I chose the "Upstairs Suites Tour" since it's a smaller group, and felt that it gave a good overview of the castle. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, let us ask questions, and kept us going the whole hour +. Learned enough about Mr. Hearst, was amazed at the artwork collection, and saw plenty of rooms (maybe 9?), including the tip-top of the castle. Beware: lots of steps so should be in shape for this one.

Be careful reading older information. Since Hearst Castle reopened to the public after the pandemic, guests are no longer allowed to roam the grounds after the tour. Each of the 4 main tours is 70 minutes long, and at the end of your tour you must immediately reboard your bus, and take the 5 mile trip back down the hill to the Visitors Center. If you wish to take a 2nd (or 3rd) tour, you will need to take the journey back up and down the hill each time. The main, 'Grand Rooms ' tour leaves approximately every 10 minutes, and will accommodate up to 56 people...a full city bus. This is the tour where you see the main entertainment rooms. The other 3 main tours are limited to no more than 14 people, so think about that if you want a more personal experience. None of the tours has elevators or escalators; at a minimum you will be climbing 7 flights of stairs, and there's definitely truth in advertising for the 'Upstairs' tour : lotta up. Lotta stairs. Lastly, keep in mind that there's likely to be an enormous temperature difference between the Visitors Center and Hearst Castle. In the summer, it's not unusual for Cambria to be 65 degrees, and Hearst Castle to be 30 degrees warmer. This is important because, as another guest commented, there's no air conditioning, and half of the Grand Rooms tour is outside. Bring water with you. Even with 1 tour, Hearst Castle can easily fill a half day. The tour ticket includes admission to the Imax film, plus the excellent museum near the back of the Visitors Center....which hardly anyone seems to know about. When I was there, I saw only 2 or 3 other people in the museum, which is a shame because it has a lot of interesting exhibits.

Hearst Castle is truly awe-inspiring. Visually it’s striking through the immense amount of detail and thought that went into the building of the grounds. The history is quirky, and it shows in many aspects. We took the Cottages and Kitchen Tour, and even without seeing the main house, it was incredible. This is certainly a stop you could make a few times to explore different parts of the history and lavish grounds.

I loved this place! It was fabulous! We did the Upstairs Suites tour and if we had more time we would have done the Grand Rooms too. It is a stunning property, the pools will blow you away, the suites, the library, the stories. It's a must-do if you're in the area.

Donnelle was an amazing tour guide. She's filled with knowledge, wit, and passion for art. A great combo! She really went the extra mile. We did the upper rooms tour which included the library, Mr. Hearsts bedroom, and many guest rooms and studies. We even got a sneak peek at the indoor pool. I remarked about my Grandfather working for Mr Hearst and Donnelle got right on the phone with her Hearst historian colleague and we're still in contact to find out more information. We took the last tour of the day and it ended up being a 'private' tour for our family of four. We'll definitely be back. We had an amazing time and so will you!

HearstCastle had been on my bucket list forever. Was fun to see it but the bathrooms were not working in the visitor center and we had three tours in one day and the need to go up and down in the bus repeatedly is just a terrible waste of time. Some of the tour guides were not very good also the booking office I called with the State of CA.was not good our reservation was wrong but a lady on site fixed it. The food in the restaurant was okay!

Took the Grand Rooms tour, and since it was low season, there were only 11 people on our tour. Looks like they have a much larger capacity, and I dont think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much on a full tour. Our guide was friendly and interesting, and have us looks of interesting details about the Hearsts and their guests. Really interesting place, with so much going on in each room, and so well maintained. Would definitely recommend.

Been wanting to come here for 30 years. We did the basic "grand rooms" tour which was amazing for a first timer. Get to know the history through a 45 min movie on a hge screen at the visitor center to arrive early! Tons of parking as the bus takes you up the hill. The views are perhaps the best anywhere in the US. No joke. Great tour, so much history, amazing. I want to see more!

We did two of the tours at Hearst Castle - the Grand rooms and then the Kitchens and Cottages. It was just the right amount of sightseeing and information for a day. None of the bathrooms at the visitor center were operational but the porta potties were well maintained. The tours themselves were informative and interesting. The castle and grounds are fabulous and we’ll probably go back on a future trip to see more!

My husband and daughter took the regular Holiday Twilight Tour and I took the ADA version of the same tour on December 16. We were disappointed that all the concessions were closed by the time we got there and especially that the restrooms were closed. (The portable toilets were disgusting). However, we did get a family picture taken, which was very nice. I started my tour ten minutes before my family members did and I got the better deal. Four other people were supposed to be on my tour but they failed to show up, I got a one on one tour with “Jason” who was outstanding, (The bus driver driving the ADA bus was outstanding as well.) I have been to Hearst Castle a few times before but this was the best tour I have ever taken there. Jason used to extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. He was very open to questions and both he and the bus driver were very solicitous about making sure that I met up with my family and that we all got on the bus okay. Their efforts were very much appreciated. My husband and daughter said their group was too large and they could neither see nor hear much of the time. Take the ADA tour if you have any mobility issues.