and watch programs that have already aired. Some of the shows and films are available in their original language, but the French ones are not usually subtitled since they’re for a French audience (you’ll need a VPN to use Molotov.tv). You can also pay a month-to-month subscription for access to the paid channels. 

Madelen : France’s National Audiovisual Institute (L’Ina) has over 70 years of French television archives stored in their server, called Madelen. You can try it free for 30 days (after that it’s only €2.99/month). It’s only in French, of course, but it is absolutely amazing and fun to browse the carefully curated 13,000 TV shows, films, documentaries, news programs, theatre productions and concerts broadcast on French TV.

My French Film Festival : This is one to book for next year if you just missed it (get on their email list), to be able to watch and vote for the winners of 10 French feature films and 10 shorts during the month-long competition for free. Some of them are still available if you have Apple TV.

Since there are so many different platforms for viewing films and it’s different by country, sometimes it’s easiest to start with the film itself. Here are a few “Best Films Set in Paris” lists that might inspire you to go hunting: Time Out Magazine’s 25 Top Films Set in Paris (by time period, with descriptions), Culture Trip’s Top 10 Films Set in Paris (a nice list with some lesser-known films), and 39 Movies That Will Transport You to Paris (a mix of classics and modern films…although the scenes in Les Miserables were not filmed in Paris!).

Mourir Auprès de Toi : This whimsical little Spike Jones film set in Shakespeare & Co Bookstore in Paris was made with handbag designer Olympia Le Tan (famous for her “purse books”). Here’s a “making of” video for it.

The Charismatic Characters of Montmartre : This is just for fun…discover the voice of Montmartre with a stroll through the not-so-distant history and the people who live there, with images, text translated by Google (including French street names, lol) and documentary video clips (only in French). It’s interesting because normally we only see 19 th century or early 20 th century history, but this is recent enough some of you may recognize “old Montmartre”.

A Trip Through Paris, France in late 1890s : This is a delightful collection of footage taken from late 1800s Paris (heavily edited for color and sound and sharpness, as mentioned in the notes) includes scenes from the Parvis de Notre Dame, the Champs Elysées before it was paved, the Place de la Concord, the moving sidewalk at the Paris Universal Expo, and kids pushing their toy boats in Luxembourg Gardens. Don’t miss the horse-drawn firefighter carriages (3:35)!

Paris 3D – Through the Ages : Travel through Paris in a virtual 3D video of the city from Roman times through the construction of the Eiffel Tower. It appears that the web app is no longer available, but this little 12-minute video is still fun to watch.

RATP’s Historical Collections : 360° virtual tours of historic public transport vehicles of Paris and Ile-de-France, including vintage buses, metro cars, trams and RER trains. Only in French, but there easy to follow pictures to guide you tot eh models you can choose to look at (like the “Sprague-Thomson”) and just click the “Lancer le diaporama” button to launch the 360° images or browse the slideshow images and audio clips if you understand French. You can also do the “right click” on your mouse anywhere on the screen for English translation if you’re using a PC.

The Henry Miller Odyssey : This 1969 documentary is mostly just the author reminiscing about his younger days, but there are some cool old clips of Paris starting at 42 minutes, including the Rue de Buci, and Le Wepler Brasserie at Place de Clichy.

First World War Virtual Archives : This site was created in multiple languages for the WWI centennial. There are all sorts of documents and images to peruse, including the database of every single soldier’s final resting place.

Paris Soundscapes : “You sit on a Parisian green bench in a busy narrow pavé street and just let the street walk past you. You will hear fabulous sounds,” says Sound Recordist Des Coulam, who has been capturing the urban soundscape of Paris for almost ten years. It’s actually quite a fascinating blog because his writing is also descriptive of all the places (usually not touristy) that he visits, while listening to what it sounds like. So you can put your headphones in and play the sounds of a Parisian street the next time you’re walking down your own street, and let the sounds transport you like magic…

Cities and Memory : A bit more on the conceptual artsy side, this site describes itself as “a global, collaborative sound art and mapping project that remixes the world, one sound at a time. Every field recording in the project has been recomposed and reimagined by artists around the world to create a new, alternative world of sound.”

Improbable Walks : A podcast series where Canadian writer and long-time Parisienne Lisa Pasold takes you through the streets of Paris. “Every episode, we discover a new street in the City of Light, strolling into the hidden history and stories of Paris, block by block.” I’m the interviewee on the “Marketing on Rue Mouffetard” episode! 😊  

Disneyland Paris : We’ve already established that I’m a bit of a Disney fan , and I know a few of you are, too. So if you’re missing “The Happiest Place on Earth” (or at least the French version), check out their YouTube playlists to get your fix. You can go on the virtual rides, learn about Disneyland Paris history (turn on the English captions if needed), or just chill out with the ambient sounds of Advetureland, Frontierland, or Fantasyland in their Zen Playlist .

It can be pretty annoying to click on a link to watch a video only to see “This content isn’t available in your country”. However you can bypass this by using a VPN that masks your computer’s IP address with a French one. Note that VPN’s are primarily used to protect your laptop when using a public wifi network, so they’re totally legit. I use ZenMate VPN, which is about €3/month for multiple countries including the UK, US and France, but there are many others out there if you want to shop around: https://zenmate.com .

This is an evolving list, so don’t hesitate to suggest a link!

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A virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower 

Tuesday 14 April 2020

Modified the 22/02/24

With a first-person perspective, panoramas, and an interactive historical journey, we have brought together the very best virtual tours of the Iron Lady to offer our readers an extraordinary immersive experience.

A full, virtual reality tour of the Eiffel Tower 

On the occasion of the Eiffel Tower’s 130th anniversary, TV5 Monde created a 360° virtual reality tour that reveals every aspect of the Tower in 3 minutes, featuring sunrise from the Champ-de-Mars and a panoramic ascent to the top, both inside and out. See the Eiffel Tower as if you were there, and much more! TV5 Monde takes you beyond the summit and behind the scenes to discover an unrivaled view of the French capital.   

Panoramic views from the Eiffel Tower on the mobile tour guide 

Our new mobile tour guide has the best panoramic views from the Eiffel Tower, both day and night. So even if you’re not at the Eiffel Tower, don’t wait to discover it! The guide let’s you admire Paris as if you were on the 2nd floor, or at the Tower’s summit. 

Use the arrows on the edges of your screen to navigate from the esplanade to the summit in the Tower’s mobile guide. You can choose "panorama" mode for views from the 2nd floor and the summit. Scan the horizon to the right or left, activate night mode, and zoom in to see Notre-Dame cathedral, Place de la Concorde, the Hôtel des Invalides, and many other Parisian monuments.

Don’t miss this comprehensive, high-definition experience that is sure to amaze you!

Tip: click on the icon at the bottom of your screen and easily identify the points of interest visible from the different floors of the Eiffel Tower. They are accompanied by a brief description to learn more about what surrounds you!

The Eiffel Tower explained by Google Arts and Culture 

Google Arts and Culture is a free service that allows you to visit museums and monuments online, making art and culture more accessible than ever! In partnership with Google Arts and Culture, the Eiffel Tower offers interactive historical journeys to discover the hidden secrets of this world-renowned monument steeped in history. 

