Apple Park Visitor Center: The Café, Store, and Rooftop Terrace

Apple Park Visitor Center: The Café, Store, and Rooftop Terrace

Countless people in Japan and around the world use iPhones and Macs!

Have you ever wondered where Apple’s products—known for their refined design and intuitive user experience—are actually created?

Apple has its headquarters, called “Apple Park,” in Cupertino, California, where many groundbreaking ideas are brought to life.

While the main headquarters building is off-limits to anyone except employees, there are facilities on the campus grounds that tourists can easily visit!

Here, we’d like to introduce the appeal of Apple Park, along with the café and the “Apple Park Visitor Center” located on the premises.

1. What Is Apple Park?

Apple Park is Apple Inc.’s headquarters campus, located in Cupertino, California—part of the region known as Silicon Valley.

It was designed as the “office of the future” that Steve Jobs envisioned before his passing!

As a new main office to replace the “Infinite Loop” campus that Apple had previously used, Apple Park began full operations around 2017.

Apple Park features a massive circular building with a diameter of approximately 460 meters, surrounded by lush natural greenery.

It uses some of the world’s largest curved glass panels, designed to flood the interior with natural light.

Since it’s a working corporate campus, only Apple employees can enter the main building—but tourists can visit the nearby Visitor Center, which has a café and store!

(Bonus) Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs’ Entire Life Was Centered Around Silicon Valley!?

The home where Steve Jobs lived and the companies he founded were all clustered around Silicon Valley.

While Jobs was born at a hospital in San Francisco, the house where he grew up and its garage (where Apple was born) are in nearby Los Altos.

The current headquarters and Apple’s first office are in the city of Cupertino, California, and his later residence was in nearby Palo Alto!

This shows that Jobs spent his entire life—from birth through his company and final years—in the Silicon Valley area.

Palo Alto, where Jobs’ later home was located, is known as “The Heart of Silicon Valley.” It’s also famous as the place where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard founded HP in their garage.

The area is also home to Stanford University and is the birthplace of companies like Tesla, Facebook, and Google.

When you actually visit, you’ll be surprised to find quiet residential neighborhoods and abundant greenery—it seems like a very livable area!

When people hear “Silicon Valley,” they often imagine a bustling, hectic business hub, but it’s interesting to discover that some areas are quite spacious and relaxed.

2. What Is the Apple Park Visitor Center?

Right near Apple Park is the “Apple Park Visitor Center,” which is open to the general public!

The Visitor Center is a must-see facility featuring an Apple Store, café space, and rooftop terrace.

There’s also a corner where you can use AR technology to view an enlarged display of the circular building’s internal structure—it’s amazing to experience cutting-edge technology while getting a bird’s-eye view of Apple Park!

The building itself has a simple yet beautiful design, and you can feel Apple’s attention to detail throughout.

3. The Café and Rooftop Terrace

At the Visitor Center café, you can relax with coffee and snacks while enjoying views of the Apple Park campus!

While it’s different from the employee-only café inside Apple headquarters (Caffè Macs), the simple and refined space is still very pleasant.

Head up to the rooftop terrace, and you can look out at a partial view of the massive circular building where employees work—the sheer scale is impressive!

One of the café’s highlights is that you can easily order and pay using iPads at the counter!

You can customize everything from the type and amount of milk in your latte to the temperature of your coffee—even detailed orders that might be awkward to explain verbally can be easily placed.

Being able to enjoy your café experience so seamlessly feels very Apple-like.

The stylish, uniform trees surrounding the building harmonize beautifully with the refined architectural design!

Frontier by EcoDrive (@frontier_ecodrive)

4. Access and Timing Tips

If you’re heading to Apple Park from San Francisco, it usually takes about an hour by car.

The Visitor Center’s hours are typically 10 AM to 7 PM on weekdays and 11 AM to 6 PM on Sundays, but be aware that schedules can change suddenly in the U.S., so it’s worth double-checking!

There’s no security check near the Visitor Center, but during busy times, the parking lot can get crowded and it may take some time to get in.

Also, if you want to use the store, reservations are generally required—be sure to check the official website!

5. Summary

Apple Park in Cupertino is where Apple—the company behind the iPhones and Macs loved by people worldwide—brings its ideas to life.

Even after returning to Japan, the memory of having actually visited Apple’s headquarters might deepen your appreciation for your iPhone or Mac!

Be sure to stop by the café for a relaxing break and immerse yourself in the Apple experience!

We also share other amazing tourist spots on our Instagram, so please check it out!

Frontier by EcoDrive (@frontier_ecodrive)