Burbank, CA Road Trips

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.

1 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) 2 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) 3 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.

1 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) 2 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)

1 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) 2 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.

1 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.

1 Best Western Media Center Inn & Suites, 3910 W Riverside Dr, ☏ +1 818 842-1900, fax: +1 818 842-1990. Rates from $120 to $275 per night. 2 Courtyard Los Angeles Burbank Airport, 2100 Empire Ave, ☏ +1 818 843-5500, fax: +1 818 843-2700. 3 Hotel Burbank, 150 E. Angeleno Ave, ☏ +1 818 841-4770. In downtown Burbank close to shopping and restaurants. 4 Hotel Amarano, 322 North Pass Ave, ☏ +1 818 842-8887, toll-free: +1-888-956-1900, fax: +1 818 260-8999. An upscale hotel near Warner Bros. Studios and catering to business travelers. (updated Nov 2023) 5 Marriott Burbank Airport, 2500 Hollywood Way, ☏ +1 818 843-6000. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. 488 rooms including 20 PURE allergy friendly rooms. 46,000 feet (14 m) of meeting space. 6 Quality Inn Burbank, 2255 N. Buena Vista St, ☏ +1 818 848-1680, fax: +1 818 848-4024. A half mile from the airport, this hotel is a bit run-down but is near the freeway and within driving distance of all major sites. Rates from $82 to $120 per night. 7 Ramada Burbank Airport, 2900 N. San Fernando Blvd (1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Burbank Airport), ☏ +1 818 843-5955. 8 Residence Inn Burbank Downtown, 321 South First St, ☏ +1 818 260-8787. 166 guest suites, with full size kitchens, separate living and sleeping areas, free in-room wi-fi 9 Safari Inn, 11911 W. Olive Ave, ☏ +1 818 845-8586. Small 1950s or 60s-style hotel with palm trees and kind of a hip kitch. If you saw Quentin Tarantino's movie True Romance, you'll recognize it.

1 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: Terminal A: American Airlines & American Eagle, Breeze Airways (to begin service from Burbank, March 2026); JetBlue, Southwest,Allegiant (to begin service from Burbank, Feb 2026). Terminal B: Alaska Airlines, Delta & Delta Connection, Frontier, Spirit Airlines, United & United Express 2 JSX have their own private terminal at Hanger 2 at 4561 W Empire Ave further west of the main terminal. 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.

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.