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Campus visit stays

Hotels near University of California, Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CAPublic university

Santa Cruz, CA7min drive,
closest stay

Photo: Don DeBold from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Shows Santa Cruz, CA; cropped.

Your visit starts atCook House (Office of Admissions)Named on the map. Your tour confirmation has the final word.
CommencementAsk the schoolWe haven't confirmed the ceremony venue from the school's own page yet.
Closest stayMission InnAbout a 7-minute drive from the tour start.
The school's own site
The short answer

The closest place to stay is Mission Inn, about a 7-minute drive from the tour start. Nothing on the map is within a 20-minute walk; 60 places to stay are within about a 10-minute drive.

What these minutes run to

Minutes run to Cook House (Office of Admissions), a building on this campus that the map names as admissions or a visitor center. We have not yet matched it against the school's visit page, so check your tour confirmation for the meeting spot. Map dated November 2026. The full method

5 min10 min20 minN
tour startstay within a 20-min walkother staysDashed rings: walking minutes.

Where to stay near University of California, Santa Cruz

To the tour start

The hotel has

A short walk away

36 places to stay

Reading the cards: minutes are our estimates from map distance, so they say "about". Breakfast, suites and kitchens are what each hotel brand promises across its hotels, not something we checked room by room. The places listed under a hotel are the closest ones within roughly a 10-minute walk of its door.

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7 mindrive to the tour start, about

Mission Inn

Motel

  • Somewhere to eat: O'mei, about 1 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: Safeway, about 3 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy, about 8 min on foot
  • Train or tram stop: Swift Halt, about 5 min on foot
7 mindrive to the tour start, about

Hampton Santa Cruz West

2424 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Breakfast included (free breakfast is this brand's standard)
  • Somewhere to eat: Upper Crust Pizza, about 1 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: New Leaf Community Market, about 5 min on foot
  • Train or tram stop: Swift Halt, about 3 min on foot
7 mindrive to the tour start, about

Hinds Victorian Guest House

Inn / B&B · 529 Chestnut Street

  • Somewhere to eat: The Penny Ice Creamery, about 5 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: Awe Sum Organically, about 6 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: Kaiser Permanente, about 7 min on foot
8 mindrive to the tour start, about

Hotel St. George

  • Somewhere to eat: Chocolate, about 1 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: Awe Sum Organically, about 2 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: Kaiser Permanente, about 1 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Hampton Santa Cruz

1505 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Breakfast included (free breakfast is this brand's standard)
  • Somewhere to eat: Denny's, about 1 min on foot, and 14 more close by
  • Groceries: New Leaf Community Market, about 7 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Quality Inn

  • Breakfast included (free breakfast is this brand's standard)
  • Somewhere to eat: McDonald's, about 2 min on foot, and 21 more close by
  • Groceries: New Leaf Community Market, about 8 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: 550 Water, Bldg. H, about 7 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

National 9 Motel

Motel

  • Somewhere to eat: Santa Cruz Diner, about 2 min on foot, and 22 more close by
  • Groceries: New Leaf Community Market, about 9 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: 550 Water, Bldg. H, about 7 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Comfort Inn

110 Plymouth Street, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Breakfast included (free breakfast is this brand's standard)
  • Somewhere to eat: The Habit Burger Grill, about 2 min on foot, and 11 more close by
  • Groceries: New Leaf Community Market, about 8 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Best Western Inn

126 Plymouth Street, Santa Cruz

  • Breakfast included (free breakfast is this brand's standard)
  • Somewhere to eat: Denny's, about 2 min on foot, and 9 more close by
  • Groceries: New Leaf Community Market, about 8 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

National 9 Motel

Motel · 130 Plymouth Street, Santa Cruz

  • Somewhere to eat: Denny's, about 2 min on foot, and 7 more close by
  • Groceries: New Leaf Community Market, about 8 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Bay Front Inn

Motel

  • Somewhere to eat: Pacific Point Market & Cafe, about 1 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: Hernandez Market, about 6 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Ramada Limited Santa Cruz

516 Water Street, Santa Cruz

  • Somewhere to eat: Water Street Grill, about 1 min on foot, and 23 more close by
  • Groceries: Whole Foods Market, about 7 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: 550 Water, Bldg. H, about 1 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

La Quinta Inn Santa Cruz

La Quinta Inn & Suites · 550 2nd Street, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Breakfast included (free breakfast is this brand's standard)
  • Somewhere to eat: Las Palmas Taco Bar, about 1 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: Hernandez Market, about 9 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Oceana Inn Santa Cruz

Motel

  • Somewhere to eat: Sala Thai, about 1 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: La Plaza Market, about 6 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy, about 7 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

El View Lodge

Motel · 810 3rd Street, Santa Cruz

  • Somewhere to eat: Firefly Coffeehouse, about 2 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: Hernandez Market, about 9 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Hyatt Place Santa Cruz

407 Broadway, Santa Cruz, CA

  • Breakfast included (free breakfast is this brand's standard)
  • Somewhere to eat: Golden Palace, about 1 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: La Plaza Market, about 3 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy, about 7 min on foot
9 mindrive to the tour start, about

Hotel Solares

Motel · 600 Riverside Avenue

  • Somewhere to eat: Taqueria Los Primos, about 4 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: La Plaza Market, about 5 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy, about 9 min on foot
10 mindrive to the tour start, about

Surf City Inn & Suites

Motel · 619 Riverside Avenue, Santa Cruz

  • Somewhere to eat: Taqueria Los Primos, about 4 min on foot, and dozens more close by
  • Groceries: La Plaza Market, about 5 min on foot
  • Pharmacy: CVS Pharmacy, about 10 min on foot

Graduation weekend at University of California, Santa Cruz

We haven't yet confirmed the ceremony venue for University of California, Santa Cruz from its own commencement page, so the walk times here run to the tour start only.

Rooms close to campus tend to go first for commencement, often months ahead and with a two-night minimum. If the walkable ones are gone, sort the list by the 10-minute drive chip and look one town over. Our graduation weekend guide covers timing.

Seeing another school on this trip?

The closest campuses we cover, with our drive estimate from University of California, Santa Cruz (map distance, no traffic).

San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA · about a 63-minute driveSanta Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA · about a 63-minute driveCalifornia State University, Monterey BaySeaside, CA · about a 63-minute driveStanford UniversityStanford, CA · about a 75-minute drive

Worth doing before you book

University of California, Santa Cruz gear for the ride home

A hat for the tour, a hoodie for the acceptance letter, a frame for the far end of it all. Each button runs an Amazon search for that item with the school's name filled in.

Tour Day Hotels is not affiliated with or endorsed by University of California, Santa Cruz or any other college. The gear is sold by Amazon and its sellers, not by us and not by the school; if licensed merchandise matters to you, look for that on the listing. We show no prices because they change by the hour.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Questions parents ask

Is there a hotel you can walk to University of California, Santa Cruz from?

None on the map. The nearest is about a 7-minute drive away.

Where do campus tours start at University of California, Santa Cruz?

Minutes run to Cook House (Office of Admissions), a building on this campus that the map names as admissions or a visitor center. We have not yet matched it against the school's visit page, so check your tour confirmation for the meeting spot.

Where should we stay for University of California, Santa Cruz graduation?

We haven't confirmed the ceremony venue yet. Book as early as the hotels allow, and widen the search to a short drive if the walkable rooms are taken.

Are there hotels with free breakfast near University of California, Santa Cruz?

10 hotels within a 20-minute drive belong to brands that include breakfast; none of them is within a 20-minute walk.

Something wrong here, such as a closed hotel or a moved welcome center? Tell us and we'll look.