The Julia Morgan tour at Hearst Castle

Why it is on the list

Hearst Castle is the hilltop estate William Randolph Hearst and Julia Morgan built above San Simeon between 1919 and 1947, now a state park museum and a National Historic Landmark.¹ It holds the 115-room Casa Grande, guest cottages, pools and 8 acres of gardens.² Morgan was the first certified woman architect in California, and this is the tour about her: drawings, family photographs and her own belongings are shown in rooms most visitors never enter.³ It is semi-private and runs two hours, where the standard tours run 70 minutes.⁴ The route takes in the Assembly Room, the Refectory, the Library with 150 Greek vases, the Doge's Suite, the Celestial Suite in the bell towers, the kitchen, and the Hidden Terrace, covered over in 1929 and found again in 1975; it ends at the Roman Pool.³

It is the wrong choice in summer, when it does not run; take the Upstairs Suites tour then, or the docent-led tour at Lotusland.³⁵ It is also wrong for anyone who struggles with stairs: the route has more than 750 steps, and the Accessibly Designed Grand Rooms tour is the alternative.³⁶

How to get it

Book through ReserveCalifornia or on 1-800-444-4445 (1-833-448-7287 from outside the US), 8 am to 6 pm every day, and ask for the Julia Morgan tour.⁷ Reservations open 60 days ahead.⁷ It costs $110 a person, children aged 5 to 12 included, with a $5.50 registration fee inside that price.⁷ Dates can be changed at no charge if done in advance; a cancellation keeps the registration fee, and can be made up to an hour before the tour.⁷⁴ Arrive at the Visitor Center 25 minutes before the tour to collect tickets. Late or missed tours are not refunded; if you are running late, call 1-800-444-7275.⁴ Food and drink other than bottled water, framed backpacks and strollers stay below; wear shoes for the steps.⁸

Discretion

No private car goes up the hill: every tour leaves the Visitor Center by the estate's bus for the five-mile climb, and returns the same way.⁴³ Personal photography is allowed inside and out, without tripods and with flash only outdoors; phones stay silent on the tour, and drones are banned over the estate and the Visitor Center.⁸