Plan Your Visit
Location
Situated in the heart of Pasadena at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Caltech's 124-acre campus is 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 30 miles from the ocean. The Caltech-managed Jet Propulsion Laboratory is about seven miles away.
Pasadena is located at the north end of the 110 highway in Los Angeles County. The closest airport is Bob Hope (Burbank) airport.
Address
California Institute of Technology
Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy
1200 E. California Blvd., MC 103-33
Pasadena, California 91125
PMA includes several locations on campus including Bridge, Downs-Lauritsen, Cahill, Kellogg, Linde Hall, Morrisroe, and Keith Spalding.
Directions by Car
- From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Travel East on Century Blvd. to the San Diego Freeway (405). Go north on the 405 to the Santa Monica Freeway (10). Proceed east on the 10 to the Harbor/Pasadena Freeway (110). Go north on the 110 until it ends at Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena. Continue north on Arroyo Parkway to Del Mar Blvd. Turn right (east) on Del Mar and proceed to Caltech, approximately 1 mile. Turn right on Holliston (right before Hill). LAX is also served by public transportation and various shuttles. Optionally, you may wish to take the airport shuttle to the Pasadena Hilton, the Doubletree, or the Pasadena Holiday Inn. Then, take a taxi for the short ride from the hotel to the campus.
- From Bob Hope (Burbank) Airport (closest airport)
Follow the signs leaving the airport to the Golden State Freeway (5). Proceed south on the 5 to the Ventura Freeway (134). Go east on the 134 until it merges with the Foothill Freeway (210). Continue east on the 210 to the Lake Avenue exit. Travel south (right) on Lake Avenue until you reach Del Mar Blvd. On Del Mar turn left; then turn right on Holliston (right before Hill Ave).
- From Ontario Airport
Follow the signs leaving the airport to the San Bernardino Freeway (10). Go west (towards Los Angeles) on the 10 to the Foothill Freeway (210). Proceed north on the 210 (at one point, the freeway will start traveling west; stay on it) to Lake Avenue exit in Pasadena. Travel south (left) on Lake Avenue until you reach Del Mar Blvd. On Del Mar turn left; then turn right on Holliston (right before Hill Ave).
- From Downtown and Central Los Angeles
Proceed north on the Harbor/Pasadena Freeway (110) until it ends at Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena. Continue north on Arroyo Parkway to Del Mar Blvd. Turn right (east) on Del Mar and proceed to Caltech, approximately 1 mile. Turn right on Holliston (right before Hill).
Directions by Shuffle
From LAX, Bob Hope (Burbank) airport, or Ontario airport, shuttle door-to-door service is available from a multitude of companies. Caltech has special rates with SuperShuttle (mention the code L3F94 and present a Caltech ID for a 10% discount), but other companies are quite similar. To get a shuttle, exit the baggage claim area and look for the ORANGE overhead "SHARED RIDE VANS" sign. Tell the driver you are going to Caltech; if you are asked for an address or intersection, Holliston Ave. and Del Mar Blvd. is near the southeast corner of campus (see the campus map for other streets). FYI, the campus SuperShuttle stops (for when you order your ride back to the airport) are:
S1, located at the south end of the Parking structure (building 66) on 370 S. Holliston Avenue.
S2, located just north of Moore Laboratory at the end of Chester Avenue.
S3, located in the parking lot near the south-east corner of 450 South Catalina.
S4, located in traffic turnaround off of California Boulevard and south of Arms Laboratoty.
Directions by Bus and Metro
Flyaway bus connects (~$10 one-way) the airport to Union Station (the main train station of LA) so you can catch the Metro rail A Line (formerly Gold Line) to Pasadena (~$1.75 one-way). The Los Angeles County Public Metro Transit System Map includes all buses and trains in the county. The Lake St. station is a 25-30 minute walk from campus.
Pasadena Transit
Pasadena Transit is a convenient way to visit Pasadena from Caltech. For more info about activities in Pasadena, visit: cityofpasadena.net.
Caltech campus visitors may park in any commuter (unreserved) stall on campus with a daily or weekly permit. Visitor permits are required for all campus lots between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and may be purchased at automated pay stations within the lots. View the campus map for parking locations. Parking and commuter services can provide information for electric vehicles, carpools, vanpools, Bike Lab, and the JPL shuttle as well as parking and commuting information.
Here are nearby business hotels that have Caltech preferred rates. View Hotels in Pasadena, CA, close to Caltech in a larger map.
- Parking & Commuter Services
- City of Pasadena website
- TripAdvisor Map of Pasadena
- Directions and maps
- Athenaeum
Hotel and meal reservations can be made via email or on the Front desk phone: x8200
Dining room reservations: x8202 - Note: You must provide an account number when making any reservation request. - Entertainment
Pasadena Civic Center
Pasadena Playhouse
Hollywood Bowl - Campus tours
- Caltech Self-Guided Tour (pdf)