Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California San Simeon Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

San Simeon, California

Added By
jedijoel
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
William Randolph Hearst’s private castle.   Proimos
Neptune Pool, complete with the authentic Roman temple facade.   bjaglin
The ornate front of Hearst Castle’s main building.   othree
Casa del Sol at Hearst Castle, one of the guest houses.   King of Hearts
The banquet hall.   Bernard Gagnon
Hearst Castle tennis courts   ArtBrom / CC BY 2.0
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Indoor Pool, diving board on left   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  Lauren Levesque / Atlas Obscura User
The Refectory; Christmas Tour 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
The Castle at night; Christmas tour 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
Mr. Heast’s bedroom. Upstairs Tour 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
Hearst Castle 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
Gold Bedroom at the top of one of the Castle Towers - Upstairs Tour 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
Terrace   Avoiding Regret
Fountain   Avoiding Regret
Statuary   Avoiding Regret
The indoor pool, modeled on Ancient Roman baths.   lostintheredwoods
Hearst Castle as seen from the air.   Kyle Harmon
Overlooking the Neptune Pool   Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  kactuskath / Atlas Obscura User
  Lauren Levesque / Atlas Obscura User
A terrace at Hearst Castle.   Daderot
The ceiling from one of Hearst’s bedrooms.   Daderot
The Gothic study at Hearst Castle.   Daderot
Zebras still roam the grounds at Hearst Castle.   Plane777
The main library at Hearst Castle.   Daderot
  kactuskath / Atlas Obscura User
Alcove–Roman Pool–Hearst Castle   theoballgame / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to Hearst Castle   Lauren Levesque / Atlas Obscura User
View from Hearst Castle   Lauren Levesque / Atlas Obscura User
RinTinTin V at Hearst Castle   Karvelis / Atlas Obscura User
40 foot tall Christmas tree in the Assembly Room 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
Hearst Office - Upstairs Tour 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
Hearst Castle fromt the Visitors Center 12/16   salmson2a2 / Atlas Obscura User
Statuary   Avoiding Regret
The main house, Casa Grande   Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
  Alfred Lord Tennisanyone / Atlas Obscura User
Roaming Zebra near Hearst Castle, 2/2021   Keri Kilgo / Atlas Obscura User
Spawn of escaped Hearst zebras   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of golden tile crab at the indoor pool surround.   jddarcy / Atlas Obscura User
MAP   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

William Randolph Hearst, the sensationalist newspaper magnate who shaped the course of journalism (for better or worse) in the 20th century and served as inspiration for Citizen Kane, was showy and flamboyant in his personal life, and his magnificent castle on the central California coast was no exception.

Though it was originally conceived as a modest bungalow atop the hilly ranch land his father purchased in the 1860s, W. R. Hearst's home grew into a mansion of epic proportions. He and the architect, Julia Morgan, settled on a vaguely medieval Iberian style, with vaulted ceilings and lavish cornices adorned with cherubs. Hearst's modus operandi was quality over quantity when it came to collecting art, so the rooms were designed in a pastiche of styles and eras to suit the precious sculptures and paintings they held. 

La Cuesta Encantada ("The Enchanted Hill") was informally known as "the ranch," an almost comical understatement of the house's size. By the time it was finished it contained over 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens and terraces. There were multiple libraries, an exotic zoo, tennis courts, numerous guest cottages, stables where Arabian horses were bred, a wine cellar, a medieval-style banquet hall, an airstrip, an indoor pool, and an outdoor pool. The outdoor Neptune Pool was built, then remodeled three times to suit the authentic Roman temple facade Hearst shipped in from Italy. No expense was spared to create the magnate's paradise: a power plant was even constructed nearby to supply electricity to the remote castle. 

