musee du louvre virtual tour

How To Virtually Tour Paris’ Louvre & See Every Masterpiece

If you’re an art enthusiast, the Louvre is probably at the top of your Paris or museum wish list.

As the world’s largest and most visited museum, it boasts an impressive collection of 35,000 artworks, ranging from the 6th century BC to the 19th century AD, all housed within a magnificent Renaissance palace.

However, as you might imagine, visiting the Louvre can be quite the experience.

It’s often packed with crowds, flashing cameras, selfie sticks, and people bustling around or trying to touch the art. This can make it feel a bit chaotic and overwhelming.

But there’s good news! You can now explore the Louvre from the comfort of your home, avoiding the hustle and bustle.

I’ll guide you through how to virtually visit this iconic museum and view all its must-see masterpieces.

Get ready to enjoy your personal Leonardo or Michelangelo experience in peaceful solitude.

Layout of the Louvre

The Louvre is a U shape, divided into three wings: Denon, Sully, and Richelieu. Each of the wings has four floors.

The Denon Wing is home to the Louvre’s best known art work, including the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa .

The Sully Wing is known for its statuary and antiquities.

The Richelieu Wing houses the lavish apartments of Napoleon III and some famed Dutch art works.

Virtual Tour of Louvre Masterpieces

Let’s take an online virtual tour of the Louvre, wing by wing.

You can see all the must see masterpieces via 360 video tours, YouTube videos, or online tours on the Louvre Website itself. For a lengthy overall YouTube tour of the Louvre, click here .

The Denon Wing

The Denon Wing is the most visited part of the Louvre. It boasts the fabulously ornate Apollo Gallery, with high arches and frescoed ceilings.

It’s a shrine to Sun King Louis XIV. The paintings were begun by Charles Le Brun and completed by Eugene Delacroix.

1. French Paintings in the Denon Wing

The Denon Wing is most renowned for its iconic French paintings from the Neoclassical and Romantic periods of art history. The must see French masterpieces include:

• Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People
• Jacques-Louis David, The Coronation of Napoleon
• Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa
• Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Grand Odalisque

You can take a virtual tour of the recently restored Apollo Gallery on the Louvre’s website here . You can learn about the Coronation of Napoleon from this Louvre YouTuber .

You can take a virtual video tour of the world’s most famous French painting, Liberty Leading the People here . And learn about the Grand Odalisque here .

Via my blog, you can also explore the Louvre’s underrated masterpieces in the Denon Wing.

I also have a guide to what I think is the best painting in the Louvre , Gericault’s Raft of the Medusa , a then-scandalous painting based on a true story.

2. Italian Paintings in the Denon Wing

The Denon Wing also boasts treasures from the Italian Renaissance.

This is where you’ll find works by Sandro Botticelli , Leonardo da Vinci , Raphael , and Titian. The must see masterpieces include:

• Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa
• Leonardo Da Vinci, The Virgin and Child With St. Anne
• Titian, Pastoral Concert
• Raphael, Portrait of Baldasarre Castiglione
• Paolo Veronese, The Wedding Feast at Cana

You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Grand Gallery, which houses much of the Louvre’s Italian art.

If you’re a Mona Lisa fan, the Louvre is offering the museum’s first virtual reality experience , which brings to life the story of the enigmatic portrait. You can also take a virtual tour of the Mona Lisa here , with Smarthistory, an artsy YouTube channel.

In the Louvre’s busiest room, the Mona Lisa stares across at Veronese’s massive Wedding Feast at Cana . You can take a virtual tour and get the full scoop on the Louvre’s largest painting here .

You can virtually tour Raphael’s paintings, including Baldasarre , on Google Arts & Culture . Learn about Titian’s Pastoral Concert , which inspired Edouard Monet’s groundbreaking painting Luncheon on the Grass , here .

READ : 3 Day Impressionism Tour of Paris

3. Sculptures in the Denon Wing

If you prefer sculpture to painting, the Denon Wing has one of the world’s most magnificent sculptures — the Winged Victory of Samothrac e.

It also has a room on the ground dedicated to Italian sculpture, the Michelangelo Gallery. It’s one of my favorites spots in the Louvre.

It’s home to Michelangelo’s Dying Slave and Rebellious Slave , from 1513-15. These sculptures seem to struggle to escape the marble.

They were originally intended for the Tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome. But Michelangelo got distracted with the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and could never finish the tomb.

READ : Masterpieces of the Vatican

You can also find Antonio Canova’s incredibly romantic Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss . It’s considered Canova’s master work.

You can take a virtual tour of Michelangelo’s Slaves here , a virtual tour of Canova’s work on Google Arts & Culture , and a virtual tour of Canova’s Psyche here . You can take a virtual 360 tour of the Winged Victory here .

2. The Sully Wing

In the Sully Wing, you’ll find some of the world’s most beautiful sculptures, antiquities, and the remains of the Medieval Louvre.

One of the Louvre’s greatest ladies, a Hellenistic masterpiece, is here — the Venus de Milo . Even without arms, Venus de Milo is considered the classical epitome of female beauty.

You can also see another masterwork, Sleeping Hermaphrodite , a mythological merger of a male and female body. The ancient sculpture was discovered in Rome near the Baths of Diocletian.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned the Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini to carve the mattress in 1619. He later sold the piece to the French when he was strapped for cash.

READ : The Bernini Trail in Rome

The Egyptian Antiquities are a well loved highlight of the Sully Wing. The collection features the 12 ton Great Sphinx of Tanis, model ships, ancient sculptures, a massive statue of Ramses II, and a sarcophagus room.

The medieval Louvre is also a fascinating place. Originally, the Louvre was a 12th century fortress built by King Philippe Auguste.

The lower levels are all that remain. Archeologists discovered and excavated the underground medieval remains during the construction of I.M. Pei’s pyramid in 1983-85.

