San Simeon

Our route notes suggest half a day in San Simeon. On our Pacific Coast Highway route it is stop 4 of 6 in a 6-day trip. The listed visit times for our 9 places add up to roughly 12 hours, before travel between them, so you will need to choose.

Plan half a day for Hearst Castle plus the seal rookery, then overnight in nearby Cambria. Standouts on our list: Hearst Castle (William Randolph Hearst's hilltop estate with the Neptune Pool and Roman Pool); Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery (Free boardwalk viewpoints over thousands of elephant seals on the beach); William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach (Calm cove beach and pier below Hearst Castle, good for picnics and kayaking).

Our Pacific Coast Highway route is best Apr – Oct. NASA POWER 2001–2025 averages put the warmest highs in September (18°C / 64°F), the coolest in February (12°C / 53°F) and the most rain in December (about 80 mm).

Start with Hearst Castle, Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, Piedras Blancas Light Station, William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach and Moonstone Beach Boardwalk. Our guide lists 9 places in all, from 1 sight, 1 activity, 4 outdoor spots, 2 places to eat and 1 bar or café.

Our picks: Linn's Restaurant (Cambria East Village); Robin's Restaurant (Cambria East Village). Get a slice of olallieberry pie to go (Linn's Restaurant).

The closest destinations in our guides are Big Sur (about 87 km / 54 mi), Monterey & Carmel (about 121 km / 75 mi) and Solvang (about 153 km / 95 mi). Distances are straight-line estimates, not road distances.