Armchair Travel with Live Webcams Around the World

With all of us stuck at home, I wanted to provide a way for you to travel virtually. When I am researching places, I often look at webcams of the area to get an idea of what it looks like. Many locations have multiple webcams as well. I have asked travel bloggers to share with us so we can do some armchair travel with live webcams around the world.

Keep in mind the webcams may go down from time to time for maintenance or lack of internet. They usually come back up quickly. Also, not all of them are live 24 hours a day because they don’t have adequate lighting at night.

Europe

Naxos, Greece Webcams

My favorite Greek island, Naxos, has several webcams around the main tourist areas. Naxos is one of the larger Cycladic Islands and has many beautiful beaches. The port is a lively area during the day and at night.  I have even called my family while standing in front of one, so they could go see me in real-time there, which I can’t wait to do again.

You can watch the ferries come and go. Some ferries are even running during the lockdown because the islands still get supplies this way. Check out the beach cam to see the waves and the sun.

Webcams of the Basque Surfing Spots from Ethno Travels

Did you know that the Basque Country is the birthplace of surf in Europe? It was introduced in Biarritz by two Californian guys, Dick Zanuck and Peter Viertel, in 1956.

Nowadays, from Anglet to Hendaye at the Spanish border, the Basque Country has several famous surf spots, giving us some of the greatest webcam views! You can find them on Quicksilver’s website here.

From North to South, you will find:
1. Anglet, with the view of Biarritz lighthouse.

2. Biarritz la grande plage. You will see the other side of the lighthouse. On the right, you can see a small part of l’Hôtel du Palais. This magnificent building, now one of the rare palace hotels in France, was built by Napoleon III as a summer residence for his wife, Eugenie de Montijo! When Napoleon arrived, Biarritz was only a tiny fisherman harbor. Thanks to his influence, most of the European Princes and Emperors of Europe built a summer residence here.

3. Biarritz la Côte des Basques. This is the place that was surfed for the first time in 1956! On the right, you can watch the Virgin’s Rock and Villa Belza, built as a Casino for Russians escaping the Revolution and now a residence for celebrities.

4. Saint Jean de Luz Sainte Barbe et grande plage will offer you some of the best views of the little town where King Louis XIV was married. You will see the seafront with its small houses, the Pyrenees mountains, the town of Ciboure where Maurice Ravel was born, Socoa Fortress, the dikes, and Sainte Barbe hill.

5. Parlementia Bidart center, Guéthary, is the favorite spot of the 1998 World Champion football player Bixente Lizarazu, who was born here.

6. Hendaye plage & Deux Jumeaux. The two rocks on the right are strangely called “deux jumeaux,” “two twins” in English. They are the departure point of one of the most scenic road here: the cliff road from Hendaye to Saint Jean de Luz.

Abbey Road from Where You’re Between

Throughout the 1960s, The Beatles regularly turned fairly mundane places into world-famous landmarks.

Two of the most famous examples are in the band’s home city of Liverpool. A garden called Strawberry Fields and a suburban street called Penny Lane were both used for song titles. The songs became two of their biggest hits, and both places still draw an army of tourists to this day.

In 1969, the Beatles needed a title for what would be their next album. They toyed with the idea of calling it, Everest. They even considered flying to the Himalayas for a photoshoot in front of the world’s tallest mountain.

Ultimately they decided to name the album after the street outside their recording studio. The album’s iconic cover shows all four Beatles walking across the zebra crossing on Abbey Road, in St John’s Wood in northwest London.

Just yards away from the front steps of EMI Studios in London – where The Beatles recorded almost all of their music – Abbey Road’s zebra crossing has been a mecca for the band’s fans ever since. For decades fans from all over the world have flocked to the world’s most famous zebra crossing.

A webcam faces the zebra crossing from outside Abbey Road Studios. The camera regularly captures Beatles’ fans posing as they attempt to recreate the album’s famous cover, often to the annoyance of waiting drivers.

Prague Old Town from Travel Geekery

This webcam of the Old Town Square in Prague streams from the Hotel U Prince. You can see the Old Town Tower with the Astronomical clock. If you look close enough, you’ll notice some movement of the clock on the hour. Normally, it’s a time when the whole area under the clock gets crowded with eager tourists. Nowadays, it’s eerily quiet.

