How to get around Anaheim
Angel Stadium is conveniently located at the intersection of three main roads/highways, making it easy to reach from any direction. But also keep in mind that California traffic can be heavy at any hour – because we just love our traffic, too.
But traffic is something that you’ll just have to deal with, because whether you’re in a rental car, a rideshare, or have even dared to try to take a bus (please don’t), there’s no way to avoid the roads. So keep that in mind when you’re thinking about how early you need to leave to get to the ballpark.
Driving to and parking at Angel Stadium
Having visited more stadiums across the U.S. than I can count, I can confidently say that Angel Stadium is one of the easiest to navigate in terms of driving. The stadium is surrounded by a huge, flat parking lot with approximately 7,000 parking spots, making for an easy parking experience, and getting in and out of the stadium is pretty hassle-free. Although traffic around Anaheim can be terrible, there’s nothing particularly bad about the traffic getting into the game. With so many entrances and such a gigantic parking lot, things move pretty well here.
Disneyland Newport Beach Laguna Beach Huntington Beach Parking Cost
Drive time ~15 mins ~30 minutes ~40-50 mins ~35-40 minutes $20-30
Distance 4 miles 17 miles 25 miles 20 miles N/A
The cost of parking is $20 for general parking and $30 for preferred parking (surprisingly it’s $2 more for each if you purchase in advance online, so to save money, we would give the rare suggestion of paying in person). In my opinion, I would opt for general parking. While preferred parking offers the convenience of being right in front, the $10 difference is not worth the two minutes you’ll save in walking to the front entrance.
There are a couple of parking lots you can find in the area on parking apps, but the distance you would have to walk versus the amount of money you would save is not worth it. We believe you would be better off just parking at the stadium.
SpotHero
ParkMobile
TSI TIP: a great parking hack if you’re going to get to the ballpark early is to park across the street at either Golden Road or Karl Strauss Brewery. At Golden Road, they charge $20, but will give you $5 off of your bill if you eat/drink there. Even better, Karl Strauss also charges $20, but if you spend $20 on food or beverage there, they will refund your entire parking charge! It’s just a short walk across the street to the ballpark from either place, and if for any reason you decide you’re not in a condition to drive after the game, you can leave your car in either lot overnight and pick it up in the morning — they won’t tow you.
Ridesharing to Angel Stadium
If you are staying close to the stadium or near Disneyland, then rideshare is an appropriate option. The roundtrip cost of a rideshare will likely be more expensive than the cost of parking, but with the added convenience of being dropped off and picked up directly at the stadium. But, of course, it only makes sense if you don’t already have a rental car, or if you are specifically looking to drink at the ballpark and don’t want to drive afterwards.
Taking rideshares from the beaches, on the other hand, would cost far more money – likely $80-$100 roundtrip. In that case, if you have a rental car, I would recommend utilizing it.
Map courtesy of Google Maps. Altered to showcase ridesharing zone.
Angel Stadium has optimized the rideshare experience for convenience, whether you are arriving or leaving. There is a dedicated entrance on Katella Avenue that takes you to a designated area just for rideshares, and the rideshares exit on State College Boulevard, making the process relatively painless.
Taking public transportation to the stadium
Yeah, sure, you may see some buses driving around. But trust me – you won’t enjoy that as a method for getting to the ballpark. The bus does actually connect from Disneyland to the ballpark, but depending on which hotel you’re staying at, you might have a fairly long walk to get to a bus stop. And then, once you get off, you’re on the perimeter of the ballpark, so there will be another 10 minute walk on that end as well.
But worse is that after the game you’d be standing on a street corner in Anaheim waiting for a bus. And that’s just not a very Anaheim thing to do. The bus schedules aren’t particularly reliable, so who knows how long you’d have to wait. And we’ve asked all of the hotels in the area if they have a gameday shuttle to the ballpark, and none of them do. So that’s just not an option.
Given the modest cost of taking rideshares from either the nearby hotels or the Disneyland area, we just don’t think that taking the bus is necessary or will save you much money if you’re traveling even in a small group. So forget this idea and stick to cars — either a rental or a rideshare.
Taking the train to Angel Stadium
If you’re coming from either Los Angeles or San Diego, you could take Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner right to Angel Stadium. The train station is right across the street from the ballpark (although “right across the street” in Southern California speak means a 10-15 minute walk, most of which is just getting through the stadium parking lot). If you’re staying overnight, the Ayers Hotel Anaheim is across the street from the station, so you could walk there, check in, drop your luggage, and walk to the ballpark.
If you’re just coming in to see the game, the train schedules actually line up with baseball pretty well. Based on their current schedule (May 2024), here’s what you can expect from both San Diego and LA (this is not the full schedule – it’s only the trains that would be relevant for arriving/departing for baseball).
| SD to ANA | ANA to SD | LA to ANA | ANA to LA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:01am - 10:08am | 3:49pm - 6:04pm | 10:10am - 10:48am | 4:10pm - 4:57pm |
| 10:01am - 12:08pm | 5:49pm - 8:04pm | 11:10am - 11:48am | 6:13pm - 6:57pm |
| 12:01pm - 2:08pm | 6:49pm - 9:04pm | 12:10pm - 12:48pm | 7:17pm - 8:04pm |
| 2:01pm - 4:08pm | 8:49pm - 11:04pm (Tues-Sat) | 3:10pm - 3:48pm | 9:10pm - 9:57pm |
| 10:49pm - 1:04am (Tues-Sat) | 5:10pm - 5:48pm | 11:10pm - 11:57pm | |
| 6:10pm - 6:48pm |
As you can see, you can arrive in Anaheim from San Diego in plenty of time for either a 1:07pm or 6:38pm game, and you can leave as late as 10:49pm (on Tuesday-Saturday), which should be late enough after an evening game.
For LA, you can also arrive in plenty of time for an afternoon or evening game. On the return, you might have to wait until the 11:10pm train, which is late, but still doable.
Bottom Line
A car is easily going to be the best bet for your trip, whether it’s a rental or a rideshare. I would recommend renting a car, unless you’re staying right near the ballpark and are only coming into town for baseball. In that case, rideshares (or walking) are a perfectly good strategy. But for everything else, being able to get around on your own schedule is the best way to go.
