Hearst Castle

For the long weekend of 4th of July, we decided to visit the Hearst Castle in San Simeon. I had heard a lot of great things about it during my previous trip to The Mystery Spot.

Hearst Castle is a historic landmark mansion located near the coastline of San Simeon. It is a massive 90,000 sq.ft house/castle built by William Randolf Hearst, a powerful media magnate, in 1919. Story goes that when William was a little boy, he and his mother travelled across Europe for a year and a half. The wonderful art and architecture that he encountered during this trip left a lasting impression on him. Years later, when he started building the Hearst Castle on their family campgrounds which he referred to as 'La Cuesta Encantada' (The Enchanted Hills), it was obvious that he wanted to incorporate elements from the buildings that had fascinated him during his trip in Europe. The chief architect of the castle was Julia Morgan who shared Mr Hearst's passion and worked tirelessly in making his dream a reality.

Cupid sculpture on the terrace

Sculpture in the fountain

There are several tours offered at the castle-Grand Rooms, Upper Rooms, Gardens, Cottages & Kitchen, Evening tours etc. Each one costs $25. You can reserve your tickets online to avoid any wait times. We booked the Grand Rooms tour for 4pm. At the visitor center, one can buy tickets or exchange your online voucher for actual tickets. Tour buses take you up the hill to the castle. It is a 10 minute bus ride that has a recorded narration with a little bit of history about the Hearst family. On reaching the top, our tour guide welcomed us and so began our 40 minutes guided tour.

Fountain in front of the Hearst Castle

The Castle is magnificent to look at and coupled with the gorgeous view of the California coast, it is an absolute beauty. The main structure is modeled after a cathedral as you can see from the picture. 

Hearst Castle

The tour took us through 5 different rooms. The Assembly room was where Mr Hearst's guests were welcomed. It is heavily furnished and to some it might even look oppressive with all the art work and sculptures.

Hearst Castle Assembly Room

The next room is the Refectory or the dining room which has a very 'Harry Potter-dining room-like feel. That is not surprising because this room actually served as an inspiration for the set design.

Refectory at Hearst Castle

The Morning room is the room where guests gathered in the morning to smoke. There is visible damage to the art work on the ceiling due to the smoke. Restoration work is currently underway to bring it back to its former glory.

We were then taken to the adjacent Billiards room followed by the Theater where Mr Hearst used to screen the latest Hollywood movies of his time for the guests. We were shown a small clip from a video featuring Mr Hearst, Charlie Chaplin and other guests.

Billiards Room at Hearst Castle

Sculpture in the Theater Room Hearst Castle

After the tour concluded, we went to the famous Neptune and Roman pools. They are a treat to the eyes and one can only imagine what it must be like to swim in those majestic pools.

Hearst Castle Neptune Pool

Hearst Castle Roman Pool

The tour bus then took us back to the visitor center where we saw the 40 minute film 'Building the Dream' on the Imax screen. It showcases the story behind Mr Hearst's inspiration behind building the castle and also gives a glimpse into what it was like to be hosted at the Hearst Castle. 

I completely enjoyed the visit and would have loved to see more rooms. However, I found the $25/tour to be a little steep. No food or drinks are allowed on the bus or the castle. There are food stalls, washrooms and a gift store at the visitor center. There is also a small, free exhibit about the Hearst family and the castle design which you should check out. 

On our way back, we stopped at the Elephant Seal Viewing spot. There are lots of elephant seals sunning themselves on the sand. The place stinks though so we got out of it after clicking a few pictures. Worth visiting for the close up view of these giant animals that weight about 2000-5000 lbs!

Elephant Seals at San Simeon

What: Hearst Castle

Where: 750 Hearst Castle Road, San Simeon

When: Daily from 9am

Fee: $25 per tour