Getty Center

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High above Brentwood, Getty Center, often simply called The Getty, turns a museum stop into one of Los Angeles' calmest big-view moments. Richard Meier's travertine campus, the Central Garden, and galleries filled with European art make the hilltop feel both grand and surprisingly relaxed.

For most first-time visitors, a guided highlights tour is the smartest first choice, because it helps you cover this big campus efficiently and still leaves time for the gardens and skyline.

Select a date to find available tickets, tours & activities:

Guided tours

Choose these if you want collection highlights, architecture, and the gardens stitched into one clear visit instead of figuring out the hilltop campus on the fly.

Los Angeles: Getty Center Guided Tour

4.4(26)

getyourguide.com

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Private 90-Minute Getty Center Tour by a Museum-Trained Expert

4.9(32)

viator.com

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Private Getty Center 1-Hour Tour with Museum-Trained Art Expert

4.8(20)

viator.com

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Private Getty Center 2-Hour Tour with Museum-Trained Art Expert

5.0(30)

viator.com

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See all Guided tours

Current exhibitions

Artist-at-Work: Figure Drawing

Artist Peter Zokosky gives live figure-drawing demonstrations and talks through materials and techniques.

Mar 8, 2026 – Jun 28, 2026

Getty Drawing Days

This drop-in family program invites visitors of all ages to draw from live costumed models with guidance and materials provided.

Mar 8, 2026 – Jun 28, 2026

Baroque Paintings and Sculptures

Twelve paintings and sculptures from Getty's collection place 17th-century masters in direct visual dialogue.

Dec 2, 2025 – Jul 1, 2026

Off the 405

Summer concert series

Getty's summer concert series fills the campus with DJ sets and performances by aja monet, Hunx and His Punx, LEENALCHI, Horse Lords, and Laurel Halo.

May 30, 2026 – Aug 22, 2026

Charles Ross

Spectrum 14

This prism installation turns sunlight into shifting bands of color across the day.

Sep 10, 2024 – Nov 29, 2026

Lost. Found. Returned.

This exhibition follows the wartime disappearance of an Otto Greiner drawing and its later reappearance in Los Angeles.

Jun 23, 2026 – Oct 18, 2026

Stendahl’s World

Marketing Ancient Mexico and Modern Art in Los Angeles

The exhibition examines how dealer Earl Stendahl reshaped the mid-20th-century market for pre-Hispanic art and Mexican antiquities.

Jun 23, 2026 – Oct 18, 2026

Odilon Redon

Otherworldly Visions

This show explores the strange, dreamlike imagination of the French Symbolist artist Odilon Redon.

Jul 14, 2026 – Oct 18, 2026

The Making of a Medieval Manuscript

The exhibition reveals how medieval manuscripts were written, illuminated, and bound entirely by hand.

Aug 4, 2026 – May 2, 2027

Every Minute Is History

Five Views of Los Angeles

Five Los Angeles photographers highlight new ways of representing Chicano/a communities and local history.

Sep 1, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027

Instante/revelación

Moments in Mexican Photography

Works by 13 photographers trace a century of change in Mexico's visual culture.

Sep 1, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027

The Holy Family at Home

Northern European paintings and manuscripts place the Holy Family in intimate domestic settings.

Sep 22, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027

Reggie Burrows Hodges

A Theater of Passions

Reggie Burrows Hodges responds to the drama and violence of 17th-century Italian art in Getty's collection.

Oct 20, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027

A Light in the Dark

Joseph Wright of Derby

This exhibition brings together luminous paintings by the celebrated 18th-century British artist Joseph Wright of Derby.

Nov 24, 2026 – Mar 14, 2027

Paul R. Williams

Architecture Across the Color Line

The exhibition considers the career of Paul R. Williams, the first Black architect licensed in the western United States.

Dec 26, 2026 – Mar 14, 2027

7 tips for visiting the Getty Center

Reserve before you drive

General admission is free, but you still need a timed-entry reservation. If you are crossing town on a weekend or coming up from the Westside, lock that slot in before you leave. That way traffic is the only variable, not the whole visit.

