In 1919, publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst hired San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to build his dream house overlooking Hearst's 250,000 acre ranch near San Simeon, California. Eventually, a mansion, three guest houses, gardens, and support buildings, would be built on what Hearst called La Cuesta Encantada, or The Enchanted Hill.
Construction continued on the estate until 1947. In 1957, the Hearst Corporation gave Hearst Castle to the State of California, and it is now a major tourist attraction along the Pacific Coast Highway. Its remote, but spectacular, location means that a full appreciation of Hearst Castle can take several days.
Tours of Hearst Castle
There are five separate tours available to take while visiting Hearst Castle. All are led by experienced guides, take about two hours, and begin with a five-mile bus ride from the Visitor's Center far below the Enchanted Hill.
The first tour is designed for first-time visitors. Called the Experience Tour, it takes visitors around the main outdoor features of the castle, such as the Neptune pool and tennis courts, before touring the interior of one guesthouse and the first floor of Casa Grande, the main mansion. A screening of a National Geographic-produced film, Hearst Castle: Building the Dream, is also included.
Tour two focuses on the second floor of Casa Grande, and includes William Randolph Hearst's private suite, the library, and the kitchen. Tour three completes Casa Grande with a look at the more modern, but unfinished, North Wing, in addition to another guest house.
Tour four looks at the gardens and grounds, as well as the largest of the three guest houses. The fifth tour, the Evening Tour, includes highlights from the other tours, as well as re-enactors in period costume to give visitors an idea of what evening parties were like at Hearst Castle. The Evening Tour is perhaps the most unique (like a similar tour of Alcatraz), but runs only in the spring and fall.
Where to Stay When Visiting Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is located about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, along the Pacific Coast Highway (California State Route 1). Since Hearst Castle was deliberately built to be isolated on a huge tract of open land, the closest public accommodations are some miles away.
An overnight stay around San Simeon is almost unavoidable for most tourists, especially those planning on afternoon and evening tours who are driving in from far away.
While there are no hotels near Hearst Castle, there are a number of motels just south of San Simeon, lining the highway. A few miles farther down the Pacific Coast Highway is the town of Cambria, which has more hotels, shops, and restaurants.
Those planning a trip to see Hearst Castle should therefore plan ahead, as rooms can be hard to come by during the high season. Tickets should also be purchased in advance, since space is limited and all tours are strictly scheduled.
Why Hearst Castle Is So Popular
Though it is out of the way and can get crowded, Hearst Castle is nevertheless a worthwhile tourist destination. In addition to the lavish architecture and spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and Pacific coast, much of Hearst's massive collection of art and antiquities is on display.
Moreover, Hearst Castle is part of American history, demonstrating the peak of power and wealth attained by the world's first media empire. The San Simeon estate was also the inspiration for Xanadu, the ostentatious home of Charles Foster Kane in the classic film Citizen Kane – though that is a fact conspicuously left out of tours of Hearst Castle.
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