From Paris to London, New York to Berlin, experience the best museums, Broadway plays and music concerts – all without leaving the house.
All over the world, museums, galleries, music venues, theatres and opera houses have shut their doors temporarily to slow the spread of coronavirus. But you can still get a dose of culture as you hunker down at home.
The world’s most iconic cultural institutions have gotten creative on how they attract visitors and audiences. Physical visits may be ruled out for now, but technology has opened the doors for virtual visits.
From a tour of Paris’ Palace of Versailles to a night at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, these art and culture activities are just a click away. All you need is a phone or computer, and decent WiFi connectivity, of course.
ROME: VISIT THE VATICAN MUSEUMS
A trip to Rome isn’t complete without touring the Vatican City, including stopping by the Vatican Museums, home to one of the world’s greatest art collections. Italy is still in lockdown, but tours of the Vatican’s seven most popular sites are available on its virtual site, including a breathtaking 360-degree tour of the Gallery of Maps and the Sistine Chapel.
The latter is renowned for its intricate paintings by Renaissance artist Michelangelo, and this virtual tour lets you zoom in to admire all the details, including that of the showstopping painted ceiling. It may not be as mesmerising as being there in the flesh, but this virtual tour certainly comes close.
To access the Vatican Museums’ virtual tours, click here
PARIS: TOUR THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES
More than just a tour of a historical building, Experience Versailles is a virtual reality game that invites you to live two historical events that took place at France’s famous Palace of Versailles – the visit of Siamese ambassadors during King Louis XIV’s reign; and the Yew Tree Ball, organised by Louis XV.
Through a controller, you can manoeuvre around the Palace and visit the Royal Courtyard, Hall of Mirrors, King’s Apartments and King’s Private Apartments. The educational game, available in both French and English, is also peppered with historical facts and anecdotes, taking you behind the scenes of life in the 17th and 18th centuries as a member of the French Court.
To download the Experience Versailles game, click here
NEW YORK: FASHION EDUCATION AT THE MET
With New York City in lockdown, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Met as it is more commonly known, remains shut. The pandemic has also resulted in the indefinite postponement of the Met Gala, fashion’s biggest red carpet event of the year.
A selection of the Met’s online exhibitions are available on Google Arts & Culture. If you’re an avid fan of fashion history, there are exhibitions on Chanel’s romanticism era, Christian Dior ball gowns, Elsa Schiaparelli jackets and Roger Vivier shoes.
You can also tour the Met’s most iconic spaces with the Met 360° Project, comprising six videos covering spaces such as the Neo-Classical Grand Hall, Gothic Cloisters and the Temple of Dendur. The videos are shot with spherical 360-degree technology so you can shift your view up, down and in all directions.
To discover the Met’s online exhibitions, click here. Access the Met 360° Project here
NEW YORK: CATCH A BROADWAY PLAY
New York is also famous for its Broadway theatre scene, but catching a live play sadly isn’t possible right now. Instead, musical theatre lovers will be glad to know that theatre-streaming service Broadway HD is now offering a free seven-day trial. Over this seven days, you can binge on a host of performances from Broadway, the West End and other theatre venues around the world.
Shows on offer include much-loved classics such as Cats, Kinky Boots, The King and I and the Sound of Music. And if you’d like to continue your subscription after the trial, it’s US$8.99 (S$12.90) for a monthly subscription, and US$99.99 for a yearly subscription.
To stream Broadway HD’s collection of theatre shows, click here
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