The majestic church on the right side is the Church of Mother of God before Týn, or “Týn Church” for short. It’s hiding behind some architectural gems of houses. The one that looks like a small tower itself is the Stone Bell House, and you can find the Prague City Gallery inside.

Other than the occasional pedestrians strolling through, you can see pigeons reclaiming their territory on the roofs and the beautiful play of light and shadows.

St. Petersburg, Russia from Travel Cultura

Let’s have a look at Palace Square — the main square of St Petersburg, Russia.

The webcam is installed at the top of one of the buildings surrounding the square. Due to this location, we can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the city. Thus, we see the building of the Hermitage Museum. It’s also known as Winter Palace, former residence of Russian Emperors.

The museum is a must-see place in St Petersburg. I suppose that most tourists coming to the city visit the Hermitage.

Another camera shows the yard of the Hermitage Museum. What for?

The Hermitage is an extremely popular museum in St Petersburg. During the peak tourist season, lines on the entrance can be very long. And usually, the Hermitage Museum uses this webcam to show how long the lines are. Thus, we can check if it’s reasonable to go to the Hermitage Museum right now, or it’s better to postpone the visit.

Bansko, Bulgaria from A Social Nomad

The webcams in Bansko, Bulgaria, will show you to ski areas and the ski conditions, while its winter season, but also what the weather is like in the summer, which is an amazing time to visit Bansko! 

Bansko is Bulgaria’s largest ski resort, but it’s also an incredible town to explore the mountains of Bulgaria during all seasons. You’ll find great hiking, fabulous mountain biking, amazing fresh food, and amazing local life.  Here you’ll find the most amazing tomatoes, incredible cheese, and fresh river trout.  In the mountains, which you can access easily from Bansko, you can experience crowd-free hiking, hot springs, and great fresh air and a superb mountain experience.

While the Bansko webcams are a great way to see what’s happening on the mountain, what you’ll miss is the friendliness of the local welcome and the amazing taste of the local food.  So, when you can, come to visit, because you’ll always be welcome.

Stonehenge from Live in 10 Countries

If you’ve ever wanted to get a perfect view of Stonehenge, free from tourists, poor weather, barriers, or crowds, English Heritage’s fabulous skyscape webcam is the way to go. No entry fee either!

Don’t get me wrong, visiting the real thing is a great experience too – especially during the unmissable solstice celebrations, but sitting back in the comfort of your home and clicking a link is hard to beat!

Set in the heart of the stone circle, the camera shows you star alignments and astronomical information, perfect for anyone interested in the monument’s history and possible meaning to the people who built it. And you can cycle back though previous hours on the cam’s timeline to see the movement of the sun and the shifting views of the stones.

The Eiffel Tower from World in Paris

If you are missing the French capital and its main sights, you should know that there are many ways of visiting Paris without leaving home.

For example, you can watch the Eiffel Tower through its live webcam and see how it still lights up every evening from sunset to 1 am (2 am during the three months of summer). This webcam is facing the Eiffel Tower, so you get an amazing view of the Iron Lady, especially at night when it shines.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic sights in Paris, and one of the most popular spots for taking pictures. Therefore, this live webcam is very popular amongst professional photographers who tend to head to Trocadéro at sunrise to take pictures with fewer crowds. In order not to be disappointed, they can check live if the weather is good – not cloudy – from home before deciding to go or not to go.

Madiera from SolarPoweredBlonde 

Madeira really is a place where the weather changes from one second to the next. One minute you can be in boiling sun, the next minute you are engulfed in thick fog and clouds and cold! Therefore, the webcams on the island are crucial to planning your day. This is also because the weather can vary so much around the island.

One of the most useful webcams on the island is the webcam at Pico do Arieiro. This is the most incredible hike at the highest peak which is best done at sunrise. However, if you go at sunset then use this webcam to decide whether it is too foggy or whether it will be a good day to hike. On a foggy day you won’t see anything on the webcam and even more so in real life! On a good day, you will see rolling hills and incredible views, with clouds below. As you watch the sunrise here you are literally above the clouds and the sun will pop up over the clouds and you will never forget this moment!

