Between work commitments, starting a new business and not wanting to leave the dog, I don’t get a chance to travel as much as I’d like. Traveling is expensive. Or rather, it can be. Plus it’s exhausting. Half the time by the time you get where you’re going, you don’t want to do anything. That’s where webcams come in. It sounds silly, and admittedly it kind of is, but it’s my “secret” tip for those looking to travel. No, really!
There’s a cam in existence for nearly any city or place you can think of. Find a webcam for your next travel location ahead of time and scope it out. It’s like Google Street View but the photos are more accurate and half of the image isn’t blurred out.
Here are a few webcams that I like to virtually travel with.
Munich webcams
While the city’s official website offers a couple nice cams, my favorite is from department store Ludwig Beck. From their prominent spot on Marienplatz, the Ludwig Beck webcam offers a clearer, closer view than the others. I really like this webcam: I’ve watched fireworks on New Year’s Eve and I’ve watched the people of Munich celebrate FC Bayern after their Champions League and Bundesliga wins last season. Don’t forget the Wies’n cams during Oktoberfest and the zoo cams, too!
Mindelheim webcams
When we visited Munich, we took a day trip to the Bodensee. Halfway there, we realized we’d gotten on the wrong train. Before we ended up in God knows where, we hopped off the train. We were in Mindelheim. While we never got a chance to check out their Marienplatz, I love checking it out from the main square of this small town via webcam.
Salzburg webcams
Salzburg is prettier than a picture. It really is. And you can enjoy the classic beauty with 360-degree cams at Schloss Mirabell and Stieglgründe. Feel free to hum The Sound of Music score while watching.
Berchtesgadener Land webcams
When I showed the webcam to a friend, he refused to believe it was real. It just looked so idealistic. The district of Berchtesgadener Land offers a number of cams. Some are fun, like a cam for a bobsled facility, while others are just breathtaking, like the number of webcams pointed out across the mountains (take this one or this one).
Paris webcams
Enjoy a wonderful view of the world famous Eiffel Tower.