Hearst Castle
 

Hi! I'm planning a trip to Northern California in Septembaer and have found this board to be extremely helpful. We will be doing all the recommended stuff, including wine country, Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur, and of course SF itself.<BR><BR>My question....What do you all think of Hearst Castle? Is it worth the drive down from Big Sur? Our itinerary is already tight so I'm thinking about not going (and relaxing for more time in Monterey instead!), but I don't want to miss it if it's a "must see"!!<BR><BR>Thanks! Gayle

We did a trip very similar to what yours will be. Our time was very limited as well, but still was able to squeeze in the Castle. My suggestion is this: It was great to see, but had we not gone there, it wouldn't have been a huge regret. We enjoyed ourselves so much more in other areas, San Fran and Napa, that the Castle was definitely not a highlight of the trip. If you do go, be sure to call ahead and find out the tour times. They only run at certain times and the travel up to the castle takes awhile. It was definitely a half day excursion...so be sure to do your homework and decide if it is worth the extra time. (I would probably skip it this time.) <BR><BR>Have a great trip! <BR>

I'd recommend it. <BR><BR>There are several tours -- you'll definitely want to get tickets in advance -- one of them for first-timers. It's called Tour 1 or Tour A or something like that. Take that tour.<BR><BR>Also, you'll want to get there well ahead of the tour time because you have to park and take a bus up to the mansion. <BR><BR>I enjoyed it, and I've never heard anyone say anything negative about it.

Skip the castle. The day you'll save will be better spent doing more in the Monterey Bay area or the City.

Most people enjoy visiting the Castle a lot. It is an "over the top" monument to excess. Huge ultra-luxurious buildings, pools, etc. The setting is spectacular high on a hill, surrounded by a dramatic landscape. Interesting history because Hearst used the property for entertaining Hollywood celebs, so there's a lot of popular culture stories around the house (who visited, the movies they watched, etc.)<BR><BR>But, it is time consuming and inflexible to visit. You have to have reservations at a specific time, they make you get there in advance, you have to take a bus from the visitors center to the house and back, you're on a guided tour the entire time. You are entirely on their schedule--not yours. You can only take one tour at a time--if you want to see more, they make you go back to the visitors center and start the whole process again.<BR><BR>Even one tour is probably a commitment of 2-3 hours.<BR><BR>So, unless it's really appealing, you might want to skip it.<BR><BR>BUT, you do want to make sure you drive south of Big Sur for at least an hour or so so you can see the dramatic coastline--even if you just turn around and drive back. The cliffs and landscape get gradually less and less dramatic--so it's easy to decide when you've seen enough and turn around to go back to Big Sur

Thanks for all your great input!!<BR><BR>David, I have a question on your advice. I thought that the travel from Big Sur to Monterey was the gorgeous drive. You're saying that it's better south of Big Sur?? That's good to know because we definitely would have missed that!! Thanks!

I really enjoyed Hearst Castle (possibly a "must-see") and think some of the beauty of it is the coastal drive to even get near the place. If you don't get there, have no fear -- you'll see so many other great things.<BR>

Gayle--<BR><BR>Yes, I do think the best part of the whole coast drive is south of Big Sur--for about the first hour...after that it starts to get a little repetitive and very gradually less dramatic. So when you start to get bored, turn around.

Gayle,<BR><BR>Other best piece of advice I can offer you is to plan to spend an hour or two hiking the trails at Pt Lobos State Park, which is on the coast just south of Carmel (entrance is right on Route 1)<BR><BR>If you do a search on this board you'll see how much everyone loves this place and get some tips too

Although I have been to Hearst Castle several times and really enjoy it, I would recommend not going all the way down to San Simeon for this trip. It's a long drive and will make your trip schedule very tight. Being pressed for time, you may not enjoy it much anyway. IMO, it's more relaxing to see fewer places but spend more time in each place. I like the recommendation to drive an hour or so south of Big Sur to check out the coast line. Point Lobos is also a beautiful place and will be right on your route.

I think it's definitely worth the drive. The drive down there is some of the best along all of Hwy 1. Personally I prefer Cambria to Monterey, so I'd take the drive down there and stay the night on Moonstone Beach and then make a drive up Hwy 101 the next morning. But do take a tour of Hearst Castle - a beautiful castle that could never be recreated today.

Gayle,<BR><BR>I would definitely recommend Hearst Castle(www.hearst-castle.org) I have been there several times and find it to be a worthwhile place to visit. Maybe you could spend less time in San Francisco so that you can enjoy the Monterey Bay Area and Big Sur which has spectacular scenery.

I don't particularly love Hearst Castle---it's excessive and a lot of things canabalized from Europe. But, it's one of the big tourist attractions and most want to see it. If you do, make res. ahead of time and tour#1 is best for first timers. You must go with a docent so the tour takes a bit of time. Now, the Big Sur question---most of us here in California refer to that part of hwy 1 that begins at Carmel and ends at Ragged Point near San Simeon. We think of it as an area or a stretch of hwy. Technically, there is a town of Big Sur but it's not a great attraction. You can drive Hwy 1 over the Bixby Bridge and down the coast a bit to get a feel for what Big Sur is like or as someone else suggests, visit beautiful Pt. Lobos State Park. You might want to divide your itinerary and do the second part on another trip.

i'd choose a relaxing day over adding to a tight schedule. part of your relaxing day could be driving an hour south to enjoy the scenary, then turn around and go back relax and enjoy the monterey area.

I can't imagine making a trip to the area and pass up seeing Hearst Castle. The pools alone are worth a visit! The extravagence is exactly why you should go see it.<BR>As another poster mentioned, Cambria is preferable to Monterey if you don't have children. Moonstone Beach is a relaxing spot.

I agree about Moonstone Beach - an incredibly relaxing spot.