The different exhibits on various themes will transport you to the heart of Paris in the 1900s, with breathtaking images that showcase the know-how of the time.  

Explore the monument

After enjoying the panoramic views from the Tower and the historical exhibits, complete your virtual tour directly on our website, under the Discover and Monument tabs, that allow you to explore all there is to know about the Tower. -    The “ E xplore ” section presents the particularities of the gardens and each floor of the Tower. -    The “ T he Tower ” section tells the complete history of the Eiffel Tower, in all its aspects, from its birth to its elevators, lighting, scientific research, and much more.  

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The Palace of Versailles Opens Its Digital Doors, A Free Tour of Everything

“It’s not a palace, it’s an entire city. Superb in its size, superb in its matter.” — Charles Perrault, 1687

Here’s my guide to taking a virtual tour of the Palace of Versailles. Versailles is the most ornate and famous royal chateau in France. Once hidden away behind closed doors, the palace is now yours for digital viewing at home from your couch or computer screen.

Versailles is honestly one of my least favorite places in France to visit in real life. The lines are spectacularly long. The palace spectacularly crowded. It’s hard to really admire the royal handiwork with the crush of people.

READ : Tourist Traps To Skip in Paris

But in this time of global uncertainly and angst — a time of canceled vacations and missed travel opportunities — the Palace of Versailles has generously opened its digital doors, at least temporarily.

The palace is offering an unprecedented free virtual tour to experience from home. Everything can be seen; nothing is omitted.

Short History of the Palace of Versailles

The UNESCO-listed Palace of Versailles was once the center and cultural heartbeat of Europe, until the French Revolution. The Sun King Louis XIV transformed his father’s hunting lodge into a monumental palace in the mid 17th century.

The palace was France’s political capital and royal seat from 1682 to 1789. The royal court had 3,000 residents.

The Palace of Versailles is ornately decorated, to say the least. It’s massive, flashy, and very, very gold. The opulence is overwhelming. Even the bathrooms are gold plated.

As exemplifies the Baroque style, the palace was decorated with gilding, stucco, arabesques, frescoed vaulted ceilings, mirrors, and tromp l’oeil effects. The king’s apartments were in the center, because the world revolved around him.

But the palace itself wasn’t enough for the king who ruled by divine right. In 1687, Louis XIV built the Grand Trianon. This swishy pad is where Louis XIV escaped the viper pit of court life and pursued his affair with Madame de Montespan.

The architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, described the refined structure as “a little palace of pink marble and porphyry, with marvelous gardens.”

Aside from Louis XIV, Versailles’ most famous occupant was Marie Antoinette . The queen made major changes to the palace’s decor in the 18th century. With the exception of the Hall of Mirrors, the interior is more Louis XVI style than Louis XIV style.

Marie Antoinette also adored the Petit Trianon, a little Neo-Classical palace on the grounds. When Louis XVI inherited it, he gifted it to his queen, saying “This pleasure house is yours.”

The Petit Trianon bears her distinctive decor and ornamentation — ornate floral motifs run amok in cornflower blue, lilac, and green, without the glitz of the main palace.

Not content with just the Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette hired two architects to create a pastoral fantasy for her, the Hameau de la Reine.

On the surface, the Queen’s Hamlet appeared as a rural village of crackled tumbledown cottages and wisteria vines. (The countryside was fashionable at the time.) But inside, the cottages were decked out.

READ : Guide To the Marie Antoinette Trail in Paris

Designed by Andre Le Notre, the gardens of the Palace of Versailles are also a vast showstopper. Louis XIV wanted a verdant display to demonstrate his power and to entertain VIPs.

It’s one of the most influential landscape designs in French history — with a series of geometric gardens, groves, fountains, and parks.

Virtual Tour of the Palace of Versailles

The palace has partnered with Google Arts & Culture to present its virtual exhibits online. Google takes users on a journey of the palace’s rich decor and art collection of over 22,000 pieces.

You can also take an amazing virtual tour on the Palace of Versailles’ website . Nothing is left out! For example, you can stroll through:

1. The famed Hall of Mirrors (one of the most famous rooms in the world). You

have a 360 view of the Hall of Mirrors here .

2. The King’s Apartments

3. The Queen’s Apartment s

4. The Royal Chapel

5. The Grand Trianon

6. The Petit Trianon

7. The Queen’s Hamlet

8. The amazing fountains in the garden

9. The lavish Le Notre gardens

10. The art galleries

11. The Napoleon Rooms

12. Marie Antoinette’s private chambers

13. The Coronation Room

And there are plenty of online virtual exhibitions and stories to whet your appetite or feed your soul. This is the perfect opportunity to discover the secrets behind the fashions of Versailles , how Louis XIV honed his political image , the jewelry worn at Versailles, or the gossip about Louis XIV’s long reigning mistress Madame de Montespan .

Versailles 3D , created by Google, also gives you an impressive 3D tour of Versailles. For the latest photos and stories, you can check out the Palace of Versailles’ Facebook page .

If you’ve watched the BBC’s Versailles TV series, you visit the filming locations via my guide .

READ : 3 Day itinerary for Paris

I hope you’ve enjoyed my virtual Versailles guide. You may enjoy these other virtual tours of France attractions:

French landmarks

Paris landmarks

Paris museums

French chateaux

Virtual Musee d’Orsay

Virtual Louvre

If you’d like to take a virtual tour of Versailles, pin it for later.

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Last Updated on November 9, 2021 by Leslie Livingston

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Visit The Most Incredible Castles In France With These Chateau Virtual Tours

Taylor - 08/02/2020

A French Château is one of the most iconic structures on earth. These easily recognizable works of architecture are part of our favorite storybooks and films, and have captivated our imaginations for centuries!

Once known as hunting lodges and country homes, the medieval structures evolved into modern palaces, showcasing the lifestyles of French Royalty & Nobility.

These Châteaux are now crown jewels of French history, welcoming thousands of visitors each year. Guest are able experience firsthand the incredible artistry and imagination of those who conceived, built, and restored these storied estates.

While not all of us are easily able to check them out in person, we are so lucky to have some incredible ways to visit them from home! Take a peek inside the most beautiful palaces on earth with these French Château virtual tours!

These virtual visits will take you inside some of my favorite Châteaus that I have ever visited, and a few that are on my bucket list! They’re listed in no particular order, so enjoy your tour of the most beautiful French castles!

1. Château de Chenonceau

Not only is it my favorite of all the Châteaus to pronounce, but this enchanting castle in the famous Loire Valley has had a LOT of strong women at the helm over the years!

Also nicknamed the Château des Dames (Ladie’s Château) these matriarchs made sure this castle had an important place in history. They each played a part in expanding, improving, and restoring the property into the landmark it is today.

One of the most remarkable thing about Chenonceau is the architectural mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles that blend beautifully into the Loire Valley landscape – almost as if it was meant to be there all along!

No wonder the Château de Chenonceau is the second most visited château in France (#1 is on this list, too ?)! Take a peek at the incredible history and interiors with this virtual tour of Château de Chenonceau .

2. Château de Chambord

Another gem of the Loire Valley is the breathtaking Château de Chambord.

