Texas plays in the middle of Austin with the State Capitol complex a few blocks south, and that turns out to be the whole answer. The state of Texas opens its own garages on gamedays at $25 a space, UT runs a free shuttle from them to the stadium, and season parking on campus is gated behind a Longhorn Foundation gift of at least $250 so most of the close-in lots were never for sale to you anyway. The thing regulars actually organize their day around is not the price, it is the exit, because fans describe sitting in a San Jacinto garage for an hour and a half after a night game. Lots open at 7 a.m., or 6 a.m. for an 11 a.m. kickoff, and no overnight parking is allowed except in one lot.
The short answer
Cheapest: a CapMetro day pass at $2.50, with kids under 18 riding free, parking somewhere out along the route and busing in. Best value with a car: a state garage at $25 with UT's free shuttle running from three hours before kickoff to an hour after. Best with kids: the bus, for the fare alone. Best for an RV: State Lot 26 at $20 from 6 p.m. the night before to noon the day after, which is the cheapest RV night on any guide we have written. Worst plan: a garage right by the stadium on a night game, where fans report an hour and a half just to reach the street.
At $250, 16 of the 18 College stadiums we have priced cost less and 1 costs more. See every College Sports stadium ranked.
Compare every option
| Option | Cost | Walk | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| State garages A, E, F, J and the Capitol Visitor GarageOffsite lot | $25 per space, paid on entry | Free UT shuttle to the stadium, or a walk up from the Capitol | The best mix of price, certainty and a sane exit |
| CapMetro bus with a day passOffsite lot | $2.50 for a day pass, $1.25 a ride, kids under 18 free | Depends where you board, roughly 0.75 mi from Dean Keeton and San Jacinto | Paying the least, and bringing kids for nothing extra |
| State Lot 26, for RVs and oversize vehiclesStadium lot | $20 from 6 p.m. the night before to noon the day after, or $10 on gameday alone | Free UT shuttle from across Guadalupe Street at the UT Athletics Fields | RVs, and it is not close |
| UT campus lots and garagesStadium lot | Sold through ParkMobile, price set per game | Varies, these are the closest public options | Being closest, if you accept the exit that comes with it |
| Church and small business lots east of I-35Community lot | Fans report $20 at a church lot and about $50 at a restaurant lot | A walk over from the Manor Road restaurant area | Turning parking into lunch, and a much better exit |
| Season permits, which are donor gatedStadium lot | Requires a Longhorn Foundation gift of $250 or more | East Campus Garage, LBJ Surface Lots and San Jacinto Garage | Nobody buying a single game ticket, which is why it is here |
| Accessible and special accommodation parkingStadium lot | $50 per vehicle for special accommodation parking | Fan Services golf carts run closer to the gates | Drivers who need to be close, with or without a placard |
Every option, in detail
Offsite lot
State garages A, E, F, J and the Capitol Visitor Garage
$25 per space, paid on entryFree UT shuttle to the stadium, or a walk up from the Capitol /// Shuttle runs from 3 hours before kickoff to 1 hour after
The Texas Facilities Commission opens the state office garages downtown on football gamedays at $25 a space, and UT runs a free round trip shuttle to the stadium with drop off and pick up at Dean Keeton Street and Robert Deadman Drive. Prepaid reservations are handled through LAZ Parking. You are parking in the Capitol complex rather than the stadium scrum, which is why the exit works.
Heads up: State Garage G is $50 rather than $25, and the first come first served state lots are priced separately, so read which garage you are actually entering. The shuttle stops running an hour after the game, so a long postgame means walking.
Via tfc.texas.gov (Texas Facilities Commission gameday parking on state property, for the garages, prices, LAZ reservations and the UT shuttle hours)
Offsite lot
CapMetro bus with a day pass
$2.50 for a day pass, $1.25 a ride, kids under 18 freeDepends where you board, roughly 0.75 mi from Dean Keeton and San Jacinto /// Normal service, no gameday premium
A Longhorns fan wrote up their method in detail: buy a CapMetro all day pass, park at the HEB at Hancock Center, take the southbound number 10 bus to Dean Keeton and San Jacinto, and walk the last three quarters of a mile. CapMetro's own fare page confirms the numbers, and adds that tap to pay caps you at $2.50 a day no matter how many rides you take. Seniors, military, riders with disabilities and Medicare holders pay $1.25 for the day.
Heads up: Parking at a grocery store you are not shopping at is between you and that store, and we are describing what a fan did rather than endorsing it. If that part matters, park at a garage on the route instead and the fare math is unchanged.
Via capmetro.org (CapMetro official fares including the under 18 free policy and the $2.50 daily cap. The specific route and park point are a fan write up from September 2024.)
