The remarkable Grand Cascade at Peterhof in Russia.
The remarkable Grand Cascade at Peterhof in Russia.
While the pandemic keeps Europe's finest palaces shut to the outside world, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, there are plenty of star specimens where you can peek behind the curtains and revel in the finery on a virtual visit.
Whether you want to follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II, Louis XIV of France or Russia's Peter the Great, immerse yourself in the splendour of their palatial residences, without even leaving the comfort of your lounge. I've rounded up some of the most incredible palace and castle tours in Europe you can access online.
Michelangelo's famous artwork on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
The Vatican The Papal Palace comprises a clutch of buildings including the Vatican Museums and the serene Sistine Chapel. The Vatican has ramped up their online offering, with a deep dip into their treasures via seven virtual 360-degree insider tours, headlined by the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms. You can gaze upon the intimate details of those wall and ceiling frescoes, from every angle, at your pace and taking full advantage of the website's super zoom and focus controls. While Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel, Raphael was adorning the wider palace in frescoes. He died on Good Friday, exactly 500 years ago, at the age of 37. www.museivaticani.va/
Windsor Castle This time-honoured 1000-roomed fortress very much remains a working palace and royal home, 900 years after it was built. It's actually the largest occupied castle in the world and when she's not hunkering down here to ride out a pandemic, the Queen prefers to spend most weekends here. You'll get a great taste of the palace interiors on the official virtual tour, including the regal extravagance of a traditional State Banquet in St George's Hall — the location for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 2018 wedding reception.
The Buckingham Palace Banquet Hall.
Buckingham Palace Boasting 775 rooms of which 240 are bathrooms and 78 are bathrooms, Buck House is a colossus. But it's the 19 staterooms that wow the crowds when the palace typically opens its doors to the public over the peak summer months. The Covid crisis will probably scuttle those plans this year, but the royal website serves up a rich flavour of the interiors, showcasing the Throne Room, Grand Staircase and Drawing Rooms. Personally, I find Windsor far more engaging. www.royal.uk
The entrance to Versailles.
The grounds of Versailles.
Palace of Versailles No royal palace has quite the history of Versailles, nor the head-swirling size of its grounds. Spanning 8 million square metres, you could fit four Monacos on Versailles' grounds! In many ways, a virtual tour is easier than a physical visit: with 2300 rooms spread over 5km. If you thought Windsor is a whopper, Versailles is off-the-charts. The virtual tour gives you access to all the highlights in the staterooms and hundreds of works of art, with commentary from the museum's scientific teams. For the ultimate experience, slap on your VR headset and enjoy a fully immersive tour, complete with expert audio narration. It's the vest VR palace tour I have come across, with a feast of clever touches. For example, there's a feature which removes the chandeliers so you can see the ceilings of each room in incredible detail. If you don't have a VR headset, Google Arts & Culture also has superb online galleries. artsandculture.google.com/partner/palace-of-versailles
Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna It's Austria's most visited site, a 1400-room Baroque blockbuster speaking to the prestige of the mighty Hapsburg Empire. The World Heritage Site was the summer palace for many of the Hapsburg rulers, over the course of 200 years, following its construction in 1700, inspired by the extravagance of Versailles. You can see where Mozart, at the age of 6, performed for Empress Maria Theresa at Schonbrunn in 1772. The young prodigy played duets with his older sister, Nannerl, in the Hall of Mirrors. artsandculture.google.com/partner/schloss-schoenbrunn
Peterhof, Russia Finally, in another brazen example of keeping with the Joneses, Russia's Peterhof Palace is the beautifully preserved imperial estate, constructed in 1710 by Peter the Great, as "The Russian Versailles". Constructed on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, it combines several ornate palaces, wrapped in landscaped gardens and a dazzling array of magnificent statues and fountains. The Grand Cascade flows spectacularly from beneath the palace towards the Baltic Sea and is one of the largest fountain ensembles in the world, decorated with magnificent gold statues. Well worth a virtual tour, before you can see it in the flesh. en.peterhofmuseum.ru/special/live