It’s one of the most recognizable castles in the world, with its distinctive French Renaissance style, and it’s the largest one in the country.

If this facade looks a little familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen it before! Château de Chambord served as major inspiration for the classic Disney film: Beauty and the Beast .

My favorite thing about the Château is the incredible double helix staircase, unlike any other on earth. The fascinating design is attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci, and allows two people to use the staircase at the same time, without ever seeing one another!

Take a look inside with the breathtaking castle yourself this virtual tour of Château de Chambord .

3. Château de Fontainebleau  

Not far from Paris sits one of the most impressive royal estates in France, the Château de Fontainebleau!

As a longtime lover of dual staircases, the horseshoe shaped entry to Fontainebleau has always had my heart. It’s iconic style made its debut at the castle, and quickly spread out across France to other stately residences.

Once home to famous monarchs like Louis VII and Napoleon III, Fontainebleau also has some of the most lavish and interesting rooms of any French castle.

Take a tour inside the rooms and see the intricate bed created with Marie Antoinette in mind, with this Virtual tour of Château de Fontainebleau .

4. Château de Chantilly

With a storybook setting on a magnificent lake, The Château de Chantilly is one of the most beautifully preserved castles in France.

Prince Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, was the son of the last King of France and worked to made Chantilly one of the greatest collections of artworks and antiques – of all time.

Today you can peruse the incredible art gallery, and intricately decorated private suites, making this Château one of the finest examples of cultural heritage in France.

Take your own tour inside with this virtual tour of the exterior Château de Chantilly , and check out a tour of the incredible artworks inside .

5. Château de Villandry

The last great castle to be built in The Loire during the Renaissance is the incredible Château of Villandry.

Once a medieval fortress, this Château was later transformed into a comfortable royal home, furnished with some of the most unique and beautiful items of the time period.

Villandry is also well known for its breathtaking ornamental gardens, that were designed as an extension of it’s grand salons. Stepping right out onto these beautiful terraces, will lead you to some of the most impressive landscaping anywhere in France.

Take your own tour around the charming estate yourself with this Virtual Tour of Château Villandry .

6. Château de Vaux le Vicomte

Château Vaux-le-Vicomte is the spectacular estate that caused envy to everyone around. It was so lavish and intricate- that it sadly caused the demise of its owner. Nicolas Fouquet was the superintendent of finances in France, and he built his dazzling castle to impress the great Sun King Louis XIV.

With cleverly devised symmetry and a grand entrance hall, Château Vaux-le-Vicomte was meant to turn heads. However, Fouquet’s plan really backfired when the celebration he threw in the King’s honor was just a little too impressive.

In the end, his over the top party offended the court, and he was accused of misappropriating french funds. Sadly he was imprisoned until his death, his beautiful estate went on to inspired another great french castle.

Vaux-le-Vicomte was so refined and impressive that The Sun King used it as inspiration to built his own royal Château of Versailles. The unique and creative take on Baroque design was so beloved, that it dominated the architecture scene throughout France for the next 150 years.

Take your own tour around the beautiful Château Vaux-le-Vicomte with this virtual tour .

7. Château of Versailles

Without further adieu, the grandest of all the Châteaus in France: The Royal Château of Versailles.

Also known as The Palace of Versailles, it’s the most visited Château in France, and one of the most visited World Heritage Sites on earth!

Once a humble hunting pavillion, it now represents one of the greatest achievements in French 17th century art. A succession French kings continued to improve the Palace and transformed it into the most important seat of power in the nation.

Though it was no longer a royal home following the French Revolution, it became the Museum of the History of France, where guests could explore the incredible interiors, and magnificence 800 hectares Royal gardens.

Today, one of the most famous rooms in the Hall of Mirrors! This revolutionary space was the first of its kind, featuring with 357 mirrors arranged in arches opposite the grand windows. Whether sunlight, or candle light, the entire space emits an incredible shimmer that you’ll never forget.

Take a visit to the magnificent Château of Versailles right now, with this virtual tour .

Thanks so much for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed checking out all the beautiful Châteaus in France that you can visit with a virtual tour.

I visited France for the first time during a High School Exchange program, and it really ignited my love for french culture and architecture. I’ve loved sharing my passion for Châteaus with you all on instagram , and uncovering more about these beautiful works of art!

If you’re in the mood to learn more about famous castles and estates, check out these other amazing places of the world you can visit virtually.

• 9 Virtual Castle Tours To Take From Home
• Airbnb Castles In Europe
• TV Shows About Castles & Palaces
• Restoring a Fairytale at Chateau de Lalande

Which of these French Châteaus were your favorites? Let me know in the comments below after you take your virtual tours, and Bon Voyage everyone!

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Ciao for now,

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August 17, 2020 at 5:37 pm

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August 24, 2020 at 6:49 am

This article was FABULOUS- lots of tips I’ve never read before. Thank you!!

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Virtual exhibitions

Immerse yourself in modern and contemporary art with our selection of exhibitions designed for the web: virtual tours, augmented reality, interactive experiments on your own, or guided video tours. Discover our collection and relive our exhibitions on your screens.

Virtual reality

Prix Marcel Duchamp 2022

More online resources

Looking for a Good Virtual Tour of Paris? Start With These.

Last Updated on January 19, 2023

When the world was turned upside-down by a minuscule, spike-covered virus, in 2020, many of us who take joy in travel had to find creative ways to keep our wanderlust from imploding into gloom. Luckily, we can now tentatively say that we’re in the post-pandemic era. And with France lifting all travel restrictions in 2022 and more people feeling comfortable taking long-distance trips, the prospect of seeing Paris in person is looking far brighter these days.

While virtual experiences can’t begin to replace the invigorating, rich textures of physical travel, they can help to stimulate curiosity and give you a sense of what might interest you when you do manage to get there. If you’re looking for a decent virtual tour of Paris or another online experience that helps you feel re-connected to France, these suggestions may put you on the right track. Most are entirely free.

Paris 3D: Through the Ages, from the Gallo-Roman Period to 1889

Let’s start with a virtual tour of Paris that offers a bit of historical perspective. After all, you may as well go back in time if you’re traveling virtually.

While this 12-minute digital simulation of the city’s transformation from the Gallo-Roman period to the century dates to 2013, I continue to find it impressive.

It shows what Paris might have looked like when it was the Roman Empire-ruled city of Lutetia, then speeds us forward to the medieval period, convincingly simulating the construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral and the dramatic fortifications of the Louvre Palace.

{Related: Take A Self-Guided Tour of Roman Paris}

We then move to Revolutionary Paris and the storming of the Bastille, followed by the dawn of the city’s modernity with the Universal Exposition of 1889– and the unveiling of a *certain* monument that was initially reviled by almost everyone.

Virtual Tours of Leading Museums & Sites, From the Sainte-Chapelle to the Latin Quarter

In recent years, VR-based visits have become increasingly sophisticated and compelling. While you could formerly expect to dimly perceive a painting or street scene through a webcam that transmitted images in poor resolution, it’s now possible to take surprisingly clear, 360-degree “tours” of popular tourist sites, including several in Paris.