Stadium lot
State Lot 26, for RVs and oversize vehicles
$20 from 6 p.m. the night before to noon the day after, or $10 on gameday aloneFree UT shuttle from across Guadalupe Street at the UT Athletics Fields /// 6 p.m. the day before a home game
This is the outlier on every guide we have written. Twenty dollars covers an RV from the evening before the game until noon the following day, and UT runs a free round trip shuttle to the stadium from the athletics fields across Guadalupe. Gameday only is $10. No reservations are taken and you pay on entry.
Heads up: First come first served with no way to reserve means the cheap thing is also the uncertain thing. Everywhere else on campus prohibits overnight parking, so this lot is the only legal option for staying the night.
Via parking.utexas.edu (UT Parking and Transportation Services football parking page, 2025 season)
Stadium lot
UT campus lots and garages
Sold through ParkMobile, price set per gameVaries, these are the closest public options /// 7 a.m. on gamedays, 6 a.m. for an 11 a.m. kickoff
UT sells public parking at the Health Center Garage, Lot 15, and Lot 18/92, all through the ParkMobile app rather than at a gate. Only passenger vehicles are allowed in the designated convenience parking areas.
Heads up: No overnight parking is permitted anywhere except State Lot 26. And the closer you park, the worse the exit: a fan who used a San Jacinto garage after a night game reported reaching their car at 10:30 and not reaching the street until 12:15.
Via parking.utexas.edu (UT Parking and Transportation Services for the lots and the ParkMobile requirement, Texas Athletics for the opening times and the passenger vehicle rule. The exit account is a fan report, September 2024.)
Community lot
Church and small business lots east of I-35
Fans report $20 at a church lot and about $50 at a restaurant lotA walk over from the Manor Road restaurant area /// Whenever the operator sets up, fans arrive around 3 hours out
A season ticket holder who avoids garages entirely parks east of I-35 near the Manor Road restaurants and walks over, and other fans followed the advice and reported back. One paid about $50 in a restaurant lot by scanning a QR code at the entrance before the place opened. Another paid $20 at a church lot a few blocks further south. This is the Austin version of the neighborhood lot, and it comes with somewhere to eat.
Heads up: These are individual arrangements rather than a posted system, and the reports are from the 2024 season, so treat the prices as a range rather than a rate. A fan noted the area only gets tight for 11 a.m. kickoffs, when everyone arrives at once.
Reported by fans, with no official page confirming it. Several fans in one thread from September through December 2024, describing lots they used and what they paid. Not verified against any operator, and we are naming the pattern rather than the businesses.
Stadium lot
Season permits, which are donor gated
Requires a Longhorn Foundation gift of $250 or moreEast Campus Garage, LBJ Surface Lots and San Jacinto Garage /// Selected during the online seat and parking process each April
Season football parking is only available to season ticket holders who are Longhorn Foundation members at the Hero level, meaning $250 or more in combined football seat gifts and Longhorn Excellence gifts. The number of permits scales with the gift: one at $250 to $9,999, two at $10,000 to $24,999, three above that. Permit locations are the East Campus Garage, the LBJ Surface Lots and the San Jacinto Garage.
Heads up: This is the reason the map looks fuller than what is actually for sale. If you are coming for one game, skip straight to the state garages, the bus or ParkMobile.
Via texaslonghorns.com (Texas Athletics gameday parking central. Note the page states its parking details pertain to the 2025 season.)
Stadium lot
Accessible and special accommodation parking
$50 per vehicle for special accommodation parkingFan Services golf carts run closer to the gates /// 7 a.m.
Texas splits this into two things. ADA compliant parking sits in Lot 118 and on Trinity Street near DeLoss Dodds Way, with D and D+ permit holders directed to the East Campus Graduate Apartments and the Facilities Complex. Separately, special accommodation parking that is not ADA compliant is sold at $50 per vehicle, first come first served from 7 a.m., at Trinity Street near DeLoss Dodds Way and Lot 118. Fan Services also runs golf cart shuttles for fans with mobility, hearing or vision impairments.
Heads up: The $50 special accommodation spaces are first come first served with no reservation, so the 7 a.m. opening is the arrival time rather than a window.
Via parking.utexas.edu (UT Parking and Transportation Services for the locations and the $50 rate, Texas Athletics for the Fan Services golf cart shuttles)
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Skip parking entirely
Austin is the rare college town where the cheapest option is also a real transit system rather than a gameday shuttle bolted onto nothing. Between CapMetro and the free UT shuttle from the state garages, you can do this whole day without parking near the stadium at all.
CapMetro local bus
$1.25 a ride, $2.50 for the dayKids under 18 ride free, along with emergency and military personnel in uniform. Seniors, military, riders with disabilities and Medicare holders pay $0.60 a ride or $1.25 for the day. Tap to pay caps you at $2.50 a day automatically, so you cannot overpay by taking extra rides. The number 10 stops at Dean Keeton and San Jacinto, about three quarters of a mile from the stadium.
