Castle · San Simeon, United States
Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada (Spanish for 'The Enchanted Hill'), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Built 1919.
Photo: King of Hearts via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | San Simeon, United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Castle |
| Built | 1919 |
| Architect | Julia Morgan |
| Coordinates | 35.6853° N, 121.1678° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Hearst Castle is known for
Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada (Spanish for 'The Enchanted Hill'), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California.
About Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada (Spanish for 'The Enchanted Hill'), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Conceived by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his architect Julia Morgan, the castle was built between 1919 and 1947. Today, Hearst Castle is a museum open to the public as a California State Park and registered as a National Historic Landmark and California Historical Landmark.
History
The coastal range of Southern California has been occupied since prehistoric times. The indigenous inhabitants were the Salinans and the Chumash. In the late 18th century, Spanish missions were established in the area to convert the Native American population.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Hearst Castle website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | San Simeon |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | San Luis County Regional Airport (SBP) |
| Distance from the airport | 42.8 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT) · Fresno, United States · 110.5 miles away
- Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) · San Jose, United States · 123.4 miles away
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) · San Francisco, United States · 149.5 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in United States
More castles
Frequently asked questions
What is Hearst Castle?
Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada (Spanish for 'The Enchanted Hill'), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California.
Where is Hearst Castle located?
Hearst Castle is in San Simeon, United States. Its coordinates are 35.6853° N, 121.1678° W.
How do I get to Hearst Castle?
The nearest town is San Simeon, and the nearest airport is San Luis County Regional Airport (SBP), about 42.8 miles away (straight line).
When was Hearst Castle built?
Hearst Castle was built 1919.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearst_Castle — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q378143 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://hearstcastle.org — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.