Five the best online museums around the world to explore

Sarah Marshall seeks out five of the best online offerings to keep us in touch with our natural and cultural heritage

The British Museum website.

Best for... unearthing great facts

British Museum, London

Had you snuck into this grand dame museum at the beginning of lockdown, you’d probably still be making your way around displays. The sprawling mass of exotic finds and controversial treasures is impossible to absorb in one visit; there’s always something new to find. Spiral back to 2000 BC to find how the Babylonians in Iran analysed sheep liver in the same way we read tea leaves, and discover the African origins of Kozo, the double-headed dog.

Visit britishmuseum.withgoogle.com

Best for... opening your mind

Canadian Museum For Human Rights, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we can draw from this global pandemic is the value of kindness and respect shared between strangers. The need for greater equality is a battle that’s been fought throughout history with varying degrees of success. The world’s only museum dedicated to global human rights features stories, exhibits and tools to inspire and educate future activists. Download their app to tour two current exhibitions: Proclamation 1982 explains the background to a groundbreaking document which would grant every person in Canada stronger human rights, and Ododo Wa: Stories of Girls In War traces the harrowing ordeal of two young Ugandan girls kidnapped the by The Lord’s Resistance Army.

Visit humanrights.ca. App available at the AppStore or GooglePlay.

Best for... mixing art with architecture

The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York, USA

Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, New York’s premier arts institution, The Met, has published a series of 360- degree videos offering visitors unique views and access to areas they might otherwise miss (even if lockdown wasn’t in place).

Explore the neoclassical grandeur of The Great Hall, admire fragments of the Nubian Temple of Dendur set around a shimmering pool in The Sackler Wing, and discover The Met Cloisters, an enchanting branch of the museum located in northern Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River, with a focus on medieval European art.

Visit metmuseum.org

Best for... life lessons

Museum Of Broken Relationships, LA, US, and Zagreb, Croatia

Proof not all museums and galleries revolve around lofty, academic discourse and jaw-droppingly expensive exhibits, this ever-evolving, crowd-sourced collection features everyday items donated by members of the public. From the outset, the museum was built with a virtual space in mind; users can time-lock painful memories in a vault or share their own bust-up stories and images online.

Visit brokenships.com/explore

Best for... nerding out on nature

Natural History Museum, London, UK

Right now, it feels like humanity is at the centre of the universe; in reality, we’re dwarfed by the magnificence of our natural world. Nowhere is that story better told than the Natural History Museum, where inhabitants of land, sea, air – and even space – have starring roles.

Spanning 25.2 metres, the skeleton of Hope, the blue whale, wows visitors when they enter the grand Hintze Hall. Here an interactive online display shares several fascinating facts about the creature. Other areas can be explored through audio guides narrated by David Attenborough.

Visit nhm.ac.uk/visit/virtual-museum.html