COVID-19 Response

Following guidance from the California Department of Public Health and local public health authorities, we are increasing public access and services in a phased approach at Hearst Castle®/Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument®. Before visiting, please review the COVID-19/FAQ tab on the home page. There you will find information and frequently asked questions regarding your trip to Hearst Castle. Updates about the overall Department of Parks and Recreation response to COVID-19, including safety information, are posted on parks.ca.gov. For more information from the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department click readyslo.org

Reserve your tickets

Plan Your Visit

Hearst Castle tours and the Visitor Center is currently closed. When we reopen, advanced reservations will be required to visit Hearst Castle and/or the Visitor Center

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Evening Tour

This tour features Living History docents in 1930s dress, and the drama of the hilltop lit up at night. Available in March, April, May, October and November.

galatea-at-night

Offered seasonally, this special tour enables you to experience the Castle illuminated at night, and is longer than daytime tours (100 minutes). Docents in period dress bring 1930s history to life as they move silently through the sumptuous rooms of Casa Grande. A vintage newsreel in Hearst’s private theater rounds out the evening.

Evening tours will not be run through our peak period from June 1st through September 30th. The tours will return in October and will be held on most Friday and Saturday nights through November 23rd, 2019


TOUR RESERVATION CHANGE AND CANCELLATION POLICY

Reservations can be made, changed or cancelled online at ReserveCalifornia.com or by calling 1-800-444-4445.

There is an $8.00 per ticket registration fee to reserve tickets.

Changes to tour date or time can be made in advance for a service fee of $8.00.

Cancelled reservations will be assessed a $7.00 cancellation fee.

Physical Requirements

The Evening Tour is 1 hour and 40 minutes long and consists of approximately 303 stairs, both up and down, and a 3/4-mile route to walk. For those who have difficulty walking or standing for extensive lengths of time, we recommend the Accessibly Designed Evening Tour which is also wheelchair accessible.

 

Visit the Grounds

House A: Casa Del Mar
1
Assembly Room
2
Refectory
3
The Kitchen
4
Main Library
5
The Gothic Suite
6
Billiard Room
7
Theater
8
The Gardens
9
Roman Pool
10
  • 1 House A: Casa Del Mar

    Referred to as “House A,” its formal name is Casa del Mar—Spanish for “House of the Sea.”  Hearst’s family stayed there while Casa Grande was being built. Stroll through the sumptuous house overlooking the California Central Coast to see where Mr. Hearst lived for the last two years of his residence at this hilltop estate.

  • 2 Assembly Room

    Gather in the grand social room on the ground floor of Casa Grande just as W. R. Hearst’s guests did decades ago for cocktails, conversation, and to meet their host. Admire the magnificent room’s walnut paneling,  Renaissance and Baroque tapestries and masterpieces of neoclassical sculpture.

  • 3 Refectory

    Mr. Hearst and architect Julia Morgan named the dining room after the word for a monastery’s dining hall. Its high windows, bright silk banners, and gleaming silver candlesticks convey the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, but the mustard and ketchup bottles show that Mr. Hearst liked to keep things informal at his ranch.

  • 4 The Kitchen

    Explore the enormous kitchen where all meals were prepared for Mr. Hearst and his vacationing guests. The kitchen itself is full of practical devices—including stock pots, industrial-sized mixers, and early refrigerators—which stand today just as they did decades ago. Admire the Monel countertops, a metal alloy of nickel and copper with trace amounts of iron, manganese, carbon and silicon.

  • 5 Main Library

    This imposing library, intended for Mr. Hearst’s guests, houses more than 4,000 books, and also showcases one of the Castle’s most treasured collections: 150 ancient Greek vases, all more than two thousand years old. At 80 feet in length and filled with precious objects, the Library makes a grand statement.

  • 6 The Gothic Suite

    Hearst Castle’s third floor consists of W. R. Hearst’s private space, in addition to some of his most treasured collections and sacred objects. Wander through the suite’s two bedrooms and private sitting room that he and Marion Davies occupied, after exploring the soaring and mysterious church-like Gothic Study where he worked.

  • 7 Billiard Room

    The Billiard Room was a popular spot, where guests could relax and play both billiards and pool. This room is decorated with a variety of gaming themes, but it also boasts a 15th century Spanish ceiling painted with scenes of courtly life, in addition to a Flemish tapestry from 1500.

  • 8 Theater

    The Theater is where W. R. Hearst and Hollywood film star Marion Davies joined guests every night to watch a full-length movie and newsreel. Today, as a guest of the Castle, you’ll be able to view historic Castle footage with moving images of Mr. Hearst and his guests.

  • 9 The Gardens

    After the guided portion of your tour concludes, explore the expansive garden grounds that surround “La Cuesta Encantada”—Hearst’s Spanish name for The Enchanted Hill. Look for native plants, rare flowers and lush foliage that have been at the Castle since Mr. Hearst resided here.

  • 10 Roman Pool

    Located where you board the bus to return to the Visitor Center, the intensely decorated indoor Roman Pool is the perfect place to stop and relax. Modeled after ancient Roman baths, this meticulously detailed, majestic pool is tiled from ceiling to floor, and features marble copies of eight ancient Greek and Roman deities and athletes.