How to visit and what to see in Hearst Castle (California): schedules, prices

One of the most amazing visits and not very well known what you can do in California, during your trip along the west coast of the United States, It is the incredible castle that the press magnate William Randolph Hearst It was built in Saint Simeon.

What has now become a real Theme Park, it is actually the enormous set of mansions that the magnate built for himself at the beginning of the 20th century in the California coast.

The one who was a great magnate of the tabloid press in the United States called the “Rancho de la Cuesta Encantada”.

Although it may seem like an extravagant corner, I assure you that it is worth making a stop in your route along the Californian coast and tour the so-called castle.

Located near Saint SimonInter San Francisco y Los Angeles (400 kilometers from both cities), I can tell you that the visit of Hearst Castle which you will surely like, although you have to keep in mind that due to its special characteristics it can take up to four hours.

This is how the complex of mansions is known, which in the California coast it was built William Randolph Hearst, the great press and media magnate in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, and known for being the promoter of the tabloid press.

Although I had heard about its existence, I did not know the interest that its visit really had, but in the end I went to visit it after making a change in the planned route on the fly...and I did not regret it at all.

If you decide go to Hearst Castle on your trip, here are some useful tips for your visit.

Origin of Hearts Castle

To build his great mansion, the magnate who was the protagonist of the famous Orson Welles film, Citizen Kane, used the land of the 160 square kilometer ranch that his father had originally purchased in 1865.

Construction of this large mansion began in 1919, and work was stopped in 1947 without being definitively completed due to the numerous changes that Hearst himself made during the construction process.

For example, the large Roman-style swimming pool was built three times.

At the castle construction various European architectural styles were combined, from the classic Roman and Greek temples, to the great English castles, passing through the Cathedral of Sevilla and by monuments of Arab origin, such as the Alhambra of Granada.

The origin of this great pastiche of styles, with an extravagant final result (but which does not prevent, on the contrary, the castle from being worth visiting) is found in the trip that Hearst took with his mother through different countries in Europe when he was still a child.

This later led him to try to replicate the monuments that impressed him the most, and even to buy and move complete monuments, sculptures and original furniture to his Californian ranch that he later mounted in his castle.

During the decades of the 20s and 30s, the hearst castle It became a meeting place for the most prestigious people of the time, invited by the magnate, who facilitated the plane transfer to the ranch by having its own airport and planes.

The list of famous visitors is long, including actors such as Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Gary Grant, Greta Garbo, Clark Grable, Gary Cooper o Errol Flynn; writers, like Bernard Shaw; politicians, like Churchill; or artists, like himself Dalí.

El hearst castle It is, in fact, a complex that includes a main building, called the Big House, three houses to accommodate guests, a large outdoor pool and another indoor pool, all surrounded by a splendid garden.

In addition, it has several tennis courts and a zoo, which is the largest privately owned in the United States.

En 1957, the Hearst Corporation gave the castle to the State of California so that it could be open to the public.

Nowadays It is a mix of museum and theme park, of enormous interest, at least for the monument to extravagance that it represents, which is visited by thousands of tourists every year.

How to get to Hearst Castle

You will reach this place by driving along the state highway 1, which runs along the coast, and at the height of Saint Simeon You will see the castle at the top of a hill.

However, keep in mind that the Visitors Center It is found as soon as you leave the route. There you book the tour you want to take and you must wait to catch a bus that will take you to visit.

What to see in Hearst Castle

Although I have already told you something about the castle, now I am going to tell you  What are you going to see at Hearst Castle? whose dimensions will help you with the fact that in the four residential buildings there are 56 rooms and 19 lounges.

Hearst Castle Big House

To build the entire complex of buildings that make up what was the residence of the aforementioned magnate, he hired the famous architect of the time. Julia Morgan.

The involvement in the works was so great on the part of Hearst, which led to continuous modifications and resulted in the characteristic mix of architectural styles which makes him a museum of extravagance.

Of course, with invaluable examples of historical European art, its best example being the so-called Casa Grande, the largest building on the ranch.

The first thing that surprises you about this building is its two tall towers that are totally inspired by the Cathedral of Sevilla. The facade of the Casa Grande It is a perfect example of the clear architectural diversity that I had told you about.

But on your visit you will be surprised when you access the building interior.