North America

Hawaii from This Hawaii Life

Looking to get away for a brief moment and seeing what it’s like? How about a tropical getaway – Waikiki beach, to be exact, and this webcam shows you how beautiful it is on the beach day and night for you to just indulge in and enjoy like you were there. The webcam is taken from above at the Hilton Hawaiian village, looking down on Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background. It’s an iconic view of the beach, coastline, and view of the beach all the way to beautiful Diamond Head. When you are looking to pretend to get away and enjoy the nice sandy beach and people watching on Waikiki beach, take a moment and check out this magnificent view.

When you get a chance to visit Oahu and Honolulu, check out this post on the top things you can do in Honolulu and the surrounding area for images and inspiration to planning a visit to the islands.

San Diego from Coleman Concierge

San Diego Beaches are the epitome of California dreaming. Blue water, soft sand, and the perfect hybrid of hippy and Hispanic. I long for a beaches and brew tour of America’s Finest City, but for now, I’ll have to dream through the lens of a beach webcam.

All of these cameras remind me of when we lived on Pacific Beach. Surfing at Law Street, biking the boardwalk at Mission Beach, paddling on Mission Bay, or taking in the cool hippy vibe of Ocean Beach. If we felt like taking our bikes just a little further, we would visit the sea lions in La Jolla. If we ever took our car out, it was to watch surfing at Imperial Beach or the luxury yacht traffic cruise San Diego Harbor.

San Diego beaches always make me smile. They’re so alive with activity from surfing to smashball on the sand. You never knew what a trip to the beach would uncover. It was always a surprise and usually beautiful.

Times Square from Gourmand Trotter

Times Square in New York is one of the most crowded places in the United States and worldwide. It is usually full of people from early mornings to late at night. It is famous for its huge billboards and advertisements, as well as being a commercial intersection and entertainment center in New York City. It goes from West 42nd to West 47th Streets and has even been given the nickname “The Crossroads of the World.” More than 460,000 pedestrians walk through Times Square on a busy day, and with 50 million visitors annually, it’s very strange to watch live cams from Times Square at this moment.

A place that is usually full of crowds is now almost deserted with little to no people. It looks like something taken from a horror movie, but this is the reality now. There are lots of live cams from various angles at Times Square, and now is a great time to travel there virtually and experience it without the crowds.

One of the best live cams to see Times Square in real-time can be found here.

New York City Skyline

This my current webcam obsession. The photographer, Joseph DiGiovanna, bought an apartment in New Jersey to set up a 30 year timelapse of the New York City skyline! The camera is permanently set up in his living room. Every sunrise and sunset, he has been going live on Instagram as well. The project is called NYC TimeScape. The live webcam stream can be found here.

During the arrival of the USS Comfort Hospital Ship, he had several views happening all at once between Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube. Twitch is where the main live stream occurs, though. He has already been filming for almost five years. I recommend going and checking out his YouTube and Instagram for complications of the live feed.

Yellowstone National Park from Explore More Clean Less

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most popular parks in the United States, full of diverse geological features and lots of wildlife. Covering over 3400 square miles, Yellowstone is found in three different states: Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming! Old Faithful is one of the most famous landmarks in the park, erupting regularly multiple times throughout the day (typically between 45 minutes- 2 hours apart).

If you haven’t visited, you might not realize that Old Faithful is actually a part of a larger geyser basin with approximately 500 active geysers. You can observe Old Faithful and other nearby geysers without the acrid sulfur smell via their live-streaming web cam! When the park is open, they update the website with predicted eruption times but outside that season you just have to be patient and get lucky. Keep an eye out for buffalo and other wildlife who might wander through the geyser field! If you’re inspired to take a real trip in the future, read these tips for visiting Yellowstone before you start planning.

Asia

Shibuya Crossing from Wander-Lush

Shibuya Crossing, AKA ‘The Shibuya Scramble,’ is the world’s single busiest pedestrian crossing and a Tokyo icon. While there’s no substitute for being in the thick of the hustle and bustle, it’s almost as satisfying to watch the organized chaos from afar.

