Hearst Castle is the unavoidable reason San Simeon is on the map. William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan turned a hilltop ranch into a theatrical estate of towers, terraces, Roman pools, Spanish ceilings, imported art, and long views down to the Pacific.
It is run as a California State Park, with timed guided tours leaving from the visitor centre below the hill. Book ahead, especially in summer and on weekends. The bus ride up is part of the drama: the coast drops away, the house appears above the oaks, and for a moment the excess almost makes sense.