MD Anderson Visiting Hours, Parking & What Caregivers Should Know
If you're coming to Houston with someone you love for treatment at MD Anderson, you can trust the medical side. Everything else is what keeps you up at night. When can I be there? Where do I park, and what will it cost? Can I sleep in the room? Where do we stay for the next six weeks?
This guide walks through MD Anderson visiting hours, parking, shuttles, and the practical stuff caregivers ask about most. We'll also cover how to set up housing close enough that the daily commute no longer adds a burden. If you're still in the planning stage, our arrival guide for out-of-state MD Anderson patients is a good companion read.
MD Anderson Visiting Hours at a Glance
MD Anderson is more flexible than many hospitals. One caregiver or loved one, age 18 or older, can stay with a patient 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For everyone else, the recommended visiting window is 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. If a larger family group shows up, you'll be asked to use the patient and family lounges during those hours instead of crowding the room.
Keep in mind the care team can limit visits when a patient's health requires it, so things may look different in intensive care or isolation rooms. If your situation is unusual, just ask the nurse. Policies change, so check MD Anderson's official visitation policy before you travel.
Can a caregiver stay overnight at MD Anderson?
Yes, with one important catch. One overnight visitor is allowed in the patient's room. Sleeping in waiting rooms, lobbies, or other public areas isn't allowed. That surprises a lot of families. If your loved one is being treated as an outpatient, or if two of you made the trip, somebody needs a real bed nearby. And bring a photo ID, since visitors are asked to carry one.
MD Anderson Parking: Garages, Valet, and What It Costs
Three main garages serve MD Anderson's Texas Medical Center campus. Garage 10 is open 24 hours and connects to the Main Building by Sky Bridge. Garage 2 sits near the Acute Cancer Care Center by the Pavilion entrance. Both are run by the Texas Medical Center and cost $5 for an hour or less, topping out at $19 for 24 hours (a lost ticket is $25). MD Anderson runs the Mays Clinic/Duncan Building Garage, and it's cheaper, from $3 for the first hour to $13 for the day.
Valet is a flat $20. At the Main Building's Aquarium entrance, it runs from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, while the Pavilion and Mays Clinic stations are open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays. A nice perk: you can pick up your car from any valet station on campus, not just the one where you dropped it off.
How to save on parking during a long stay
If you'll be parking most days for weeks, look into a prepaid Value Pass. The $52 pass carries $60 in parking value, and the $100 pass carries $115, plus in-and-out privileges at TMC garages. You can buy them at Garage 10, Level 3 Sky Bridge. For help, MD Anderson's parking line is 713-563-7275 (weekdays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and TMC garages can be reached at 713-791-6161. Full details live on MD Anderson's parking and shuttles page.
Here's the honest math, though. Even at the Mays garage rate, daily parking over a two-month stay adds up to hundreds of dollars. That's why so many families choose a place they can walk or shuttle to.
Getting Around Campus Without Your Car
MD Anderson runs ground shuttles for patients, and you'll spot them by the lavender sign on the side. They loop between the Main Building, Mays Clinic, the Hospitality Apartments, the Proton Therapy Center, the South Campus Research Building, and the Radiology Outpatient Center, weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. A full lap takes about 20 to 25 minutes; every shuttle has a wheelchair lift, and family can ride along (up to three guests per patient). You can track them live at mdabus.com.
Inside, motorized carts run across the sky bridge between Mays Clinic and the Main Building on weekdays, which helps a lot on tired days. If you're staying a little farther out, the METRORail Red Line runs right through the Texas Medical Center. Flying in? Here's our breakdown of the closest airports to MD Anderson.
What Caregivers Should Know Before the First Appointment
The first week is usually the heaviest. New patients often have back-to-back consults, labs, and scans spread across different buildings, and days can run long. Pack snacks, a phone charger, a refillable water bottle, and a notebook for questions. Our caregiver packing list for extended stays covers the rest.
If more than one person is helping, think in shifts. One person handles appointments while the other rests, does laundry, or runs to the pharmacy. Caregivers burn out fast when they try to do it all, and MD Anderson has solid support resources for loved ones if you need them.
It also helps to know roughly how long you'll be in town. Stays range from a few days for a second opinion to several months for transplant or radiation. Our guide on how long MD Anderson patients stay in Houston breaks down typical timelines, and A Caregiver's Guide to Long-Term Stays Near MD Anderson goes deeper on settling in.
Where to Stay Near MD Anderson as a Caregiver
Since waiting rooms are off-limits overnight and hotel bills climb quickly, most families here for more than a week end up in a furnished apartment. You get a real kitchen, in-unit laundry, and a separate bedroom, which matters when one of you is recovering and the other needs to decompress. We compare the two options honestly: medical housing vs. hotels near the TMC.
Medical Accommodations offers furnished apartments near MD Anderson across seven properties in and around the Texas Medical Center, many within a short walk or shuttle ride of your appointments. We set up caregiver and family housing for stays of a few weeks and extended-stay housing for cancer patients for treatment that runs for months, plus short-term furnished apartments for quicker trips. Patient rates stay the same year-round, even during busy seasons. You can see what's included in every apartment, and if cost is a concern, our post on financial help for traveling cancer caregivers is worth a look.
Frequently Asked Questions About MD Anderson Visiting Hours and Parking
What are MD Anderson's visiting hours?
One adult caregiver or loved one can stay with an MD Anderson patient 24/7. Other visitors are encouraged to come between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The care team may limit visits for health and safety reasons, especially in intensive care.
Can I sleep in the patient's room at MD Anderson?
Yes. One overnight visitor is allowed in the patient's room. Sleeping in waiting rooms, lobbies, or other public spaces isn't permitted, so any additional family members will need housing nearby.
How much does parking cost at MD Anderson?
Garages 10 and 2 run from $5 for an hour up to $19 for 24 hours. The Mays Clinic/Duncan Building Garage costs $3 for the first hour and up to $13 for the day. Valet is a $20 flat fee. Prepaid Value Passes can bring the cost down for long stays.
Does MD Anderson have a shuttle between buildings?
Yes. Patient shuttles with a lavender sign run weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. between the Main Building, Mays Clinic, Proton Therapy Center, Hospitality Apartments, and other facilities. Up to three family members can ride with each patient.
Do visitors need ID at MD Anderson?
MD Anderson asks visitors to bring and carry a photo ID while they're on campus.
Where can caregivers stay near MD Anderson for several weeks?
Furnished apartments near the Texas Medical Center are the most common choice for longer stays because they include a kitchen, laundry, and space to rest. Medical Accommodations offers caregiver housing near MD Anderson with flexible stay lengths and year-round patient rates.
Plan the Logistics Now, Focus on Your Person Later
Knowing the MD Anderson visiting hours, where to park, and how the shuttles work takes a surprising amount of stress off the first few days. The rest gets easier when you've got a quiet place to come back to at night. If you'd like help finding an apartment near MD Anderson, call us at 888-900-2559 or 713-298-3073, or request housing online, and we'll take it from there.