You can take a virtual tour of all the Louvre’s Roman Antiquities here , the Venus de Milo here , and the Sleeping Hermaphrodite here . You can take a virtual tour of the famed Egyptian Antiquities here and walk around the Medieval Louvre here .

3. The Richelieu Wing

In Richelieu Wing, you can admire the Louvre’s Mesopotamian Antiquities, Napoleon III’s Second Empire rooms, sculptures, and some amazing Dutch masterpieces.

The Richelieu Wing boasts the spectacular Cour Marly, a spacious glass roofed courtyard.

It’s stuffed with 17th and 18th marble and white stone sculptures, many commissioned by Sun King Louis XIV and Louis XV. There’s also a magnificent Fountain of Diana, dating from 1550.

Perhaps the most famous part of the Richelieu Wing is the Napoleon III apartments. They were built between 1852-57 to accommodate visiting dignitaries. They’re sumptuous.

Crystal chandeliers glitter, gilded furniture gleams, and the ceilings sport beautiful frescos — all set amid red velvet and red drapery. The Rococo state dining room could seat almost 100 people.

You can virtually tour the Cour Puget here and the Cour Marly here . You can take a virtual tour of Napoleon’s Apartments here .

The Richelieu Wing is also home to some unmissable Dutch old master paintings, including:

• Johannes Vermeer, The Lacemaker
• Johannes Vermeer, The Astronomer
• Rembrandt, Bathsheba at Her Bath.
• Hieronymous Bosch, Ship of Fools
• Georges de la Tour, The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds

From the Louvre’s website, you can see and get an education on The Lacemaker here , Bathsheba here , Ship of Fools here , and The Cheat here .

If you’re a Beyonce fan, her recent music video featured pieces from the Louvre. Now, you can follow the Beyonce Louvre Trail on the Louvre website.

The Louvre is also featuring an Artwork of the Day . If you’re interested in the history of the Louvre, here’s my guide .

Tickets For The Louvre

Naturally, if you decide to visit the Louvre in person, it’s essential to p re-book a skip the line ticket . If you take your art seriously, you may want to  book a guided tour .

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to taking a virtual tour of the Louvre. You may enjoy these other Paris travel guides:

• 3 day itinerary for Paris
• 3 day art weekend in Paris
• 5 day itinerary for Paris
• Hidden gems in Paris
• Guide to the Latin Quarter
• Guide to Montmartre
• Best museums in Paris
• Monet guide to Paris
• Louvre survival Tips
• Tourist traps to skip in Paris
• Guide to the Musee d’Orsay

If you’d like to take a virtual tour of the Louvre from home, pin it or later.

1 thought on “How To Virtually Tour Paris’ Louvre & See Every Masterpiece”

Good day. I was wondering if you would recommend the Louvre at night . Is there a significant difference in terms of avoiding crowds, the lighting for pics and access to different wings?

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Last Updated on August 17, 2024 by Leslie Livingston

Paris Arts Travel

[4K] Virtual Museum Tour of The Louvre, Paris | Mona Lisa to Louvre Pyramid

The Louvre Museum Paris, is the world’s largest art museum and it receives nearly 10m visitors a year. This short Louvre tour gives a sense of the scale and grandeur of what is surely number one of the top ten things to do in Paris. You could spend hours inside the Louvre and then continue your Paris walking tour in the gardens outside.

So take a virtual vacation and a virtual walk with us.

Tickets are normally 17 Euros, but entry is free on the first Saturday of the month after 6pm. If you’re wondering is the Louvre open or Closed? You can ask us here and we’ll do our best to update you.

THIS VIRTUAL TOUR WAS FILMED WITH: GoPro Hero 6 Black

Please SUBSCRIBE to catch all our videos as they’re released – https://goo.gl/CCkFNJ #paris #louvre #monalisa #slowtv #walkingtour #videowalks #relaxation #livingwalks, #thelouvre, #thelouvre2022, #thelouvreparis2022, #thelouvreparis source

• Next ??[PARIS 4K] WALK IN PARIS “QUARTIER SAINT GERMAIN DES PRÉS WALK”(4K 60 FPS VERSION)20/AUGUST/2023
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Take a Long Virtual Tour of the Louvre in Three High-Definition Videos

in Art | April 16th, 2020 2 Comments

So, you’ve had to put off a trip to Paris, and a long-await­ed vis­it to the Lou­vre , which “will remain closed until fur­ther notice,” has been pushed into the indef­i­nite hori­zon. It could be worse, but the loss of engag­ing up close with cul­tur­al trea­sures is some­thing we should all grieve in lock­down. Art is so impor­tant to human well-being that UK Sec­re­tary of Health Matt Han­cock argued all doc­tors in the NHS should pre­scribe gallery vis­its and oth­er art activ­i­ties for every­thing from men­tal issues to lung dis­eases.

As you know from plan­ning your trip (ide­al­ly sev­er­al trips) to the famous museum—first opened to the pub­lic in 1793 on the first anniver­sary of Louis XVI’s imprisonment—you can lux­u­ri­ate in art for days on end once there, pro­vid­ed you can evade the mas­sive crowds.

The Lou­vre is immense, with 60,500 square meters of floor space and around 35,000 paint­ings, sculp­tures, and oth­er arti­facts. But with rough­ly 10 mil­lion vis­i­tors per year, who make it the world’s most vis­it­ed muse­um, it isn’t easy to find space for con­tem­pla­tion.

Video vis­its are no sub­sti­tute, but these days they’re the best we’ve got. If you’re eager to see what you’re missing—or what you could nev­er get to in per­son even with­out a pandemic—take a look at the 4K vir­tu­al tours here from Wan­der­lust Trav­el Videos. Yes, you’ll see the hero­ic mas­ter­works of Jacques-Louis David, Eugene Delacroix, and Théodore Géri­cault. You’ll see the famous glass pyra­mid, the trea­sures of Napoleon’s Apart­ments, and, yes, the Mona Lisa .