Use Saturday evening

If you want softer light and a less rushed rhythm, aim for Saturday evening. Getty Center stays open until 9 pm on Saturdays, and parking is free after 6 pm. That gives you warm travertine light, city views, and a nicer first-visit pace.

Split art and gardens

Do not try to conquer every pavilion in one heroic push. Pick one art priority, then step out to the Central Garden or the sculpture terraces before going back inside. This keeps the hilltop campus exciting instead of turning it into museum fatigue.

Travel light through security

Large bags over 28 x 43 x 20 cm (11 x 17 x 8 in) must be checked, and the parking structure has no cell service or Wi-Fi. If you pack light and keep your reservation screenshot ready before you park, arrival feels much smoother. This avoids a very LA-style moment in which the signal disappears right when you need it.

Choose a guide for highlights

If your priority is understanding the art without spending the first hour orienting yourself, book a guided tour. Live products here usually focus on expert-led highlights, private pacing, or family-friendly ways of looking. So you spend more time noticing and less time deciding.

Use the garden reset

If you are visiting with kids, or just know your own attention span, use the Central Garden and open courtyards as a reset between galleries. Family-oriented tours already lean into this rhythm. It keeps the visit fresh, so the last gallery does not feel like homework.

Keep pairings on the west side

Pair the Getty with Santa Monica Pier if you want an art-to-ocean day, or with Petersen Automotive Museum if you prefer a design-heavy museum double bill. Do not also promise yourself a major downtown stop unless you genuinely enjoy crossing Los Angeles in traffic. This keeps the day cultured, not crushed.

How to plan a Getty Center visit

Getty Center works best when you treat it as a hilltop campus, not as one single gallery building. A little structure at the start saves a lot of wandering later.

Reserve entry before traffic starts

General admission is free, but timed-entry reservations still control the day. If you are crossing town, book the slot first and then build the rest of the schedule around it. That simple order turns Los Angeles traffic into a nuisance, not a full derailment.

Use the tram and divide the campus

The tram ride is part of the arrival ritual, and it helps you mentally split the visit into stages. Start with one pavilion cluster, pause in the Central Garden or a courtyard, then decide whether you still want another round of galleries. This keeps the 44.5 ha (110-acre) hilltop from feeling bigger than your attention span.

Pick the right time of day

Saturday evening is the sweet spot if you want architecture, gardens, and skyline in the same mood. Late light warms the travertine, parking becomes free after 6 pm on Saturdays, and the city feels more cinematic from the hill. Earlier weekday slots usually make the galleries calmer.

Pair the Getty with nearby westside stops

If you want a second stop, keep it realistic. Santa Monica Pier works well when you want sea air after art, while Petersen Automotive Museum suits a design-heavy museum day. Trying to add half of downtown on top usually just teaches you new things about freeways.

What makes Getty Center different

Few museums feel so tied to their setting. At Getty Center, architecture, light, gardens, and collection design are part of the same experience rather than background decoration.

Richard Meier's hilltop campus

Construction began in 1987, and Getty Center opened in 1997, but the place still feels unusually fresh because Richard Meier designed it around Los Angeles light as much as around museum function. The travertine, the open courts, and the clean grid give the campus grandeur without making it cold.

The garden is part of the art

Commissioned in 1992, Robert Irwin's Central Garden is not just a pretty intermission between galleries. It is a living artwork that changes with the seasons, the planting, and the sound of water along the path. Even people who swear they are not garden people tend to stay longer than planned here.

The galleries reward selective browsing

The North, East, South, and West Pavilions do not ask you to see everything. Manuscripts, decorative arts, sculpture, paintings, photographs, and rotating exhibitions are spread widely enough that a first visit is better when you choose a lane and enjoy it properly. The Getty is strongest when curiosity, not checklist pressure, sets the pace.

The views are part of the collection

From the hilltop in the Santa Monica Mountains, the outlook runs across the street grid of Los Angeles toward the Pacific and the San Gabriel Mountains. That changing light outside is one reason the indoor experience never feels sealed off from the city. Even a short courtyard pause resets your eye before the next gallery.

