# Hearst Castle — California State Park > Digital guide to Hearst Castle with historical content and virtual exploration. (iPhone/iPad app by Guidekick, Inc..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearst-castle/id731190836 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Guidekick, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/632384984) - Category: Travel, Education - Price: Free - Rating: 4.42/5 from 72 App Store ratings · 56 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 10.0 · 142 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2013-11-06 - Data updated: 2026-06-25 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearst-castle/id731190836/reviews.md ## What is Hearst Castle? Be immersed in America’s most glamorous and fascinating castle, built by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan. Although portrayed as a power hungry egoist in the movie Citizen Kane, Hearst was simply a builder with a dream. That dream lead to the construction of the legendary Hearst Castle, a place that has invoked the imaginations of everyone who has seen it. — THE APP — Experience Hearst Castle and the people who inspired and created it with exclusive and never before seen images, stories, narration, interviews with past Hearst Castle guests, and video curated by Hearst Castle’s own historians. • Learn about William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies, and Julia Morgan • Discover the Neptune Pool, private air strip, hidden dressing rooms, and much more • Audio narration and text by Hearst Castle historian Victoria Kastner • Images by Hearst Castle photographer Victoria Garagliano — MORE ABOUT HEARST CASTLE — Hearst Castle is a 165-room estate that sits on 250,000 acres near the remote seaside hamlet of San Simeon, California. It was a private getaway for the elite in the 1920s through 1940s, luring Hollywood stars, powerful political leaders, and renown literary figures such as Jean Paul Getty, Bernard Shaw, Calvin Coolidge, Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, and Marion Davies. It also contains one of the largest and most unique private collections that exists today. -- *GPS usage: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Guidekick is optimized to conserve as much battery life as possible, and will only be used for on-site navigation. Questions, problems, or feedback? Please email us rather than giving a low rating, we'll help you out!: support@guidekick.co ## Key features - Exclusive images and stories - Narration by historians - Interviews with past guests - Video curated by historians - Learn about key figures - Discover architectural features ## Recent user reviews (10 of 56) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearst-castle/id731190836/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Keeps crashing *2023-12-29* Unable to use the app at all, every time it found my location within Hearst Castle…it would crash ### 2/5 — DURING/POST-COVID July 2022 *2022-07-18* You can no longer freely explore the grounds of Hearst Castle so the app is pointless. You must remain with your tour group so you’re only seeing things that are included in your tour. Don’t waste your time, data, storage or battery usage as you’ll just delete it after realizing you can’t use it. lol good luck! ### 5/5 — Ignore the usual complainers *2019-08-31* This app is terrific, like almost everyone on here has expressed. For those complaining about poor reception, etc...it's not the app, its your phone, carrier, and lack of phone settings knowledge. I can tell by the complaints that it's one or all the reasons above. The app has almost 5 stars for a reason, its easy to use, and definitely a must for receiving their latest travel and ticket information. Ignore the handful of people that shouldn't have phones if they don't know how to use them. ### 1/5 — Unusable *2019-05-24* This app is basically unusable. At the Hearst Castle itself, cell reception is kind of poor and there are too many people trying to access the Internet at once, so it’s hard to download anything. Every time I open the app it goes to “Checking for New Content” and eventually gets an error with the only option on the error message being to “Try Again”. How about an option to not check for new content all the time or at least function with original content when new content download fails? ### 5/5 — Easy to use and beautiful *2019-05-24* I love the interface, the layout, and the overall functionality. The castle was nice, but the app is what made the visit AWESOME ### 5/5 — Amazing and very elegant *2019-03-01* We loved it so much and it was a great experience for my daughter who is 15 to my mom who is 75 it was very peaceful and unforgettable. ### 5/5 — Thank you! *2018-11-17* Love it ❤️!!! This app is a great tool! I’ve been to the castle and looking forward to a future visit; perhaps the Twilight Tour. This app is going to be an extra companion 