But you’ll also see hun­dreds and hun­dreds of works that don’t get the same kind of press, each one named in a time­stamped list on the YouTube pages. The expe­ri­ence is admit­ted­ly like vis­it­ing the muse­um in per­son, rush­ing through each gallery, peer­ing over and around the backs of heads to get a glimpse of the Fra Fil­ip­po Lip­pis, Cimabues, and Man­teg­nas. But you can mute the con­stant back­ground chat­ter and pause and rewind as much as you like.

After tour­ing a good bit of the muse­um, stroll around the Car­rousel Arc de Tri­om­phe, Jardin de l’infante, and the Pont Neuf, above. Judg­ing by the com­ments, these videos are prov­ing a balm to the psy­ches of home­bound art lovers around the world, whether they’ve been to the Lou­vre before, just scrapped their trav­el plans, or know they’ll prob­a­bly nev­er get the chance to vis­it.

The vir­tu­al oppor­tu­ni­ty to tour this mag­nif­i­cent col­lec­tion, or part of it, may refresh our exhaust­ed imag­i­na­tions. It may also soothe the part of us that real­ly miss­es huge crowds of peo­ple all talk­ing at once. Some­thing about the expe­ri­ence, even on the screen, feels so strange­ly com­pelling right now you might find your­self hop­ing if and when you final­ly get to the Lou­vre, it’s sim­ply mobbed.

Relat­ed Con­tent:

Mona Lisa Self­ie: A Mon­tage of Social Media Pho­tos Tak­en at the Lou­vre and Put on Insta­gram

Take a Vir­tu­al Tour of 30 World-Class Muse­ums & Safe­ly Vis­it 2 Mil­lion Works of Fine Art

Vis­it The Muse­um of Online Muse­ums (MoOM): A Mega Col­lec­tion of 220 Online Exhi­bi­tions

Josh Jones  is a writer and musi­cian based in Durham, NC. Fol­low him at  @jdmagness

by Josh Jones | Permalink | Comments (2) |

Related posts:

Comments (2), 2 comments so far.

This is noth­ing but video from someone’s GoPro cam­era. Some­one that space Spends even less time admir­ing the art than the museum’s typ­i­cal guest !!!!

Sans aucun com­men­taire?!

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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

Louvre: Opens for Virtual Visits

Article: By Kristian Jaime   |    TheArtistsChateau.com

PARIS —  Despite prolonged closure due to COVID-19 restrictions across Europe, the famed  Musée du Louvre  and  Musée National Eugène Delacroix  will release 482,000 works on a museum database for virtual tours by the public.

The announcement by Jean-Luc Martinez, president-director of the  Musée du Louvre,  on March 26 of the new online platform and  redesigned website  was the first of its kind in the museum’s history.

Located at  collections.louvre.fr , the database includes an interactive menu of the various pieces in the museum’s permanent and long-term loan collections.

“The Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known. For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smart phone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage,” Martinez said.

According to the official press release, “the site offers several ways to delve into the collections: simple or advanced searches, entries by curatorial department, and themed albums. An interactive map helps visitors prepare or extend their visit.”

The new database also allows patrons to explore the museum room by room and is updated regularly by museum experts. It will also grow and evolve with updated research.

Efforts by the museum to establish such a record of its extensive works started in October 2019 with the opening of a new conservation center in Liévin, France to house works that were previously held in storage spaces at risk of potential flooding of the Seine River.

Prior to the move, each curatorial department carried out “an extensive campaign to inventory and photograph a very large number of works.”

The online compendium of masterpieces is expected to draw art connoisseurs and students from across the globe as the official museum website already drew an estimated 21 million visitors in 2020 alone.

“The Louvre’s stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away! I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person,” Martinez continued.

While the number of available works on the database is already expansive, it covers only about 75 percent of every available piece at the museum. The new platform replaces the Atlas database, which was limited by only including items on display.

“Each entry consists of scientific data about the given work of art: title; artist; inventory number; dimensions; materials and techniques; date and place of production; object history; current location and bibliography. The wealth of images in the database is an indispensable resource for researchers and visitors alike,” the statement goes on to say.

The official museum website is not without its own improvements as designers took aim at making it more current and responsive to allow planning one’s visit that much easier. For now, the site is available in French, English, Spanish and Chinese; and was made possible from support by the Art Explora Foundation.

Overtures by the museum to move to a digital record of its pieces also coincide with increased outreach on social media. That includes an estimated 4.5 million followers on Instagram, 2.6 million on Facebook and 1.5 million on Twitter.

El Louvre abre con visitas virtuales

Artículo: Por Kristian Jaime   |   TheArtistsChateau.com

A pesar de un cierre prolongado a causa del COVID 19 y restricciones en toda Europa, el famoso Museo de Louvre y el Museo Nacional Eugene Delacroix lanzaron 482,000 obras en la base de Datos del Museo con visitas virtuales para el publico.

El anuncio hecho por Jean-Luc Martinez, presidente-director del Museo de Louvre, el 26 de Marzo, de la nueva plataforma en linea, y redisenar la pagina de internet fue el primero de su tipo en la historia del museo.

Localizado en  Collections.Louvre.fr  la base de datos incluye un menu interactivo de las varias piezas de las colecciones de prestamos permanentes y de largo plazo del museo.

"El Louvre esta limpiando sus tesoros, aun los menos conocidos. Por primera vez cualquiera tiene acceso a la colección de obras desde una computadora o un telefono inteligente gratis, ya sea que esten expuestas en el museo en prestamo a largo plazo o en almacenamiento," comento Martinez.

