Tours at Hearst Historical Monument; basic visitor information about the Hearst Castle Tours:
The tours offered by Hearst Castle cover some distance and can be
quite strenuous involving from a hundred to over four hundred stairs. Hearst Castle also offers a special
Accessibility Designed Tour and tours can be arranged for schools, groups, and foreign languages.
If you take all three main tours then you have seen most all of Hearst Castle that is available to the public. Most Hearst Castle tours take about 1 hour and 45 minutes including the bus rides up and down the hill but when planning your vacation if you want to take more than one tour figure 3 hours space for each. All tours load on a bus at the bottom of the hill at the Visitor Center; you can not drive up yourself and you are required to return down to the visitor center after each tour.
Brief Tour Descriptions: Hearst Castle Tour #1 is the best tour for a first time visitor; physically it is the easiest of the tours and gives a broad overview of the Castle, ticket price also includes the National Geographic Movie Documentary, "Hearst Castle, Building the Dream" about the history and construction of Hearst State Historical Monument.
Hearst Castle Tour #2 takes a look at the upper floor of the main house, Mr. Hearst's private suite, art collection, libraries and the kitchen.
Hearst Castle Tour #3 goes to the Castle's North Wing and the guest house, Casa Del Monte.
Hearst Castle Tour #4 features the ornamental gardens, and grounds, greenhouse and wine cellar. These Hearst Castle tour descriptions are briefs and only partial and tours may change.
New Special Tours Brief Descriptions: Hearst Castle is offering two new special tours, a behind the scenes tour and a photography tour; call (805) 927-2010 for more information and to make reservations.
The behind-the-Scenes at Hearst Castle highlights what was the household help's living quarters when the castle was run by the Hearst family; the castle's basement areas with historic artifacts, a fur vault, Roman Pool alcove and filtration system, stone and plaster mold shops, a rarely-seen guest room, and Hearst's inner sanctum. Call (805) 927-2010 for more information and to make reservations.
The Special Photography Tour is intended for amateur and professional photographers and the tour is designed around photographing the castle; even some of the strict photography rules are relaxed for this tour, flashes and monopods are allowed with some restrictions. Call (805) 927-2010 for more information and to make reservations.
The
Visitor Center is an extensive facility where you can purchase tickets, get information, visit the
Hearst Castle Museum Store
, go to the
National Geographic Theater or have lunch, shop for Hearst Castle and Central California Pacific Coast souvenirs and gifts or have an espresso. Located at the bottom of the Enchanted Hill the Hearst Castle Visitors Center is just a short drive from the Old Village of San Simeon where you can find Old Spanish architecture from the William Randolph Hearst days, the sandy beaches and San Simeon Pier at William Randolph Hearst State Beach, historic Sebastian's General Store and Cafe which is sells souvenir gifts and general merchandise the Sebastian's Cafe features delicious entrees prepared with pasture raised 100% grass fed beef from the Hearst Ranch serving up a great lunch with beer, local wines and espressos; the newest amenity of San Simeon’s Sebastian’s General Store and Café is the addition of a wine tasting room for Hearst Ranch Wines (805-927-4100) Hearst Ranch Wines.
First time Hearst Castle visitors should always start with tour 1 and two tours is really enough Hearst Castle for one day so if you want to take all of the three main tours then should split them up over two days. Tour 1 also includes the movie "Hearst Castle Building the Dream", shown at the National Geographic Theater. Leave time either before or after your Hearst Castle tour to see this movie.
The State of California has
specific rules governing photography at Hearst Castle; you can take your camera but you will have to forget your tripod and keep your flash turned off. If you just want pictures of Hearst Castle, professional photographs for personal use are available at the Visitor Center Gift Shop, you can forget your camera and enjoy the Castle. You can't take your baby stroller or pets so you might want to make prior arrangements it is not a good idea to leave the baby or the pet in the car.
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Classic Photo of
Hearst Monument San Simeon, Casa Grande Bell Towers.
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It is always best to reserve your tickets ahead of time. You can purchase your tickets over the telephone at 800-444-4445 or you can purchase your
Hearst Castle reservation tickets online. I think I have covered most of the basics but if you have questions check the
Hearst Castle Tour Information Brochure or
Hearst Castle Frequently Asked Questions.
Hearst Castle has all the tour details and tickets for sale at their Hearst Castle State Historical Monument
Website and the
Friends of Hearst Castle have an excellent Website for Hearst Castle special events and more area visitor information; you need to visit these Websites if you haven't yet. |
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