😀...lol ### 5/5 — shankar *2018-10-08* really interesting and informative. history being kept alive by dedicated enthusiasts ### 5/5 — Love the Zebras:)also the castle is so amazing love to live in iti dream on *2018-09-18, version 2.0.3* Mr. Hearst had such vision I often wonder if he had lived longer for another 10years what he had in mind as he has already done so much ! I don’t judge people as it’s not my place to can only see what they did and must say he had a deep love of many animals and so amazing how those well he got along with the animals his guests were terrified of them and he was so at ease with them don’t know if they mention that they should as he used the land for them oh do hope they have people milking the cows twice a day too.The gardens are lovely and same for fruit trees hope fruit is used wisely. He was a once in lifetime person building that castle won’t see one like it ever again! Thank You for this app am handicapped now can’t visit anymore now is only way brings so many happy memories back. Toini Osmus Moore ### 1/5 — Broken *2018-06-26* So disappointed Would not load no matter how many times I tried ## Frequently asked questions about Hearst Castle ### What is this app about? This app provides an immersive digital experience of Hearst Castle, a historic estate in California. It features exclusive images, stories, narration by historians, and interviews with past guests, allowing users to learn about William Randolph Hearst, Julia Morgan, and the castle's famous visitors. ### What are the key features of the app? Key features include exclusive historical images and stories, audio narration and text by Hearst Castle historian Victoria Kastner, and video content curated by the castle's historians. Users can learn about notable figures like William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies, and discover specific features of the estate such as the Neptune Pool. ### Is this app free to download and use? Yes, the application is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, suggesting a completely free experience for users interested in exploring Hearst Castle. ### What kind of content can I expect to find in the app? The app offers a rich collection of content, including never-before-seen images, detailed stories about the castle's construction and its inhabitants, and engaging narration. You can also find interviews with individuals who have experienced the castle firsthand and video content prepared by Hearst Castle's own historians. ### Who would benefit from using this app? This app is ideal for history enthusiasts, architecture buffs, and anyone interested in California landmarks. It's perfect for individuals planning a visit to Hearst Castle who want to prepare or enhance their experience, as well as those who wish to explore the estate virtually from anywhere. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.1.1 — 2023-07-08 Improved text rendering ### 2.0.5 — 2019-05-14 Bug fixes ### 2.0.3 — 2017-04-27 Bug fixes! ### 2.0.2 — 2016-06-17 • Support for iPad • Support for Apple Watch • Improved map and content navigation • Performance optimizations and bug fixes ### 2.0 — 2015-06-02 - Completely new interactive 3D map, which is now usable on and off-site - Audio interviews with past Hearst Castle guests - New text, narration, images, and video - Interface redesign ## Apps similar to Hearst Castle | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Visit Cambria](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visit-cambria/id1144197559) | 5.0 (23) | Free | Travel | | [Alcatraz City Cruises](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alcatraz-city-cruises/id1469305231) | 4.2 (10) | Free | Travel | | [Pacific Coast Highway 1 Guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pacific-coast-highway-1-guide/id1497522513) | 4.5 (87) | Free | Travel | | [17 Mile Drive Audio Tour Guide](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/17-mile-drive-audio-tour-guide/id1451171790) | 4.5 (302) | Free | Travel | | [Balboa Park Official App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balboa-park-official-app/id970502543) | 4.5 (182) | Free | Travel | | [Monterey Area State Parks CA](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/monterey-area-state-parks-ca/id1099962745) | 1.5 (51) | Free | Travel | ## More apps by Guidekick, Inc. - [Carrizo Plain](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carrizo-plain/id1095571690) - [The Frick Pittsburgh](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-frick-pittsburgh/id1267193233) - [Telegraph Berkeley Tour](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/telegraph-berkeley-tour/id1331590846) - [Golden Gate Park](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/golden-gate-park/id1366359787) All apps by Guidekick, Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/632384984 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-25.*