De acuerdo a la rueda de prensa oficial, "el sitio ofrece varias maneras de ahondar en la busqueda de colecciones simples o avanzadas. Entradas por el Departamento Cultural y Albumes tematicos un mapa interactivo ayuda a los visitantes, o extiende su visita."

La nueva base de datos tambien le permite a los visitantes explorar el museo cuarto por cuarto. Y se actualiza regularmente por expertos del museo, tambien crecera y evolucionara con investigacion actualizada.

Esfuerzos por el museo para establecer tal record de sus extensas obras empezo en Octubre 2019 con la apertura de un centro nuevo de concervación en Lievin, Francia, donde albergar obras de arte que anteriormente se guardaban en espacios con un alto potencial de inundaciones del Rio Seine.

Antes de esta mudanza cada Departamento Curativo llevo a cabo una “extensa campana para inventoriar y fotografiar una gran cantidad de obras."

El compendio en linea de obras maestras espera atraer conocedores del arte y estudiantes de todo el mundo como la pagina de internet oficial que ya atrajo un estimado de 21 millones de visitantes solamente en el 2020.

"El impresionante patrimonio cultural de el Louvre esta a solo un clic de distancia! Estoy seguro que este contenido digital va a inspirar a mas gente a venir al Louvre a descubrir las colecciones personalmente," continuo Martinez

Mientras que el numero de obras disponibles ya es expansivo en la base de datos, solo cubre el 75 porciento de todas las obras disponibles en el museo.  La nueva plataforma reemplaza la base de datos Atlas que se limitaba a incluir solo elementos en exhibición.

Cada entrada consiste en datos cientificos sobre la obra de arte expuesta:  título; artista; numero de inventario; dimensión material y técnica; fecha y lugar de producción; historia del objeto, ubicación actual y bibliografia.

“La  gran cantidad de imágines en la base de datos es un recurso indispensable para investigadores y visitantes por igual," la declaracion continua diciendo.

La pagina de internet oficial no esta sin sus propios mejoramientos pues los diseñadores se enfocaron en actualizarlo y hacerlo mas receptivo para permitir una visita con mas facilidad. Por lo pronto el sitio esta disponible en Francia, Inglaterra, España y China y fue posible con el apoyo de la Fundación de Explora de Arte. Las propuestas del museo para pasar a un registro digital también coinciden con un mayor alcance de las redes sociales. Eso incluye un estimado de 4.5 millones de seguidores en Instagram, 2.6 millones en Facebook y 1.5 millones en Twitter.

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Not Heading To Paris This Summer? The Louvre Has Digitized 482,000 Artworks

The Apollon Gallery at the Louvre museum in Paris on Jan. 14, 2020. Stephanie de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The Apollon Gallery at the Louvre museum in Paris on Jan. 14, 2020.

One of the world's most massive museums has announced an encompassing digitization of its vast collection.

"The Louvre is dusting off its treasures, even the least-known," said Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Musée du Louvre, in a statement on Friday . "For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage."

Coronavirus Live Updates

France's louvre reopens most of the museum — sans big crowds.

Some of this is hyperbole. The entire collection is so huge, no one even knows how big it is. The Louvre's official release estimates about 482,000 works have been digitized in its collections database , representing about three quarters of the entire archive. (The museum's recently revamped homepage is designed for more casual visitors, especially those on cellphones, with translations in Spanish, English and Chinese.)

"It's just overwhelming," says Andrew McClellan, a Tufts University professor and author of Inventing the Louvre: Art, Politics and the Origins of the Modern Museum . The strategy of putting nearly everything online is in keeping with the Enlightenment ideals that shaped the museum after the French Revolution, he says: "collecting the world's knowledge together under one roof, and then making it available for researchers and the general public."

Major institutions have been digitizing their collections for many years, but the Louvre's online archives required especially exhaustive labor. Every image, according to the museum, is accompanied with scientific data: "title, artist, inventory number, dimensions, materials and techniques, date and place of production, object history, current location and bibliography. ... These documentary entries, drawn up by museum curators and researchers, come from two museum collection databases, and are updated on a daily basis."

Given the expense of running those databases, McClellan and other observers have wondered whether the Louvre may find ways to monetize some of these images, and whether the online collection will affect real-life attendance. ( " I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person," the museum's director said in his statement.)

'The Louvre Is Suffocating': Museum Closed As Workers Strike, Citing Overcrowding

It's also unclear how many of the online images may be of sacred objects, from countries other than France, and not meant to be casually viewed. The digital catalog includes items that may have been plundered — by Nazis or colonial forces — in a separate album titled "MNR" works , which stands for Musées Nationaux Récupération, or National Museums Recovery.

"This has to be coming up against these questions around restitution and repatriation and thinking about what the digitization of cultural heritage means within a context that is contested," observes Suse Anderson, a professor of Museum Studies at George Washington University , who studies the impact of digital technology on museums. She's generally impressed, she says, by the Louvre's online expansion, especially since it steers visitors beyond the obvious marquee works of art such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo .

Architecture

Landmark at the louvre: the pyramid turns 20.

"I'm a serendipitous browser," she says. "I'm not the person seeking the hero works. They're so easy to find. I'm the person who wants to find the unexpected."

Like the actual museum, the Louvre's online collection provides pathways towards new discoveries, Anderson says. "It helps you see things you might not otherwise. It helps you find surprises. And that's where I think you often get the connection to your own life, is when you find something that resonates, that isn't the thing you went looking for."

And online, you can ... Louvre ... the jostling crowds of tourists far behind.

