Visiting Case Western: Where to Stay for Campus Tours, Move-In, and Graduation

A trip to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, is usually about more than the campus. It's a prospective student deciding where they'll spend four years. It's parents hauling bins up dorm stairs on move-in day. It's grandparents flying in for graduation, or a visiting professor arriving for a semester.

Where you stay shapes those trips. Close enough to walk means no fighting for campus parking. A kitchen means breakfast before an early tour. A second bedroom means the whole family isn't sharing one hotel room.

This guide covers where Case is, when campus gets busy, what kinds of lodging fit each type of visit, and why Little Italy, right next to campus, is such an easy base.

Planning a visit now? See our furnished stays in University Circle.

Where Case Western is

Case Western's main campus is in University Circle, on Cleveland's east side. The university describes University Circle as a culturally rich neighborhood less than 5 miles from downtown, with the Cleveland Museum of Art and Severance Music Center, home of the Cleveland Orchestra, just steps from campus. University Hospitals is right alongside.

Little Italy sits just east of campus. From our Little Italy homes, Case Western and University Hospitals are about a five-minute walk.

One thing to double-check: Case also has a Health Education Campus shared with Cleveland Clinic, near the Clinic's main campus. If your visit is for medicine, nursing, or dental programs, look at the exact building address. That campus is farther west, and you'll likely want to drive, ride the HealthLine, or use a rideshare from Little Italy.

When campus gets busy

Some weekends, every hotel room near campus seems to be taken. Plan ahead for:

For graduation and move-in in particular, book lodging as soon as you know the date. Little Italy also hosts the Feast of the Assumption in mid-August, which can overlap with late-summer arrivals and make the neighborhood busier; see our Little Italy guide.

Choosing lodging by type of visit

A campus tour (one or two nights)

A tour is usually a short trip: arrive the night before, tour in the morning, maybe see the museums in the afternoon. A hotel in University Circle works fine, and so does a furnished apartment if a parent and student want separate rooms or you'd rather not eat every meal out.

Tips:

• Walk the neighborhood after the tour. Little Italy's bakeries and restaurants are next to campus, and the Cleveland Museum of Art is close by. Your student will want to know what's nearby.
• Try the Red Line. The Little Italy–University Circle station gives a quick sense of how a student gets downtown or to the airport without a car.

Move-in (two to five nights)

Move-in is a working trip. You'll be shopping for dorm supplies, assembling things, and making trips back and forth.

• A kitchen and a living room help. After a long day of carrying boxes, a meal at home and a couch beat a hotel room.
• Laundry helps too. Every one of our homes has an in-unit washer and dryer, which is handy for washing new bedding before it goes on a dorm bed.
• Plan parking ahead. Case posts move-in logistics, and campus parking details are on Case's parking page. At our Little Italy homes: Driveway parking is first come, first served. Message us to inquire about it; it is not guaranteed. Street parking is also nearby.

Graduation (two to four nights, often a group)

Graduation trips often bring grandparents, siblings, and partners together.

• Book the moment you know the date. Nearby lodging fills quickly.
• Think about stairs. If an older family member is coming, two of our four Little Italy apartments are on the first floor; the other two are about 15 steps up.
• Use Case's guest resources. The commencement site has pages on hotels and transportation, maps, shuttles and parking, and accessibility.
• Need more room? Our Larchmere house sleeps six with three bedrooms and two full baths, a short drive from campus, with free on-site parking.

A semester or a summer

Visiting faculty, postdocs, and summer program participants often need a month or more. A furnished home with a workspace, reliable internet, and laundry is much easier than a long hotel stay. On monthly stays, electricity, heat, water, and internet are included. See monthly stays.

Why Little Italy works for Case visits

• About a five-minute walk to campus from our homes.
• University Hospitals is right there, which matters if a student or visitor needs care.
• Red Line nearby, with direct trains to downtown and Cleveland Hopkins Airport.
• CircleLink, University Circle's free shuttle, includes Little Italy on its routes. Check universitycircle.org for current routes and hours.
• Food and character. Bakeries, cafés, and Italian restaurants on Mayfield Road, plus galleries on Murray Hill Road.

If you'll be at Cleveland Clinic during the same trip, note that main campus is roughly 2 miles west of Little Italy, about a 40–50 minute walk (approximate). Most guests drive, take the HealthLine, or use a rideshare.

Our home for Case visits

The 2-bedroom in Little Italy, walk to Case & UH is a first-floor apartment about five minutes' walk from campus. It sleeps four, with a queen bed in each of its two bedrooms, so a parent and student, two parents, or a small family can each have their own space. It has a full kitchen, a dedicated workspace for anyone who needs to work during the trip, a patio, and an in-unit washer and dryer.

Like all our homes, it uses self check-in with a smart lock. Check-in is at 3 p.m. and checkout is at 11 a.m., which works well for an afternoon arrival before a morning tour. Pets are welcome, with any pet fee shown before you pay. Smoking isn't allowed.

See all our University Circle stays and Little Italy homes.

Coming back for the next visit

Case visits tend to repeat: a tour, then move-in, then family weekends, then graduation. If you stay with us once, booking on our site for the next trip keeps things simple. You'll already know the home, the walk to campus, and the bakery you liked. Message us when you have dates, especially for move-in and graduation weekends.

And if another family from your student's floor needs a place, feel free to send them to our University Circle stays.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Little Italy from Case Western?

About a five-minute walk from our Little Italy homes to campus.

Is parking available at your Little Italy homes?

Driveway parking is first come, first served. Message us to inquire about it; it is not guaranteed. Street parking is also nearby.

When should I book for graduation?

As soon as you know the date. Check case.edu/commencement for ceremony schedules, then check the calendar on our listings.

Is there a minimum stay?

It varies by home and date. Check the calendar on each listing.

Can I bring my dog on a campus visit?

Yes. Pets are welcome at our homes, and any pet fee shows before you pay. Fees and limits vary by home. See pet-friendly stays.

Ready to plan your Case visit? See our University Circle stays, or browse all our furnished homes.