Hearst Castle

"I was truly in awe with all the incredible artwork, the extraordinary interior & exterior beauty of the castle as well as the stunning landscape and the very special views all around the castle. The history of this place is amazing and I’m so happy I got to take this tour. A special gem on top of the heart of one of the most beautiful California coastlines."

"If you are interested in a little history, architecture, or some amazing views, then make this a stop on your trip. They have a large parking area for visitors. You get on a bus to go up to the castle and guest houses. There are several different tours to choose from. We did the "main rooms" tour, and I recommend that one for your first time or maybe your only time to go. If you have a choice of what day to go, then I would pick the day with the best weather, the views are amazing. It is a little pricey, but you are paying for the bus, the driver (who was great), the bus ride narration from Alex Trebek, the tour, and most importantly, the tour guide. The tour guide made the whole tour go from wow to super wow, he was great. Watch the movie at the end of the tour. It's worth it."

"So fascinating!! We did the grand rooms tour. It was my second time and my husband’s first. Just as enlightening and interesting for me as the first time (especially considering the 9 year time span between my two visits. My husband also had an incredible time. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and are happy to answer any questions. I wish there was a longer tour where you could combine a couple of them. Plan for about two hours total, taking into account the bus ride up to the castle, the tour, then the bus ride back. It’s probably closer to 100 minutes round trip but I don’t remember exactly so I’m rounding up. You cannot leave the tour mid-way. If you are late, you miss your bus up to the castle and have to wait for the next available slot so plan accordingly!! I look forward to visiting Again in the future and hopefully checking out the rest of the tours."

"Beautiful architecture and theater. We only visited 10 main rooms and 2 pools, but I could tell that this castle was a magnificent piece of giant Renaissance artwork. The Neptune pool was named after the Roman god of the sea, and was the biggest pool I had ever been to with a mini waterfall. The indoor was just as nice as the outdoors. The assembly room had several tapestries and was symemetrical. The study was a small, quiet room with bookshelves and two desks. Overall, Hearst Castle was very fun to visit and that was why I liked the castle."

"As a photographer, the architecture and art is unique for America. But I've lived in Spain, and I've seen phenomenal castles. Still, I went on a beautiful day expecting to have a great photographic experience like at the Getty. This could have been a much better thing. My main complaint is that the tour "don't touch anything" wranglers are way too aggressive. The tour guide Docent rambles on and on, about who knows what. There were about 50 people in my group, and we were corralled into rooms too small for that many. One time we were shuffled through a door which was shorter than I am tall, and because my shoulder accidentally bumped the door, one of the tour wranglers got all stupid with me about it. Chill Hearst Castle, most of the stuff is replica anyway - you don't need the Louvre security. I saw them jump on other people because part of their shoes stepped off the carpet. It would be nice if the tour guide was an OPTION, not forced. Instead of having all their guards circled around the group, herding you from room to room, they could do like other museums do and have a guard posted in each room to prevent you from touching things - but you could move along at your own pace. Just to give you an idea how much talking you are forced to hear, the $30 tour visits 5 rooms, 2 pools, and it takes like 70 minutes. I saw it, it was ok, I wouldn't go back. I recommend the Getty, museum or villa, far above this place."