A haven of high-end allure and exclusivity befitting the world’s one per cent, Beverly Hills is one of those stunningly aspirational places that has managed to uphold a nearly peerless global reputation for being the very best. It’s not just a rich city, it’s the rich city, known all around the world for being both excessively wealthy and still supremely classy.

Much of the credit comes down to its high-profile residents: Since incorporating in 1914, the tiny 14.8-square-kilometre metropolis in California’s Los Angeles County has been a hotspot for the rich and renowned elite, first classic Hollywood legends like Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and more recently, the beloved national treasures from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Since the first episode aired in 2010, Beverly Hills has been the show’s most consistent, unflagging star. B-roll footage shows a sparkling city of spotless, safe streets (there’s a private police force to thank for that); couture shopping (see: Rodeo Drive within the so-called Golden Triangle); and teetering palm trees, a swish symbol of the destination that dates back to the 1920s and 1930s when first widely introduced to the area.

As with the other Housewives franchises, the ladies of Beverly Hills are true to their destination, epitomising a star-studded, only-in-Beverly Hills experience with celebrity friends (or celeb clout of their own) and truly head-spinning wealth, which collectively surpasses any other cast. In the words of one-time housewife Lisa Rinna: “She’s rich, honey!”

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Nowhere is this more apparent than in the casts’ super-sized, super-prime real estate – another true signature of Beverly Hills. “Here, your house is like your business card,” says local tour guide Adam Papagan, who has his own Beverly Hills Housewives tour on Tripadvisor, which he gives about once a week. While most of the cast’s homes sit outside of Beverly Hills proper, housewife houses make up a large part of his tour and include Kathy’s massive stone mansion in the hilly residential neighbourhood of Bel Air (“It’s also Paris Hilton’s childhood home,” adds Adam helpfully); Sutton’s hedge-hidden abode on the terribly busy North Beverly Glen Boulevard; and Rinna’s long-time Beverly Crest home, just off Mulholland Drive, which she shares with husband Harry Hamilton, of Harry’s Famous Sauce fame (oh, and he’s an actor too). You won’t get a good view of the house, but you will have a full view of her garage, which is famously and fabulously filled with her archivable couture.

The house was also featured in one poignant scene where we see the couple doing a fire preparation run. “It’s very realistic to the destination,” says Adam. “As we’ve all seen with the recent LA fires. It’s something that people who live here have to worry about.”

Another destination-specific activity for the Beverly Hills Housewives is hiking. Adam has spied Rinna hiking before, and places like Franklin Canyon and Runyon Canyon also appear as backdrops to the show. And we can’t talk about LA without mentioning driving. Although Beverly Hills might be small, LA County is not and it infamously requires a car, though there is public transport (not like a Housewife would be caught dead on the bus though). The ladies are constantly seen driving, and a whole showroom of supercars have been featured including a Rose Gold Bentley Continental given to Dorit for her fortieth and a Cayenne Coupé Porsche gifted to Kyle Richards’ daughter Portia. If you want to travel in a similar style, pick up a wife-worthy whip at Beverly Hills Car Rental, which has Lamborghini Huracáns (à la Erika Jane’s) or a very-Vanderpump Rolls Royce Ghost.

Many of the Housewives’ favourite restaurants are stationed in Beverly Hills. Throughout the series, they can be seen eating out at celeb-friendly places like Il Pastaio and Porta Via. Regretfully, Caviar Kaspia Los Angeles –site of this season’s Caftans and Caviar party – is closed; however, if you’re in the mood to show off the size of your wallet you could try the new seafood hotspot Marea, or better still, take yourself on a caviar and bubbles trail, mapped out by the city’s tourism board to help you live out your own caviar wishes and champagne dreams.

Unfortunately, British restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump’s Villa Blanca (“where you take your wife,” as per LVP) closed during the pandemic, but in its place is the table-slapping-good Barcari, with unmissable small dishes like blistered-crust pizza topped with brie and pear and Mexican street corn. You can still visit Vanderpump’s other hotspot SUR (“where you take your mistress”), but you’ll have to venture to nearby West Hollywood for that. The hotspot is currently staffed with the new cast of Housewives spin-off show, Vanderpump Rules.

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While you’re in West Hollywood (which Adam calls “Vanderpump Land,” as TomTom and Something About Her are stationed around the corner from SUR), you’ll also find The Sutton Concept, Sutton’s clothing store – or you can at least see the ivy-clad building that appeared on the show, with a big empty gap where the sign should be. “I’m fairly sure it was a fake business for the show,” says Adam, though he did attend an event there once. (“It was 11am on a Friday, and they were serving Diet Coke and champagne – those were your only two choices.”) The businesses are undeniably a big part of the show, but after running around Beverly Hills for a few days, it becomes easy to see which are more prominent than others. For example, you can swing by Mauricio Umansky’s The Agency Beverly Hills (and you’ll see his name on real estate signs all over Los Angeles), but brands like Vanderpump Rosé and Harry’s Famous Sauce are more elusive. Surely, they’d be big hits at the egregiously expensive grocer, Erewhon Beverly Hills.

For those who want to dress like a Housewife (and don’t want to wait for Sutton), there’s always the impeccable, palm-lined Rodeo Drive. If you’d rather window shop, go on a food-focused Rodeo Drive tour with local guide Brian Rodda of LA Food Tours. And we mustn’t forget the diamonds. Drip yourself with a cool few million worth of gems at the penthouse showroom of Martin Katz, couture jeweller to both the stars and the Housewives. You can see him in Season 13 when Sutton stops by to pick up a bauble ($68,000 diamond and sapphire earrings). “Sutton is a long-time friend,” says Katz, “I’ve known all the housewives personally from Yolanda Hadid and her girls [Gigi and Bella] to Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton.”

There are no shortage of hotels in Beverly Hills, but one of the most iconic is The Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, sitting conspicuously at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive and distinguished by its bubble awnings adorned in stripes. “It has that real Hollywood history,” says Adam. “As well as Housewives history now.”

The historic property opened in 1928 and acted as the one-time home of Hollywood royalty like Elvis Presley and Warren Beatty. However, the 395-room grand dame is perhaps most famous for being featured in one of the most iconic rom-coms of all time, 1990’s Pretty Woman. Fans can still book a Pretty Woman for a Day package, which includes a luxury shopping experience on Rodeo Drive, a private stylist, and a stay in the Presidential Suite – in case you fancy your own modern-day Cinderella moment.

This is exactly what PK was after in Season 13 when he used the hotel as the backdrop for an anniversary surprise for Dorit. The surprise included breakfast in one of The Beverly Wilshire’s lavish suites; a selection of Julia-Roberts-ready red gowns; and a $5,000,000 diamond necklace on loan. It’s a shame it couldn’t save their marriage, but at least Dorit got some fab photos for social media.

Even if you’re not staying, it’s worth stopping by the hotel’s bar, The Blvd for a table on the patio overlooking Rodeo Drive. There’s a ‘Feeling Pretty’ cocktail on offer, inspired by Pretty Woman and made with vodka plus peach and raspberry liqueur and topped with champagne and a rose petal. There’s no Dorit cocktail on the menu, but feel free to order a Belvedere and soda with three lemons and “carcass out”.

If you really want to go crazy, Housewives style, stay the night at the three-bedroom Penthouse Suite. Spanning 465 square metres, it’s one of the largest suites in Beverly Hills, complete with wraparound terraces and 270-degree views over Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Hills, Century City, and Downtown LA. Plus, there is a private media room, which is just perfect for Housewives screenings, of course.

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