Planning Your Visit
Lodging and Transportation
Hotels near Stanford
The Mineral-X Symposium will host in Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center with maps. There are two nearest hotels to the event:
- Sheraton Palo Alto Hotel, 625 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301, T: +1 (650) 328-2800
- The Westin Palo Alto, 675 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94301, T: +1(650) 321-4422
Stanford uses the following non-profit website to give the most up-to-date listings of nearby hotel options for visitors around the world.
Airports
Three major airports serve the San Francisco Bay Area. Although San Francisco is the largest of the three airports and offers the most airlines and flights, some visitors find San Jose’s smaller size more convenient, especially for domestic flights. We suggest comparing fares for all three airports, as there can be significant differences even for the same airline.
Transportation
We encourage low-emission models of transportation and reduce the environmental impact of commuting. Here are three main transportations ways to arrive.
Campus Shuttles
Stanford Marguerite Line X & Y free shuttles leaves the Palo Alto Transit Center every 20 minutes between from 5:30 A.M. to 9:10 P.M.
From the SFO airport, you can take the Red-N line to Millbrae, and then take the L1 line to the Palo Alto station. From there, it's a 1-minute walk to the Palo Alto Transit Center, where you can connect to campus shuttles. The approximate time is around 1 hour.
From the San Jose Airport, you can take bus 60 from San Jose Airport Terminal B to Winchester Station, which has 5 stops. Then, you can walk about 3 minutes to the Santa Clara Transit Center station and take train L1, which has 6 stops, to the Palo Alto station. From there, it's a 1-minute walk to the Palo Alto Transit Center, where you can connect to campus shuttles. The approximate travel time is around 50 minutes.
To arrive at the Alumni Center from the Palo Alto Transit Center, you can take the Shuttle line-Y from your current location towards the Tressider Union station. It takes 1 minute to walk to 326 Galvez St from there.
After our symposium, take Shuttle line-X towards the Palo Alto Transit Center, which is the central hub for connecting lines.
Check the schedules for Shuttle X&Y below.
Uber/ Lyft, Taxi and Trains
Uber/Lyft/Taxi and other rideshare services provide a convenient door-to-door transportation option, allowing you to bypass the need for parking and navigate the surrounding area with ease. Yellow Cab Palo Alto Taxi can be requested by calling (650) 384-5555.
Stanford also provides Caltrain services to take you to the nearest station. Please check the train schedules below.
Self-driving
Closest parking garage for the event is located at the Visitor Center on Galvez Street between Nelson Road & Campus Drive, near the Stanford Stadium. If the Visitor Center Lot is full, overflow parking is usually available in the Galvez Lot, located across the street on the north side of Galvez Street.
During the hours of 8:00am-4:00pm, be sure to pay for your space at the payment kiosks, located on the west side of the lot.