Flying in
Tucson International Airport (TUS)
TUS is the closest airport, about 15 minutes from campus by car according to the university's visit page. For a budget option, Sun Tran Routes 11 (Alvernon Way) and 25 (South Park Ave) stop right outside the main terminal. Exit baggage claim, cross the roadway, and the stop is on the first island to your right. Route 25 is scheduled at about 40 minutes to 6th Avenue and Pennington Street downtown, and Sun Tran says it remains fare free. From downtown you can ride the Sun Link streetcar to campus.
Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX)
If fares into Phoenix look better, know the ground leg first. Groome Transportation runs 16 trips a day in each direction between PHX and Tucson, and its posted schedule puts its University of Arizona stop at 501 N. Park Ave. about two hours from PHX. Shuttles leave from Terminal 3, then pick up at Terminal 4. Groome lists adult fares starting at $45 online and asks for at least 24 hours notice; its phone number is 520-795-6771.
Getting around without a car
The Sun Link streetcar is free. Its 3.9 mile route has 23 stops linking Mercado San Agustín, downtown, Fourth Avenue, Main Gate Square and the University of Arizona. If you stay downtown or near Fourth Avenue, the streetcar can carry you to campus for Family Weekend events and back to dinner without a parking bill.
Driving and parking on campus
Parking & Transportation Services runs visitor parking around the clock. The gated garages are Cherry Avenue, Main Gate, Park Avenue, Sixth Street, Tyndall Avenue and Second Street; you pay by credit card or mobile wallet before you exit. The Health Sciences, Highland Avenue and South Stadium garages are gateless, and you pay through the parking app using your plate and the zone number (52019, 52028 and 52026). Hourly rates are tiered between $1 and $2 an hour, and the daily maximum in the garages is $16. Surface lots charge $2 an hour through the app.
Football Saturdays change the picture. The Family Weekend site sends visitors to the Parking & Transportation football game day map for locations and fees, so check it before you drive in for Family Weekend or the Homecoming game on Oct. 24.
Where parents stay
Distances below come from the Arizona Alumni hotel list and are measured to Arizona Stadium on campus.
Right next to campus. Aloft Tucson University on Speedway Boulevard is the closest on the alumni list at 0.8 miles. Graduate Tucson on East 2nd Street is 1.3 miles from the stadium. The historic Arizona Inn on Elm Street appears on the university's list of lodging within a mile of campus.
Downtown and Fourth Avenue. AC Hotel by Marriott Tucson Downtown (1.6 miles), El Amador Downtown Luxury Inn on 4th Avenue (1.9 miles) and the DoubleTree by Hilton at the convention center (2.2 miles) sit in the districts the free Sun Link streetcar connects with campus.
Midtown along Alvernon Way. La Quinta Tucson Reid Park (2.7 miles) and Lodge on the Desert (2.9 miles) are a short drive east. The alumni list places La Quinta in its budget tier and Lodge on the Desert in its mid range tier.
Foothills resorts. The Westin La Paloma (8.9 miles) and other resorts in the Catalina Foothills suit a longer stay, but plan on driving and paying to park each time you visit campus.
Big weekends and how early to book
Three weekends are worth planning around early: Family Weekend (Oct. 2 to 4, 2026, with an 8 p.m. kickoff), Homecoming (Oct. 18 to 24, game on Oct. 24) and commencement (Friday, May 14, 2027 at Casino Del Sol Stadium). Arizona Alumni built its hotel list for Homecoming and had not posted 2026 lodging details yet when we checked. For any of these weekends, book a refundable room as soon as you know your plans, and for commencement, book as soon as your student confirms they are walking.