Today, the castle is a magnificent 165-room main house plus guesthouses, pools, and 8 acres of cultivated gardens. The main house itself, "La Casa Grande," is a grand setting for Hearst's collection of unique artifacts, Renaissance art, ornate swimming pools, fanciful gardens and over 127-acres of land comfortably nestled on top of the mountain. Four tours are offered daily with special evening tours during the fall and spring. Reservations are highly recommended.  

National Geographic Theatre

Located at the Hearst Castle Visitor Center, the theatre is truly an amazing movie experience. Its iWERKS screen is eight times the size of conventional movie screens, delivering unforgettable breathtaking images, as extravagant as the Castle itself. The theatre is equipped with 7-channel, digital surround sound, which along with the screen’s startingly realistic visual images creates a sense of motion and interaction with the movie.

If you think Hearst Castle is spectacular the way it is, just wait until you experience it on a five-story screen. This companion movie highlights the castle’s rich history and surroundings and the inspirations which led William Randolph Hearst to construct his architectural masterpiece.  Daily show times start every 45 minutes from 8:15am until 6pm.