Tour Hearst Castle

Gather in the grand social rooms of Casa Grande—the largest house at Hearst Castle—to experience what it was like to be a guest at this hilltop retreat. Recommended for first-time visitors, this tour also has the fewest stairs to climb.

Discover two very different parts of this fascinating historic attraction: some of the most personal rooms of the property and some of its most practical ones, including Hearst’s beloved Casa del Mar and the industrial-sized kitchen.

Explore the evolution of style and design from the early 1920s through the last days when Hearst left the hilltop in 1947.

The design and construction of La Cuesta Encantada (The Enchanted Hill) took over three decades to complete. The Designing the Dream tour explores the evolution of William Randolph Hearst’s magnificent estate, from its earliest construction in the 1920s through the final touches of the mid-1940s. Your knowledgeable guide will take you to see the interior rooms of Casa del Sol, one of the three guest cottages, and then to explore the top three floors of Hearst Castle’s North Wing.

School Tours at Hearst Castle provide students with an interactive experience that will enchant and inspire them. Students will see how the stories behind Hearst Castle and the art collection it houses connects to the world we live in today. Aligned with the California History Social Studies Framework, STEAM disciplines, and California Department of Education Content Standards K-12, school tours are designed to support your curriculum.

School tours are one hour and forty five minutes, including the bus trip to and from the hilltop estate. School tours can accommodate groups up to 54 (including teachers and chaperones, 48 students and 6 chaperones max) on one time slot.

School tours are available by reservation only, call Reserve California at 800-401-4775 Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tailored to your specific interests with your own guide, Private Tours are an experience like no other! These tours are offered only during regular daytime hours of the guided tour operation, but due to staffing and operational needs, not all dates are available. Private tours are offered for a maximum length of four hours and can accommodate up to six people per tour. Visitors will provide their own transportation from the Visitor Center up to Hearst Castle and back again. The driver of the vehicle must present a valid driver’s license upon arrival at the Visitor Center. Recreational vehicles, buses, and motorcycles are not permitted.

Private tours must be reserved at minimum one week or up to one month in advance. The cost for a private tour is $1500 paid in advance. MasterCard, Visa and Discover Cards are all accepted. Cancellation for a partial refund must be made at least 72-hours in advance. Cancellations of less than 72-hours are nonrefundable. Please call the district office at Hearst Castle at (805) 927-2065 to arrange your Private Tour.