All the Museum Exhibits, Symphonies, and Operas You Can Enjoy from Home

As the world adjusts to a more homebound lifestyle—at least for the time being—cultural institutions, hotels, aquariums, and more are opening their doors to the internet, allowing people to enjoy their art, music, wildlife, and more from across the globe. Whether you're taking a virtual tour of the Musée du Louvre, hanging with a herd of elephants at a watering hole in Sabi Sands reserve, watching the Metropolitan Opera perform Carmen , or blissing out over the jellyfish live stream from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, there's plenty to explore online. (Or you can just join an online yoga class or Instagram Live dance party —it doesn't have to all be high-brow.) Here, a few of our favorites for your evenings in.

Spend the night at the museum

A number of museums have virtual tours available online—including the Louvre , which offers a tour through its Egyptian antiquities department and the recently restored Galerie d'Apollon, and Madrid's Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza , which has its Rembrandt and Portraiture in Amsterdam, 1590-1670 exhibit on virtual view. The Vatican Museums offer 360-degree tours of the Sistine Chapel, Raphael's Rooms, and more, and the Smithsonian also has a self-guided tour (albeit a little clunky) of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

If you don't need to see the art in context of a wall, head to Google's Arts and Culture collections , where works from museums like the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha , and the Tate Modern in London are all on view. It might not be quite the same as seeing the works in person—but the zoom will get you closer to the art than any museum docent ever will. There are also virtual tours of sorts (less freewheeling around the galleries, more history lesson) of places like Florence's Uffizi Gallery available.

For something a little more out there, head to the Corning Museum of Glass's YouTube page to watch previously recorded glassblowing tutorials where master artists create hand-sized hammerhead sharks, enormous technicolor vases, and goblets in the hot shop. It is surprisingly relaxing. The museum in upstate New York was also involved in the Netflix glass-blowing competition series Blown Away, when you've run out of YouTube videos to enjoy.

A number of South African lodges are offering live game drives so that those at home can explore the bush with expert guides.

Go on safari

Sure, this won't be the same as rumbling along a dirt road in a game reserve, eyes peeled for lions, giraffes, hyenas, and more, but tagging along on Instagram Live while rangers takes their daily drive is the next best thing. In South Africa's Sabi Sands reserve, Singita's resident wildlife photographer and safari guide Ross Cooper is taking to Instagram Live, spotting rhinos and baby elephants along the way. Cooper is going live at least twice a day on Singita's account—and previous drives have seen hyena clans fighting over an impala carcass, a herd of elephants blocking the road, and more. The videos are not to be missed.

Also in the Sabi Sands reserve, Ulusaba Private Game Reserve's rangers are taking Instagram followers along for the ride, past the reserve's lion pride, new leopard cub den, and elephant herds every Monday at 3:30 p.m. BST (10:30 a.m. EST). The video will stay up for 24 hours and can be seen on Virgin Limited Edition's account .

AndBeyond is broadcasting three-hour live safari drives with wildlife experts twice a day as well, from its Ngala Safari Lodge and Tented Camp , which borders Kruger National Park. You can find them—and the resident hippos, birds, lions, and elephants—on Instagram , where guides and experts will walk you through the sites and sounds of the South African bush.

Head to the virtual aquarium

The team at Boston's New England Aquarium is bringing the day-to-day life of its residents to the public, offering scheduled Facebook Live-access to feedings, tours, behind-the-scenes looks, and more. So far, we've gotten to see Myrtle, the green sea turtle, eat some breakfast (a delicious mix of lettuce, broccoli, and brussels sprouts), and learned all about epaulette sharks and sting rays. (For parents needing some kid-friendly distractions, head to the aquarium's at-home activities sections.) Tennessee’s aquarium is highlighting its North American river otters, who spend their waking hours splashing in their habitat's waterfall and gliding underwater—all visible 24 hours a day on the River Otter Falls Cam.

On the opposite coast, the Aquarium of the Pacific has live streams showing off its 20 jaunty Magellanic penguins , thanks to a number of cameras spread throughout their habitat. But our favorite of all is the Monterey Bay Aquarium , which has a whopping 10 cameras , offering views of their aviary filled with coastal birds, the kelp forest occupied by leopard sharks and tiny, shiny sardines, the actual waves of Monterey Bay, and the aquarium's tropical coral reef habitat. If you're particularly stressed out by the news, though, we recommend either the sea nettles or moon jelly streams, which follows the soothing movements of the aquarium's jellyfish. (All of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's feeds are live from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST.)

Take a "tour"

As many cultural institutions move their offerings online, so are tour guides the world over. GetYourGuide, an online tour booking platform, is now offering some of its most popular tours online for free. Among them, a lesson on Berlin drag culture from local queen Gloria Glamour, a virtual tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel with guide Elena, and a street art workshop from Curtis, who usually leads with Alternative Berlin Tours. You can watch live on GetYourGuides Facebook and Instagram , but you can catch up later on the company's YouTube, too .

Blast some (classical) music

Symphonies around the world are streaming live rather than cancelling their performances entirely, or are replaying old shows for free online. The Philharmonie Berlin is closed until April 19, but has opened its digital library of performances , filled with more than 600 shows. Use the code BERLINPHIL to get 30-day access to the orchestra's stunning work (look for performances conducted by Simon Rattle, the orchestra's principal for 16 years).

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is live-streaming its performances on Youtube, as it is closed to the public until June 30. While the 7 p.m. AEDT (or 4 a.m. EDT) showtimes may not be an ideal time to watch a symphony performance, you can rewatch the show later on the orchestra's Youtube channel. So far, they've hosted performances of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade , with plans for more throughout the closure.

The Metropolitan Opera is know for its extravagant sets. See them for yourself, thanks to nightly recorded opera performances.

Spend a night at the opera

If you've gone to a movie theater in recent years, you've likely seen a trailer for the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD series, where they throw the storied opera's most popular performances onto movie screens for all to enjoy. Since most theaters—of both the opera and movie variety—are closed, the Met is opening that series up to all, streaming live every night. Each performance will become available at 7:30 p.m. EDT and will be viewable for 20 hours, starting with the 2010 production of Carmen on March 16.

