Plan Your Visit

Maps & Directions

Stanford is easily accessible from throughout the San Francisco Bay area, including San Francisco, Berkeley, and San Jose.

Maps

We encourage you to download and print both the Parking and Circulation Map and the Visitor Map and bring them with you. 

Campus maps

• Searchable Campus Map
• Visitor Map

Transportation maps

• Parking and Circulation Map
• Bus Parking & Loading Map
• Other Transportation-related Maps

Area maps

• Palo Alto/Stanford Area Map
  
• San Francisco Bay Area Map
  

If you are using a maps Web site to plan your route, the easiest way to locate Stanford is to enter our zip code 94305.

Directions

The following driving directions are to the Stanford Visitor Center.

From Highway 101 North & South

Exit onto Embarcadero Road and travel west, following the signs directing you to Stanford University. About three miles after you exit the freeway, Embarcadero Road becomes Galvez Street as you cross El Camino Real. Stay in the left lane and continue past the stadium. The entrance to the Visitor Center Lot is on the left just beyond Nelson Road.

From Highway 280 North & South

Exit onto Sand Hill Road and follow the signs for Stanford University. Heading east, drive approximately 3 miles to the Stanford Shopping Center. Turn right onto Arboretum Road (Nordstrom is on your right). Stay on Arboretum until it ends, then turn right onto Galvez Street. Move to the left lane and continue past the stadium. The entrance to the Visitor Center Lot is on the left just beyond Nelson Road.

Parking

The Visitor Center Lot (L-95 on the campus map) is located on Galvez Street between Nelson Road & Campus Drive, near the Stanford Stadium. If the Visitor Center Lot is full (possible in the afternoon), purchase a permit at the Visitor Center Lot and drive to the Varsity Lot at the end of Nelson Road, behind the stadium. (*See additional important instructions below.) Permits are required in both lots. If you park in the Varsity Lot, you must first purchase a permit at the Visitor Center Lot.

Upon entering the Visitor Center Lot, turn right. The parking permit vending machine is located near the Stanford Athletics Store. Purchase a parking permit and display on your dashboard. The vending machine accepts credit cards, bills, or coins. You should allow at least three hours. Parking is free after 4 PM. Please note that the parking lots are monitored regularly and violations are expensive.

Park only in spaces designated "P" or "E". (Do not park in spaces with only a "C" sign.) "E" parking is located at the left end of the lot, along Nelson Road across from the stadium.

The Visitor Center is located at 295 Galvez Street at Campus Drive, adjacent to the parking lot and Athletics Store.

Important instructions

*If the Visitor Center Lot is full, overflow parking is available in the Varsity Lot, behind the stadium at the end of Nelson Road. (See 12-E on the campus map.) Park only in spaces marked with an "E" or a "P" sign or at the meters, and be sure to display your permit, which can be purchased only at the Visitor Center Lot. (Permits are valid at the meters, even beyond the 2-hour time limit.)

Updated on January 13, 2015 9:00 AM