Hearst lived in the home, hosting lavish parties throughout its construction until his failing health forced him to relocate in 1947, at which time construction ceased. He died in 1951, and in 1958 the palatial estate was designated a California State Park. Little has changed inside the castle since then. Descendants of the zebras and rare deer in the private zoo still roam the grounds. Today, just as then, people are eager to catch a glimpse of how the world's most notorious newspaper magnate lived in glamour while the rest of the country suffered the economic devastation of the 1930s.

Related Tags

Houses Eccentric Homes Celebrity Mansions Castles Architecture Water Homes

Know Before You Go

The visitor center is located just off Highway 1, where you can take a bus to the castle grounds. Special holiday tours are offered from the end of November through December when the castle is decorated in holiday decor and a lighted garden tour is included. The actual castle is located at 35.686075°, -121.169600° ... if you want to attempt an independent wander.

A ticket must be purchased online (recommended) or in person for one of the many guided tours offered that access the castle grounds. The tours vary in price and length, with each focusing on a specific aspect of the stately home. A separate tour is offered to those who have mobility issues. Once your tour is over you will be able to visit certain restricted areas at your leisure.

Multiple tours can be booked for one day. The visitors center includes a museum filled with artworks and artifacts related to the history of the property. Included in the price of admission is a 45-minute film that tells the story of how the Hearst castle came to be.

Community Contributors

Added By

jedijoel

Edited By

Greg Jones, salmson2a2, Molly McBride Jacobson, SEANETTA...

  • Greg Jones
  • salmson2a2
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • SEANETTA
  • pjones
  • MagnumPI
  • erjeffery
  • a77bruin
  • theoballgame
  • Alfred Lord Tennisanyone
  • Avoiding Regret
  • jddarcy
  • Karvelis
  • Lauren Levesque
  • kactuskath
  • Keri Kilgo
  • mocchiatto
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

March 17, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://openbuildings.com/buildings/hearst-castle-profile-6607
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst_Castle#Design
  • https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/dms-decimal
Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle Rd
San Simeon, California, 93452
United States
35.650136, -121.186563
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

San Simeon, California

miles away

Mission San Antonio de Padua

Jolon, California

miles away

Morro Rock

Morro Bay, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Simeon

San Simeon

California

Places 2

Nearby Places

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

San Simeon, California

miles away

Mission San Antonio de Padua

Jolon, California

miles away

Morro Rock

Morro Bay, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Simeon

San Simeon

California

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

10 Places to Get in the Wimbledon Spirit

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

12 Places to See the Work of Women Architects

List

By Michelle Cassidy

Related Places

  • Independence, Missouri

    Vaile Mansion

    A remarkably opulent mansion with a tragic history.

  • Winnekenni Castle

    Haverhill, Massachusetts

    Winnekenni Castle

    It was an experiment to prove that glacial boulders and rocks can be used in constructions and dwelling.

  • Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo, Indiana

    Kokomo, Indiana

    Seiberling Mansion

    An opulent testament to the boom-and-bust history of industry in north central Indiana.

  • Row of old houses with the narrow Kleine Trippenhuis or “Little Trip House” on Kloveniersburgwal canal.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Kleine Trippenhuis

    One of Amsterdam's narrowest houses is located right across the canal from its widest.

  • The marble aviary.

    Indianapolis, Indiana

    Allison Mansion

    This elaborate estate contains a stunning marble aviary, a sunken conservatory, and a magnificent music room with a two-story pipe organ.

  • Iulia Hasdeu Castle.

    Câmpina, Romania

    Iulia Hasdeu Castle

    This eccentric folly house was designed by Romanian thinker Bogdan-Petriceicu Hasdeu, with a helping hand from his deceased daughter's spirit.

  • Lanarch Castle, Dunedin.

    Dunedin, New Zealand

    Larnach Castle

    One of New Zealand’s few castles boasts beautiful gardens, grand architecture, and a history filled with family drama.

  • Curwood Castle.

    Owosso, Michigan

    Curwood Castle

    The writing studio of an American adventure author, built in the style of a medieval castle.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.