Traveling the world and visiting its most amazing historical sites is the dream of every architect. However, time and money can hold you back from achieving this dream. Add to that the pandemic that forces us to be at home. So, until we can get on a plane, what other options do we have? If you are a true research fan, then you will love this!
Historical places that offer free online tours:
Stonehenge
The iconic historical site of England in Wiltshire consists of a ring of stones. Each stone weighs 25 tons, is 4.1 meters high and 2.1 meters wide. This place probably dates back to 3000 BC and is believed to be a burial ground.
The Stonehenge website offers its visitors a 360 virtual tour with an added bonus. If you click on any of these shimmering circles (hotspots) around the site, a video will play with a historian telling you more about the site. So, it’s like a guided tour!
The Taj Mahal
If you are more into oriental culture and architecture, this will be your cup of tea. The Taj Mahal was built in the Indian city of Agra in the mid-17th century as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The 42-acre site includes a tomb, a mosque, a guest house and formal gardens.
The Taj Mahal online site also offers you virtual tours inside and outside the mausoleum, mosque and gatehouse, as well as the official gardens. All you have to do is choose between Indoor/Outdoor and select one of the yellow circles in the illustrative picture.
Machu Picchu
From the west to the east and then to the extreme southwest, let’s visit the majestic Inca Empire. Machu Picchu is an Inca castle that is believed to have been built in the 15th century. It is located on the ridge of a mountain in Peru, at an altitude of 2340 meters above sea level. The remains showcase the classic Inca architectural style and contain two temples and an intihuatana, a ritual stone associated with the Inca calendar.
The Peru Machu Pichu website contains a list of attractions of this historic site that can be virtually toured through Destination 360.
Acropolis of Athens
The ancient Greek site is located on top of a 150-meter-high hill south of Athens. It is home to numerous historical monuments built in the 5th century BC, such as the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea and, of course, the Parthenon, the temple of the Greek goddess of wisdom Athena.