Last checked: October 21, 2026. This guide to Riddle Hospital visiting hours is independent and not affiliated with Riddle Hospital or Main Line Health.
Riddle Hospital visiting hours for most inpatient units are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week, with up to two visitors at the bedside at a time. Maternity is open to support people around the clock, and the emergency department allows one or two people who stay with the patient. Every adult visitor needs a government-issued photo ID to get a visitor badge at the main entrance. For everything else about the Media campus, start with our Riddle Hospital guide.
The rules below come from Main Line Health’s own pages, which we checked on the date above. Units can still tighten them for a patient’s safety, so a quick call before a long drive is never wasted.
Riddle Hospital visiting hours at a glance
| Area | Hours | Visitor limit |
|---|---|---|
| Inpatient units (medical, surgical, cardiac and others) | 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Sunday | 2 at a time; visitors can swap during the day |
| Labor and delivery, maternity | 24 hours, 7 days | 2 support people at the bedside in labor, plus a Main Line Health registered doula |
| Emergency department | No set hours | 1 to 2 people, who stay at the bedside |
| Overnight stays | By request | Ask the unit; it is the care team’s call |
These figures come from Main Line Health’s systemwide visitation guidelines, which apply the same 8-to-9 window at Riddle, Bryn Mawr, Lankenau and Paoli, and from the visitor section of the Riddle Hospital location page. If you want to stay past 9 p.m., Main Line Health asks you to talk with the unit supervisor.
Bring a photo ID: how the visitor badge works
Main Line Health requires every visitor to pick up a temporary badge from the greeters at the hospital’s main entrance. You will need a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, state ID card or passport. No ID usually means no badge, so put it in your pocket before you leave home, especially if you are rushing in with someone else’s bag and phone charger.
Wear the badge where staff can see it for the whole visit. If you leave the building and come back the same day, ask at the greeter desk whether you need a new one.
Children, overnight stays and the two-visitor rule
Children under 12 must be with an adult the whole time. There is no published minimum age for visiting general units, but nurses can limit young visitors if a patient is very sick or a unit is busy.
The two-at-a-time limit is about the bedside, not the whole day. A family of five can see a patient in shifts, with the others waiting in the lounge that each patient floor has for visitors. If you want to stay the night, Riddle’s page says visitors can ask to do so. Ask the nurse early in the evening rather than at 8:55 p.m.
A patient also has the right to choose who visits and who does not. Riddle’s patient guide says Main Line Health will not restrict or deny a visitor because of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, relationship status or disability.
Riddle Hospital visiting hours for maternity, the NICU and ICU
Riddle delivers babies and has a Level II neonatal intensive care unit staffed by neonatologists from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Maternity visiting is open 24 hours, but labor and delivery keeps a firm cap of two support people at the bedside, plus a registered doula if the patient has one.
Main Line Health does not publish separate visiting hours for Riddle’s NICU or adult intensive care units. Expect tighter rules in those areas and call the unit first. Two rules are in writing: flowers and plants are not allowed in intensive care units, and you should not photograph or record staff or other patients in the ICU, CCU, NICU, operating rooms or telemetry units.
Riddle Hospital visiting hours in the ER
In an emergency, call 911. If you are following a relative to the emergency department, one or two people can stay with the patient, and they should stay at the bedside rather than come and go. You reach the ER through the West Entrance, and its parking lot serves emergency patients only. Our guide to what to expect at the Riddle ER covers check-in and waiting, and the main ER line, 484-227-8215, is in our Riddle phone directory.
Gifts, flowers, balloons and mail
A florist can deliver straight to a patient’s room, except in intensive care. The hospital bans latex balloons because of allergy risk, but foil (Mylar) balloons are fine. The Merry Token gift shop, run by the hospital’s auxiliary, sells cards, snacks, magazines and plush toys and can deliver to a room; call 484-227-3335.
Cards and letters reach patients through hospital volunteers. Address them with the patient’s full name and room number to Riddle Hospital, 1068 West Baltimore Pike, Media, PA 19063. The hospital forwards mail that arrives after discharge to the patient’s home.
Don’t bring medicines, alcohol or other drugs in for a patient. The patient guide asks families to leave all home medications out unless the doctor orders them.
Food, parking and paying on campus
The ground-floor café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Vending machines in the ER waiting room, the café’s back dining room and the Health Center 3 lobby run 24 hours, and stock sandwiches and salads after hours. An interfaith prayer and meditation room on the first floor is open around the clock, and you can reach a chaplain at 484-227-3212.
Riddle is cashless. The café, gift shop and other counters take cards only; a cash-to-card kiosk in the main lobby turns bills into a payment card.
Parking is in three garages (East, West and South) plus a few free surface spaces, and valet runs at the Pavilion entrance from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If your visit runs into the evening, check the garage fee tiers and which entrance is closest to your patient’s building in our Riddle parking and campus map guide.
Masks and illness
Stay home if you have a fever, cough or stomach bug, even if you feel well enough to drive. Main Line Health has brought back mask requirements for staff and visitors during winter surges before; in January 2024 it required masks at its hospitals for at least two weeks as COVID-19, flu and RSV rose, WHYY reported. Nothing on the Riddle pages mentions a mask rule as of this check, but signs at the entrance are the final word.
Who to call with a visiting problem
For questions about Riddle Hospital visiting hours on a specific unit, call the main number, 484-227-9400, and ask for the floor. If a visit was refused and you think it was handled unfairly, Riddle’s patient advocate line is 484-227-3686, and the Patient Experience Department is at 484-227-3210 or Patient_Advocate@mlhs.org. If you are worried a patient’s condition is getting worse and staff are not responding, any visitor can call Condition H by dialing 711 from a hospital phone; a nursing supervisor will come. The Riddle patient guide (PDF) spells out that rule.
One note on that guide: the printed booklet still says visitors are welcome 24 hours a day. Main Line Health’s current web pages say 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. with overnight stays by request, so we follow the newer pages here.
If you are comparing hospitals for a relative, our list of every open hospital and ER in Delaware County covers the rest of the county since the Crozer closures.
Frequently asked questions
What are Riddle Hospital visiting hours on weekends?
The same as weekdays: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for inpatient units. Maternity support people can be there any time.
Can I stay overnight with a patient at Riddle?
You can ask. Riddle’s page says visitors can request an overnight stay, and the care team decides.
Do I need ID to visit Riddle Hospital?
Yes. You need a government-issued photo ID to get the visitor badge at the main entrance.
How many visitors can a patient have?
Two at the bedside at one time on inpatient units, with swaps allowed through the day. The ER allows one or two people.
Can I bring balloons or flowers?
Foil balloons, yes; latex balloons, no. Flowers are fine except in intensive care units.
An independent guide. Crozer Health Center Guide is not affiliated with Crozer Health, Prospect Medical, Main Line Health, Trinity Health or any hospital, and nothing here is medical advice. In an emergency, call 911. For a mental health crisis, call or text 988.
Open ERs in Delaware County · Crozer medical records · All guides