This free virtual itinerary from YouVisit offers brief guided commentary and stunning perspectives on 11 key sites in the capital, including the Louvre, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe, Opera Palais Garnier (the facade is pictured above), the Pont Alexandre III bridge, and the Eiffel Tower.

{The 10 Best Things to Do in Paris on Your First Visit}

While they aren’t as extensive as we might wish they were (and let’s face it, you can use Google Street View to explore the city more widely ), they offer a nice initial glimpse of some beautiful places in the capital.

Plus, the guided commentary is a nice touch and added boon: ones that you don’t get by using Street View or other VR tools on your own.

Meanwhile, this list at the Paris Tourist Office directs you to additional free virtual visits of stunning monuments and places in the capital, including the rooftops of the Palais Garnier, the Grand Palais, and the Paris Decorative Arts Museum.

Visit Dozens of Free Online Exhibits from Parisian Museums

For so many of us, not getting to step foot into museums and galleries is a source of frustration and sadness at the moment. If you’ve had to delay a trip to Paris and are itching to get a preview of certain museums, Google Arts and Culture is one astounding resource.

Dozens of Parisian museums, monuments and cultural centers are currently showing exhibits for free on the platform.

You can notably take in a multimedia essay on “ The Fascinating Characters of Montmartre ” that explores the neighborhood’s people and history, see recent acquisitions from the Musée de la Musique at the Paris Philharmonic (Museum of Music), and take a peek at the current contemporary art exhibits and holdings at the Palais de Tokyo.

And for another glimpse of city life and streets, this virtual exhibit on street art in the capital is one way to feel immersed in contemporary Paris.

Elsewhere, the Musée du Louvre has made its VR experience of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa free to the general public. Simply install the app on your smartphone or other device.

The Louvre is also showing several other exhibits online at the moment , as are several other Parisian museums and galleries at their own websites.

{A Few of the Best Independent Art Galleries in Paris}

From the digital-native gallery Atelier des Lumières to the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Georges Pompidou, most of the city’s major museums have expanded their online exhibition offerings (or created online platforms for the first time). You can see a more complete list here , as well as here.

4. Guided Experiences & Tours From On-the-Ground Experts

We may be living through a moment that questions the value of expertise, but there’s something to be said for it nevertheless.

While all of the virtual tours and experiences I’ve recommended so far are free, it may just be worth paying a modest fee for a special guided tour or class from someone who can really enrich your knowledge and give you feedback.

Explore Paris offers regular virtual tours of Parisian monuments and places including the Basilique de Saint-Denis, as well as history-centric tours covering topics as eclectic as Parisian prisons through the ages.

David Lebovitz: Instagram IGTV Live Happy Hour (Themed Around French Cocktails)

( Editor’s Note: The IGTV Daily Happy Hour series seems to have concluded, but Lebovitz still posts several times a week from his Instagram account , sharing delightful videos in which he talks about and demonstrates his favorite French cheeses, wines, desserts, cocktails and more. Recent posts have also featured virtual wine tastings with noted French sommeliers.)

The affable, always-engaging pastry chef and food writer David Lebovitz had to cancel a book tour for his latest tome, Drinking French . In lieu of heading out on the road as planned, he’s launched a virtual “Apéro hour” on Instagram Live, where he and his partner Romain demonstrate how to make the Gallic cocktails, aperitifs and coffee drinks featured in the book.

They also share glimpses of their Paris kitchen and daily life– a good way to pretend you’re attending a friend’s early evening “apéro” for drinks at their place, Parisian-style.

So if you fancy learning how to whip up a kir royale, Montparnasse cocktail, May Daisy, and other Gallic tipples, head over to his page every day except Sundays at 6:00 pm CET (Paris time) to learn from the friendly master.

He sometimes also throws in generous demos on how to properly enjoy cheese and other French delights, and these are invariably wonderful.

If you miss an episode that particularly interests you, you can see the whole archive at Instagram under the IGTV tab.

Close Your Eyes & Listen to the Soundscapes of Paris

One thing about the past few months that has struck many people: how much the silence of the streets has reconfigured our sense of city life . The incredible lack of urban noise in places like Paris has served as a stark reminder of how much the hum of usual life has been disrupted by the present crisis.

But some “soundscape artists” have worked to arrestingly capture the aural textures of Paris, recording the bustle and vivacity of daily life in ways that can go a long way in reviving a sense of joy and hope.

Visit this page to explore the Parisian soundscapes of UK-based artist Des Coulam, who in an interview on the same page explains his attempt to “exhaust a place in Paris” through sounds.

The Parisian soundscapes of Michael Begg are also compelling. One I particularly like, “Midnight in Montmartre”, layers together various aural impressions captured from street level, chaotically but joyfully smashing together sounds of cars, passers-by in conversation, and an accordion riff.

Listen to the Paris Unlocked Playlist on Spotify- Then Build Your Own

Finally, music is an excellent way to feel carried somewhere else. With that in mind, I created a dedicated playlist of tunes designed to take you straight to Paris, whether from your couch or your kitchen .

Songs that arguably have the spooky capacity to bend how time and space work include Jeff Buckley’s inspired version of Edith Piaf’s “Je n’en connais pas la fin”, several tracks from Yann Tiersen (who co-wrote the Amelie soundtrack), and a sun-soaked, nostalgic croon from Francoise Hardy that might succeed in transporting you to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice , or somewhere else on the French Riviera.

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Note: This post contains some affiliate links. While booking tours and experiences through these comes at no additional cost to you, it helps to fund more free, in-depth features here at Paris Unlocked. Thank you.

Courtney Traub is the Founder and Editor of Paris Unlocked. She’s a longtime Paris resident who now divides her time (as well as she can manage) between the French capital and Norwich, UK. Co-author of the 2012 Michelin Green Guide to Northern France & the Paris Region, she has been interviewed as an expert on Paris and France by the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Le Figaro, Matador Network and other publications. Courtney has also written and reported stories for media outlets including Radio France Internationale, The Christian Science Monitor, Women’s Wear Daily and The Associated Press. In addition to going down various rabbit holes of curiosity when it comes to French culture, history, food and art, Courtney is a scholar of literature and cultural history whose essays and reviews have appeared in various forums.

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Virtual Tourism: France at your Fingertips

For frustrated Francophiles unable to visit France is there any joy to be found in the much-hyped world of virtual travel? Guy Hibbert investigates

For the last decade we travellers have been taking advantage of cheaper aviation and easy online booking to visit the destinations we love whenever we like, while the world of virtual travel has been quietly following along in the shadows. Suddenly, with the advent of Covid-19, this other way of travelling has emerged into the limelight. Here at France Today we decided to check out some of the options and offers available to Francophiles. So, with the help of a comfy armchair, a glass of rosé and an iPad, I took my first steps on a virtual tour of France.

The Louvre offers online tours. Photo courtesy of the Louvre

Museums have been quick to spot the potential to enhance their visitor experiences. These are the traditional style of virtual visit where you click an arrow to lead from room to room, zooming in on sculptures or paintings to see close-up detail and read a brief text. The Louvre offers seven virtual tours but five of these are within La Petite Galerie, so there is very little of the main museum accessible. Much more illuminating is their “focus” series where you get to drill down into a particular painting in more detail. For example, the famous portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour is brought to life in an interactive tour with the voices of curators and experts giving us the history and context of the portrait while you control which aspect you would like to examine in more detail. It’s great, like having a personal guide. Unfortunately, they only have three of these: The Marquise, the marble Winged Victory of Samothrace and Mona Lisa.

