Burbank

The self-declared "Media Capital of the World", Burbank is a small city in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, in the Los Angeles area. It is the home of the headquarters and primary studios of Warner Bros. and Disney, and of the animation studios of Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

For other places with the same name, see Burbank (disambiguation).

Understand

Although commonly thought to be named for agricultural researcher Luther Burbank, the city is actually named after its founder David Burbank, a dentist, farmer, and entrepreneur.

Climate
Burbank
Climate chart (explanation)
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
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   Data from NOAA (1981-2010)
Metric conversion
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Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation+Snow totals in mm

Get in

By plane
  • 🌍 Hollywood Burbank Airport (Bob Hope Airport) (BUR  IATA), 2627 N Hollywood Way (Terminal is towards SE corner of airport grounds at Empire Ave & Hollywood Way. 16.5 mi (26.6 km) North of downtown Los Angeles via I-5 & N Hollywood Way (exit 149) or via MetroLink Ventura Line from Union Station). A major airport for commercial flights serving Burbank, North Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena, Simi Valley and the surrounding areas in the San Fernando Valley in north/northwestern part of the Los Angeles area. It serves as a western hub for Avelo Airlines with connections to smaller west coast airports in northern California, Oregon, Washington, Las Vegas NV; Ogden UT and Denver/Ft Collins CO. The airport is served by: 

There are direct rail (see 'By train' in below) and public transportation connections as well as shuttle, taxi and ride share connections to downtown Burbank, downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and the surrounding areas from the main airport terminal.

The next nearest airport for commercial flights from additional domestic and international destinations is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX IATA) 28 mi (45 km) south (via US Hwy 101 & I-405 or I-5, I-110 & I-105) near Santa Monica & Culver City. Travelers flying in with their own aircraft or on private VIP flights can land at Van Nuys (VNY IATA) 15 mi (24 km) west (via US Hwy 101).

By train
See also: Rail travel in the United States

Train stations
  • 🌍 Burbank Airport-South station (Bob Hope Airport station), 3750 W Empire Ave. Located across the street (Empire Ave) from the airport terminal. MetroLink Ventura County Line and Amtrak trains stop at this station. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 🌍 Burbank-Downtown station, 201 N Front St. Served Metrolink, both Antelope Valley and Ventury County Lines, and by the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner only. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 🌍 Burbank Airport-North station, 3600 N San Fernando Blvd. Served only by MetroLink Antelope Valley Line. Transfer to a bus going south on N Hollywood Way to get to the airport terminal. (updated Oct 2023)

Train operators

By car
  • 🌍 Interstate 5 (I-5,The 5, The Golden State Freeway). Interstate 5 connects California with the rest of the western states. From northern and central California, follow I-5 South to Los Angeles, then leave the freeway on any exit between Hollywood Way and Western Ave. From Los Angeles, and regions south of Los Angeles, follow I-5 North to Sacramento then leave the freeway on any exit between Western Ave. and Hollywood Way. Free. (updated Mar 2021)
  • 🌍 California State Route 134 (The 134, The Ventura Freeway). The Ventura Freeway, or CA-134, connects CA-210 to US-101 through the southern end of Burbank. Exit the Freeway between Alameda Ave. and Riverside Dr. to drive through the Ranchero District or by movie studio lots such as Walt Disney Studios. Free. (updated Mar 2021)

By bus
See also: Long-distance bus travel in the United States

The majority of the intercity bus stations and stops for the greater Los Angeles area are located in "Skid Row" east of downtown Los Angeles, downtown Union Station, El Monte, Long Beach, Huntington Beach and/or east L.A. (along Olympic Blvd but can be elsewhere too). To a lesser extent some also have stops in Burbank and North Hollywood with the following:

  • Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach offers bus connections from the San Joaquins Train in Bakersfield from multiple places in Southern California including Burbank.
  • 🌍 Flixbus, (bus stop) E Cypress Ave and N 3rd St (Bus will board at the green curb on N 3rd St, east of the intersection of N 3rd St and E Cypress Ave in front of the sign that reads "Colony Theater."), ☏ +1 855 626-8585. (updated Jun 2018)
  • 🌍 Greyhound, (bus station) 11239 W Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood (Small storefront station on W Magnolia & Klump Ave), ☏ +1-818-761-5119, toll-free: +1-800-231-2222. (updated Apr 2016)
  • LAX Flyaway, (Union Station bus stop) Patsaouras Transit Plaza (The Patsaouras Transit Plaza can be accessed by a pedestrian tunnel, under the tracks, from Union Station. Stop/ticket desk is in the south end of the Patsaouras Transit Plaza station between Bays 9 & 1.). Direct bus to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from several places in the Los Angeles area. Next nearest stop 7610 Woodley Ave, Van Nuys (at the NE corner of Woodley Ave and Saticoy, next to the Van Nuys Airport) (updated Sep 2019)
  • 🌍 Megabus, bus stop at Bus Bay 9 Downtown Burbank Metrolink Station. Goes up to San Francisco (via San Jose or Oakland) on two separate routes. (updated Apr 2016)

Get around

Public transit service in Burbank is spotty; as with most of Los Angeles, most people tend to drive, so you may find yourself the only one heading to the bus stop after your TV taping or studio tour. The city has its own bus system, Burbank Bus, with a few routes that link major destinations in the city, but service only runs during the weekday rush hours, making it of limited use for the casual visitor.

