You can go on virtual tours of Europe’s palaces—including where Meghan and Harry had their wedding reception

Arielle Tschinkel
·8 min read

With most of us canceling travel plans for the foreseeable future to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), it’s understandable if you’re feeling a bit of cabin fever. But fear not: You can travel the world without even leaving your couch, and it’s all thanks to these virtual tours of Europe’s most stunning palaces.

We’re all looking for ways to get creative during our at-home quarantine time, so virtual tours of museums, national parks, and even your favorite Disney rides are a great way to break up the boredom and see the world—no passport needed. If you ever wanted to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into where Meghan and Harry had their royal wedding reception, now’s your chance. We promise you won’t be disappointed.

Check out some of the palaces we’re virtually visiting (and, okay, pretending that we live in).

Palace of Versailles

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🇫🇷 Pendant cette période de fermeture, nous partagerons encore davantage de contenus sur nos réseaux sociaux, afin de garder un lien avec vous et ainsi de maintenir votre accès à l'histoire, l'histoire de l'art, aux collections, et aux coulisses du château de Versailles. Nous ferons tous les jours en sorte que Versailles vienne à vous. #VersaillesChezVous #MuseumFromHome #ensembleàlamaison 🌍 During the closure, we will share even more content on our social networks, in order to keep a link with you and thus maintain your access to the history, art history, collections, and behind the scenes of the Palace of Versailles.We will make Versailles come to you every day. #VersaillesFromHome #MuseumFromHome #togetherathome 📷 EPV / Thomas Garnier

A post shared by Château de Versailles (@chateauversailles) on Mar 16, 2020 at 12:54am PDT

Virtual tour: Palace of Versailles

If your heart is set on Paris, you will definitely want to “stop by” the Palace of Versailles. (Please forgive our bad rhyming—we’ve been in the house for too long.) Built by King Louis XIV in 1631, this former residence of French monarchs features a whopping 2,300 rooms to explore, making it an all-day visit if you’re actually, physically in France.

The virtual reality tour is almost as good as the real thing. You can explore the king’s and queen’s State Apartments, the Royal Chapel, the Royal Opera House, and the breathtakingly beautiful Hall of Mirrors, all with commentary to help provide context to the historical works of art you’ll get to witness.

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam

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Welkom in de Troonzaal… In de 17e eeuw zag het er hier heel anders uit. Het was de Schepenzaal van het stadhuis, het huidige Koninklijk Paleis, waar rechters (schepenen) wetten maakten en samen met de schout rechtspraken. Aan het plafond prijken de familiewapens van de eerste schout en negen schepenen die zitting hielden in deze zaal. Op dinsdag en zondag werden hier ook burgerlijke huwelijken voltrokken. Dat gebeurde in het verlaagde deel van de zaal, de marmeren arcade met tortelduiven en engelenkopjes verwijst er nog naar. #paleisopdedam #paleisamsterdam #palaceamsterdam #open #troonzaal #schepenzaal

A post shared by Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam (@paleisamsterdam) on Feb 20, 2020 at 1:58pm PST

Virtual tour: Royal Palace of Amsterdam

Head on over to the capital of the Netherlands, where you can visit the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. The Google Maps guided virtual tour lets you see inside the stunning reception palace where King Willem-Alexander holds his official state gatherings. It was built way back in the 17th century, making it rich with the history of Amsterdam’s Golden Age. Today, it still serves as the site for royal weddings, galas, and other official events.

