Cottages & Kitchen Tour - Hearst Castle

This tour features two of the luxurious mansions that housed the Hearst family and their guests before Casa Grande was ready. Offering magnificent Pacific coast and mountain views, these ornately gilded “cottages” are thousands of square feet in size. The famous wine cellar and gigantic kitchen in Casa Grande are included in this tour.

70 Min. Guided Tour

Tour highlights include the Wine Cellar, House B (Casa del Monte), House A (Casa del Mar), the Kitchen, Gardens, Neptune Pool and Roman Pool

Reservations strongly encouraged
Includes ticket to “Building the Dream” at Hearst Castle Theater

Physical Requirements

The Cottages & Kitchen Tour is 70 minutes long and consists of approximately 193 stairs, both up and down, and a 3/4-mile route to walk. For those who have difficulty walking or standing for lengths of time, we recommend Accessibly Designed Tours.

$35 Adults | $18 Children (5-12)

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Wine Cellar

Although William Randolph Hearst was a moderate drinker, he was a passionate connoisseur of fine wine, serving nothing but the best for his famous guests. Descend the spiral staircase to the underground wine cellar to see where he kept his impressive collection of wine and spirits—even during the prohibition era.

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House B: Casa Del Monte

Walk through the first building ever completed at La Cuesta Encantada, which served as the Hearst family’s earliest residence in the summer of 1922. Referred to as “House B,” its formal name was Casa del Monte—Spanish for “House of the Mountain”—which referred to the sweeping views of the Santa Lucia Mountains.

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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.

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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.

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The Gardens

The gardens of Hearst Castle were thoughtfully designed by Julia Morgan and a team of landscape architects. The plantings were chosen to complement each cottage’s color scheme. In discussing plans for the gardens, Mr. Hearst wrote to Julia Morgan, “I think a profusion and confusion of blooms there would be attractive.”

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Roman Pool

The 205,000-gallon (780,000 liters) Roman Pool is the final stop on all tour experiences, exemplifying the luxury and craftsmanship throughout the estate. Intricate mosaics accented with 24-karat gold leaf surround the pool and its marble statues.

Explore Other Tours

Grand Rooms Tour

Tour Hearst Castle’s opulent social rooms to imagine being a guest of William Randolph Hearst.

Tour details

Upstairs Suites Tour

Explore the upper floors of the architectural wonder called  Casa Grande.

Tour details

Julia Morgan Tour

Discover the life and career of Julia Morgan, the architect who designed Hearst Castle.

Tour details

All Tours include

A bus Ride to and From the Castle. Board the Hearst Castle bus at the Visitor Center to start your 5-mile ascent to the top of the Enchanted Hill—a journey narrated by Alex Trebek of Jeopardy!

After you’ve finished touring, board the bus to head back to the Visitor Center, and experience a new route home, including the vestiges of the “bear pits” that were built for Hearst’s renowned private Zoo.

Hearst Castle Tour Rules

Reservation Change And Cancellation Policy

Reservations are strongly encouraged. Reservations can be made, changed, or canceled at ReserveCalifornia.com or by calling 1-800-444-4445. Changes to tour date or time: no additional charge if made in advance. A non-refundable registration fee per ticket will be charged for cancellations.