If you don't want to be tied down by a schedule, OperaVision offers free recorded performances from all over the world, including Madama Butterfly from the Royal Swedish Opera and Tosca at the Polish National Opera.

Grab your Google Cardboard

Virtual reality has made destinations that many of us may never see—like the summit of Everest —feel a lot more accessible. While these options are not new ( we reported on them back in 2017), they seem more important than ever, allowing us to fully escape into a new place. For some, you'll need the equipment (like an Oculus Rift headset or HTC Vive), while others use a low-tech Google Cardboard VR viewer. We'd start with a tour of Florence from above or Hong Kong's stadium through Google Earth's virtual reality offerings , then cool off with this first-person journey up Everest .

This article was originally published in March 2020. It has been updated with new information.

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Currently 27 galleries in this collection.

Click the images to enter the gallery

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden. Founded in c. 1250, possibly as early as 1187, Stockholm has long been one of Sweden's cultural, media, political, and economic centres. Its strategic location on 14 islands on the coast in the south-east of Sweden has been historically important. Stockholm is known for its beauty, its buildings and architecture, its abundant clean and open water, and its many parks. It is sometimes referred to as Venice of the North. The Nobel Banquet takes place at Stockholm City Hall every year on December 10. Stockholm is the site of the national Swedish government, the Parliament of Sweden (riksdagen), the Supreme Court of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish monarch as well as the prime minister Some of the Stockholm sites are not in this gallery but have got their own galleries and virtual tours, among others, Stockholm's City Hall , Vasa Museum , Drottningholm Palace Park , Ulriksdal Palace Park . To see them visit their dedicated virtual tours in the Gallery .

The Musée du Louvre or officially Grand Louvre, in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre in Paris, France, is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection. The Musée du Louvre houses 35,000 works of art drawn from eight departments, displayed in over 60,000 square meters of exhibition. In the 1st arrondissement, at the heart of Paris, France , The Louvre is one of the best known major visitor attractions in France.

The Palace of Versailles or Château de Versailles, which has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List for 30 years, is one of the most beautiful achievements of 18th-century French art. One of the best known tourist attractions in France, few places better showcase the opulence and grandeur of the French monarchy better than the Palace of Versailles. The site began as Louis XIII's hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful. The Hall of Mirrors, the King's Grand Apartments, the Museum of the History of France. The Château de Versailles, the seat of power until 1789, has continued to unfurl its splendour over the course of centuries. At first it was just a humble hunting lodge built by Louis XIII. But Louis XIV chose the site to build the palace we know today, the symbol of royal absolutism and embodiment of classical French art.

See the beautiful city of Shiraz in fullscreen panoramas. Shiraz, one of Iran's oldest cities and the fourth biggest in the country, has been the capital of Persia (current Iran) during the Zand dynasty and hosts quite a few interesting historical sites. Shiraz is known as the city of flowers and nightingales, refering to its beautiful gardens and two very famous poets; Sa'di and Hafez. There are quite a few beutiful mosques and other historical buildings showing the beutiful architicture, tile works and mirror tile works. Shiraz is also famous for its grapes and according to the tradition known for its wine in the past. The city has given its name to the grapes (and subsequently wine) oriningated from here. All this plus the good atmosphere and friendly people make this sunny city well worth a visit, if not in real, as virtual reality panoramas.

The City Hall of Stockholm (Stadshuset) is one of the most beautiful and well known buildings in the world and the most exclusive ballroom in Stockholm, for e.g. the yearly Nobel Banquet. The City Hall is known for its hospitality, its unique art treasures, magnificent banquettes and an intriguing history attracting close to 400,000 visitors a year. Architecturally Stockholm's City Hall is one of Sweden's foremost examples of "national romanticism". After 12 years of construction, the building was inaugurated on Midsummer's Eve in 1923. The City Hall Tower, topped by three crowns, the Swedish national coat of arms, rises 106 meters above the edifice. City Hall provides a workplace for politicians and civil servants.

Scoured and gouged by ancient glaciers, Norway's fjords are a veritable wonderland. These deep, sea-drowned valleys, scissored by impossibly rugged terrain, were in 2009 voted by National Geographic Traveler magazine as the world's best travel destination. Staring gobsmacked at the imposing cliffs of Geirangerfjord. Appreciating art nouveau architecture in charming Ålesund. Thrilling to the delights of Bergen, a beautiful, charming city, with a World Heritage-listed neighborhood, Bryggen, and buzzing harbor, ringed by seven hills and seven fjords. All the images in this gallery plus many many more were taken during a road/trekking trip through Norway's west coast. You can read about the trip day by day and see many more images in the Blog. Look for the posts with the title "Trekking & Road Trip in Norway"!

Scandinavia's most visited museum, the home of Wasa, probably the most ambitious and greatest warship ever built in Sweden. The ship sank during its very short virgin voyage 1628. On the 10th of August 1628, Vasa commences her maiden voyage but heels over and sinks in the middle of Stockholm harbour after sailing barely 1300 meters. on the 24th of April, 1961, Vasa returned to the surface. A piece of the 17th century was suddenly back among us. After it was saved in 1961 this museum was built around it to build a museum for an extraordinary and surprisingly well preserved ship.

