Plan Your Visit

From Interstate 5 (Los Angeles and Orange County), take the Pershing Drive exit and follow the signs. From Interstate 15 (Escondido and Riverside), take State Route 163 south to the Park Blvd./I-5 South exit. Exit at Park Blvd. Turn left on Park Blvd. and head north; Zoo parking entrance is off Park Blvd. at Zoo Place.

From Interstate 5 (Mexico), take the State Route 163 north exit, then the Zoo/Museums (Richmond Street) exit and follow the signs to the Zoo parking lot.

From Interstate 8 (Imperial County and Arizona), take State Route 163 south to the Park Blvd./I-5 South exit. Exit at Park Blvd. Turn left on Park Blvd. and head north; Zoo parking entrance is off Park Blvd at Zoo Place.

From State Route 94, proceed into downtown San Diego to 11th Avenue. Turn right on 11th Avenue and proceed north to A Street. Turn right on A Street, and then make a quick left onto Park Blvd. and head north; Zoo parking entrance is off Park Blvd. at Zoo Place.

Parking is free in the lot in front of the San Diego Zoo. Additional free parking is available throughout Balboa Park. Please be aware we expect busier-than-normal traffic to impact the area around the Zoo on weekends and holiday periods. On weekends, the Zoo offers additional free parking with complimentary shuttle service at the Inspiration Point parking lot (located at Park Boulevard and Presidents Way, just one mile south of the Zoo).

Ride our FREE SHUTTLE directly to the Zoo entrance from the Inspiration Point parking lot at Presidents Way. Our shuttle will run from 11:00 a.m. until the zoo closes on weekends and select holiday periods. No shuttle on Saturday, 12/7 due to Balboa Park’s December Nights Event

It’s easy to get here on public transportation. Rapid 215 and Route 7 stop at the Zoo and are an easy connection in downtown from Amtrak and COASTER trains at the Santa Fe Depot, downtown hotels, the Cruise Ship Terminal, Blue, Orange, and Green Line Trolleys and other MTS bus routes. For fare and schedule information, visit the MTS website or the City of San Diego website.