Virtual reality provides different ways to connect and interact with the history and heritage of a destination, bringing new possibilities to cultural tourism experiences. This paper explores how virtual reality products affect the visitor experience in cultural tourism through a case study conducted at VR Tours Lisbon, a virtual reality flight over 12 cultural sites within the city area. The objective of the research was to examine how visit intention, perceived enjoyment/emotional involvement, content quality and education are perceived by visitors during the VR experience. These items were measured through a quantitative survey. The study found positive results for all measured items. All sites involved had an increased intention to visit, with the highest percentage for the sites with which the respondents had the least prior familiarity. Additionally, very good feedback was received on the experiential value of taking a VR tour before visiting a destination, perceived enjoyment, curiosity to learn new things and providing a good learning experience. The visitor experience in cultural tourism was found to be enhanced by motivation to learn more about the culture and history of the destination, introducing them to new sites, increased visit intention and evoking positive emotions. These results show that immersive technologies such as VR can be used in tourist attractions and destinations to enhance the tourist experience and to increase knowledge of and empathy with the local culture.