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View Hearst Castle Pictures and get information about planning a fun visit to this popular Central California attraction! Updated 6/24/08. Related info--- HOME :: Latest News :: Northern California Coast Road Trip :: San Francisco attractions :: San Francisco Area Outlet Malls :: Monterey Bay Area Outlets :: No. California Outlet Mall Index :: Central California Coast Road Trip :: Big Sur Camping :: Hearst Castle :: Hearst Castle Pictures and InformationInclude this popular San Simeon, CA attraction on your Central California Coast road trip!In the slide show above, you're viewing pictures of Hearst Castle, a popular Central California tourist attraction near the tiny seaside town of San Simeon. As the photos pass, you'll see pictures of Hearst Castle's beautiful exterior architecture, graceful towers, statuary and swimming pool; photos of Heart Castle's interior, including several bedrooms, artwork, and lavish decor; and images of the Hearst Castle visitor's center, as well. On this page, you'll also get the practical details you need for planning a successful outing to Hearst Castle, one of the most popular parks in the California State Park system. Hearst Castle overview
Hearst Castle was the home of the late William Randolph Hearst, a wealthy newspaper publisher. It is now included in the California State Park system and is open for public tours.William Randolph Hearst began a building project which never ended. The several buildings you may visit at this Central California hilltop hideaway include the Main House, as well as several visitor's cottages. Gardens, terraces and swimming pools are among the ground's many features (which are also open for public touring, as well.) As you can tell from the slide show pictures of Hearst Castle above, not only is the architecture distinctive, but Hearst Castle is located in an area of great natural beauty, as well. The pictures on this page were taken in February, when the natural grass of the Central California hillsides is at its greenest. Not only are the castle's mountainside vistas lovely, but the home has a sweeping panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean, as well. Hearst Castle is so large, and there are so many details to discuss, that you can't see it all in one tour! There are 4 separate tours of Hearst Castle which you may take; and you'll need to take all four of them to see everything! In addition, there are evening and Christmas tours for Hearst Castle which are available to the public. Hearst Castle Tours
Tours form the "heart" of your experience at Hearst Castle. Though you may view the buildings from afar free of charge (and enter the visitor's center & gift shop free, as well) all other activities involve paying a fee. You may not drive by the buildings close-up and just "look around;" access to the winding mountain road leading to Hearst Castle is limited to tour buses only.Hearst Castle Tour #1 is the recommended tour for first-time visitors. Tour number 1 includes a movie about the building of Hearst Castle, which is also helpful for new visitors to get the background historical details about this monument. If you're disappointed that Tour #1 doesn't include the feature that you'd like most to see, it would be best to simply take BOTH tours rather than omit taking Tour #1. You won't be disappointed by the attractions you'll see on Tour #1, and you'll learn all sorts of historical and architectural details that you won't want to miss. Tour #1 lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes. Highlights of Hearst Castle's Tour #1 include both the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, lovely gardens, the large Casa del Sol guest house, and the Casa Grande main house. Inside the Casa Grande, further highlights include seeing the "Refectory" dining room, the main sitting & entertaining room, the billiard room and the home's movie theater. Introductory movie, "Hearst Castle, Building the Dream" is included: A movie in the visitor center's National Geographic Theater is included as part of your Tour #1 ticket price. This lovely theater has a giant 5-story screen, allowing you to view even small details with clarity. Show times for the movie begin every 45 minutes, beginning with the first showing at 8:15 daily to 5:15 pm. (During the peak tourist season of 5/15 to 9/15, additional 6 pm and 6:45 pm show times are given, as well.) You are free to view the movie either before OR after your tour of Hearst Castle. Tour #2, Casa Grande upper floors: This Hearst Castle tour covers rooms in the main house that you won't see on the introductory tour. The rooms include guest bedrooms, the library, the kitchen, and Mr. Hearst's private suite. This tour lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes. Tour #3, Casa Grande north wing: The north wing of Hearst Castle's main house was the last to be built, and features larger bedrooms and more modern bathrooms; you'll see all three floors of this wing on Tour #3, as well as a guided tour of the Casa del Monte guest house. Tour #3 lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes. Tour #4, gardens and Casa del Mar guest house: You'll enjoy viewing the lovely landscaped gardens and patios of Hearst Castle on this tour, along with the Casa del Mar guest house. This tour lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes. Tour #5, Special Evening Tours: Evening tours are special because Hearst Castle "comes to life" at night! During evening tours, docents dressed in 1930's period attire fill the home...just as if they were Mr. Hearst's guests spending the evening at a get-together! If you want a tour that immerses you in the experience of living at this time & place, the evening tour is what you'll enjoy most. Evening tours are given during the spring and fall only. Tours are given on selected nights in the spring months of March, April & May; and fall nights in September, October, November and December. (Friday and Saturday evenings are usually the times when these tours are given; however, not every Friday or Saturday will have tours. During holiday periods, mid-week tours may also be given.) The Hearst Castle evening tours run 2 hours and 10 minutes in length. Tours leave about every 20 minutes between 6:10 pm and 7:50 pm on nights that the tour is given. 