Examine this portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour in detail via a virtual tour at the Louvre. Photo credit © L. Chastel

A more complete series of 360-degree room tours and virtual museum visits can be found over at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and Musée Nissim Camondo. If you’ve ever felt that a museum is too crowded or your legs are beginning to tire then you can enjoy a private discovery of every room, stopping to examine when you like with no interruptions or backaches! And when you feel the need to hear a human voice the Director of the Nissim Camondo will take you on a personal video tour.

Over at the Musée de l’Orangerie, a 360-degree tour of Claude Monet’s Nymphéa fails to deliver anything like the impact of stepping into the oval room and absorbing the impressions of the original painting.

Have fun with the Google Arts & Culture app

If you are happy to browse without the benefit of any kind of curation then you could get lost in Google Arts & Culture for a couple of months. It’s an enormous repository of images and information which allows you to discover over 12,000 artists and 7,000 famous people in history. There are 127 ‘collections’ for France and 256 virtual visits which borrow technology from Google Earth. Personally, I find these visits a bit soulless, with their faceless people and random sense of direction. But there are some fun features – like going on a cultural magical mystery tour by allowing the system to find visual connections between paintings, or the Art Projector app, which allows you to view any painting against your own interior; or even the Selfie app which finds portraits of people that resemble you!

Elisa Jehanno offers real-time virtual group visits; enjoy a personal guided tour courtesy of the director of the Musée Nissim Camondo. Photo credit © Elisa Jehanno

For a more personal experience you can opt for a guided tour offered by official guides and curators like Elisa Jehanno. For €75, five people can participate online and have the benefit of Elisa’s real-time professional expertise to accompany the virtual visit.

Soak up a virtual visit to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Photo courtesy of Musée des Arts Décoratifs

The Tour Guy lists 13 virtual tours on its site, five in Paris at just $15 per head. For that you get a one-hour ‘tour’ by a licensed guide and an interactive chat or Q&A at the end. The thing to note, though, is that this is really a webinar, not a tour as such. But still, for $15 you could book a slot, join as a group with friends and spend an hour gaining the kind of insight you might not get otherwise. Reviews are positive: people who have been to Versailles say the virtual tour “gave them more than ‘real-life’ experience”. Hmm.

Meanwhile, Corey Frye, of A French Frye in Paris , has been running live-streamed walking tours. You’ll be there in real time with Corey and his camera/phone as he takes you on one of his favourite routes. According to Corey: “Interest in the live-stream tours has taken off this year. For some of my viewers it’s a weekly event they really look forward to – fresh coffee and croissants in front of the TV as I take them on a virtual tour!”

A virtual wander around the Château de Pierrefonds is an absolute delight, packed with interesting info and spot-on navigation. Photo credit © Château de Pierrefonds

The virtual visit experiences offered by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux are well constructed. The 360-degree Château de Pierrefonds, for example, is a pleasure to discover, with excellent navigation and interesting info panels.

While VR headsets claim to provide the ultimate virtual travel experience, sometimes you don’t need the latest technology, you just need to know where to find beautiful short films of France which, through high-quality editing and cinematography, will do more to inspire you to visit than any number of social media posts. For example, check out this stunning film, Transhumance , made seven years ago when Marseille was the European Capital of Culture.

Drone videos are all the rage and sometimes the results are breath-taking, as in this sublime footage from the Alps by Gaëtan Piolot.

Photo credit © Paulo Marcelo Martins, Pexels

Reality Check

Deep down, what do we get out of our trips to France? The pleasure of a beautiful place, the experience of meeting people, the satisfaction of learning about culture and history. Virtual travel can never replicate the visceral intensity of real travel, nor create the same memories. But, chosen carefully, there is still much to enjoy: the ability to visit many more museums and monuments than you could ever hope to see in the flesh; or the pleasure of a family or friends from distant lands joining in a virtual wine tasting. By and large, whether you enjoy the experience is down how the creators use the tech to deliver engaging experiences.

And let’s not forget that before the pandemic, popular destinations all over the world were grappling with the problem of too many tourists. The world needs fewer carbon-emitting flights and cruises. Over-stretched destinations need fewer visitors. A century ago, travel was for the privileged few. Everyone else read about it or, later, watched it on TV. Thanks to the internet, virtual travel is available to all. It will be interesting to see whether Covid-19 marks a turning point in its fortunes and in our behaviour as travellers.

From France Today magazine

Itinerary for VR travel

Purchase 1 Oculus Quest wireless headset $399 / £399

Buy the WANDER App (Think Google Earth + Streetview) $3.99

+ Visit any place in the world and look around

+ Go back in time image by image

+ Invite friends and family to join you on “trips”

+ Prepare to be anti-social and look weird with your headset on

+ Prepare for possible side-effects like motion sickness

+ Put it in the cupboard and buy flights to Paris

Virtual Address Book

• petitegalerie.louvre.fr/visite-virtuelle/saison5
• thetourguy.com/tours/paris/virtual-paris-catacombs-tour
• artsandculture.google.com
• oculus.com/quest
• focus.louvre.fr/en/marquise-de-pompadour
• monuments-nationaux.fr/en

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Guy Hibbert is Editor-in-Chief of France Today and an author of short stories and novels set in France.

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Blog Home / Travel / France Without the Flights: 5 Virtual French Field Trips

France Without the Flights: 5 Virtual French Field Trips

Hailey Ingeman

Virtual Tours of France Without Leaving Your Home

France drew in 90 million tourists in 2018 , making it one of the hottest vacation spots in all of Europe. From the glamorous French Riviera to Paris, the City of Love, France is full of eye-catching landmarks and postcard-worthy views.

Unfortunately, as of late the CDC advises travelers to postpone or cancel all trips  because of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The result? Millions of people have nixed their vacations to France and are missing out on the cultural experience of a lifetime.  

Be that as it may, although the situation may have you self-isolating at home, it doesn’t have to keep you away from the fascinating culture of France! But how can you explore this beautiful country without putting yourself and others at risk of COVID-19?

We have the perfect solution: virtual field trips to famous French landmarks!

Since you can’t jump on a flight, then virtual field trips  are a quick and easy way to travel around the world from the comfort of your own living room. Pack your digital bags for this virtual field trip to France!

In this article, we put together 5 virtual tours of France  that offer first-person views of France’s most famous landmarks, including:

• The Cathedral of Notre Dame Paris
• The Eiffel Tower 
• The Louvre Museum
• The Palace of Versailles
• Mont-Saint-Michel

Without further ado, let’s virtually fly to our first destination. Bon Voyage!

1. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Our first stop on this virtual tour to France is Paris’s remarkable Cathedral of Notre Dame. One of the most iconic churches in the world, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris enchants tourists and citizens alike.

From its completion in the 13th century, Notre Dame has stood for nearly 800 years. It has been the home of numerous religious gatherings and important events throughout history.

