Cambria: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
North of Cambria the coast belongs almost entirely to the Hearst Ranch, so for 30 km there is little but grass, cattle and sea. The newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst built his castle on the hill above it, and the ranch kept the coast empty. This route drives north to the elephant seals and on to the edge of Big Sur, about 35 km. Most of a day if you take the castle tour; book it ahead and arrive half an hour early.
A short history of Cambria
Cambria is a small town on the Central California coast that in the 19th century lived from cattle ranches, quicksilver mining and a timber port. The name, the Latin name for Wales, was chosen in 1869. To the north, on the hill at San Simeon, the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst built his castle between 1919 and 1947; it was handed to the state in 1957 and opened to visitors. Near the town, elephant seals rest on the beach.
The ten best sights in Cambria
1Cambria Historical MuseumA small museum in an old house in the East Village; open afternoons
2Old Santa Rosa Catholic ChurchA white wooden chapel on a hill above the village, with an old cemetery
3Hearst CastleTours leave from the visitor centre by bus up the hill; book days ahead
4Piedras Blancas Light StationSeen only on guided tours on set mornings; meet at the old motel north of the seals
5Nit Wit RidgeA folk-art house built of junk on a hillside; look from the street or call ahead for a tour
6Mission San Miguel Arcángel40 minutes inland; the painted church interior is the reason to go
-
7Moonstone Beach Boardwalk
A wooden path along the bluff; walk it at sunset and watch for sea otters
-
8Fiscalini Ranch Preserve
Bluff trails and pine forest between the two halves of town; free
-
9Leffingwell Landing
Tide pools and a picnic spot at the north end of Moonstone Beach
10Elephant Seal Vista PointThousands of elephant seals on the beach below the car park; free, any time
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Cambria →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Cambria:
Free walking tours in Cambria
Hearst's coast
North of Cambria the coast belongs almost entirely to the Hearst Ranch, so for 30 km there is little but grass, cattle and sea. The newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst built his castle on the hill above it, and the ranch kept the coast empty. This route drives north to the elephant seals and on to the edge of Big Sur, about 35 km. Most of a day if you take the castle tour; book it ahead and arrive half an hour early.
- Hearst Castle · The architect Julia Morgan worked on it for Hearst from 1919 to 1947, and it was never quite finished. Hearst called it La Cuesta Encantada, the enchanted hill, and his family gave it to the state in 1957.
- Sebastian's General Store · San Simeon began in the 1860s as a shore whaling station, where whalers rowed out after gray whales passing the point. The store is what is left of that village, and its café serves burgers of Hearst Ranch beef.
- San Simeon Pier · The marble, antique ceilings and whole rooms that Hearst bought in Europe for the castle were landed here by ship and hauled up the hill. The cove is protected by the point, which is why the whalers used it too.
- Piedras Blancas Light Station · The light was first lit in 1875. Its tower looks cut off because the top tiers, damaged in an earthquake in 1949, were removed; the white rocks offshore that give the place its name are white with bird droppings.
- Elephant Seal Vista Point · Elephant seals began hauling out on this beach only around 1990, and within a few decades the colony grew to thousands. The bulls arrive in December to fight for space, the pups are born in January, and the beach is never empty for long.
- Ragged Point · Beyond here the road enters the Big Sur coast. In May 2017 the Mud Creek landslide, further north, buried Highway 1 under millions of tonnes of rock and closed it for over a year; the road was rebuilt across the new slope.
Pines and the village
Cambria is two villages, East and West, with a pine forest around them that grows wild in only a handful of places on earth. The town was a mining and dairy centre in the 19th century and became an artists' and retirees' town in the 20th. This route goes from the oldest church to the sea, about 5 km, partly on foot. Half a day; the East Village is best explored on foot, then drive to the beach.
- Old Santa Rosa Catholic Church · The wooden chapel was built in 1870 and is the oldest church in Cambria. Many of the graves in its cemetery belong to the Swiss-Italian and Portuguese families who ran the dairies around the town.
- Cambria Historical Museum · Before 1869 the settlement had several names, including Rosaville and Santa Rosa. Residents then chose Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, and the museum tells how the town grew from that time.
- Linn's Easy as Pie Cafe · Linn's started with pies sold from a family farm up Santa Rosa Creek Road, and the olallieberry pie is still the one to order. The olallieberry is a blackberry hybrid released by plant breeders in 1949 and grown mostly on the West Coast.
- Nit Wit Ridge · Art Beal, a local garbage collector, began building this house in 1928 and kept adding to it for some fifty years, using abalone shells, beer cans, toilet seats and whatever else came his way. In 1986 it was named a California Historical Landmark.
- Fiscalini Ranch Preserve · The Monterey pines here are one of only three native stands of the tree on the mainland, the others at Año Nuevo and Monterey. In 2000 the community bought the old ranch to stop it being built on, and it is now open land between the two halves of town.
- Moonstone Beach Boardwalk · The beach is named for its pebbles of translucent quartz and agate, which locals call moonstones and which glow when wet. Beachcombers come at low tide after winter storms, when fresh ones wash up.
