Hearst Castle

[cornishfrogboy]

Quick and hopefully easy question...

I will be there at Easter, the relevant bit being the staying 2 nights at Monterey before driving down to the Madonna Inn and staying 3 nights there (as a base).

With this in mind, we may do Hearst Castle on our drive down from Monterey (unlikely as we want to see 17 mile drive, Partington, Pfeiffer and Bixby Bridge en route).

We are more likely to drive the 50 miles back up on one or other of our two full days at the Madonna Inn and do it that way, but we are obviously wanting to play loose in case of inclement weather.

Now the question. Will I be able to roll up and get in on the day.. or should I be taking pot luck and booking it now?

[kateb78]

We’re having the same dilemma! I’m not sure which day we’ll be able to fit it in and so don’t want to commit before we’re there. I’ve checked our dates on their website and there are lots of tickets available so I think we’ll risk it.

[spenners]

When we visited in October 2018 we just turned up. It is worth a visit, we did the main house tour and will be visiting again in May this year to do another part of the estate.

[jdouds]

Hi just to give you some food for thought, we would perhaps suggest 3 n Monterey and then 2 at the Madonna inn. In Monterey the aquarium is first class and worth a visit , are you going to go whale watching, it’s one of the best things we have ever done.

[jdouds]

Oh by the way make sure you stop at San Simeon to see the elephant seals. End of March last of the big males leave after mating and the females and juveniles start to arrive for moulting.

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by jdouds

Hi just to give you some food for thought, we would perhaps suggest 3 n Monterey and then 2 at the Madonna inn. In Monterey the aquarium is first class and worth a visit , are you going to go whale watching, it’s one of the best things we have ever done.

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This is not our first visit. We missed the PCH last time due to the mudslide.

We will be spending 3 further nights in SFO Alcatraz (again), Freerunning cycle hire for Golden gate park, Sutra, the bridge and Bonito Point. The love tour in a VW Camper. The haunted tour around Nob hill).

Monterey (been before), is for a further Whale Watch and a better look. Plus convenience for the top end of the PCH (Partington , Pfeiffer and as we spend a day heading South.

Madonna Inn, we love (hence the 3 nights). It gives good access to Hearst (we have seen San Simeon Seals but not the inside of Hearst after backtracking up after circumventing the mud slide). We are also Horse riding out of the Madonna, seeing Pismo and hopefully a few Monarch Butterflies plus the pier. We are possibly going to drivedown to Solvang, dependent on time.

We fly out of S L Obispo to Seattle where we continue the vacation.

There is reason in our madness!

[tapley]

I didn’t know there was an aircraft museum at Hearst Castle🤣. Hope you all have a great trip.

[cornishfrogboy]

Originally Posted by tapley

I didn’t know there was an aircraft museum at Hearst Castle🤣. Hope you all have a great trip.

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Thanks, Brian. Regrettably no aircraft this time (although I have been spoilt in the past)... maybe USS Hornet.

[Aims]

Both times I’ve been to Hearst Castle I reserved tickets ahead, but you can also take your chance and buy the day of. Easter time is also spring break time though, and all California big attractions get very busy. If you decide not to book Hearst in advance, you do risk tickets being sold out when you arrive, or having to wait a few hours for the next opening- you go in by timed groups, so you choose a time when you get tickets. They do charge a fee of $8 per ticket to reserve though, so that’s a bummer.

[Wordsworth]

We had no problem just turning up on the day, but that was in September so possibly quieter.