The Good Life.(London)(wine auctions)(Boston sights to see)

Byline: Sana Butler, Susan H. Greenberg, Jenny Hontz, Megan Cokely, Ginanne Brownell

Travel: Private Collections

By Sana Butler

Next time you're in London, don't fret if you're too busy with meetings to visit the Churchill Museum. Just book a tour with the curator before opening hours. You'll see the Cabinet War Rooms, which look exactly as they did when Sir Winston and his advisers met beneath a hail of German bombs. And without the crowds you'll be able to see every map, chart and bowler hat (free with a stay at the Draycott Hotel, from $545; draycotthotel.com ).

A growing number of topflight hotels can arrange private tours of some of the world's most spectacular galleries, museums and historical sites. You can even spend an evening with King Tut; Cairo's Mena House Oberoi can schedule after-hours visits to the Egyptian Museum. The hotel has also been able to arrange private access to the pyramids of Giza, directly behind the property (oberoihotels.com ).

Location is everything. Dublin's Merrion Hotel can arrange private gatherings in the National Gallery of Ireland, right across the street. Picture your guests sipping wine amid masterpieces by Goya and Picasso. The hotel itself has the largest private art collection in the country, including works by poet W.B. Yeats's brother, Jack (lhw.com/merrion ). The Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin recently got its guests into a new exhibit at the nearby Nationalgalerie--with the curator as guide--an hour before everyone else. The hotel offers several VIP art packages with a two-night stay (from $565; hotel-adlon.de ).

Melbourne's Lyall Hotel has an agreement with Sotheby's that allows guests special previews of upcoming auctions. Sotheby's Australia holds 10 annually--including one Nov. 22, so call now (thelyall.com ). You might even come home with a great souvenir.