The Accessibly Designed Tours are an option for visitors who have difficulty with climbing up and down stairs, or who have difficulty with standing or walking for lengths of time. Visitors may use their own wheelchairs providing the chairs can enter doorways 28 inches wide. Visitors may also borrow wheelchairs at no extra charge. A specially equipped bus takes visitors to the historic hilltop estate to meet the guide for the tour. Trams are used to escort visitors along the tour routes.
There are two Accessibly Designed Tours available; the Accessibly Designed Grand Rooms Tour and the Accessibly Designed Evening Tour.
Visitors should arrive at least 20 minutes prior to their tour time and pick up their tickets at the Ticket Office located in the Visitor Center. It is highly recommended that a person strong enough to safely move an occupied wheelchair up and down long, steep inclines and narrow ramps accompany the visitor.
Accessibly Designed Tours are available for the ground floor only and may be modified to accommodate visitors during inclement weather. All other areas are inaccessible due to the many flights of stairs in the historic structures. Outdoors, the tour includes the gardens, views of the guest cottages and the Neptune and Roman Pools.
Reservations
For more information or to reserve a ticket for the Accessibly Designed/Wheelchair Accessible Tours, please call Hearst Castle directly 10 days in advance at (866) 712-2286. Outside the U.S. call (518) 218-5078. Reservations can also be made online.
Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument is accredited by the American Association of Museums.