Must-See Art Destinations for a Google Cardboard World Tour

Oh. My. Gosh. Have you heard of Google Cardboard? My husband just got us one, and we are all hooked. For about $15, you can get a cardboard virtual reality headset that syncs up with your smart phone. From seeing dinosaur bones in the Natural History Museum to having whales jump out of the water in front of your eyes to walking the streets of Venice, you can do so much with this amazing little device.

Every member of my family wants their turn with it RIGHT NOW.

And it’s so easy! Put on Google Cardboard headset, then look up and spin around. You immediately feel as if you are standing in the place you’ve decided to visit. Depending on what you are doing, you can even push a button to walk forward and explore!

Please note, this post is not sponsored by Google Cardboard, but it includes Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

So far, my favorite feature by far is the Google Streetview app, which incorporates all of the Google Streetview data along with user-submitted immersive photos of fascinating sites around the globe.

My eyes are a bit wibbly-wobbly after traveling the world with Google Cardboard, so I decided to pick out my favorite art destinations thus far.

Travel along! If you have a Google Cardboard or other Virtual Reality headset, make sure you have the Google Streetview app installed on your phone. Then, click the links below on your mobile, and they should open in the Google Streetview app. Click the little Google Cardboard icon in the corner to experience the art on your headset. The links will work if you don’t have the headset too. You can still explore the area on your phone or computer without the immersive experience of the Google Cardboard.

Amiens Cathedral, France

When I was first exploring the app, I about freaked out when I realized I could go see a Gothic cathedral. I’m obsessed with Gothic cathedrals, so I headed straight for Amiens – a structure so incredible that it was the sole focus of a semester-long course in college (YES! a whole class for one church!)

I was not disappointed. I can look at Amiens pictures all I want online, but to be able to look up and around and see the full scale of it as if I was standing under it. Amazing! Art history teachers will love this for their classrooms when they teach Gothic architecture in order to teach kids about the shear scale of these buildings!

Streetview/Google Cardboard Links:

• Amiens Interior
• Amiens Exterior

Curated Connections Library Subscribers: Download the Gothic Architecture lesson.

Angkor Temples, Cambodia

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th through the 15th centuries. There are over a thousand temples in the area from small piles of rock to Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. Angkor Wat was originally built as a Hindu temple which was soon transitioned to a Buddhist temple at the end of the 12th century. The temples are covered in relief sculpture, columns and pilasters, stairs, post and lintel doorways, and distinctive stacked cone-shaped towers.

I explored a lot of the different temples, and they were all amazing! My favorite was this one because you could walk through doorways and around the structures to get a good look, but the one with the giant heads carved into the side of the rocks is incredible as well.

Click the images below for the Streetview/Google Cardboard links.

Ancient Egypt

Do I need to say anything here? Probably not. These were my favorites that I found.

Click the images below for the Streetview/Google Cardboard links.

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

The Great Sphinx of Giza

Karnak Temple Complex

Isis Temple

Curated Connections Library Subscribers: Download the Ancient Egypt art lesson.

Fushimi Inari Shrine, Japan

I just got back from Japan, and this was one of my favorites from the trip! It was really fun to prepare for my trip by visiting some of the locations we planned to visit on the Google Cardboard, and now I am enjoying reminiscing with virtual reality.

Fushimi Inari is a Shinto shrine with thousands of bright red-orange torii gates. Torii gates mark the entrances to the shrines and help prepare visitors and mark the separation of the worldly to the sacred. The shrine was founded in early 700 AD.

Click the image for the Streetview/Google Cardboard link.

More Japan posts are coming soon! I have TON to write about.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca estate in Peru. The complex built on a high ridge in the mountains includes temples, palaces, and homes. The Inca people left behind no written language, so there is a lot to discover about this place.

In Google Cardboard, you can walk along paths, go through doorways, and climb stairs. Of course, there is no substitute for being there, it’s pretty incredible to be able to experience such an important and secluded site from the comfort of home.

Click the image for the Streetview/Google Cardboard link.

Florence

You can’t study the Italian Renaissance without studying the city of Florence, Italy. Florence IS the Renaissance, and going there is like stepping into the 15th century.

In Google Cardboard, you can wander around the Duomo, view the Gates of Paradise, experience the sculpture and the original site of Michelangelo’s David in the Piazza della Signoria, and walk across the Ponte Vecchio.

If only the Google Cardboard provided gelato and cappuccino…

Click the image for the Streetview/Google Cardboard links.

Dome of the Rock

Dome of the Rock is an important shrine located in Jerusalem. The site has religious significance in both Judaism and Islam and is considered the oldest examples of Islamic architecture.

Click the image for the Streetview/Google Cardboard links.

You can also walk around the Old City of Jerusalem with Google Cardboard as well.