From a private tour of the Louvre to gallery hopping on a private jet, these are the most exclusive art experiences in the world

Travel trend forecasters around the world are all in agreement: travel centred around art is poised to replace culinary journeys and tours as a leading luxury trend.

Museums, galleries and special exhibitions are attracting more travellers than ever. And while limited-edition art is old news, limited-edition art experiences are currently highly desired by art lovers around the world. These five-star hotels and luxury tour operators are offering their guests some incredible, once-in-a-lifetime art encounters.

See also: A Guide to Japan's Art Islands: Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima

The Silo, Cape Town, South Africa

Situated on Cape Town’s waterfront, The Silo Hotel is housed in a historic grain silo, soaring above Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA). Designed by acclaimed London design firm Heatherwick Studio, it is the world’s largest museum dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.

Nightly rates at The Silo include entrance to the museum, but we suggest taking things one step further with a private tour, from which you’ll get to enter the museum via a secret entrance on the hotel’s fourth floor. Shhh—you didn’t hear it from us.

The Louvre, Paris, France

The Louvre in Paris is famous for playing host to hordes of crowds swarming masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Luckily, luxury tour operator Scott Dunn knows the right strings to pull so you can have the museum all to yourself. Enjoy a private after-hours tour led by one of museum’s knowledgeable guides, in what is sure to be one of the most coveted experiences in the art world.

Mudec, Milan, Italy

Magna Pars is a boutique hotel tucked away in Milan’s Tortona district—an area which is refreshingly free of tourists—and walking distance from casual-chic restaurants, bars and cafés frequented by locals. It’s also just a skip away from Mudec, a museum dedicated to art and culture, where past exhibitions have featured the works of David LaChapelle, Marc Chagall, Liu Bolin and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Magna Pars has partnered with Mudec to offer guests an exclusive evening experience which includes dinner at the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, Da Noi In, with a themed menu inspired by the museum’s feature exhibition at the time. This is followed by a private visit to Mudec, where you’ll have the place all to yourself.

Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan

Closer to home, in Kyoto, Scott Dunn can also facilitate a night at the 120-year-old Kyoto National Museum, which is home to an incredible collection of pre-modern Japanese works.

Accompanied by a curator, guests can view the museum’s most important artworks, including several National Treasures—the most valuable of the country’s Tangible Cultural Properties—in total privacy. A private dinner can also be arranged in the museum’s new wing, which was designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, who redesigned MoMa in New York.

Various Galleries via Private Jet, USA

More than just a pioneer in the private jet industry, for 30 years TSC World Travel has helped curate epic, once-in-a-lifetime journeys for its clients—many of whom are art lovers and collectors.

A perfect example is its fully customisable US Art by Private Air package, which takes guests to six American cities over 12 days via private jet, during which they’ll stay at five-star hotels and encounter a series of immersive, exclusive art experiences, such as walking the empty halls of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in a private before-hours tour; viewing art not on public display in the most celebrated galleries in Marfa, the cool art town in Texas; and enjoying a cheese and wine picnic in a secluded area of the Kogod Courtyard outside the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. 

Villa Oasis, Marrakech, Morocco

Late designer Yves Saint Laurent’s love of the Moroccan city of Marrakech was no secret, but his former private residence in the city—Villa Oasis—remains one of the most elusive travel bucket list items.

The villa is nestled within Jardin Marjorelle, the tropical 97,000 sq ft garden once belonging to French painter Jacques Majorelle. In 1980, Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé acquired the garden to save it from property developers and bring it back to life. Following Saint Laurent’s death in 2008, Bergé donated Jardin Majorelle to the Fondation Pierre Bergé—Yves Saint Laurent.

Jardin Marjorelle’s history, rich with romance, draws more than 700,000 visitors annually—but only a lucky few get to see inside Villa Oasis’s striking blue walls. Such an exclusive privilege is offered to guests staying at the luxurious Royal Mansour, for whom private tours can be arranged with the director of the Majorelle Foundation. Bonus: Royal Mansour guests also enjoy complimentary tickets to the nearby Musée Yves Saint Laurent.

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