Rock, pier and the old missions
South of Cambria the coast opens into dairy country and small beach towns, and behind the hills lies the warm valley of Paso Robles. This route makes a loop: down the coast to Morro Bay, then inland on Highway 41 to Paso Robles and up to the mission at San Miguel, and back over Highway 46, about 150 km. A full day by car; the inland valley can be 15 degrees warmer than the coast, so dress in layers.
- Harmony · Harmony grew around a creamery that served the dairy farms of the hills. Today it is a handful of buildings, and its road sign announces a population of 18.
- Cayucos Pier · Captain James Cass, a sea captain from New England, built the pier in 1872 and founded the town around it to ship the dairy and farm goods of the area. The name comes from a Spanish rendering of a native word for kayak.
- Morro Rock · The rock is a volcanic plug about 23 million years old, the last of a chain of peaks called the Nine Sisters that runs inland to San Luis Obispo. Peregrine falcons nest on it, which is one reason climbing is forbidden.
- Paso Robles Inn · The town grew up around hot sulphur springs, and the inn was built over them. The Polish pianist and statesman Ignacy Paderewski came in 1914 to treat his arthritis in the waters, bought a ranch nearby and planted Zinfandel vines.
- Mission San Miguel Arcángel · Founded in 1797, the mission is famous for the murals inside its church, painted in 1821 under Esteban Munras with Salinan painters and never painted over. The San Simeon earthquake of 2003 damaged it badly, and it reopened after years of repair.
- Rios-Caledonia Adobe · Petronilo Ríos built this two-storey adobe in the 1830s on former mission land. Later it became the Caledonia Inn, a stagecoach stop on the road between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Getting to Cambria and getting around
- San Luis Obispo Regional Airport · The nearest airport, about 50 minutes south-east, with flights to a few western hubs
- San Luis Obispo Station · The nearest train station, about 45 minutes away; Amtrak's coast trains stop here
Cheap eats in Cambria
Cambria eats like a small country town by the sea: pie, tri-tip from the ranches, and fish and chips on Moonstone Beach. The olallieberry, a local favourite, turns up in pies, jams and milkshakes. Prices are those of a tourist village, but the bakeries and cafés of the East Village make an easy, cheap lunch.
- Linn's Easy as Pie Cafe · Pot pies and olallieberry pie, a slice about $6-8
- The French Corner Bakery · Croissants and coffee in the East Village, about $4-8
- Lily's Coffee House · Coffee and pastries in a garden, about $4-7
- Cambria Coffee Roasting Company · Local roaster in the West Village, a cup about $4-6
- Main Street Grill · Tri-tip sandwiches and burgers, about $12-18
- Sebastian's General Store · Hearst Ranch beef burgers near the castle, about $15-18
- Brown Butter Cookie Company · Sea-salt butter cookies in Cayucos, a bag about $8-12
Museums in Cambria
- Hearst Castle · Several tours of different rooms; the Grand Rooms tour is the first-timer's choice
- Cambria Historical Museum · Local history in an old house; free, donations welcome
- Piedras Blancas Light Station · Guided tours of the light and its wild headland
- Mission San Miguel Arcángel · Original painted church interior, 40 minutes inland
- Morro Bay Maritime Museum · Boats and maritime history on the Embarcadero
Nature and day trips near Cambria
- Elephant Seal Vista Point · Boardwalk over the beach; volunteers in blue jackets answer questions
- Fiscalini Ranch Preserve · Bluff trail with seals and otters below, and pine woods inland
- Moonstone Beach Boardwalk · Sunset walk and pebble hunting
- Leffingwell Landing · Tide pools at low tide and picnic tables under the pines
- Estero Bluffs State Park · Wild bluffs and coves, quiet even in summer
Things to do in Cambria with kids
- Nit Wit Ridge · A house made of junk that children love to spot details in
- William Randolph Hearst Memorial Beach · Calm, sandy beach by the pier for a swim and a picnic
- Elephant Seal Vista Point · Huge seals snoring and fighting a few metres below
- Shamel Park · Lawn and playground by the beach
- Cayucos Pier · Fishing off the pier and a sandy beach for building castles
Where to eat in Cambria
- Robin's Restaurant · Global menu in a cottage and garden in the East Village
- Madeline's Restaurant and Wine Shop · Intimate dinner with local wines
- The Sea Chest Oyster Bar · Seafood across from Moonstone Beach; come early, no reservations
- Indigo Moon Cafe · Relaxed bistro in the East Village
- Linn's · Comfort food and pie for dinner
- Hearst Ranch Winery · Tasting room in the old store at San Simeon
Frequently asked questions about Cambria
What is there to see in Cambria?
The top sights in Cambria are Cambria Historical Museum, Old Santa Rosa Catholic Church and Hearst Castle. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Cambria?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Cambria without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Cambria?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Cambria, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Hearst's coast.
How do you get to Cambria and get around?
The main ways are San Luis Obispo Regional Airport and San Luis Obispo Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Cambria, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Cambria that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Cambria for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.