Hearst Castle

Second trip to Hearst Castle. This time enjoyed the kitchens, cottages and wine cellar tour. Great day out helped by fantastic weather which emphasised the wonderful views from the top of the hill.

Visited in September 2023. The location is wonderful and with great beauty, however tour design, time, and operation is so now pushy and restrictive that it ruins the experience. I understand the segmented tours but there is no time allotted for pictures or a short wander of the gorgeous grounds. We did the Cottages and Kitchen tour. The tour is rushed and tightly guided with no time for walking the exterior and taking pictures. This is unnecessary rush by the guides and operators. Road repair was in progress but I don't accept that it caused the rushing and herding. Even the guide was apologetic and knew this was unnecessary. It is a management decision and totally lacking in allowing visitors to enjoy this property unrushed. Management needs to lighten up and let visitors enjoy the property for a few minutes. Very sad to see this approach. It takes most, if not all of the joy out of visiting the Castle. Being marched through the property is not a quality experience. Extremely disappointed.

Amazing place. Breathtaking views.
However, the « Disneyland » kind of set up in the visitor center was not to my like: shops and restaurants, pushy photographer for a picture in front of a green background…
The group tour is mandatory, and we were rushed to the buses to reach the castle, and rushed again to go from a spot to another without having the opportunity to admire fully this jewel of architecture.
I never experienced such a weird organization, even in Versailles which is the epitome of magnificence where you can frolic and stroll everywhere as you please.
Highly impressed by the little I saw, highly disappointed by the organisation.
A big and warm thank you to Emanuel the bus driver who drove us on tricky roads with maestria.