Welcome to the National Institutes of Health! We are excited to have you join us. Below you will find information and links to help navigate the NIH main campus in Bethesda, MD and the Washington DC area.

Entering the NIH Campus

All visitors must enter through the main visitor entrance called the NIH Gateway Center https://www.ors.od.nih.gov/maps/Pages/Gateway-Center-Map.aspx. Visitors will be required to show one (1) form of identification (a government-issued photo ID-driver's license, passport, green card, etc.) and state the purpose of their visit. Visitors are encouraged to use public transportation such as the Metrorail subway system which has a convenient stop (Medical Center stop off the red line) on the NIH campus. Since entry through the visitor center can take time we recommend that you add additional time (45 minutes or so) to your travel to account for any delays.

After all visitors go through the NIH Gateway Center you will be issued a visitor badge. For this multi day symposium visitors will be issued badges for each day they enter the NIH campus.

Here is the NIH Campus Map - https://www.ors.od.nih.gov/maps/Documents/visitorAccessMap2018.pdf

Gateway Center (for Pedestrians) - Building 66 is located adjacent to the Medical Center Metro Station at the South Drive entrance to campus from Rockville Pike / Wisconsin Avenue (Route 355). Check out the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority website at https://www.wmata.com/ to find metro maps, rider fares and trip planning tools.

Visitors Driving to NIH

For visitors arriving in vehicles, on motorcycles or bicycles, the Gateway Vehicle Inspection Station (Building 66A), provides multiple inspection lanes and allows visitors to go through inspection and get a visitor badge in one centralized efficient process. Vehicles enter the Gateway Center complex through NIH Gateway Drive, just south of the intersection of South Drive and Rockville Pike. Vehicles that choose to bypass parking in MLP-11 will go through inspection and enter campus at Center Drive near the National Library of Medicine.

NIH Visitor Parking

Visitor parking is very limited at NIH. The Gateway complex includes MLP-11, a 342-space, multi-level underground parking garage. This visitor-only lot is the primary visitor parking for the NIH main campus. Vehicles parking in MLP-11 are outside of the perimeter security and will not go through vehicle inspection, reducing the amount of time it takes to get on campus. The cost to park in MLP-11 is $2 per hour for the first three hours, $12 maximum for the entire day.

Visitors parking in MLP-11 should proceed to the Gateway Center to get a visitor badge and either walk or take a shuttle bus to their destination.

NIH Campus Shuttle

The NIH Campus Shuttle is free of charge and runs daily, both on and around campus and from campus to various off-campus NIH buildings. Directly outside of the NIH Gateway Center is a shuttle depot area where visitors can take shuttles to their next stop.

To get to the Porter Neuroscience Center (Building 35A) for the symposium, visitors will need to take the Campus Shuttle to the stop for 35/36/37. Once visitors depart the shuttle bus they will see Building 35A.

Check out the NIH Shuttle Map here at https://www.ors.od.nih.gov/pes/dats/NIHShuttleServices/Documents/CampusRed.pdf.

Hotel Accommodations

There are several hotel accommodations throughout the Bethesda, MD and Washington DC area. A few area hotels that are accessible to NIH can be found at https://clinicalcenter.nih.gov/about/visitor/hotels.html. Please know that the provided hotel listing reflects only a snapshot of options. All visitors have full liberty to make accommodations at the location of their choosing.