The Royal Palace in Stockholm

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En park på Hedvig Eleonoras tid var inte bara en park. Det var ett sätt att göra sin maktposition synlig. Den symmetriska, balanserade, formbundna och tuktade barockparken var en symbol för ordning, harmoni, kultur och fred. Alltså allt det som ett kungahus av Guds nåde skulle förkroppsliga. Magnus de la Gardie, Drottningholms tidigare ägare, hade aldrig gjort några riktiga försök att skapa en parkanläggning på Drottningholm, troligen för att förutsättningarna var så ogynnsamma. Men den 25-åriga Hedvig Eleonora, hon som landets styrande herrar så gärna vill utmanövrera, tar sig an utmaningen. . De kungliga slottsparkerna är inträdesfria och öppna för alla, dygnet runt, året runt. Texten ovan är från boken ’Kungliga parker’ som gör spännande nedslag i slottsparkernas historia. Boken finns i webbutiken ‪Kungligaslottsboden.se‬ . Nu söker vi säsongspersonal för skötsel och underhåll av de kungliga slottsparkerna: #hagaparken #ulriksdal #drottningholm #gripsholm #tullgarn #kungligadjurgården Sista ansökningsdag ‪28 februari‬, läs mer på ‪Kungligaslotten.se/jobb‬ . Vyn över barockparken på Drottningholm är tagen från ett fönster i Drottningholms slott och är en av de mest fotade vyerna av parken. Foto: Åke E:son Lindman. #slottspark #kungligaslott #historia #trädgård #park #ulriksdalsslott #drottningholmsslott #gripsholmsslott #tullgarnsslott #nationalstadsparken #världsarv

A post shared by Kungliga slotten (@kungligaslotten) on Feb 3, 2020 at 1:01am PST

Virtual tour: Royal Palace in Stockholm

You can also visit the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden—the 600-room palace where King Carl XVI Gustav resides. Aside from official banquets and receptions, the palace features three museums, the Royal Apartments (the state rooms where the king and queen hold their receptions), and the Royal Chapel. While these areas are currently closed to the public due to coronavirus, visiting online is a great way to get your fix of something regal while you’re practicing social distancing from the actual world.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

WPA Pool, Getty Images
WPA Pool, Getty Images

Virtual tour: The Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Queen’s official residence in Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, makes a perfectly lovely “day trip,” starting with the jaw-dropping views of the Grand Stair as you enter. First built as a monastery in 1128, it was given a modern revamp back in 1501 by James IV as a palace for his new wife, Margaret Tudor (aka Henry VIII’s sister).

Royal fans can visit the Morning Drawing Room and the Royal Dining Room for a little glimpse into Scotland’s rich history.

Buckingham Palace

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis join The Queen and Members of @TheRoyalFamily to watch the @RoyalAirForceUK @RAFRedArrows fly past over Buckingham Palace, following Trooping the Colour, The Queen’s Birthday Parade. Trooping the Colour has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for over 260 years. Over 1400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians come together each June in a great display of military precision, horsemanship and fanfare to mark The Queen's official birthday.📷PA @TheRoyalFamily #TroopingtheColour #BuckinghamPalace #QBP2019

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@kensingtonroyal) on Jun 8, 2019 at 7:07am PDT

Virtual tour: Buckingham Palace

And while we’re still in the UK, you’re obviously going to want to visit London’s Buckingham Palace, the site of so many of our favorite royal moments featuring Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their brood. It’s one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world.

The virtual tour takes you into three spots: the Throne Room, the Grand Staircase, and White Drawing Room, so you can only catch a glimpse of the grandeur. But with 775 rooms in Buckingham Palace—including 19 staterooms, 240 bedrooms, and 78 bathrooms—there’s plenty to put on your travel bucket list for the future.

Windsor Castle

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Happy one year anniversary to Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex! Today marks the one year anniversary of the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Their Royal Highnesses exchanged vows at St George’s Chapel within the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 19th, 2018. The selected song “This Little Light of Mine” was chosen by the couple for their recessional. We hope you enjoy reliving this moment, and seeing some behind the scenes photos from this special day. A message from The Duke & Duchess: Thank you for all of the love and support from so many of you around the world. Each of you made this day even more meaningful. Photo credit: Chris Allerton/Joe Short (B&W); PA (color) ©️SussexRoyal (B&W images and video)

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on May 19, 2019 at 12:53am PDT

Virtual tour: Windsor Castle

No royal tour would be complete without a trip to Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are currently self-isolating.

Windsor Castle is perhaps most recently known as the spot where Meghan Markle and Harry had their royal wedding reception. You can peek inside St. George’s Hall and pretend like you’re chatting with guests at the 2018 celebration—no formal wear or advance RSVP needed. You can live like a royal for just a few minutes, because we all need a bit of magic right now, right?

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, HelloGiggles is committed to providing accurate and helpful coverage to our readers. As such, some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, we encourage you to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments, and visit our coronavirus hub.