Via capmetro.org
UT shuttle from the state garages
FreeRuns between the downtown state garages and the stadium beginning three hours before kickoff and ending an hour after the game, with drop off and pick up at Dean Keeton Street and Robert Deadman Drive.
Via tfc.texas.gov
UT shuttle from the RV lot
FreeA separate free round trip shuttle runs from across Guadalupe Street at the UT Athletics Fields to the stadium, serving the RV and bus parking at State Lot 26.
When to get there
Lots open at 7 a.m. on a normal gameday and at 6 a.m. for an 11 a.m. kickoff, and kickoff times are set about a week out by television. The free UT shuttle from the state garages starts three hours before kickoff, which is the practical start of the day if that is your plan. Fans say the east side lots near the Manor Road restaurants stay easy most weeks and only get tight for 11 a.m. kickoffs, when everyone arrives in the same hour. One regular described arriving around 4 or 4:30 for a 6:30 kickoff, which was about eating first rather than about finding a space.
Getting out after
This is the part Texas fans actually plan around. A fan who parked in a San Jacinto garage reached their car at 10:30 after a night game and did not reach the street until 12:15, and said they would not drive to a game again. The counter advice from a regular, written for exactly this situation: use the state garage at 1311 San Jacinto Boulevard and park as close to the door as you can, which is a couple more blocks of walking and saves close to an hour. I-35 construction has permanently removed the 15th Street onramp to northbound I-35, so postgame traffic is now routed either onto the southbound frontage road from 15th or south to 12th Street, which has become a primary access point.
Tailgating rules
The state of Texas runs tailgating on its own property downtown, which is unusual: the Texas Facilities Commission publishes gameday parking and tailgate reservations for the state garages and lots around the Capitol complex, separate from anything UT operates. On campus, only passenger vehicles are allowed in the designated convenience parking areas, and no overnight parking is permitted anywhere except State Lot 26.
We did not find published rules on grills, alcohol or tent sizes for UT's own gameday lots on the pages we checked, and would rather say so than guess. Reserve through the Texas Facilities Commission if you want the state property version, and ask UT Parking and Transportation directly about campus lots.
Via tfc.texas.gov
Questions, answered
- How much does parking cost at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium?
- Stadium lots run $20 to $250. Cheapest: a CapMetro day pass at $2.50, with kids under 18 riding free, parking somewhere out along the route and busing in. Best value with a car: a state garage at $25 with UT's free shuttle running from three hours before kickoff to an hour after. Best with kids: the bus, for the fare alone. Best for an RV: State Lot 26 at $20 from 6 p.m. the night before to noon the day after, which is the cheapest RV night on any guide we have written. Worst plan: a garage right by the stadium on a night game, where fans report an hour and a half just to reach the street.
- Is there free parking near Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium?
- There is no reliable free parking near Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium. The cheapest options are listed above.
- What time should I get to a Texas game?
- Lots open at 7 a.m. on a normal gameday and at 6 a.m. for an 11 a.m. kickoff, and kickoff times are set about a week out by television. The free UT shuttle from the state garages starts three hours before kickoff, which is the practical start of the day if that is your plan. Fans say the east side lots near the Manor Road restaurants stay easy most weeks and only get tight for 11 a.m. kickoffs, when everyone arrives in the same hour. One regular described arriving around 4 or 4:30 for a 6:30 kickoff, which was about eating first rather than about finding a space.
- Can you get to Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium without a car?
- Austin is the rare college town where the cheapest option is also a real transit system rather than a gameday shuttle bolted onto nothing. Between CapMetro and the free UT shuttle from the state garages, you can do this whole day without parking near the stadium at all. CapMetro local bus: $1.25 a ride, $2.50 for the day.
Texas Athletics states plainly that its published parking details pertain to the 2025 season and that updated maps and traffic flow for 2026 will be shared before the season starts. Treat prices here as last season's and check before you drive.
The garage prices fans quote for big games run far above the $25 state garage rate. One fan heading to a December game found garages at $70 to $120. Marquee opponents and bowl-adjacent games are not priced like a September Saturday.
We could not verify a posted price for the UT campus lots because they sell through ParkMobile, where the rate appears per game inside the app.
Manor Garage, immediately east of the stadium, is reported at $162 by secondary sources. We could not confirm that from UT or the operator and are not publishing it as a rate, only as the reason nobody recommends parking there.
Sourced from the stadium, the city, local outlets, and fans who park here every week. Checked July 2026, and we recheck three times a year. Prices and lot rules change, so every claim above either links where it came from or says plainly that it is fan-reported and unconfirmed. Click through before you build your day around one spot.
/// Know something we do not?
Prices change and lots come and go. If something on this page is wrong, or we missed a lot, tell us.
A person reads every one. You will not get an automatic reply, and we do not change the page until we can verify it ourselves.
Citing this guide
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Dispatch Sports, “Parking at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium: Texas Longhorns Gameday Guide.” Checked 2026-07. https://dispatchsports.com/college/texas/parking
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