More extensive service is provided by the Los Angeles-wide Metro system, which has multiple bus routes serving Burbank. Among the more frequent Metro routes are the #94 and (weekday only) Metro Rapid #794 along San Fernando Blvd and Empire Ave, the #164 along Victory Blvd, and the #165 along Empire Ave; all of these routes pass through Downtown Burbank, and the 94/794 and 165 stop near the airport. Less frequent but of note are the #155 along Olive Ave, which connects Downtown Burbank to the studios and Universal City, and the #222 along Hollywood Way, which stops near the airport and connects directly to Hollywood.

See
  • 🌍 Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, 3400 Riverside Dr, ☏ +1 818 972-8687. M-F 8:15AM-4PM (extended hours in summer). Tours of the Warner Bros. lot are conducted in twelve-person carts that visit the backlot sets, soundstages, production facilities, and the Warner Bros. museum. Reservations are offered for the first three tours each day and for the following day's tours, otherwise tours are on a first-come, first-s-served basis. $54 per person for the two-hour and fifteen minute standard "VIP" tour, with a five hour "deluxe tour" offered for $250 per person; parking $7. (updated Nov 2023)
  • 🌍 Warner Bros. Main Backlot, 4000 Warner Blvd, ☏ +1 818 954-6777. One of the two WB backlots. This one is closest to the Studio Tour (see above). It features everything from a Midwest town center, old New York cityscape, French Street, residential neighborhood, to a jungle lagoon are on the Studio’s backlot. The sets can be dressed to resemble any time, period or look imaginable. They also have 31 large sound stage buildings where various movies and TV programs have been filmed. Tour is available with the VIP Studio Tour listed in above. Ask. (updated Jul 2023)
  • 🌍 Warner Bros. Studio Ranch (Columbia Ranch), 411 N Hollywood Way, ☏ +1 818 977-5232. The focal point has been a series of faux houses along "Blondie Street", and house with a pool across the street, that have been used in the exterior and some interior filming of a variety of movies and television programs. Such shows filmed there are Wanda Vision (2021); Lethal Weapon (1987); I Dream of Jeannie (1965); Partridge Family (1970); Dennis the Menace (1959); National Lampoon Christmas Vacation (1989); Bewitched (1964); Blondie (1956); Father Knows Best (1954); etc. The houses and "Blondie Street" are slated for demolition late 2023 and eventually replaced by a series of large sound stage buildings, offices and parking lots. (updated Jul 2023)
  • 🌍 Downtown Burbank. Shops, movie theaters, eateries, etc., on San Fernando by the mall. Take the 5 and get off on the "Olive" exit. That should put you in the thick of things. 
  • 🌍 Martial Arts History Museum, 201 N. Brand Blvd., B100, Glendale, CA 91203, ☏ +1 818 478-1722. Th-Su 11AM-6PM. The world's first martial arts history museum is a cultural and educational look at how Asian history became part of American history through the martial arts. The museum takes about 40 minutes to visit. $12 Adults, $5 Children (6-12). (updated May 2024)
  • 🌍 Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, ☏ +1 818-560-1000. Completed in 1940, this expansive lot serves as the corporate headquarters for the Disney company and contains its primary film, television, and animation production facilities. Tours of the studio are not available to the general public. There are only two ways to tour the studio if you are not employed there: one is through Adventures by Disney, which offers a tour of the studio as part of their pricey six-day, five-night Southern California tour package. A far less expensive way is by becoming a member of D23, Disney's official fan club, which occasionally offers member-exclusive tours of the studio. (updated Jan 2022)

Do
  • 🌍 Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 West Riverside Drive, ☏ +1 818 840-9063. A large equestrian center with boarding facilities, a riding school, horse rentals, and access to miles of equestrian trails in adjacent Griffith Park. (updated Apr 2016)
  • 🌍 Pickwick Gardens, 1001 Riverside Drive. Very attractive place, but don't forget to visit the ice rink. 
  • Television show tapings. TV audiences are needed for tapings of all manner of television productions, in particular game shows and sitcoms. Burbank is home to the production facilities for many shows produced by, among others, ABC, Disney, TBS, and Warner Bros. You can get tickets online usually free of charge from sites like on-camera-audiences.com, although if you have a particular show in mind your best bet might be to go to the show's website itself. (updated Nov 2023)

Buy

Eat
  • 🌍 Bob's Big Boy, 4211 W Riverside Dr, ☏ +1 818 843-9334. The oldest remaining Bob's, built in the 1950s. A national landmark, this diner is a short distance from the Warner Bros. Studios main gate, and celebrity sightings are common. Drew Carey in particular is seen frequently eating burgers here. (updated Nov 2020)
  • 🌍 Burger King, 545 N Victory Blvd (Victory Blvd and Cypress Ave, in front of a 'Hobby Lobby' store, in a strip mall along west side of Victory Blvd.), ☏ +1 818 848-3668. Filming location of Doc Brown's garage (or at least the facade in 1985) and the opening credits of Back to the Future. Filming took place in the south parking lot, by the drive through lane of the restaurant. 

Drink
  • 🌍 The Blue Room, 916 S San Fernando Blvd, ☏ +1 323 849-2779. A kitchy bar where the locals hang out. Everything is colored blue, and the drinks are cheap. Featured in a bunch of movies. 

Sleep

Go next
Routes through Burbank
Sacramento ← North Valley ←  N  S  → Glendale → Downtown L.A.
Studio City ← North Hollywood ←  W  E  → Griffith Park → Pasadena
Santa Barbara ← Van Nuys ←  N  S  → Glendale → Los Angeles


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