Esfahan (or Arabaic Isfahan) is one of the oldest cities of Iran located between the cities Tehran and Shiraz. This 2500 years old city served as Persia's capital from 1598 to 1722 and was once one of the largest cities in the world. It is famous for its Islamic architecture, with many beautiful boulevards, covered bridges, incredible mosaic-covered mosques, palaces, and minarets. The Naghsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world and an outstanding example of Iranian and Islamic architecture. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The Bazaar of Esfahan or Isfahan is a historical market, one of the oldest and largest bazaars in the Middle East, dating back to the 17th century. The bazaar is a vaulted two-kilometre street linking the old city with the new. The city also has a wide variety of historic monuments and is known for the paintings and history. Isfahan has long been one of the centers for production of the famous Persian Rug. There is a persian proverb saying "Esfahan nesf-e jahan" (Isfahan, half of the world).

Yazd, a city in central Iran and the capital of the Yazd province, is an ancient city dating back to the Sassanian Period (224-651 AD). Because of generations of adaptations to its desert surroundings, Yazd is an architecturally unique city. To deal with the extremely hot summers, many old buildings in Yazd have magnificent windcatchers, and large underground areas. Yazd is also one of the largest cities built almost entirely out of adobe. Because of its climate, it has one of the largest networks of qanats in the world. Yazd is a centre of Zoroastrian culture and its name has been derived from Yazdegerd I, a Sassanid ruler. There is a Tower of Silence on the outskirts, and the city itself has a Fire Temple, which holds a fire that has been kept alight continuously since 470 AD.

Unesco's Description: The Royal Domain of Drottningholm stands on an island in Lake M�lar in a suburb of Stockholm. With its castle, perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), Chinese pavilion and gardens, it is the finest example of an 18th-century north European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles.

Sweden's second largest city situated on the west coast of Sweden. The City of Gothenburg was founded in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus. The city was heavily influenced by the Dutch and Dutch city planners were contracted to build the city as they had the skills needed to build in the marshy areas around the city. The town was designed like Dutch cities such as Amsterdam. The plan of the streets and canals of Gothenburg closely resembles that of Jakarta, which was built by the Dutch around the same time. It is the largest seaport in the Nordic countries.The home town of Volvo, SKF ball bearings, and Hasselblad cameras. Traditionally Gothenburg is an industrial city and the sea, trade and industrial history of the city is evident in the cultural life of Gothenburg.

Ulriksdal Palace is situated on the banks of Edviken Lake in the National City Park in Stockholm. The palace was built in the 1600s and visitors to the palace witness many different epochs. Several Swedish regents have left their mark on Ulriksdal. Queen Kristina built a pleasure garden in front of the palace and Hedvig Elenora built an Orangery in the park. Queen Kristina enjoyed the palace so much that she let her coronation procession proceed from Ulriksdal.

Mallorca (English "Majorca") is the largest island of Spain. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea and part of the Balearic Islands archipelago, one of the autonomous communities of Spain. Mallorca is known as one of the most beautiful and exotic spanish islands. It has been a very popular tourist destination for Europeans since 1950:s. In 1960, Majorca received 500,000 visitors, while in 1997, it received 6,739,700. In 2008, 22,832,865 passengers passed through the Palma de Mallorca Airport with an additional 1.5 million arriving by sea. Majorca has two mountainous regions each about 70 km in length. These occupy the north-western and eastern thirds of the island. The highest peak on Majorca is Puig Major (1,445 m).

Unesco's description: The origins of Tallinn date back to the 13th century. It developed as a major centre of the Hanseatic League, and its wealth is demonstrated by the opulence of the public buildings (the churches in particular) and the domestic architecture of the merchants' houses, which have survived to a remarkable degree. Tallinn is an outstanding and exceptionally complete and well preserved example of a medieval northern European trading city that retains the salient features of this unique form of economic and social community to a remarkable degree. The main attractions are in the two old towns (Lower Town and Toompea), both easily explored on foot.

Luleå is a city on the coast of northern Sweden. The harbour of Luleå � Sweden's fifth-largest port, which transports over seven million tons of cargo each year � is of particular significance for iron ore. During the winter, sea traffic continues with the assistance of icebreakers; Luleå was already an important harbour in the 13-15th centuries. The original town was situated where Gammelstad (Old Town) is situated today. The town had to be moved in 1649 to the current site, due to the land elevation that had made the bay too shallow for ships to enter. The Gammelstad Church Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (ca. 550�330 BC). Persepolis is situated 70 km northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars Province of modern Iran (ancient Parse). Founded by Darius the Great around 518 B.C., looted and burned by Alexander in 331�330 B.C. The site includes a 125,000 square metre terrace, partly artificially constructed and partly cut out of a mountain. Major tunnels for sewage were dug underground through the rock and a complex system of water channels and drainage was cut into the rocky terrace. Several palaces were then built on the terrace. King Darius the Great 'invented' Persepolis as the splendid seat of the government of the Achaemenid empire and as its center for receptions and festivals. The wealth and might of Persia was to be visible in every aspect of its construction. Persepolis was a showcase. UNESCO declared the citadel of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979. To see the plan of Persepolis with the photo points marked on it with red dots click here !

See panoramas from other places than Stockholm like Copenhagen ; the royal capital of Denmark with the Amalienborg Royal Palace in the city center, Linköping ; city in southern middle Sweden well known for its cathedral, Västerås ; one of the oldest cities in Sweden and Northern Europe , Brahehus ; a ruin in Sweden, Ulricehamn lake; a beautiful lake with camping facilities by its shore, Karlstad .

Bishapur, "the beautiful [city] of Shapur", as the name indicates was founded by king Shapur (241-272 AC). Like the bridge at Shushtar, it was built by Roman soldiers who had been captured after the defeat of the Roman emperor Valerian in 260. Many aspects of Bishapur's architecture look Roman e.g. the "Hippodamian street plan" (or the grid plan). The core of the city is the old castle, situated in a steep rock. The oldest monument was relief I in the Tang-e Chowgan gorge. Reliefs II and III commemorate the defeat of Valerian. While these were cut, the city, palace, and the so-called Temple of Anahita were built by the Roman prisoners of war. Later monuments include reliefs V, IV, and VI. The city, surrounded by walls that stood ten meters high, was inhabited by some 50,000 to 80,000 people. The main monuments have been excavated between 1935 and 1941. Most of the city is still buried.