Eyes on Shibuya Crossing is one of the most hypnotizing and addictive live webcams anywhere in the world. The camera is perfectly positioned to capture the five pedestrian walkways that make up the crossroad outside Shibuya Station, a popular stop on the city metro line. You might recognize the view from a number of travel films set in Japan, including Lost in Translation.

The lights cycle through every two minutes, and a crowd of up to 2,500 people moves like a wave through the crossroads. Most people walk with Tokyo-like purpose; others float through the junction. You could say it’s the ultimate people-watching experience! It’s especially interesting to watch at this time because the crowds are noticeably sparse.

Japan’s Jigokudani Monkey Park from Webcam Traveler

As the publisher of a blog called Webcam Traveler, I have been researching webcams for a long time.  My all-time favorite webcam is the one I heard about first–the webcam focused on the snow monkeys (also known as the Japanese macaques) in Japan’s Jigokudani Monkey Park.

They are particularly fun to watch because they like hanging out in the area’s natural hot tubs.  There they sometimes loll, but mostly groom each other, continuously.  The adult monkeys have red faces and bottoms and can be ill-tempered.  I recently took my first trip to Japan and had the exciting pleasure of visiting them on their home turf.  In fact, my husband, who did not accompany me, was able to sync his iPhone with mine and actually tune in to the webcam at the time I was visiting and see me.  That was quite the thrill.

Africa

Kruger National Park from The Travelling Chili

Kruger National Park is the largest and the most visited safari park in South Africa. A very wide diversity of wildlife can be seen while visiting the park; however, the webcams in Kruger National Park are strategically located at various waterholes and provide an excellent remote view on wildlife coming for a drink to cool down or take a bath.

Both the live stream cams in Kruger National Park are located at waterholes in the central part of the park, in Satara and Orpen, where lots of large herds of animals as well as the big cats are plentiful.

With the open plains, the webcams can provide a great overview of the surrounding areas where animals are often waiting their turn to go for a drink safely.

Also, have a look at the still cam from the Punda Maria waterhole. This waterhole receives lots of wildlife, especially during the dry season, from July to December. This particular waterhole is known to receive large family groups of elephants with lots of babies.

Similar to a safari, try not to miss anything or any animals that might be sitting in between the foliage. You might see one of the rarer species.

So don’t miss out on the experience of a lifetime by viewing and observing animal behavior in their natural environment and creating your own National Geographic channel from the comfort of your own sofa.

Australia

Blue Mountains from Globe Blogging

Katoomba’s Scenic World is a prime Blue Mountains attraction, perched on the top of a cliff looking down on the Jamison Valley. It is home to a number of local attractions, including the Scenic Skyway, a cable car that travels across the valley at a height of 270metres. It arrives on the other side close to the world-famous Three Sisters.

It is here that a live webcam located on top of Scenic World’s main building points, on a clear day offering views across the valley and the Three Sisters basking in the sunlight on the left-hand side of the image. For travelers to the Blue Mountains, its also an excellent live check of the current weather conditions in Katoomba. I’ve used it to check whether it is snowing before I take the drive up the mountain to see.

Worldwide

Wildlife Webcams from FlipFlopGlobetrotters

Wildlife webcams are an awesome way to see more of the world from the comfort of your own home. And there are some fantastic wildlife cams to be found. It’s almost as good as going on a real safari! Used to the fast pace of tv shows and the continuous narration in documentaries, watching a wildlife cam may seem a bit boring at first. But, just like going on a real safari, the wait is part of the excitement. 

The quality of the cams isn’t always the best, but you can see the animals pretty well, and they include sound, which really adds to the experience. Some of the cams also film during the night.

The live cams of  Explore.org show over 100 different streams, so there’s plenty of choice. My favorites are the cams that show African wildlife. How cool to see the elephants bathe at the Tau Waterhole in the Madikwe Game Reserve on the border of South Africa and Botswana. And just this morning, I saw lions and hippos in Kenya and watched gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Kongo. All the cams offer information about their exact location and some details about what you might see.

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