For ages, Google Earth has remained the go-to service for browsing our globe. You can use this app to visit all corners of the planet from the comfort of your living room. In 2017, Google Earth was also completely overhauled to add more features. This overhaul included additional Google virtual tours to the world’s most remote and amazing places.
Here are the best Google Maps tours that are available on Google Earth.
1. Life in the Ocean Deep
With Life in the Ocean Deep, you can discover mysterious sea creatures with the help of renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough. This Google tour takes you on a journey through the many quirky yet breathtaking creatures that inhabit our oceans, like glow-in-the-dark jellyfish and giant crabs.
Assisting this Google Earth tour are a series of videos and underwater maps.
2. UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Looking to dive into the past? Follow this Google Maps virtual tour as it briefs you on thirty historic landmarks that were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The tour includes but is not limited to, India’s Taj Mahal, Cambodia’s Towers of Angkor Wat, and Spain’s Catedral de Sevilla.
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3. This is Home
Sometimes home is where the heart is, even if that home is very far away. With This is Home, Google lets you visit traditional homes from around the world. You’ll even get to know about the history behind each of these places and get a glimpse inside the unique structures with Google Street View.
For instance, Jordan’s House of Hair is a string of tents constructed from the hair of camels and other animals. It’s located in the middle of the desert, but some of the other houses on this tour are located in even more far-flung regions than that.
4. Stop and Smell the Flowers
Stop and Smell the Flowers is a Google virtual tour that takes you on a journey through some of the most breathtaking botanical gardens and arboretums around the world. This tour highlights a total of eleven places, ranging from countries like Russia, Sweden, and Canada, to the Netherlands.
If you’re into gardening, then this one is for you.
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca
Every year, many thousands of Muslims embark on a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy city for practitioners of the Islamic faith. Google’s virtual tour lets you learn about this practice, from landing at the Hajj Terminal Jeddah Airport to the final destination of Masjid al-Haram.
6. Global Flea Markets
Have you ever had an interest in bustling flea markets? Experience them yourself with this Google Maps virtual tour. This tour walks you through nine of the most iconic markets worldwide, such as France’s Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, India’s Anjuna Flea Market, and London’s Portobello Market.
While we’re still on the subject: If you want to plan a dream vacation, here are some easy ways that you can travel more cheaply.
7. Colorful Street Fests & Carnivals
Being a land of diverse cultures and societies, the world is laden with numerous festivals. The most vibrant of them are covered in a Google Maps tour.
This tour features eight of the biggest celebrations from around the globe. These celebrations include the large-scale food fight La Tomatina in Spain, Holi in India, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
8. Comic Geek Destinations
Unleash your inner geek with this virtual tour that takes you on a trip through a bunch of iconic comic book spots. Comic Geek Destinations curates a total of ten locations known for appearing in various fictional universes. One of these locations is the Parkwood Estate. It was a mansion used by X-Men’s Professor Xavier for his school of “Gifted Youngsters.”
If you feel like doing some light reading after this tour, here are the best ways to read comics online for free.
9. Iconic Film Locations in the Mediterranean
Are you more of a movie buff than a comic book aficionado? Try out this tour featuring iconic film locations in the Mediterranean.
In this tour, you can travel to each selected landmark where a movie scene has been shot. If you don’t want to use Google Earth to find these spots, however, here’s how to track down your favorite film locations using websites.
10. International Year of the Reef
Coral reefs have been in peril for many decades now due to the threat of global warming. To raise awareness on this issue, a Google Maps virtual tour was set up to help familiarize the public with the basics.
With the International Year of the Reef, you can see how these marvelous underwater colonies are formed over millions of years. Each chapter in the tour also discusses fundamental topics like coral reef diversity. Additionally, it includes video highlights and subaqueous street view images.
11. In Mandela’s Footsteps
Sometimes you can take a virtual walk through history. In Mandela’s Footsteps lets you follow the journey of the legendary political leader and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.
This tour highlights the places that played a critical role in Mandela’s life. For example, there’s a page devoted to the University of Fort Hare. It was one of the first institutions in the region that allowed non-white people to study for a post-secondary degree.
12. Reading the ABCs from Space
Perhaps one of the most intriguing virtual tours available on Google Earth is Reading the ABCs from Space. Developed by NASA, this tour consists of twenty-six chapters that reveal locations on the planet that form an alphabet from space.
Our personal favorite is the letter “J” off the coast of Australia, which is made up of a coral reef.
13. The Beautiful Game
If you’re in a World Cup spirit, you might want to check out The Beautiful Game. This Google Earth tour takes you on a trip through some of the planet’s most unforgettable soccer destinations. The destinations include the Allianz Arena in Munich, Barcelona’s Camp Nou, and Old Trafford in England.
14. National Parks of the United States
Looking for natural wonders closer to home? Especially ones that will help you appreciate the great outdoors?
If so, then you need to check out the National Parks of the United States. It’s a virtual tour that will take you on a journey through the most pristine areas of wilderness from coast to coast, ranging from Acadia National Park to Denali.
Use a Google Tour to Visit the World
While all of these virtual tours are absolutely amazing, we’ve barely scratched the surface in just how many there are. If you go deep-diving through the archives, you’ll also find that the tours are divided into subcategories like nature, culture, education, and street view. The best thing about the tours is that they’re entirely free. A reliable, high-bandwidth connection to view them is a must, however.
For those that want to dig deeper into this app, it might surprise you to learn that Google Earth is an offshoot of Google Maps. With that in mind, take some time to understand how Google Maps works.
Read the full article: Google Earth Tour Guide: 14 Virtual Tours You’ll Want to Check Out
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