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Over four seasons of Succession, we have watched, with delicious schadenfreude, as the Roys schemed, bitched, betrayed, whined, mumbled, and bumbled ad nauseum, oftentimes while swaddled in some rich and rarefied (albeit vacuous) cocoon of their billionaires’ existence. They have been sequestered from the masses in shiny glass castles in the sky; in the mahogany-trimmed sun-dappled glow of daddy’s PJ (with perfect cell reception!); in middle-of-nowhere Icelandic spas; in lavish Tuscan villas and textured English manors.
If there was anything to envy about these sad sacks—aside from the Loro Piana baseball caps and all their sartorial stealth wealth accoutrements—it’s the casual indifference with which they traversed the globe and inhabited its most beautiful corners. Money may not buy happiness, but it sure can put the world at your fingertips.
Kendall (Jeremy Strong) in vaca mode.
These four-ish years have also been fun for us, especially from the wanderlust-inspiring angle. The Roys may have been too absorbed in their petulant greed and manipulations to ever enjoy the view, but the rest of us certainly can. As we bid adieu to TV’s most entertainingly wicked clan, we also give a little thanks for the travel tips. Your Succession Grand Tour starts here.
Season 1
Santa Fe
There was no such thing as a “holiday” in the Roys’ universe. Every trip had a business purpose and “family bonding time” only happened with reporters—and the Waystar comms team—around to spin it favorably for the press. Such was the case when Logan and co. descended on Connor’s New Mexico ranch for a weekend of family therapy (episode 7, “Austerlitz”).
Rancho Alegre, a 175-acre property outside of Santa Fe, stood in for Connor’s pad. Designed by William F. Tull, who was famous for his Southwestern Pueblo-inspired work, the ranch is owned by Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz, who rents it out for multigenerational celebrations and holidays. There are 11 bedrooms, spread out between an 11,000-square-foot main residence, a ranch house, and a plaza with its own roof deck, chapel, recording studio, and rose garden.
Bishop’s Lodge.
If, unlike the Roys, you don’t regularly travel with a 20-person entourage, stay at the Bishop’s Lodge, an Auberge Resort situated closer to town. The restored 150-year-old landmark makes for a luxe home base for exploring the unique city, whether it’s gallery hopping on Canyon Road, tracing Georgia O’Keeffe’s footsteps at her home and studio in Abiquiu, or enjoying a night at the alfresco Santa Fe Opera.
The Cotswolds
The Roys convened in the English countryside for the last two episodes of the season for Shiv and Tom’s wedding, which took place at the ancestral estate of her mother, Lady Caroline Collingwood. The real-life Eastnor Castle, where it was all filmed, is located in Herefordshire, in charming Cotswolds.
Shiv (Sarah Snook) in England.
The sumptuous pile has belonged to the same family since the 19th century. As with many of England’s impossibly large aristocratic properties, the present owners open up parts of their manse and the grounds to film and TV shoots, events, weddings, daytime visitors, and overnight guests. To stay at the castle, there are 12 bedrooms available for a full buy-out—so you can really dig into the lord-of-the-manor vibe—each layered with period details and furnishings.
Can you guess which Succession scene was filmed here?
Season 2
Iceland
Season 2 opened with Kendall soaking in a tub in an Icelandic spa. The scene was filmed in a private residence (the same one that was featured in an episode of Black Mirror) but Logan’s number one boy might have felt just as home at Deplar Farm. Located on a converted sheep farm in the Fljót Valley of the Northern Troll Peninsula, this 13-room, 28,000-square-foot property is about as remote as you can get in a country already known for its middle-of-nowhere backdrops.
Deplar Farm has two helipads. What could be more Succession than that?
If you’re looking to dry out à la Kendall, this is the place to do it. Nearly half of the square footage is dedicated to a state-of-the-art spa, which has Isopod flotation tanks, geothermal indoor and outdoor pools, a yoga studio, and an alfresco Viking sauna. Adrenaline junkies can also get their fix: the list of activities includes surfing, fat biking, whale watching, hiking, trout fishing, clay shooting, snowmobiling, and heli-skiing.
How to detox like a Roy.
The Adirondacks
The Adirondacks have old money roots that go back to the Gilded Age, when Carnegies, Morgans, Astors, and Vanderbilts built extravagant timbered summer retreats (known as Great Camps) along the sprawling region’s lakeshores. So it made sense for the modern robber barons of Succession to converge on the Adirondacks in episode 6 for Argestes, their billionaires’ media retreat, where they could network with Middle Eastern aristos and pick at $75 Cobb salads. In reality, Lake Placid’s Whiteface Lodge, where it was filmed, is a much more accessible—and family-friendly—resort with plenty to do, from hiking and biking, to whitewater rafting and fishing, to boating and golf.
The Roys, though, never being ones for sharing their spaces, might have been more comfortable renting out the 11 rooms at The Point. Its ultra-luxe, all-inclusive experience—think five-course dinners every night, black-tie evenings twice a week, caviar tastings—is certainly a one percenters’ draw, as is its history: the idyllic retreat used to be an Adirondack Great Camp, and it’s the only one that is open to the public. Its former owners? The Rockefellers.
The Point.
London
Naturally the Roys had their own lavish townhouse in London, used briefly to settle their various UK-based affairs, of both the business and extramarital variety (remember Rhea Jarrell?). The English capital, so flush with old money and nouveaux riches, has no shortage of fabulous hotels worthy of the Roys. But to replicate that home-away-from-home vibe, consider 11 Cadogan Gardens, the city’s only Relais & Châteaux, which has 62 keys (six of which are apartments that each take up a floor of a Victorian townhouse), is in chic Chelsea, and grants you access to the private Cadogan Gardens.