In front of a Spanish-style exterior, with the white color typical of Andalusia, framed in a garden that could well be Mediterranean, upon entering the Casa Grande you will find yourself facing an ornate decoration typical of a english medieval castle.

The large main room shows us next to the wall a choir stall from a Gothic cathedral, and in the center of it, a huge stone fireplace.

This medieval decoration is reinforced as you walk through the different rooms, such as the Pool's room or, above all, the Big dining room.

This is configured with a long table, decorated with tableware of the time, suitable for dozens of diners, located in a nave with high ceilings decorated in wood in the medieval style, and in which there is no shortage of medieval flags.

Guest Houses in Hearst Castle

Another highlight of your visit will be the three houses that Hearst He built it for the residence of his guests at the ranch.

Among them the Casa del mar, a building that faces the Pacific Ocean, allowed the magnate's guests to enjoy incredible views.

It has an area of ​​1.800 square meters in which there are six bedrooms with their corresponding dressing rooms and toilets. Various parts of the building show a style inspired by the Alhambra of Granada.

Another of the buildings is the so-called House of the Mount.

Hearst Castle Pools

Apart from the aforementioned Casa GrandeWithout a doubt, when visiting Hearst Castle you will not be indifferent to its spectacular pools.

The exterior is known as Temple of Neptune, an impressive pool that emulates a classic temple, with its colonnades, bas-reliefs and sculptures, all built with white marble.

This pool was built in 1924, but was rebuilt twice, the last in 1936.

Its location at the top of the hill, at the foot of the garden with splendid views of the Pacifico, without a doubt make it one of the Hearst Castle Jewels.

You will also be struck by the impressive indoor pool called Roman Pool, with its style similar to bathrooms Caracalla thermal springs.

Its mosaics are inspired by those originating from the 5th century Mausoleum of Gala Placidia, from the Italian city of Ravenna, and the statues are copies of ancient Greek and Roman statues.

The first pool will be the first stage of your visit to the ranch, while the indoor pool will be the last stage before taking the bus back to the ranch. Visitors Center.

Finally, to complete your information, I advise you to read these tips for visiting Hearst Castle.

Hearst Castle Tours

To visit the castle you will have at your disposal various tours with different characteristics. The first thing you have to do is select the tour what you prefer and The time to which you are going to do it.

In reality you are facing a real Theme Park, which is usually visited by thousands of tourists. Therefore, if you plan your visit during the holiday season, the ideal would be to make the online reservation of the tour and its time.

Among the available tours, with a duration of one hour each. The one recommended for a first visit is the one known as The Grand Rooms.

This visit covers the main parts of the complex: the ground floor of the Casa Grande, the guest building known as Casa del mar, both swimming pools and the gardens.

The other tours delve into specific architectural elements of the enormous mansion or the Hearst Castle Gardens.

Also offered is a night tour lasting more than two hours that shows nightlife in the castle in the 30s.

Once you have reserved the tour and its time, the next thing I advise you to do is watch the excellent documentary in large format cinema, Hearst Castle, building a dream, which is projected continuously in the National Geographic Theater.

This documentary recreates the Hearst's trip to Europe with his mother when he was just a child, and in which lies the origin of the castle's capricious mix of architectural styles.

Given the interest of this documentary, when reserving the tour time for the visit, you must make sure that before starting your visit you have enough time to watch it in advance.

Once the start time of the tour arrives, you must go to the bus station that takes the different groups up to the castle.

In the tour You will be accompanied by two tour guides who will lead the group through the different areas of the complex, preventing you from getting lost or mixing with other groups.

As dessert of the visit, once you return on the bus to the Visitors Center, apart from the usual store remembrances, you will find a photography exhibition and material with testimonies from the time in which the hearst castle It was a meeting place for many famous people.

Hearst Castle Schedule

Finally, when planning your visits you must take into account that it can reach last up to about four hours, including viewing the documentary and bus trips between the Visitors Center and hearst castle.

The Hearst Castle Visiting Hours They are every day of the year from 9 in the morning until 4,40:XNUMX in the afternoon, the last entry time for visits.

The ticket prices (2016) are, adults, 25 euros, and children, 12 euros, except in the case of tours or special visits. For example, the price of admission to the night visit is 36 euros.

How to get to Hearst Castle