Most of us are probably not fortunate enough to be able to jet around the world to visit ancient Greek temples and famous art galleries, but thanks to Google Cardboard, you can now tour some of the world’s most iconic landmarks without fighting the crowds. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your couch.

Available for iOS and Android, Google Arts & Culture is an educational app that launched last year, offering thousands of photo galleries, articles, and virtual exhibits that range from pre-history to modern art. There are static images of cultural artifacts and famous historical figures, as well as a number of 360 photos of important locations. A new update to the app has made it easier to use on mobile while also adding virtual reality features that users can experience through Google Cardboard.

While the app gives a decent feel for what it is like to stand in front of historic buildings and artwork, the VR feature is not particularly interactive. Rather than being able to navigate the museums in a fully virtual space, users are instead only able to transition from one photosphere to another in a linear path. The 360 degree images are certainly stunning to look at, but the VR component adds little to the experience.

The app’s interface is also not particularly intuitive even with the new update, and it can be difficult to navigate the sheer number of images and locations available. For example, the city of Paris alone has nearly 14,000 items to view. New York City has over 50,000.

Of course, the app is entirely free, and Google Cardboard is probably the cheapest VR platform around, which makes Google Arts & Culture one of the most accessible educational VR tools. Hopefully Google will be able to improve the app’s usability and add deeper functionality that will take its VR component beyond stationary images.

You can watch a brief promo video for Google Arts & Culture below:

Screenshot by Eric David | SiliconANGLE