Visitor Center and Shopping | The Hearst Castle, San Simeon


The Castle’s newly renovated Visitor Center reopened in June 2007 after a multi-million dollar renovation. The Center welcomes guests to the Gateway of Hearst Castle® and offers a flavor of the Castle’s essence, including shopping, dining, exhibit displays and viewing areas.

The Museum Shop

offers guests the chance to take home a special memory of the Hearst Castle® experience. The shop features reproductions of Hearst Castle® art pieces, as well as gifts and home furnishings reflective of the time period décor in the Castle. Each piece comes with informative literature that details the item’s architectural, historical and artistic significance. For more information, click here.

The Gift Shop

features a comprehensive collection of books, DVDs, audio tapes and other gifts and mementos to commemorate every visit to Hearst Castle®. The gift shop is also a premier source for literature and biographical information on the Castle,William Randolph Hearst and Julia Morgan, architect of Hearst Castle®. For more information, click here.

Visit our Online Retail store!

Food & Beverages

are available at a variety of concessions including the Castle Café, offering burgers, sandwiches, pizza and more; a Snacks-To-Go area and an Espresso Bar. Guests can dine indoors or on the outdoor courtyard. Customized meals and box lunches are available for groups of 12 or more. To arrange box lunches or special meals for groups, please contact our catering specialist at 805.927.8601. For more information, click here.

The National Geographic Theater

at the Visitor Center shows Hearst Castle-Building the Dream on a five-story screen. This original 40-minute large-format movie chronicles the design and construction of the Castle and includes vintage clips and stills of the castle from the 1920s and 1930s plus breathtaking aerial scenes of the Castle and the Pacific coastline.

The movie plays every 45 minutes daily (see schedule page in this folder for show times). The lobby of the Theater features a notable display of 17th-century tapestries from the Hearst collection. For more information, email Shane Wood at swood@ngtheater.com.

The Driver and Guide Lounge

invites you to relax in comfort. It features a climate-controlled rest area with anti-gravity Shiatsu massage chairs and a clean and private workspace. Located inside the National Geographic Theater, the lounge also provides complimentary Internet access, hookups for laptops and an entertainment cabinet with DVD/VHS capabilities. For more information, email Shane Wood at swood@ngtheater.com.

Contact Info
Visitor Information/Tour Tickets: 800.444.4445
Group Sales: 800.401.4775