Directions & Parking

We are excited to welcome you to UC Berkeley!

Koret Visitor Center:

Most campus walking tours begin at the Koret Visitor Center at 2207 Piedmont Avenue, on the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Plaza in the historic California Memorial Stadium. Go up the main staircase or accessible switchbacks directly across from the Haas School of Business (2220 Piedmont Avenue) and turn right through Gate 2 to walk/roll on the stadium concourse/plaza. Please reference your tour confirmation email for specific details.

Office of Undergraduate Admissions:

The Admissions Office is located in 103 Sproul Hall. Sproul Hall is a 10 minute walk from the Koret Visitor Center. Please check the Admissions website for updated information. Please note their presentation is separate from a campus walking tour.

Public Transportation: 

The Koret Visitor Center is a 25-30 minute walk from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Exit to Shattuck Avenue and Center Street. Walk east on Center Street and then straight through the campus.

Car Parking: 

There is no free parking in Berkeley. Metered street parking may be difficult to find and is limited to two hours. The Stadium Parking Garage at 2175 Piedmont Avenue (same as 2175 Gayley Road) is adjacent to Memorial Stadium and is the closest parking to the Visitor Center. When exiting the garage to the left, you’ll see a bear statue and the Haas Grand Staircase. You’ll find us up the stairs, to the right, through Gate 2. Alternative parking lots can be found here. Please read all parking signs very carefully to avoid a parking ticket. Please note that on home football game days, parking is extremely limited and can be expensive.

Bus Loading and Unloading: 

Buses should unload in the red zone (at the stop sign) at the bottom of the Haas Grand Staircase which leads up to Memorial Stadium (2227 Piedmont Avenue). This is directly across the street from the Haas School of Business. Most tours end at Sproul Hall, so the buses should pick up in the white loading zone at 2521 Bancroft Way at Telegraph Avenue. Please note that Bancroft Way is a one-way street going west. The bus driver must stay with the bus at all times. The closest area for bus parking is 15 minutes away at the Berkeley Marina in the Seawall Lot, the parking lot for the now-closed Hs Lordships Restaurant (199 Seawall Drive), which has free public parking from 5am-11pm as of 2022.

Driving Directions: 

UC Berkeley is close to many Bay Area freeways, including I-80, I-580, I-880, Hwy 13, and Hwy 24. You can connect to these freeways from I-5 and US 101. The directions below begin when you have reached the East Bay from points north, south, and east.

From I-80 E, I-80 W and I-580 E (From San Francisco, Marin County, or Sacramento)

  1. Exit I-80/I-580 onto University Avenue eastbound for 2 miles
  2. Turn right into Oxford Street at the western edge of the campus for 0.4 miles
  3. Turn left onto Channing Way for 0.8 miles
  4. Turn left at the Piedmont Avenue roundabout, aka Channing Circle
  5. The Visitor Center is 0.3 miles on your right

From Highway 24 W (From the Caldecott Tunnel and points east)

  1. Exit Highway 24 at Telegraph Avenue
  2. Turn right onto Telegraph Avenue for 1.8 miles
  3. Turn right onto Channing Way for 0.4 miles
  4. Turn left at the Piedmont Avenue roundabout, aka Channing Circle
  5. The Visitor Center is 0.3 miles on your right

Highway 13 N

  1. Highway 13 ends and becomes Tunnel Road
  2. Continue on Tunnel Road. Tunnel Road becomes Ashby Avenue near the Claremont Hotel.
  3. Turn right at Telegraph Avenue for 1 mile
  4. Turn right onto Channing Way for 0.4 miles
  5. Turn left at the Piedmont Avenue roundabout, aka Channing Circle
  6. The Visitor Center is 0.3 miles on your right

From-580 W or I-880 N (From Oakland, the South Bay or I-5/505 N

  1. Take the Highway 24 E exit toward Berkeley/Walnut Creek
  2. Keep right and exit at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way toward 51st Street
  3. At the stop sign, turn right onto 52nd Street
  4. At the second traffic light, turn left onto Telegraph Avenue for 2 miles
  5. Turn right onto Channing Way for 0.4 miles
  6. Turn left at the Piedmont Avenue roundabout, aka Channing Circle
  7. The Visitor Center is 0.3 miles on your right