The most notable event that took place at Notre Dame was the coronation of Napoleon I in the early 1800s. Crowned as the first Emperor of France in more than a thousand years, this revolutionary ceremony took place on December 2, 1804. His wife Josephine was also crowned Empress.

Tragic Notre Dame Fire

Tragically, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris was ravaged by flames on April 15, 2019, which captured headlines across the globe. This religiously and culturally sacred landmark was undergoing renovations when the accidental fire broke out. The entire world grieved as the cathedral’s vaulted roof went up in smoke.

Although a portion of this massive landmark was severely damaged, most of the sacred relics, art, architecture, and rose windows were rescued just in time. Watch the restoration process behind the scenes.

2. The Eiffel Tower

Let’s hop on a virtual metro and digitally ride to our next destination in Paris: the Eiffel Tower. No monument says “France!” like the Eiffel Tower. In fact, it is quite possibly one of the most recognizable modern structures on Earth.

Construction of the Eiffel Tower

The structure was built by engineer Gustave Eiffel in time for the1889 World’s Fair (to be the entrance, actually!) and was the first building ever to reach the 1,000-foot mark.

But did you know? The Eiffel Tower is important to French culture because it marked the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, a watershed moment in France’s history. It also demonstrates the pinnacle of engineering and design for its time. The Eiffel Tower truly embodies the spirit of France and is one of the most popular paid attractions in the world.

An Eiffel Tower virtual tour is available for you to see it all . . . from underneath the tower to the tippy-top of this breathtaking structure. In this virtual field trip to Paris, you can even see the tower sparkle at night!

3. The Louvre Museum

So, you want to see the   Mona Lisa? What about the Venus de Milo or La belle ferronnière ? For art fanatics, the Louvre Museum is a must-see Parisian destination.

Why is the Louvre so Famous?

Originally built as a fortress in 1190, the building then was renovated into a Renaissance-style palace in the 16 th century. Finally, during the revolution, it was repurposed as a public museum and named the Napolean Museum, owing to the abundance of loot won by the emperor in his foreign military campaigns and then added to the museum’s collection.

Today, the Louvre is the largest art museum in the world and houses highly valued pieces from:

• Leonardo da Vinci
• Théodore Géricault
• Michelangelo
• And so many more!

With collections of art and artifacts stretching from the underground moat around the medieval ruins of the original fortress to the magnificent Galerie d’Apollon , the Louvre is a surefire way to get a taste of French history and culture.

If you are searching for a treasure trove of art, look no further than the Paris Louvre Museum virtual tours. In this tour, there are several gallery descriptions and tours available for you to explore. And what’s more? You can even choose to navigate the site in French  so you can learn the language while you virtually travel.

4. The Palace of Versailles

Next up, let’s take a ride on the virtual tour bus and digitally drive to the Château de Versailles , just a half-hour outside of Paris. This place is rich in history and was considered the “ pièce de résistance ” of the French monarchy.

Originally on this spot was a royal hunting lodge and later a small château . But in the 1600s, King Louis XIV turned it into a lavish royal estate. The royal court was moved to the Palace of Versailles, and eventually, the residence was expanded to house the French government.  This massive, ornate palace was the ultimate symbol of opulence and oppression in the days leading to the French Revolution.

But that’s not all! This historic site saw both war and peace. Most notably, the palace served as neutral ground for making the peace that ended World War I. Can you guess what we’re talking about?

That’s right, the Treaty of Versailles !

Nowadays, the Palace of Versailles is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to a number of gorgeous 16th to 19th-century art collections… not to mention the STUNNING architecture! You can get an in-depth look at several sections of this landmark by checking out Rick Steves virtual tour of the Palace of Versailles.

5. Le Mont-Saint-Michel

Last, but certainly not least, we are going to embark on a quick virtual jaunt out of Paris and over to a little island off the northwest coast of France. That’s right, we’re taking you to Mont Saint-Michel!

This small, medieval island town is located in Normandy and was established as a monastic community in the 10th century. Through the ages, the strategically placed mount was much fought over by various kingdoms, its natural defenses serving it well.  For a long time, it even served as a prison. Because of its cultural significance to Normandy, it was dubbed a historical site in 1874 and restored.

The Tide at Mont Saint-Michel

The highest tides in Europe occur at Mont Saint-Michel, rising as much as 50 feet during the spring tide and coming in at the speed of a galloping horse!  The island is, by turns, surrounded by water or sitting high and dry. Like Venice, visitors can observe the tide coming in or going out, the scenery dramatically changing every couple of hours.

Immerse yourself in this video field trip of Mont Saint-Michel and see how magnificent this landmark is.  

Enhance Your Virtual Field Trips with the French Language

So, this concludes our virtual field trip to Paris and France. However, you don’t have to stop exploring French culture here! Go the extra mile and learn the French language .

Try the Full Pimsleur French Premium Course for 7 days Free. Only $19.95/month thereafter.

Pimsleur  offers proven ONLINE learning methods, so you’ll master French in no time and in the comfort of your own home. Bon Voyage !

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The discovery of the monumental Lascaux cave in 1940 brought with it a new era in our knowledge of both prehistoric art and human origins. Today, the cave continues to feed our collective imagination and to profoundly move new generations of visitors from around the world.

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Book a tour with Véro and find out why French kings made this spectacular region of France their home in the 15th and the 16th centuries. Renaissance châteaux, royal fortresses, charming villages, old abbeys, gardens: The Loire Valley has it all!

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I was so fortunate to take a private guided tour with Véro in her home city of Tours. Her knowledge of the city and her genuine enjoyment in sharing it with me was truly a pleasure! I’m looking forward to another visit in the coming months because, as I have learned through her many virtual tours, there is much more to see and do in the Loire Valley. In addition, I have benefited from her sound advice regarding travel in France.

One of my fondest memories of 2022 was getting to explore Tours and being shown the city by a guide who not only knows her craft well, but also clearly loves the place.

Your walking tour was memorable and one of the high points of our trip to the Loire! Thank you again.

Get to know Véro

Bonjour! I am a professional tour guide and learned with one of the best, Rick Steves. His company hired and trained me when I left the United States and relocated to my homeland in 2019. 

After a two-year hiatus, I happily returned to European roads in 2022. During that busy season, I took over 250 North American travelers around Paris and France. 

Life gets busy during the touring season. I am often out of town, leading tours for Rick between May and September. Currently, I work on two of his best-selling itineraries: “ Best of Paris in 7 Days ” and “ Paris and the Heart of France ” (11 days.) 

Life is busy, yet I do return to my home-base, Tours between guiding assignments where I lead neighborhood tours in my city when I am not on the road. Join me?

Véronique was stellar! I appreciated how encouraging she was of my (and any other tour members) attempts to speak in French, and how she both encouraged us to practice and offered gentle correction of pronunciation when needed.

She absolutely encouraged us to be independent travelers and gave us lots of opportunities to practice those skills. Véro is an excellent educator and was such a great guide for this trip!

Rick Steves Tour Member

Véronique was interesting, accessible, and fun! She definitely helped make our tour experience great by giving us interesting information, taking care of any needs we had, and educating us about French culture. She will be a guide who is hard to beat on any future trips!

