Travel and Directions

CONFERENCE VENUE: National Institutes of Health

NIH Natcher Conference Center Building

Address: Natcher Conference Center, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
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Note: NIH is a tobacco-free campus. The use of all tobacco products (including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco, or other tobacco products) is prohibited at all times.

Getting to Washington, DC

The Washington D.C. metro area is serviced by three airports:

Reagan National Airport (DCA) is the only regional airport with a DC Metro station at this time.

Washington also has a major rail hub that services Amtrak and regional rails housed within Union Station.  Union Station is a stop on the DC Metro system.

Public Transportation

Public transportation is the recommended way to get to NIH for this conference.  Metrorail service (Metro map) is available from Washington's Reagan National Airport and from Union Station (Amtrak railway). Take Metro's Red Line to the Medical Center Station.  Montgomery County and DC also offer bus service with stops at NIH (links below).

Driving to NIH

If you must drive to NIH, plan extra time to get through the local congestion and for the vehicle inspection area. To drive onto the campus, approach NIH via Rt. 355 (Rockville Pike) headed south (or u-turn at South Dr.) and turn onto NIH Gateway Drive.  Follow the signs to the vehicle inspection area (bear right).  You will need to exit your vehicle with all of your electronic devices and proceed through the security screening.  You will need to show a photo ID at this time.  While you are out, guards will search your vehicle and trunk.  Once you have completed the inspection, follow the path and make your first right into the Natcher parking lot.

If you bear to the left on NIH Gateway Dr. you will be able to enter a public parking garage.  Parking in this lot (MLP-11) costs $2/hour for the first three hours and $12 for the entire day.  Visitor parking on campus is extremely limited and typically fills by 8:00 am.

NOTE for exhibitors: booth materials can be shipped in advance rather than driven onto campus.  Contact the organizers for more details.

Security & Getting to Natcher

The Metro station's escalators end in front of the NIH Visitor Gateway Center.  All visitors must pass through a security screening and present a photo ID to get onto campus.  After getting a visitor badge, attendees have two choices:

The Medical Center Station's escalators and the MLP-11 parking lot both exit in front of the NIH Visitor Gateway Center.  All visitors must pass through a security screening and present a photo ID to get onto campus.  After getting a visitor badge, attendees have two choices:

Walking: look for stairs or elevator on the left just past the badging station.  Go up one floor and exit the Gateway Center.  Follow the sideway to the left and up the hill.  Natcher is directly in front of you.  (5-10 minutes)

Shuttle: walk down the hall after leaving the badging station and exit the building.  Walk to the shuttle bus enclosures and wait for a NIH Campus or NIH Campus Limited shuttle bus (NIH Campus Shuttle Schedules).  All busses have a listing of their stops next to the door so look for a shuttle that mentions a stop at Natcher (Building 45).  (15-30 minutes)