CHRISTMAS AT HEARST CASTLE:Hearst Castle is decorated for Christmas between mid-November and early January each year. Christmas decorations are done in styles popular in the USA during the 1920's and 1930's, and are based on photos taken of Hearst Castle during holiday periods when Mr. Hearst was present. Tour #1 (The Experience tour) and Tour #5 (Evening Tour) are the two Hearst Castle tours on which you'll get to see the most Christmas decorations. In addition, the Evening Tour, with docents dressed in period costumes, are designed to help you feel as if you're actually attending a Christmas party at the Hearst mansion. Tour #1 offers many sessions daily; Tour #5 holds extra times during the holidays. While the Evening Tours are usually held only on Friday and Saturday nights, during December, many extra tours are added, including evening tours every day during the period just before and just after Christmas. (Christmas Day itself, however, the Hearst Castle is closed.) Christmas decorations are generally removed beginning about January 2nd or 3rd each year. Ticket prices vary by season: During the most popular time of year (May 15th through September 15th) ticket prices are slightly higher than during the off season. Offering a discount price during the off season is the park's way of encouraging guests to visit when crowds are lighter and spaces in the tour groups often go unfilled. No California State Park annual pass discounts: If you have one of the California State Park year-long passes, you're used to getting into many of California's state parks free of charge. Unfortunately, the Hearst Castle property is NOT one of the state parks included in the California Parks annual pass. You will need to purchase a ticket at Hearst Castle, and no discount is given to annual passholders for the tours. No AAA discounts: At one time, AAA members got a discount for Hearst Castle Tours, but this program is no longer in effect. In fact, there are very few discounts available at all for Hearst Castle tours; these include group discounts and disabled veteran discounts. You may view the official Hearst Castle FAQ's page for information about these discount rates. 1.) Prices for Tours #1, 2, 3 and 4: High-season prices for Hearst Castle Tours are in effect every year between May 15th and September 15th. Rates are as follows--- Adults, $24 per tour Adults, $20 per tour 2.) Evening Tours: Prices for the special Hearst Castle evening tours are a bit higher than the regular daytime tours. Adult Evening Tours: Tickets cost $30 year-round Hearst Castle address, map and directions
The Hearst Castle phone number is (805) 927-2020. This is a recorded information line which gives a long list of phone numbers which you can call for specific details related to Hearst Castle, such as the tour reservations line, the gift shop and the ranger's office. Have a pencil & paper handy to jot down any telephone numbers that interest you, because the phone number list is ALL the information you're going to receive. Although this number is called the "Hearst Castle Main Number" by the official website, it actually gives NO information about Hearst Castle at all!The Hearst Castle phone number for getting a living, breathing human being is 805/927-2010. This is the Hearst Castle Visitor's Center phone number (AKA the Ranger Station telephone number.) Here, you may ask questions that the park's website may not have answered for you (or get visitor's info if you're on the road without internet access.) Hearst Castle Tour Reservations phone number: Call 800/444-4445 for general tour reservations. You may make your advanced reservations for any of the Hearst Castle tours between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm daily. Group tour reservations phone number: use toll-free phone number (800) 401-4775. Making Hearst Castle tour reservations online: If you'd prefer, you may use the following link to make reservations on the http://hearst.reserveamerica.com website, which is the Hearst Castle's reservations page on the Reserve America website. (The state of California uses Reserve America for reservations in its state parks, including most California campgrounds.) 
Hearst Castle hours of operation: The first tour of the day leaves at approximately 8:20 am daily. The Hearst Castle visitor's center opens at 7 am so that you may get your tickets purchased, use the restroom, eat a snack...then be ready for your tour on time. If you are staying in the nearby town of San Simeon, it is a good idea to head to the visitor's center early in the day for your tickets...even if you don't want to tour Hearst Castle until the afternoon. Tickets sell out during the busy summer months. You will enjoy your day's activities much better if you have your tickets in-hand and know that your tour spot is waiting for you!Tours run throughout the day at frequent intervals. Closing time is 6 pm during most of the year; extended hours are available during the busy summer tourist season, as well as for special evening and Christmas tours of Hearst Castle. Hearst Castle is open daily with the following 3 exceptions: Hearst Castle is closed for the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day holidays. Map to Hearst Castle: Here is a Google map to Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California to help you get your bearings. The visitor's center has a large, free parking lot where you'll leave your car. The road up to Hearst Castle itself is strictly for the park's tour buses only. Hearst Castle official website: For more complete details, please visit the www.HearstCastle.com, the official website of this California State Park.
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As mentioned in the section above, there is no charge simply to enter the Hearst Castle visitor's center, where you may through the lovely gift shop or grab a snack. Taking tours, however, involves paying a fee...which is necessary, of course, to maintain the property and hire the workers.
The Hearst Castle address is 750 Hearst Castle Road, San Simeon, CA 93452. This address is just north San Simeon's town center (where you'll find gas stations, restaurants and hotels.) You can't miss the entrance to the visitor's center; it's well marked with a sign at the entry turnoff point from California Highway 1.