Naqsh-e Rostam, is situated a few kilometers northwest of Persepolis, the capital of the ancient Achaemenid empire. As is shown by a pre-Achaemenid relief and several old graves, Naqsh-e Rostam was already a place of some importance when king Darius I the Great (522-486 BC) ordered his monumental tomb to be carved into the cliff. Later, similar royal rock tombs were added. they belong to Darius' son and successor Xerxes (486-465), his son Artaxerxes I Makrocheir (465-424) and his grandson Darius II Nothus (423-404). Archaeologists are almost certain that the tombs were closed after the burial. After Alexander the Great had overthrown the Achaemenid empire, the doors were smashed and the tombs were looted. After the fall of the Achaemenid empire, Naq�-i Rustam remained important to the Persians. After 260 CE, the Sasanian king Shapur I had a monumental relief cut out in the rock, showing how he made Philippus Arabs ruler of the Roman empire and received the defeated Roman emperor Valerian. Other reliefs were added by Shapur's successors.

The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, the Golestan Palace (Flower Garden Palace or Rose Garden Palace). Originally i citadel built during the Safavid dynasty (1524-1576). Agha Mohamd Khan Qajar (1742-1797) chose Tehran as his capital. The Arg became the site of the Qajar (1794-1925).Court and Golestan Palace became the official residence of the royal family. During the Pahlavi era (1925-1979) Golestan Palace was used for formal royal receptions. The most important ceremonies to be held in the Palace during the Pahlavi era were the coronation of Reza Khan (r. 1925-1941) in Takht-e Marmar and the coronation of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (r. 1941-deposed 1979) in the Museum Hall. In its present state, Golestan Palace is the result of roughly 400 years construction and renovations. The buildings at the contemporary location each have a unique history.

Tehran is the capital of Iran. With a population of around 8.3 million and surpassing 14 million in the wider metropolitan area, it is the countries's largest city and urban area, and one of the largest cities in Western Asia. The city is home to many historic mosques, churches, synagogues and Zoroastrian fire temples. Tehran is ranked 29th in the world by the population of its metropolitan area. Throughout history, the capital has been moved many times, and Tehran is the 32nd national capital of the country although it has been a capital city for about 220 years. In the early 18th century, Karim Khan Zand ordered a palace, and a government office to be built in the city, possibly to declare the city his capital, but later moved his government to Shiraz. Tehran finally became the capital of Iran in 1795, when the Qajar king Agha Mohammad Khan was crowned in the city.

Chichen Itza, the archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in Yucatán State, Mexico was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. Chichen Itza was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from the Late Classic (c. AD 600-900) through the Terminal Classic (c. AD 800-900) and into the early portion of the Postclassic period (c. AD 900-1200). Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico; an estimated 1.4 million tourists visit the ruins every year. Chichen Itza's El Castillo has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Tulum Tulum is a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city. The ruins are situated on 12-meter (39 ft) tall cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico) on the Caribbean Sea. The walls surrounding the site allowed the Tulum fort to be defended against invasions. Tulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffs and on the landward side by a wall that averaged about 3-5 meters (9.8-16.4 ft) in height. The wall was about 8 m (26 ft) thick and 400 m (1,300 ft) long on the side parallel to the sea. Coba Coba is an ancient Mayan city on the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. it contains many engraved and sculpted stelae that document ceremonial life and important events of the Late Classic Period (AD 600-900) of Mesoamerican civilization. The site contains a group of large temple pyramids, the tallest, Ixmoja, is some 42 metres (138 ft) heigh. Ixmoja is among the tallest pyramids on the Yucatán peninsula. Coba was estimated to have had some 50000 inhabitants (possibly significantly more) at its peak of civilization, and the built up area extends over 80 km².

The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) display works from the immense collection built up by the Popes throughout the centuries including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. The museums contain roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display. The museums were founded in the early 16th century. The Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling decorated by Michelangelo and the Stanze di Raffaello decorated by Raphael, are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums. The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican or simply St. Peter's Basilica is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and one of the largest churches in the world. St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".

Rome is the capital city of Italy. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city. Rome's history spans 28 centuries. Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC. Eventually, the city successively became the capital of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded by many as the first ever Imperial City and metropolis. After the fall of the Empire in the west, which marked the beginning of the Middle Ages, Rome slowly fell under the political control of the Papacy, and in the 8th century it became the capital of the Papal States, which lasted until 1870. Beginning with the Renaissance, almost all popes since Nicholas V (1447-1455) pursued a coherent architectural and urban programme over four hundred years, aimed at making the city the artistic and cultural centre of the world. In this way, Rome became first one of the major centres of the Italian Renaissance, and then the birthplace of both the Baroque style and Neoclassicism.

The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre or Colosseo, is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete, it was the largest amphitheatre ever built at the time The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum, is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. The Palatine Hill, which is the centremost of the Seven Hills of Rome, is one of the most ancient parts of the city and has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire." From the time of Augustus Imperial palaces were built here.

Pompeii was an ancient city located in the modern comune of Pompei near Naples. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Largely preserved under the ash, the excavated city offered a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried, and an extraordinarily detailed insight into the everyday life of its inhabitants, although much of the evidence was lost in the early excavations. It was a wealthy town, enjoying many fine public buildings and luxurious private houses with lavish decorations, furnishings and works of art which were the main attractions for the early excavators. Organic remains, including wooden objects and human bodies, were entombed in the ash and decayed leaving voids which archaeologists found could be used as moulds to make plaster casts of unique and often gruesome figures in their final moments of life.