Southern California is a great spot for a road trip. We did the Highway 1 Classic Road Trip through California, and found some amazing stops along the way. One of our most amazing stops was Hearst Castle, which is located along some of the most beautiful Pacific coastline stretches of California Highway 1.

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Where Is Hearst Castle?

Hearst Castle is roughly in the middle between Los Angeles and San Francisco, near the beachside township of San Simeon. Hearst Castle can be approached from North, South or East, as it is in a very accessible location.

Hearst Castle was our most unexpected stop on our road trip, for we did not even know it existed until literally the day before our visit. What we found totally blew us away! It’s hard to miss Hearst Castle from Highway 1, as it is very well signed. You can also see the massive Castle towers from the highway, perched high up on the coastal hill-top. As you turn off the main highway you are led into a massive car park and a visitor centre specifically built for Hearst Castle. When we arrived the car park was full , it was a beautiful sunny Sunday on a long weekend after all. Our anticipation began to mount when we saw a huge amount of cars, we figured we were onto a great tourist attraction. At that stage we still did not really know what lay before us. We really had no idea, but that is the novelty of being an explorer right?

Entering the Castle

We discovered that the Castle sits atop the mountain, and the only way up is to take the shuttle bus for a guided tour. No private cars allowed. Hearst Castle was completed in 1947 by the publishing magnate William Hearst. At the time it was his private residence and family ranch. Mr.Hearst used to host many rich and famous acquaintances at Hearst Castle, including Carry Grant!

Here are the options for guided tours:

• Grand Rooms Tour – the most popular tour which takes visitors through Casa Grande, the largest part of the Castle.
• Upstairs Suites Tour – explores the upstairs rooms of Casa Grande.
• Cottages and Kitchens Tour – Explores the opulent and lavishly decorated cottages which were used to house guests, as well as the industrial sized kitchen.
• Neptune Pool Tour – Explores the amazing outdoor pool and entertainment area.
• There are also night tours and private tours available.

The main tours include the shuttle bus trip and a 1.5 hour narrated tour, and are reasonably priced at $25 per adult. Kids are $12 entry. Afterwards we would be free to roam the grounds for as long as we wanted, before taking our shuttle bus back down to the visitor centre.

Which Tour?

The most popular tour is the Grand Rooms tour. Unfortunately there was a 4 hour wait for this tour on our visit. Apparently it’s wise to book ahead if you wish to take this tour. We elected to instead go on the less popular Cottages and Kitchens tour, which only had a half hour wait. But instead of being disappointed, we were utterly blown away!

The Hearst Castle Tour

It was a very interesting drive up a windy paved road to the mountain top where Hearst Castle is located. Back in the day Mr.Hearst had a private zoo set up with all manner of african wildlife roaming the slopes of the mountain. These days it is a working cattle ranch, so cattle is all you will see in the way of animals. On the 15 minute bus trip, guests are treated to recorded information about the ranch and the history of the castle. Whilst ascending we were also treated to fabulous uninterrupted views of the coastline.

The tour was eye-popping. The host explained in detail the building construction as well as all the lavish decorations and furniture. Also who stayed in them and for what periods. First we toured through the 2 main cottages / guest houses. Then we toured the amazing kitchen, which had 8 full-time staff and catered for many big parties back in the day. Finally we toured the wine cellar below the main Casa Grande buildings, which once housed one of the finest wine collections on the planet.

The Grounds

After the tour we were left to wander around the grounds. One of the key attractions to see was Neptune Pool, a stunning 32m long outdoor pool with an oil burning heating system. It looks like something straight out of ancient Rome, complete with towering roman statues.  It was being refurbished during our visit due to some structural issues, but it promised to be finished and back to it’s original glory by late 2017. 

If Neptune Pool is not enough, all guests walk through the indoor Roman Pool. After about 30 minutes of exploring we stepped back onto the shuttle bus and headed down the mountain.

Dining Options

Back in the visitor centre and we found the many different dining options. Take-away foods are the main menu items, where we all chose different dishes including pizza, barbecue pork and salad. Prices are quite inflated as you would expect for a major tourist attraction.

Overall

Hearst Castle is a stunning attraction which should not be missed when you’re in the area. It’s worth going just to see the uninterrupted 360 degree views of the coastline and surrounding area. But it’s the lavish castle itself which steals the show, it is so beautiful and so worth visiting. It truly is a must-see to end all must-sees!

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