IF you can't travel the world, then let the world come to you - no passport or visa needed.
Austria Tourism has exercised its creativity by curating a collection of virtual journeys to help bring a piece of Austria to homes across Australia.
On its website, www.austria.info/en, they have added a portal for exciting virtual experiences.
Watch a streaming of a Vienna State Opera performance or dip your toes into Lake Worthersee with an interactive panorama.
From the comfort of your living room you can browse the Albertina, the world's largest collection of graphic art, or the Belvedere galleries, particularly famous for the work of Gustav Klimt.
Here are just some of the options open to you.
1. Feel like an empress or emperor and stroll through splendid state apartments with the virtual tour through Schonbrunn Palace. The journey begins in the imperial family dining room of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Sisi, and continues to the breakfast chamber before taking you to the Yellow Salon - furnished in neo-Rococo style - and on to the magnificent Mirrors Room. Walk the Royal Halls
2. Take a drive along Austria's 48-kilometre Grossglockner High Alpine Road which links the provinces of Salzburg and Carinthia. Whether you start from the Salzburg side or from Carinthia's Mlltal, you will pass by Alpine meadows, mountain forests, massive rock formations, and finally the Pasterze glacier before summiting the Groglockner, the country's highest mountain at 3,798 metres. See Austria's highest mountain live
3. What better reason is there in times like these to enjoy some of the most beautiful melodies ever composed. The Vienna State Opera streams the very best of classical music via the internet: you can watch opera and ballet performances on your computer, mobile devices, and via apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Samsung SmartTV. You can also take a look behind the scene with this virtual panorama. Listen in
4. Take a tour of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Fine Arts) through the golden ages of art and marvel at works by great masters such as Rubens, Titian, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Velazquez - plus the largest Bruegel collection in the world Stroll through the museum with this 360-degree video: Take an Art-Filled Stroll
5. Want to watch a baby polar bear enjoy her lunch? Play with giraffes at eye level? The Schnbrunn Zoo's extensive video collection allows you to experience its animals at close range.
6. Step inside the Mozart Residence. One of Austria's most famous sons, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived in this Salzburg residence from 1773 to 1787. Here, the Mozart family composed music and planned their extensive concert tours that took them all over Europe and as far as London. Currently, a virtual tour takes you through a special exhibition devoted to Wolfgang Amadeus' father, Leopold Mozart, whilst also giving an authentic impression of the family's day to day life within these walls. Walk through Mozart's home
7. The deep blue Worthersee lake in Carinthia lies at your feet. Would you like to leap into its crystal-clear waters or go out for a sailboat ride? While right now, you can't enjoy an iced coffee on the promenade or climb the Pyramidenkogel (the world's highest wooden observation tower), you can embark on a virtual voyage of discovery to the island of Maria Worth or to Klagenfurt. Take a virtual dip in the lake
8. Head up to Schafberg mountain and enjoy the views of Austria's Lake Region. The Schafbergbahn, Austria's steepest cog railway, features both modern and vintage locomotives taking visitors up to Schafberg mountain and back down, making the journey an unforgettable experience. This rail line has been transporting passengers from St. Wolfgang up to the 1,783-metre-high Schafberg since 1893. Watch in 360 degrees
ON the other side of the world Washington, DC is also inspiring travellers with a virtual holiday in the nation's capital.
You can be transported to Washington, DC neighbourhood hot spots, awe-inspiring musuems, and world famous landmarks for 360 degree virtual tours. Experience what it's like to step foot inside the majestic Lincoln Memorial, walk through bustling Union Market or visit a free Smithsonian Institute museum. All 360-degree videos are best viewed through phone YouTube Apps, and can also be viewed from the YouTube playlist on the @washingtondc channel.
The city is also sharing popular tourism attractions that may be missed amid COVID-19 travel restrictions, introducing the first ever cherry blossom #BloomCam, showcasing the cherry trees surrounding Tidal Basin, as they hit peak bloom. The new #BloomCam, donated by EarthCam changes views approximately every five minutes and is best visible during daylight hours in Washington, DC requiring early morning viewing in Australia.
A virtual vacation to Washington, DC is also extended to 20+ films and TV shows featuring iconic landmarks throughout the city as further planning inspiration. See inside the Smithsonian Institute Museums including the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of History featured in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Take in the iconic memorials with Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier featuring the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and Theodore Rosevelt Island.
