Travel in time at Hearst Castle

Love the place! It's astonishing! I've been there 3 times already! Every single time I enjoyed the tour guides, the people working there are kind and helpful! Learned a lot from them! Went to watch the movie after the tour and there was a gentleman working there that while we were waiting he talked about the rugs and pictures which was awesome information. Buy ticket in advance, if this is your first time, go for the big rooms tour, then change to other ones. The building itself and the land is incredible! If you're lucky you'll see some cool animals while they drive you up to the castle by bus. Would recommend it for sure.

A Museum of opulence. 9 different types of tours. Atmosphere is hard to describe. Loved the outdoor sections, gardens, welcoming rooms, and my favorite is the outdoor pool patio with stunning Roman vibe. The Pantheon 🏛️ of gods is on full display here as Rupert probably didn’t want to offend any. Beautiful that has to be seen to appreciate.

Absolutely beautiful and unique place to visit in California. The experience starts with a shuttle ride up the hill, which already gives you amazing views of the surrounding landscape and ocean. The estate itself is massive, rich in history, and filled with impressive architecture, artwork, gardens, and beautifully designed rooms. The guided tours are very informative, and the staff share interesting stories about Hearst Castle and its history. Since each tour focuses on certain sections of the property, you may need to come back again if you want to see everything. There is so much to explore that one visit honestly does not feel enough. The famous pools are stunning in person, and the entire property feels grand yet peaceful at the same time. Comfortable shoes are a good idea because there is quite a bit of walking. Definitely one of those places that leaves a lasting impression and is worth experiencing at least once.

$35 for this? Seriously? Hearst Castle itself is spectacular. The tour experience, however, is an absolute disappointment and, in my opinion, nowhere close to being worth $35. You come all the way to San Simeon expecting to experience this extraordinary estate, only to discover that you’re allowed to see a tiny fraction of it, in a tightly controlled group, while being shuffled from room to room. You don’t get to explore the castle on your own, you don’t get to wander around and appreciate the architecture at your own pace, and you certainly don’t get anything resembling a comprehensive experience of the estate. And then there’s the tour commentary. An astonishing amount of time is spent talking about William Randolph Hearst’s personal life, his relationships, wives, girlfriends, and how he lived. Maybe that’s interesting to some people, but honestly, who came to Hearst Castle because they desperately wanted to hear about Hearst’s romantic life? I came to see the CASTLE. The architecture. The interiors. The art. The pools. The grounds. The unbelievable scale and design of the estate. Those things should be the star of the tour. Instead, the person who built the place somehow becomes more important than the place itself. The most frustrating part is that the estate is enormous, yet visitors are given such a restricted experience of it. For $35, I shouldn’t feel like I’ve been given a carefully curated peek through a keyhole. If preservation and visitor safety are the concerns, fine—then design a better system. Have designated self-guided areas, timed access, audio guides, or one comprehensive tour that actually lets people experience the estate. But the current model feels antiquated: pay $35, follow the group, see a handful of rooms, listen to a biography, and then leave. Whoever designed this visitor experience needs to seriously rethink what people are actually paying to see. The irony is that Hearst Castle is impressive enough that it doesn’t need all the fluff. Just let people experience the damn castle. The property itself deserves 5 stars. The tour program gets 1. In its current format, I absolutely do NOT recommend paying $35 for this experience. It felt like an expensive, heavily restricted preview of something that should be an incredible visit.

This was a really cool place to visit. I took my wife and 2 kids. Everyone really enjoyed it. The ride up in the bus was fun and you learned a lot of history along the way. The tour was fantastic and you learned everything you need to know about the castle and the Hearst family. The pools were absolutely stunning and the castle was amazing. It was our first time and we toured the grand rooms. We will certainly be going back and doing another tour.