- Hours: Closed Mondays and January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving and December 25, open late Saturday. Galleries close at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays, but concerts and other events may be held in the evening
- Reservations: Not required
- Cost: No entry fee but there is a parking charge (free parking after 5:00 on Saturdays or for evening public events)
- Location: West Los Angeles off I-405, directions below
- How Long: Allow two hours to half a day - or more
- Best Time to Visit: Any time, but especially beautiful on a clear evening
- See It Now: Photo Tour
The J. Paul Getty Museum started from the oil millionaire's private collection and was housed for many years in a a Roman-style villa in Malibu, which is now the Getty Villa.
Today's Getty Museum, designed by architect Richard Meier, occupies 750 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountain foothills. The Getty Center includes an art collection so large it takes four exhibit pavilions just to show part of it, and the complex includes nine buildings in total.
Lear More About the: Architecture | Collection | Gardens
Getty Museum Tips
- If you have limited time to see the Getty Museum, go straight to the information desk in the main lobby for advice.
- Start your visit with the orientation film.
- Check the daily schedule for tour times to plan your day.
- If you plan to spend time inside the galleries, rent a GettyGuide audio tour. It's like having your own personal entourage of art experts along to explain things.
- The complex is large enough that it can be difficult to find others, even if you use cellphones to communicate. Pick up a map when you arrive. If your group splits up, pick a meeting place. The entry plaza near the tram stop is a good spot.
- Dining options include a full service dining room (reservations suggested), cafeteria-style dining room and an outdoor cafe serving coffee and snacks. There's also a picnic area at the lower tram station.
- Leave umbrellas at home. If it's raining, or the sun is too intense, you'll find umbrellas bins at the tram station and outside each building. Pick them up and leave as you need to, with no worry about losing anything.
- Leave big stuff somewhere else. If it's larger than 11 x 17 x 8 inches you'll have to check it at the entry pavilion.
- When the Getty Museum is open late on a clear day, the sunsets are beautiful. Free evening concerts, performances and lectures are also available.
- If you have questions, look for someone wearing a blue vest. They're there to help you.
- The facility is fully accessible and assistive animals are welcome. Wheelchairs are available at the lower tram entrance. Assistive listening devices are provided, but arrange ahead for sign language interpreters for public programs.
Getty Museum With Kids
You'll find this place very family-friendly, with a special Family Room, Gallery Games, storytelling and weekend family workshops. The GettyGuide also features special stops for children, and one-hour children's tours are given daily in summer and weekends the rest of the year.
Forget that boring shop in the main building. The Children's Bookstore is on the plaza level of the South Pavilion.
No food is allowed in galleries, but there's an exception for baby bottles.
Getty Museum Review
For me and my friends, the architecture here is a work of art so entrancing that, in more than a dozen visits, we've have spent less than an hour inside the galleries. Don't be misled. The collections are impressive and include some fine pieces of art. However, for this architecture-loving writer, the buildings are more interesting than their contents.
We rate the Getty Museum 5 stars out of 5 for Richard Meier's awesome architecture, creating what we think is one of California's greatest outdoor spaces. It's one of our favorite Los Angeles places. We've heard their collections are good, too, but it's so nice outside that we're not sure we'll ever make it inside to find out.
Others may disagree. You can see what other people just like you think about it, then bookmark this page and after you've been there, come back and tell us what you think.
Poll: What do you think of the Getty Museum???
- 5 = Awesome! It's a must-see sight that I recommend to everyone
- 4 = Great I really liked it, and I think you will, too
- 3 = Good Go if you have time, but it's not a big deal if you miss it
- 2 = OK Some people find it interesting, but I didn't
- 1 = So-So More fun than a night in jail, but you might enjoy a good nap more
- 0 = Yuck! Just say no to this flea-bitten hole of a tourist trap
Where Is the Getty Museum Located?
J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 440-7330
Getty Museum website
The Getty Museum is located just off I-405 north of the Sunset Blvd. exit. If you're driving, exit I-405 at the Getty Center exit and follow the signs. If the freeway is jammed (which it frequently is), Sepulveda Blvd. parallels it and it may be faster.
Automobiles pay to park, but motorcycles and bicycles park for free. Vehicles up to 12'6" can fit in the parking structure, but there is no parking for RVs, motor homes or limousines.
By public transportation, Metro Bus 761 stops at the center's main gate on Sepulveda Boulevard.
More: Getty Museum Architecture | Collection | Gardens