This woman was THE BEST! I'd follow her anywhere. She was smart, funny, witty, and kind, any positive adjective you can come up with. She made each and every one of us feel heard, special and important. She was the perfect teacher, I learned so much from her that I'd like to go back and just spend a few months there.

Book an In-Person Tour:  Tours & the Loire Valley

Tours is a beautiful mid-sized city, the gateway to the Loire Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s also under-rated and there’s a lot more to discover in town than meets the eye. 

As a local, I’ve spent hours walking the streets of Tours and researching the area’s cultural, historical and gastronomic heritage. You know how much I love it here if you follow me on social media where I share Tours and my French life daily.

I offer private tours only. Why?

• Private tours are more interactive: You have my undivided attention for several hours and get answers to all your questions. No lectures here! Expect a leisurely conversation as we explore this great city.
• Private tours are customizable: Interested in a specific time period, architectural style, in finding nature and peaceful spots in the heart of the city, in a fun shopping session? Just ask.

Join me on a half-day tour and let me introduce you to my favorite neighborhoods in Tours. Together, we will travel from the past to the present, as we explore medieval streets and lively squares and discover the lives of locals, then and now.

I offer two half-day guided walks:

“Tours: Two Hearts beating like One” is the perfect introduction to Tours and the Loire Valley’s rich history for first time visitors (included: Tours’ historic centers – there are two!)

“Le Petit Paris” will take us through neighborhoods and landmarks that developed through the 19th century when the city expanded south (included: a stroll through Tours’ loveliest garden and a visit to a historic hotel’s spectacular lobby.)

Those tours can be combined for a full-day exploration of the city. Lunch is not included. Reach out for full day pricing and special requests. Scroll down for half-day pricing.

Tours can be run in English or in French. (Higher Intermediate or Advanced speakers only. Please request when booking).

I also offer orientation sessions.

They are perfect if you want to make the most of your time in Tours and the Loire Valley. Find out more here.

IN-PERSON TOUR DETAILS Private Half-Day guided walks in Tours, Loire Valley

Information:.

Each of our half-day guided walks features landmarks in Tours’ city center. Some may not be that easy to find! Guided walks run about 3 hours each.

We finish our tour with an authentic French experience: lively conversation and a drink enjoyed "en terrasse" (weather permitting) at a favorite local café or restaurant.

Participants must be able to walk along cobbled streets and occasionally stand, mostly on flat terrain. Please wear comfortable footwear.

Our tours are designed for participants 16 years and older.

All tours include a city map and a brief introductory orientation to the city’s main districts and highlights so you may explore on your own afterwards.

Included: one beverage (coffee, hot beverage, glass of local wine) per person.

Half-Day Tour Price:

280€ Euros for up to three people. 60€ Euros per additional person. Paid at the end of your tour.

Additional Info:

France with Véro Patrons (*) receive a discount and other perks.

All Patrons have access to a list of my favorite hotels, apartment rentals and restaurants in Tours (PDF format.) Please let me know you are a Patron when booking. If you are not a Patron, PDF can be purchased separately for 20€ Euros.

(*) Discounted rate: 1 person = 195€ Euros (30% off.) 2 to 3 people = 225€ Euros (20% off.)

IN-PERSON ORIENTATION SESSION Navigating Tours and the Loire Valley: Orientation session

Looking for practical information about Tours and the area? This service is fully customizable to meet your needs.

Let’s meet at a local café and discuss your options as you discover Tours and the Loire Valley.

Questions about public transportation? Historic neighborhoods? Travel passes? The best restaurants or wine bars in town? Just ask.

Tours is the perfect homebase to explore the Loire Valley. Find out what towns and landmarks are easily accessible from here by car or by train and what discounts may be available.

Hint : So many châteaux, so little time… My favorite châteaux may not always be the ones listed in your favorite guidebook. If you are open to exploring the Loire Valley off-the-beaten path, I can help.

Planning to relocate to Tours? Ask me about the city’s best neighborhoods.

Questions about French life? The tipping culture? Local food specialties? Where to find the best produce in town? Here’s your chance to discuss what it’s really like to live in Tours (and in France!) with a local.

Our Orientation session includes a city map and a brief introductory orientation to the city’s main districts and highlights so you may explore on your own afterwards.

Included: one beverage (coffee, hot beverage, glass of local wine) per person. Up to 3 participants.

Orientation Session Price:

200€ Euros. Paid at the end of your tour. Duration: 2 hours.

(*) Discounted rate: 160€ Euros (20% off.)

Véro is charming and smart. Because she is French but also lived for years in the US, she has a unique perspective that really added depth to her approach. She is clearly a great teacher. We learned so much from her. Plus, she is fun! I loved how she collaborated with the local guides to enhance our experiences. I appreciated her thoughtfulness, kindness and patience, especially when there were unexpected challenges. She really instilled confidence in me so I could navigate the Metro by myself!

Pont du Gard, Southern France.

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Join me for an in-person Half-Day tour in Tours, France—in the beautiful Loire Valley! If you have questions, click the button below to reach out. Don't forget to sign up for La Mailing List for upcoming services and new virtual tours!

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France with Vero fan enjoying a virtual event at home.

Take a Virtual Tour:  Join Véro on YouTube

In 2020 and 2021, while international travelers couldn’t come to France, I brought France to them. As a virtual tour guide, I focus on doing what I do best: sharing quality, original content on Paris and France, via live streamed events (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram) and video tours.

How often do you get to look at France and French culture through the eyes of a native who immediately feels like a friend, according to many viewers? 

Meticulously researched, France with Véro virtual tours offer a blend of history, architecture, and scenes of daily French life. Expect lively commentary, no loud music or crazy camera moves! I never rush as viewers enjoy sights and stories. 

In the mood for some armchair travel until your next trip? Head to France instantly and tour with Véro on YouTube . Over 300 virtual tours around Paris and the rest of la Belle France await. That's hours of virtual travel fun and it's all free!

Test drive a virtual tour by clicking on the photos below (many more tours available on YouTube.)

Viewers say it best

Photo credit: Oliver Gee

You really brought St. Jean de Luz (Basque Country) to virtual life for me. You expertly mix historical background, architectural details, and the joie de vivre of the local community for us. Merci, as always, Véro!

History, culture, language and food all presented by a knowledgeable English-speaking French native who allows us to travel with her. Goodness, what’s not to like? Merci for all of this and for making 2020 more positive! (…) For many of us who are eager to visit France again, your content provides so much enjoyment (plus an ever increasing travel bucket list!).

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Normandy Tourism, France

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Updated on 29 March 2023

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Even if you’re not in Normandy, you can still take a virtual tour of some of our most famous museums and visitor attractions, so sit back and enjoy!

FINE ARTS Museum in Rouen

Founded by Napoleon I himself back in 1801, Rouen’s Fine Arts Museum boasts some of the most prestigious French collections of paintings, sculptures, objects and drawings, along with one of the largest Impressionist collections in Europe.

Explore the Fine Arts Museum here

CLAUDE MONET’S HOUSE and gardens IN GIVERNY

At the heart of the world-famous gardens in Giverny, you’ll find Claude Monet’s colourful house, where he lived and worked for 43 years. This house was fully restored to its original condition from back in the 19th century, complete with his studios where you’ll see reproductions of some of his most famous paintings.

