How to make the most out of your visit to Hearst Castle

Updated on Feb 28, 2016 in Photography Travel
Tags: California Hearst Castle Sight USA Highway 1

To get my visa for the Argentina I had to go to the Argentina consulate in Los Angeles. I choose to drive there and take the scenic route along Highway 1. On the way I stopped to visit the Hearst Castle and to take some pictures.

Hearst Castle offers several tours. With $25 per tour they are not cheap. The main tour is called ‘Grand Rooms Tour’. This tour provides a nice introduction to the Hearst Castle but you literally only will see 3 rooms at the ground floor: the living room, the dinning room and the cinema. Considering the price point and the time it takes I do not think this tour is worth it. Fortunately booked the ‘Upstairs Suites Tour’. This tour takes you through the upper 3 level of the house and covers everything from sleeping rooms to libraries. Due to the narrow stairwells and small rooms this tour is limited in size and feels more intimate. I did not had the time to try any of the other tours but I definitively recommend the ‘Upstairs Suite Tour’ for visiting and taking pictures. The ‘Grand Rooms Tour’ I would not recommend to anyone, at least not at this price point.