The ventral hippocampus (VH) and the dorsal hippocampus (DH) substantially differ in connectivity, yet both brain regions have been implicated in behaviors that rely on context-US associations. The VH, in particular, has extensive reciprocal connections with several elements of the brain relapse circuitry. Thus, we hypothesized that the VH plays a critical role in context-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior. Consistent with this hypothesis, we predicted that selective GABA agonist-induced inactivation of the VH and, in particular, its CA1 or CA3 subregions would attenuate context-induced reinstatement. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to lever press for cocaine reinforcement (0.15 mg/infusion, i.v.) in a distinct multimodal context, consisting of visual, olfactory, auditory, and tactile stimuli. Rats then underwent extinction training in a distinctly different context on a minimum of 7 consecutive days. On the test days, rats received bilateral microinfusions of the GABA_B/GABA _A receptor agonists, baclofen/muscimol (1.0/.01mM), or phosphate buffered saline vehicle directly into the VH and cocaine seeking was assessed in the previously cocaine-paired or the extinction context. Inactivation of the VH attenuated drug context-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking, suggesting that the functional integrity of the VH is necessary for the motivational effects of a cocaine-paired environment on addictive behavior.