Explore Claude Monet’s house here

André Malraux Modern Art Museum (MuMa) IN LE HAVRE

Located on the seafront of this UNESCO-listed city, Le Havre’s modern art museum boasts nothing less than the largest Impressionist collection in France outside Paris. No surprise really, as Le Havre is the birthplace of Impressionism – it was here that Monet painted his famous 1872 painting, Impression, sunrise . Enjoy original works by artists such as Boudin, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Sisley, Pissarro and Dufy at this stunning museum.

Explore the MuMa here

DIEPPE CASTLE and MUSEUM

Sat on the clifftop overlooking France’s first seaside resort, Dieppe’s fine medieval castle houses a remarkable museum. Along with maritime exhibits, paintings by Georges Braque, Auguste Renoir and Camille Pissarro and the personal belongings of famous composer Camille Saint-Saëns, it also boasts one of the finest ivory collections in Europe.

Explore Dieppe Museum here

D-DAY MUSEUM in Arromanches-les-Bains

Overlooking the very spot where Port Winston, one of the Mulberry Harbours, was constructed, the D-Day Museum in Arromanches-les-Bains provides information on all the different nationalities that took part in the D-Day Landings on 6 June 1944 and insights into how ‘Mulberry B’ was constructed.

Explore the D-Day Museum here

COUTANCES CATHEDRAL

Standing at 80m tall, Coutances’ beautiful Gothic cathedral dominates the city and can be seen from as far away as the island of Jersey. It is a classic example of the Normandy’s own Gothic style with its tall, vertical lines. The building is also home to some of the region’s finest medieval stained glass.

Explore Coutances Cathedral here

Abbey of the MONT-SAINT-MICHEL

Perched on the very top of Normandy’s most iconic landmark, this gravity-defying abbey is one of the most visited sites in France despite its remote location.

Explore the Abbey of the Mont-Saint-Michel here

SAINT-CÉNERI-LE-GÉREI

This pretty village sits in a lush lush valley in a meander of the River Sarthe. Its quaint beauty has attracted and inspired many artists over the centuries. Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei is one of Normandy’s six villages to have been officially listed as among the ‘most beautiful villages in France’ .

Explore the colourful streets of Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei here

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The best virtual tours to explore the world from home

Oct 8, 2020 • 5 min read

The Sistine Chapel is just one wonder offering a virtual museum tour ©Rajesh Gathwala/500px

We live in an age of unprecedented access to digital technology – and with it, brand new ways of exploring the world around us.

While it's not quite the same as seeing, say, the Mona Lisa or Christ the Redeemer in person, some of the world’s most popular and remote destinations have created libraries of online images and video, as well as 360 degree virtual tours that let you virtually explore museums, galleries, world wonders and even national parks.

Here a just a few of the best digital tours that let you wander the world from wherever you may be social distancing.

See the seven wonders of the world

If there’s anything capable of whetting your appetite for world travel, it is the new seven wonders of the world:  the Great Wall of China , the ancient city of Petra , the Taj Mahal , the Colosseum , Machu Picchu , Christ the Redeemer , and Chichen Itza . Thankfully there are impressive virtual tours of each from The New York Times , AirPano , Google , and Panoramas .

With modern technology, you can even see the last standing wonder of the ancient world— The Pyramids of Giza . There are a few other wonders that might not make it into to the top seven but are still worth a digital peek, like the Alhambra , Seville's La Giralda , and even Easter Island.

Best virtual museum tours

In recent years, Google has partnered with over 2,5000 art museums to upload high-resolution versions of millions of pieces of art. Highlights include New York’s MoMA , DC’s National Gallery of Art , Chicago’s Art Institute , the Casa Battl ó, and Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum to name a few.

In addition, The Louvre offers a virtual tour , as do The Vatican Museums , many of the Smithsonian Museums , the Russian Museum , the top-rated British Museum , the Minneapolis  Museum of Russian Art , and the Palace Museum in Beijing.

You may not be able to kiss the Blarney Stone right now, but you can tour the Blarney Castle from afar. You can also visit the Museum of Flight,  the Museum of Science, the Museum of Natural History,  the National Women's History Museum  and Boston's History of Science Museum .

While museums are often an inherently visual experience, there's a lot to be learned from archives of past lectures and tours like the ones preserved online by Nashville's Frist Museum , the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Smithsonian American Art Museum,  the Frick , and others.

You might also like:  Broadway might be closed, but here’s how to stream the best performances from your home

Explore national parks

While travel to National Parks is best avoided for the time being, you don't need to miss out on the scenery. Virtual Yosemite is absolutely stunning and one of the best, replete with audio. Both Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore offer virtual tours as well. 

Google has similar 360 degree audio-visual tours of five select national parks, including Kenai Fjords, Hawai'i Volcanos , Carlsbad Caverns, Bryce Canyon , and Dry Tortugas, as well as 31 more on Google Earth . You can also get an up-close look at almost 4,000 pieces of artwork, artifacts, and other treasures related to the history and culture of the national parks, and view online exhibits .

Digital safaris

Wildlife is a big draw for travelers, whether it's sighting some of the Big Five in Africa, glimpsing whales in North America, or introducing your children to new animals in person on a family safari . But if you're forays into the bush are grounded for now, many zoos and aquariums have created digital access to their habitats.

You can easily watch several live webcams of some of the nation’s greatest zoos and aquariums, including the  San Diego Zoo , Houston Zoo , Zoo Atlanta , the Tennessee Aquarium , and the Georgia Aquarium . Additionally you can see Canadian farm animals doing their thing , or you could watch Stella the Dog jump endlessly into huge piles of Maine leaves.

You may also like:  These nine wildlife web cams offer access to your favorite animals

Virtual hiking

Thanks to panoramic video, you can get a really good idea of what a hike looks like well before you arrive at the trailhead. For example, you can experience all of the following top-rated hikes right now from your computer or tablet:  Bryce Canyon , Grand Canyon , GR20 , Inca Trail , and the death-defying Angel's Landing . For even more great hikes, simply YouTube one of Lonely Planet’s top 10 treks or any other hike that suits your fancy. Bonus points if you follow along during a workout to enhance the realism.

Famous landmarks

You can visit many wonders of nature, including the Amazon Rainforest , Iguazu Falls , the Komodo Islands , or Table Mountain , using virtual tours. Or you can explore the Statue of Liberty , the Sahara Desert , Niagara Falls , or even a guided tour of the Eiffel Tower . For even more virtual tours, search your bucket list of adventures with  AirPano , Google Earth , or YouTube .

Travel to outer space

The moon hasn't made it to Lonely Planet's Best In Travel list (yet!), and even without self-isolation and shelter-in-place measures for COVID-19, many of us may never travel to space. But thanks to technology, now is as good of a time as any to do so virtually. Before blasting off, considering touring some of NASA’s offices first. Then relive the last lunar missions and moon walks in stunning HD. Or take a virtual tour of Mars with the help of Google. 

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The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is now a global pandemic. Find out what this  means for travelers . 

This article was originally published March 2020 and was last updated October 2020.

This article was first published Mar 18, 2020 and updated Oct 8, 2020.

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