Drop-Off and Pick-Up at Universal Studios Hollywood: All 3 Locations
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Universal Studios Hollywood has two official pick-up and drop-off points, the Frankenstein Parking Garage for the park and the ET Parking Garage for CityWalk, and neither charges for the stop. Pick carefully, because the two garages are a 20-minute walk apart, and there is a third option if you arrive by train.
Ask for the Frankenstein Garage if you are going straight to the park, and the ET Garage only if CityWalk is the destination.
| Location | Best for | Walk to the park gate | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankenstein Parking Garage | The theme park | About 5 minutes | Free |
| ET Parking Garage | CityWalk restaurants, cinema and shops | About 20 minutes | Free |
| Universal City Metro station | Arriving by train without a car | About 15 minutes, uphill | Metro fare |
Location 1: Frankenstein Parking Garage for the Park
📍 Where: Closest garage to the park gate, one floor below the walkway
🚶 Walk to the gate: About 5 minutes
💰 Cost: Free for drop-off and pick-up
If you are going straight to the theme park, ask to be dropped at the Frankenstein Parking Garage. It is the closest Universal Studios Hollywood parking garage to the entrance, and it is where the rideshare apps send drivers by default. Type Frankenstein Parking Garage as the destination and both Uber and Lyft find it.
Drivers follow the app into the garage and keep left, because the right lane is Preferred Parking and ends at a pay booth. There are no ticket barriers on the rideshare side, just attendants keeping the traffic moving, so the whole loop takes a minute.
Once you are out of the car, go up one floor by the stairs, escalator or lift to the walkway, then follow the signs across to the park gate.
Leaving, exit through the main gates, follow the path round to the right, and cross the walkway back towards the Frankenstein Garage. The pick-up point is on Level 7, the same level you were dropped on, so go back down the same stairs or lift and look for the Rideshare Pickup sign.
Location 2: ET Parking Garage for CityWalk
📍 Where: Far end of CityWalk, behind Toothsome and Buca di Beppo
🚶 Walk to the park gate: About 20 minutes
💰 Cost: Free for drop-off and pick-up
If you are only coming for dinner, the cinema or the shops, the ET Parking Garage is the better drop-off. It sits at the far end of CityWalk behind the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, so you step out of the car and into the restaurants, with everything else there is to do at CityWalk a short walk away.
The park itself has one exit on a day ticket, the main gates onto CityWalk, so a pick-up here means walking the full length of CityWalk first.
Unfortunately, the walk from here to the park gate runs the full length of CityWalk, and the signposting for this pick-up point is thin. Use the app’s navigation to make sure you and the driver are in the same place, rather than trusting the signs.
Location 3: Universal City Metro Station
📍 Where: Universal City/Studio City station on the B Line, across Lankershim Boulevard from the hill
🚶 Walk to the gate: About 15 minutes, uphill the whole way
💰 Cost: Your Metro fare, nothing at the park
If you are staying in Hollywood or Downtown without a car, the B Line stops at Universal City/Studio City station, directly across Lankershim Boulevard from the bottom of the hill. We took it from Hollywood on a visit in the past year, and the station signs point you towards Universal Studios from the platform.
From the station, cross Lankershim at the lights under the Universal Studios billboards, then follow the road up past the Sheraton Universal to the walkway. It took us about 15 minutes with photo stops, uphill for all of it, and a Universal shuttle runs the same route if the slope does not appeal.
If you are staying at the Sheraton or the Hilton, that same road is your route in, so ask to be dropped at the hotel and walk the last eight minutes or take the hotel shuttle, and let how many days you need at the park decide how many nights you book.
Either way, the Walkway to Theme Park sign at the top puts you on the same path as the Frankenstein Garage drop-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions I get asked most about getting dropped off and picked up at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Where do Uber and Lyft drop off at Universal Studios Hollywood?
At the Frankenstein Parking Garage, which is the closest garage to the park gate and the default destination in both apps. Get out inside the garage, go up one floor to the walkway and follow the signs to the entrance.
Is rideshare drop-off free at Universal Studios Hollywood?
Yes. Drivers, friends and family can drop off and pick up at the Frankenstein Garage, the ET Garage or the hotels next door without paying for parking. There are no barriers, only attendants directing traffic.
How far apart are the two drop-off points?
About a 20-minute walk. The Frankenstein Garage sits by the park gate and the ET Garage is at the far end of CityWalk, so choose the one that matches where you are actually going.
Can you be dropped at the Sheraton Universal and walk to the park?
Yes, and it is the easiest option if you are staying there. It is about eight minutes on foot, uphill on the way in, and the hotel runs a complimentary shuttle if you would rather not walk.
Does Universal Studios Hollywood have more than one exit?
No. On a day ticket you leave through the main gates onto CityWalk. Turn right for the Frankenstein Garage pick-up, about five minutes away, or walk the full length of CityWalk for the ET Garage pick-up, about 20 minutes.
