Philippine Museums You Can Tour Virtually Anytime, Anywhere

Get your culture fix and geek on while you’re social distancing at home with these mobile apps.

In recent years, museums have turned to digitization as a tool for widening the public’s access to their collections. In addition to that, some museums have curated archives dedicated to specific topics: from archeological artifacts, historical data, to contemporary arts. Some also have interactive content, which also gives fun and higher-tech experiences to users. And this technology can provide some respite from travel woes.

Here are a few apps you can download for a virtual tour inside Philippine museums anytime, anywhere.

Google Arts & Culture App

Think of this app as the Google Maps of museums and galleries. It has digital archives of artworks, artifacts, and cultural treasures across the globe. And for the Philippines, they created a virtual experience for The Presidential Museum and Library in the Malacañang Palace, City of Manila.

The Presidential Museum and Library

Here you can have a 360 virtual-walk-through of the museum’s two floors. Explore the architecturally significant rooms of Kalayaan Hall. Read about the history of the Palace, and curated exhibits such as furniture, artwork, memorabilia, and items from the collections of the Palace as well as private institutions and individuals.

Bonus: In the same app you can also check out the Filipinas Heritage Library and Center for Art, New Ventures & Sustainable Development (CANVAS).

Available on both IOS App Store and Google Play.

Ayala Museum App

This contemporary museum houses collections that are notable in the Philippines’ inspiring history made available via their app. Browse photos in the app with corresponding audio narration. The first collection is The Philippine Diorama Experience. It’s a visual narration of the milestones of Philippine history through 60 handcrafted dioramas. Then to the collection of archeological artifacts, the Gold of Ancestors: Pre-Colonial Treasures in the Philippines. It serves as a testament to the Filipinos’ rich ancestry and inherent craftsmanship. The museum app also features 9th- to 16th-century Asian trade ceramics in the exhibition A Millennium of Contact. Plus the Art and the Order of Nature in Indigenous Philippine Textiles, a unique showcase of indigenous Philippine textiles donated by Mercedes Zobel.

Available on both IOS App Store and Google Play.

Chinatown Museum App

Step virtually inside the oldest Chinatown in the whole world, the Binondo Chinatown Museum app. Get a glimpse of visual stories that have shaped the cultural, social, and economic threads that formed Binondo, as we know of it today. Though, its interactive features would only be activated in the museum premises, in-app trivia is worth checking out.

Available on both IOS App Store and Google Play.

The Mind Museum App

The first world-class home for science in the Philippines is also available at your fingertips. Get your geek on with extraordinary educational experience with over 250 interactive exhibits. And the coolest part is their D-I-Y experiments in-app that let you bond with your little Einstein.

Available on both IOS App Store and Google Play.

Cover photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels