Visiting Information

Memorial Church Open Visiting Hours:
Monday - Thursday, 9 AM - 4 PM
Friday, 9 AM - 1 PM
Tours on Fridays at 11 AM.

Memorial Church is closed for University holidays, University closures, services, and private events. Windhover Contemplative Center is currently closed. There is no expected re-opening date at this time.

About Memorial Church and Companion Spaces
Stanford
Office for Religious & Spiritual Life
Interior photograph from Memorial Church, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo Credit: Eric Chan (Maveric2003)

Memorial Church Directions

Driving

  • From Highway 101 North & South: From Highway 101 take University Avenue exit west toward Palo Alto. Proceed on University Avenue through downtown to Palm Drive. Visitor parking can be found in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr) and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth St and Campus Drive) – see further parking information at the bottom of this page. From the Cantor, walk to the Oval, and walk up the steps into the Stanford Main Quad.
  • From Highway 280 North & South: Take Sand Hill Road exit toward Menlo Park/Stanford. Continue east on Sand Hill Road for about 1.5 miles. Turn right on Santa Cruz then make an immediate left onto Junipero Serra Blvd. Proceed 0.5 miles and turn left on Campus Drive. Continue around the Campus Drive loop for 1.7 miles. Turn right on Palm Drive. Visitor parking can be found in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr) and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth St and Campus Drive) – see further parking information at the bottom of this page. From the Cantor, walk to the Oval, and walk up the steps into the Stanford Main Quad
  • From El Camino Real: From El Camino Real turn west onto Palm Drive/University Avenue towards Stanford University. As you enter the University, University Avenue will turn into Palm Drive. Visitor parking can be found in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr) and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth St and Campus Drive) – see further parking information at the bottom of this page. From the Cantor, walk to the Oval, and walk up the steps into the Stanford Main Quad.

Public Transit

  • By train/CalTrain: CalTrain is a commuter rail service that runs between Gilroy and San Francisco. There are two stops close to Stanford: one at the end of Palm Drive in downtown Palo Alto and another on California Avenue. More information
    • The Stanford shuttle, called Marguerite, meets most trains at both the Palo Alto and California Ave. stations from 6 a.m. to 7:45 p.m Monday – Friday.
  • From points south of Stanford (Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority): The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) runs buses to Palo Alto and south of Stanford. It also operates the light rail line in Santa Clara County. More information >>
  • From North of Stanford (SamTrans): SamTrans runs buses to most points north of Stanford. Five of their lines serve Stanford well. More information >>
  • From the East Bay (Dumbarton Express): The Dumbarton Express runs weekdays from the Union City BART station across the Dumbarton Bridge to the Palo Alto Caltrain station, where the Stanford shuttle, called Marguerite, meets most trains. More information >>

Parking

Parking is enforced Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. unless otherwise posted, with the exception of the Oval which is enforced until 6 p.m. The closest visitor parking to Memorial Church can be found on Roth Way, in front of Cantor Museum (on Lomita Dr), and Parking Structure 1 (corner of Roth Way and Campus Dr). The cost is $4.46 per hour. Credit cards are accepted.

  • For large events and services, please allow at least 30 minutes for finding parking and walking to Memorial Church.  For example, it takes about 15 minutes to walk from Parking Structure 1.

Please check parking signs carefully – “A,” “C,” and “shared” resident/commuter lots are enforced Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the exception of the Oval. You are free to park in these areas after enforcement hours. For more information regarding visitor parking rates and locations, please visit the Stanford Parking and Transportation Services site.

Disabled Parking

Stanford honors any state’s disabled person placards in all marked parking spaces on campus, including meters, designated blue spaces (handicapped parking is conveniently located near all of our buildings), service vehicle spaces and permit lots. Please visit our Information for the Disabled page.