Google now offers virtual tours of many UNESCO World Heritage sites

I’ve been lucky enough to travel extensively and see a large chunk of the world, although thanks to COVID-19 and lockdowns, I haven’t been anywhere in quite a while and have seriously itchy feet.

Back when overseas travel was easy to do, I visited quite a few UNESCO World Heritage sites, but the world is a huge place and there are still plenty more I would love to go to (I will finally tick Machu Picchu off the list one day).

Although it’s nowhere near as exciting as going there for real, Google provides various ways you can explore the world digitally, and Google Arts & Culture has just partnered with UNESCO to create a new online resource, Explore UNESCO World Heritage.

The portal lets you explore the top 10 must-see UNESCO World Heritage sites, which includes the Pyramids of Giza, The Colosseum in Rome, The Taj Mahal, Easter Island, and Yosemite National Park.

You can explore cities, holy sites, nature, history, and more, and view cities for your bucket list.

Ernesto Ottone UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, says:

Of course, this virtual exploration will never replace the unique experience of seeing these places for real and visiting World Heritage sites. We shall travel again. In the meantime, we hope it will nevertheless enable users to immerse themselves in the beauty of our world, and inspire action to protect it.