Virtual tour is a combination of panoramic photographs (spherical or cylindrical), where transitions from one panorama to another is done through active zones (they are called transition points), placed on images according to the tour scheme. It may be accompanied by various multimedia elements such as sound effects, music, narration, text, photographs, maps, video or flash movies, if necessary.

Virtual tours use interactive panoramas, enabling a viewer to see just that part of the image they are interested in at the moment, and turn around to view the rest of the image, look up and down, zoom in and out. Besides, a viewer can move between panoramas using transition points or the tour map. Ordinary photography is limited, preventing the viewer from controlling the process, that is why interactive virtual tours are great for marketing purposes.