Scotland
Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Shiv (Snook) in front of the V&A Museum in Dundee.
In episode 8, Logan reluctantly returned to his hometown of Dundee for a gala celebrating his 50th anniversary at Waystar. The party took place at the V&A Dundee, sister museum of the London flagship. As for where the entire entourage stayed? The Benz motorcade dropped them off at Gleneagles, less than an hour away. The stately century-old property has all the grand and richly draped trappings to befit a Roy, and, for the rest of us, makes for a quintessential Scottish countryside holiday of falconry, horseback riding, off-road driving in a vintage Land Rover Defender, and game shooting.
Gleneagles, the Roys’scottish palace.
Croatia
The Roys brought their drama to the high seas for the finale of Succession‘s sophomore season, cruising around the Adriatic Sea off the coast of Croatia in dad’s opulent superyacht, or, as Connor called it, “Our city on the water. It’s like Venice, but it smells nice.” The boat, a 279-foot vessel known as the Solandge, is available to charter for a million and change per week. What does that get you? Murano glasswork, 49 types of marble, more than 30 varieties of wood, six decks, a large pool, an indoor movie theater, an elevator, and a fully-stocked wine cellar.
The Roys at sea.
Prefer dry land? Croatia’s picturesque Dalmatian Coast has no shortage of ancient towns and postcard-perfect islands. On tiny car-free Lopud (population: 278), right off the coast of Dubrovnik, a member of the aristocratic Thyssen-Bornemisza dynasty spent two decades restoring a 15th-century Franciscan monastery and transforming it into Lopud 1483. The 13 original cells are now 5 suites decorated with a mix of furniture from the family collection, plus modern Italian pieces and contemporary art. Fabulous views—with cocktails in hand—can be enjoyed on the sunset terrace on top of the fortress, while meditation and contemplation can be found in the sacred garden. It all makes for a very zen, very un-Roy-like experience.
Season 3
Tuscany
Lady Caroline Collingwood’s wedding to a British status-digger named Peter had the Roys traveling to Italy and taking over a number of gorgeous villas for the last two episodes of season 3. The nuptials took place at Villa Cetinale, a 17th-century Baroque property near Siena that was originally built for Pope Alexander II. The estate, which is available for private rentals, has 13 bedrooms, a pool and tennis court, and an exquisite garden that was profiled by Edith Wharton for her tome, Italian Villas & Their Gardens.
La Foce’s stunning Tuscan views.
La famiglia Roy, meanwhile, spread out at La Foce in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Val d’Orcia. The main villa dates back to the 15th century and has 12 bedrooms, plus a swimming pool and manicured gardens. There are five other smaller villas on the estate that are also available to book, each with its own dedicated pool and garden. As for La Foce’s location, famous medieval towns like Pienza (the Roy siblings lunched at La Terrazza del Chiostro), Montepulciano, Bagno Vignoni (where Shiv and Tom ate at La Terrazza before taking a stroll around the old baths), and Cortona (site of Lady Caroline’s hen party) are an easy drive away.
Logan (Brian Cox) on grandfather duty by La Foce’s pool.
Lake Como
Lukas Matsson may have been bored of his luxurious Lake Como villa but surely you won’t be. Villa la Cassinella boasts panoramic views, manicured gardens, an infinity pool, a movie theater, and room for 17. It’s also the ne plus ultra of privacy: it can only be accessed via boat. And while having your own villa is certainly the OG way of doing Lake Como, the region also brims with gorgeous grande dame hotels (see: Villa d’Este, reigning queen since 1873, and the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, an Art Nouveau dream now in its 114th season).
Villa d’Este, a Lake Como classic.
Season 4
Montecito
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s $30 million compound stood in for Nan Pierce’s estate in the fourth season premiere. If you aren’t a tech bro, media titan, Oprah, or the Sussexes, and don’t have your own Montecito manse, you’ll get the VVIP treatment at San Ysidro Ranch, a floral paradise bursting with roses, lavender, wisteria, lemon trees, and orange blossom. The 38 cottages have serious A-list cred too: Jackie and JFK honeymooned in one, Churchill wrote in another. Masters of the universe will really appreciate the sense of privacy, not to mention the 13,000-bottle wine cellar that contains every vintage of Petrus since 1945.
San Ysidro Ranch.
Norway
While in Norway at the behest of Lukas, the Roy siblings’ emotional state seemed to be in direct proportion to the beauty of their environs: the more miserable they became, the better the view.
When the CE-Bros flew too close to the sun.
First they checked into the Juvet Landscape Hotel, a modern architectural gem nestled deep in the forests of Valldal (it was also in Ex Machina). The 7 Landscape rooms are standalone, private, and have floor-to-ceiling glass walls for total nature immersion. There are also two Bird Houses built like mini Norwegian log homes, a spacious two-bedroom Writer’s Lodge (which was where Lukas stayed), and hotel amenities like a bath house with a glass wall that looks out onto river, mountain, and forest.
Other highlights on their itinerary (and yours): scenic hikes at Gudbrandsjuvet, scenic drives on Atlantic Ocean Road and the hairpin Trollstigen, a scenic ride in the Romsdals Gondola to the top of Nesaksla mountain, dining with panoramic mountain views at Eggen Restaurant, you get the idea.
Editor
Leena Kim is an editor at Town & Country, where she covers travel, jewelry, education, weddings, and culture.
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