BNP Paribas Open Visitor Guide: Tickets, Parking, Where to Stay & Insider Tips

When it happens

The tournament runs for roughly two weeks each March, typically starting the first Wednesday of the month with the main draw and finishing on a Sunday with the men's final. Qualifying rounds the two days before the main draw are free or nearly free and are a wonderful, crowd-free way to see the grounds. Check the current year's dates and session schedule on the official site before booking anything.

Tickets: the strategy that saves you money

**Grounds passes** (usually $30 to $60 depending on the day) are the best value in tennis. They get you into every stadium except Stadium 1 during the first week — which is exactly when the outer courts are stacked with top-20 players. You can also stand at the practice courts and watch warm-ups from a few feet away.

**Stadium 1 tickets** are priced by session and section. Lower-bowl seats for the early rounds are reasonable; semifinal and final weekends jump sharply. Evening sessions are separate tickets.

**Day vs. night sessions.** Day sessions mean sunshine, mountains, and the full festival atmosphere — but also heat by the second week. Night sessions are cooler, prettier, and tend to feature the marquee match. If you can only do one day, do a first-week day session on a grounds pass.

**Buy direct.** Use the official tournament site or its verified resale platform. Third-party markups on this event are notorious.

Getting there and parking

The Tennis Garden sits at Washington and Miles in Indian Wells, about 25 minutes from downtown Palm Springs without traffic — and double that during the morning ingress on big days.

**Parking:** on-site lots are sold in advance and sell out for weekend sessions. **The free shuttle lots** (typically operating from Indian Wells and La Quinta locations) are the veteran move — faster out at the end of the night than the paid lots.

**Rideshare** works but expect surge pricing and a long queue after the evening session. Many regulars park once at a shuttle lot and never think about it again.

Where to stay

**Walking distance:** the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells (with its own waterslides for the family) and the Indian Wells Resort Hotel are the closest properties. **Five to ten minutes:** the Renaissance Esmeralda, the Grand Hyatt/Indian Wells area resorts, and La Quinta Resort & Club — the tournament's unofficial headquarters, where players and coaches fill the patios.

**Value play:** Palm Desert hotels along Highway 111 run meaningfully cheaper and put you 15 minutes from the gates. **Full guide:** our hotels near the Indian Wells Tennis Garden guide ranks every option by distance, price, and pool quality — book by December for the best selection.

What it's like inside

The grounds are a festival: landscaped gardens, mountain views in every direction, big screens on the lawn outside Stadium 1, and food that is genuinely good by sporting-event standards (this is the event that helped make stadium sushi a thing). Bring sunscreen, a hat, and layers — March days can be 85 degrees in the sun and 55 after dark. Small bags only; check the current bag policy before you go.

The insider moves

• **First Wednesday and Thursday** are the sweet spot: every top player is on an outer court or practice court, and grounds-pass crowds are thin.
• **Practice courts** are free with any ticket and are the best-kept secret — Federer, Nadal, and Serena all hit here for years, a few feet from fans.
• **Qualifying days** before the main draw are free or near-free and wonderfully relaxed.
• **Golden hour** on Stadium 2, with the Santa Rosas going pink behind the west stands, is the prettiest seat in tennis.