Directions

Travel to Berkeley Lab

We highly encourage visitors to use public transportation when visiting the Lab. 

The Laboratory is in Berkeley on the hillside directly above the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. Our address is 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley CA 94720. 

To make the Lab easily accessible, the Lab has its own shuttle service that takes people around the site and to downtown Berkeley and the BART station there. Parking spaces are difficult to find here and you will need to prearrange for a parking permit from the person you are visiting.

SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT TO THE LAB BY CAR

Take U.S. Route 101 North from the airport -- towards San Francisco. Keep going until the junction with I-80. Take I-80 east (toward East Bay or Oakland). Cross the Bay Bridge, staying in left lanes. After crossing the bridge, follow I-80 towards Berkeley and Sacramento. About four miles later, take the University Avenue exit on your right, and take the left-hand branch of the exit ramp onto University Avenue. Proceed up University Avenue for two miles until you reach Oxford Street. Go left on Oxford and then several blocks later, right on Hearst Avenue. Head straight up Hearst which, above the campus, climbs steeply and makes a horseshoe turn before arriving at the main gate at the Lab. Alternatively, you may enter the Lab via the Strawberry Gate (see map above). 

Parking can be difficult to find here and you'll need to prearrange for a parking pass through the person you are visiting. As an alternative to driving here, you can park nearby in downtown Berkeley and take the Lab shuttle here. To do that, as you come into Berkeley eastbound on University Avenue, take a right onto Shattuck Avenue. Four blocks later, go right onto Kittredge Street where you'll find a parking garage at 2020 Kittredge. Our shuttle bus pickup is one block to the north, stopping on the east side of Shattuck Avenue near its intersection with Center Street. Travel time is somewhat over an hour.

SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT TO THE LAB BY BART

Easier than traveling by car and much less expensive than taxi cabs or commercial shuttles. Allow 60 minutes for the trip from SFO to the Downtown Berkeley BART stations. The cost of a one-way ticket (as of March, 2005) is $5.50. A roundtrip ticket is $11.00. Tickets may be purchased at the SFO BART station, or on-line.

At the SFO station, take the Pittsburg/Bay Point train to the 12th St. Oakland City Center station. Get off that train and take the Richmond train to the downtown Berkeley station.

Get off at the downtown Berkeley exit, go up the stairs to the street level and locate the Bank of America across the street (corner of Center and Shattuck). Head towards the bank and walk north on Shattuck towards the main bus stop area — the shuttle bus stop is marked for Berkeley Lab and is in front of the Sandwich Zone shop, just past the bank. Wait for a marked Laboratory shuttle bus which will bring you directly to Berkeley Lab (see the directions for using our shuttle. See other transit information here).

OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO THE LAB BY CAR

(See the two maps at the top of this file). From the airport, take Hegenberger Road, following the signs along Hegenberger to I-880 northbound toward Oakland and Berkeley. On I-880, as you approach the skyline of downtown Oakland, get in one of the left hand lanes and take I-80 eastbound to Berkeley. About a mile later, I-80 splits left to I-80 West to the Bay Bridge and San Francisco, and right to I-80 East to Sacramento. Bear right onto I-80 East, which will take you to Berkeley.

About four miles later, take the University Avenue exit on your right, and take the left-hand branch of the exit ramp onto University Avenue. Proceed up University Avenue for two miles until you reach Oxford Street. Go left on Oxford and then several blocks later, right on Hearst Avenue. Head straight up Hearst which, above the campus, climbs steeply and makes a horseshoe turn before arriving at the main gate at the Lab. Alternatively, you may enter the Lab via the Strawberry Gate (see map above).

Parking can be difficult to find here and you'll need to prearrange for a parking pass through the person you are visiting. As an alternative to driving here, you can park nearby in downtown Berkeley and take the Lab shuttle here. To do that, as you come into Berkeley eastbound on University Avenue, take a right onto Shattuck Avenue. Four blocks later, go right onto Kittredge Street where you'll find a parking garage at 2020 Kittredge. Our shuttle bus pickup is one block to the north, stopping on the east side of Shattuck Avenue near its intersection with Center Street. Travel time is somewhat over an hour.

OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO THE LAB BY COMMERCIAL SHUTTLE

A number of private firms provide shuttle service from the Oakland International Airport. More information is available here.

OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO THE LAB BY BART

A special shuttle bus, the Oakland-AirBART shuttle, runs between the Oakland Airport and BART about every 10 minutes. Take it to BART where you get on a train on the Richmond line. Take the Richmond line to the downtown Berkeley exit -- notthe North Berkeley exit, and not the Ashby exit, just the Berkeley exit. Get off at the Berkeley exit, go up the stairs to the street level and locate the Bank of America across the street (corner of Center and Shattuck). Head towards the bank and walk north on Shattuck towards the main bus stop area — the shuttle bus stop is marked for Berkeley Lab and is in front of the Sandwich Zone shop, just past the bank. Wait for a marked Laboratory shuttle bus which will bring you directly to Berkeley Lab (see the directions for using our shuttle. See other transit information here).

BART TO BERKELEY

Get on the Richmond line. Take the Richmond line to the downtown Berkeley exit -- not the North Berkeley exit, and not the Ashby exit, just the Berkeley exit. Get off at the Berkeley exit, go up the stairs to the street level and locate the Bank of America across the street (corner of Center and Shattuck). Head towards the bank and walk north on Shattuck towards the main bus stop area — the shuttle bus stop is marked for Berkeley Lab and is in front of the Sandwich Zone shop, just past the bank. Wait for a marked Laboratory shuttle bus which will bring you directly to Berkeley Lab (see the directions for using our shuttle. See other transit information here).

THE LAB'S SHUTTLE BUS

   
   
bus
   

The Laboratory provides onsite shuttle service (see the map and schedule of the on-site shuttle service) for its 130-acre site in the Berkeley Hills as well as off-site service from the Lab to nearby areas.

On weekdays, the Lab provides free off-site shuttle service for visitors and employees alike. The principal off-site shuttle operates from 6:30 a.m. to 6:50 p.m. Buses run every ten minutes up until 5:50 p.m. when they run at 20 minute intervals. For details, see the map and schedule of the off-site shuttle service.

The off-site shuttle service starts at the main Lab shuttle bus stop at Building 65, and travels along the perimeter of the University of California at Berkeley campus to the downtown Berkeley shuttle stop, and back to the Lab. Another off-site shuttle provides express service to and from the Rockridge BART station at select commute hours.

Shuttle stops are marked with this sign: Bus sign image

Tips for riders:

  • When you see a shuttle bus approaching WAVE AT THE DRIVER so the driver knows you want to board the bus
  • For safety reasons, shuttle bus drivers can only pick-up and drop-off passengers at designated stops. 
  • Shuttle services are for Berkeley Lab employee and guest use only. All riders are required to show ID when boarding off-site buses.
  • Acceptable ID’s are: LBNL badge, UC Berkeley student and faculty ID badge, DOE badge, or UCOP badge.
  • Guests are required to present a visitor bus pass, email, or permission from Lab host, written on official letterhead. See Site Access for more information.
  • As you board, tell the driver the building number of your destination. The driver will be able to assist you with directions.
  • Shuttle buses operate Monday through Friday, except Lab holidays. There is no weekend service.
  • An express shuttle provides service to and from the Rockridge BART station during commute hours. 
  • NextBus service can tell you when to expect the next shuttle bus.
  • Shuttle buses and vans are equipped with bike racks. Please see instructions for bicyclists (link) for more information.
  • Contact Bus Services at busservices@lbl.gov or 510-486-4165 to provide comments, compliments, feedback, or suggestions.