--- description: Find out why Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California is on TIME’s 2019 list of the World’s 100 Greatest Places. title: Hearst Castle Is One of the World’s Greatest Places image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2685be211bfc4b2/698a015eb21a9c58fb502305/hearst-castle-san-simeon.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Aug 21, 2019 # Hearst Castle San Simeon, California by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  SAN SIMEON, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Atmosphere at Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation - Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle on September 27, 2018 in San Simeon, CA. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) SAN SIMEON, CA - SEPTEMBER 27: Atmosphere at Hearst Castle Preservation Foundation - Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle on September 27, 2018 in San Simeon, CA. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)Patrick McMullan—Getty Images Few places better capture the opulence of early–20th century California than [Hearst Castle](http://hearstcastle.org/ "undefined"), the 165-room former personal estate of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. The property, which will celebrate its centennial next year, has its own theater, billiard room, beauty salon and pair of dazzling swimming pools. The Neptune Pool, in particular, is the stuff of legend, with a Vermont marble basin and alcove as well as vast colonnades flanked by a quartet of Italian relief sculptures. In 2014, the pool was drained because it was leaking up to 5,000 gallons of water a day. It took four years and $10 million to repair the cracks, update the plumbing and restore the Art Deco sculptures. The pool was finally refilled in August 2018 and now even hosts the occasional pool party for members—with tickets at $950 a pop. _—Ashlea Halpern_ Hearst Castle Is One of the World’s Greatest Places ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654134/hearst-castle-san-simeon-california/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654134/hearst-castle-san-simeon-california/"},"headline":"Hearst Castle","datePublished":"2019-08-21T15:10:27.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:31:58.123Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654134/hearst-castle-san-simeon-california/","keywords":["World's Greatest Places","World's Greatest Places 2019"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2685be211bfc4b2/698a015eb21a9c58fb502305/hearst-castle-san-simeon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2685be211bfc4b2/698a015eb21a9c58fb502305/hearst-castle-san-simeon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/worlds-greatest-places-2019/5654134/hearst-castle-san-simeon-california/","name":"Hearst Castle"}}]}] ```