Ways to experience the Getty Center

Live products around Getty Center are less about admission, which is free, and more about how much help you want with pacing, context, and curation. The best format depends on whether your priority is art depth, family ease, or simply not wasting the first hour deciding where to go.

Expert guided highlights tours

Best for first-time visitors who want a clean overview. Current live products center on expert or art-historian guides who combine collection highlights, architecture, and the gardens in one route. You trade total spontaneity for clarity, which is usually a very good deal on a large campus. Book now.

Private tours at your own pace

Choose this if you want room for questions, slow looking, and a more personal rhythm. Several mapped products are private formats lasting about 1 to 2 hours, so you can go deeper without being stuck in a crowd. This is the strongest option when the art matters more than box-ticking. Book now.

Family-friendly tours

Great when you want the museum to land well with children and adults at the same time. Family-focused products use easier ways of looking and a lighter pace, which helps younger visitors stay curious instead of glazing over by gallery number three. They turn a serious museum into something welcoming rather than dutiful. Book now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Getty Center admission free?

Yes. General admission to Getty Center is free, but you still need a timed-entry reservation. Paid TicketLens products are guided tours and similar third-party formats, not an official museum ticket.

Do you need a reservation even for the gardens and views?

Yes. The timed-entry reservation covers general admission to the site, so it matters even if your priority is architecture, the Central Garden, or the view over Los Angeles. Booking first makes the day much easier.

How much time should you plan at Getty Center?

A quick first look can work in 2 to 3 hours, but a more satisfying first visit usually takes 4 hours or more if you add lunch, the gardens, and a slower gallery pace. Getty Center rewards lingering.

How do you get there without a car?

Metro bus line 761 stops at the Getty Center entrance at Getty Center Drive and Sepulveda Boulevard. Public transit works, but give yourself normal Los Angeles buffer time instead of treating this like a compact city-center museum hop.

Is Getty Center good for kids?

Usually, yes. The open courtyards, the Central Garden, family restrooms, complimentary strollers, and family-oriented tours make it easier than many major art museums. The trick is to alternate indoor looking with outdoor breaks.

Is Getty Center wheelchair accessible?

Yes. Getty Center is ADA accessible, the tram is wheelchair friendly, accessible parking is on the entry level of the main parking structure, and wheelchairs are available free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Can you take photos inside Getty Center?

Usually, yes. Personal photos and video are allowed in outdoor public spaces and in the permanent collection galleries. Some individual works and changing exhibitions can restrict photography, selfie sticks stay outdoors only, and professional shoots are not permitted.

Are guided tours worth it here?

If you want a faster read on the campus, yes. Current live products are mostly private or expert-led tours that combine art highlights, architecture, and gardens, which is especially useful on a first visit or a short schedule.

General information

opening hours

Getty Center hours:
- Tuesday-Friday, Sunday: 10 am-6:30 pm
- Saturday: 10 am-9 pm
- Monday: Closed

The later hours introduced in 2025 are ongoing, but event evenings can still shift the feel of the site, so it is worth checking again before you go.

tickets

General admission is free, but every visitor still needs a timed-entry reservation.

Parking prices:
- $25 per car or motorcycle
- $15 after 3 pm
- $10 after 6 pm
- Saturday after 6 pm: free

Guided tours sold through TicketLens are optional add-ons rather than official museum admission.

address

Getty Center
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049
United States

website

Official site: https://www.getty.edu/visit/center/

how to get there

If you drive, use N Sepulveda Blvd & Getty Center Dr in your GPS, because that is the only public entrance. Metro bus line 761 stops at the Getty Center entrance at Getty Center Drive and Sepulveda Boulevard, and the tram from the parking structure carries you up to the hilltop campus. Rideshare drop-off is also handled outside the parking structure.

accessibility

Getty Center is ADA accessible. Accessible parking is on the entry level of the main parking structure on a first-come, first-served basis, the tram is wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs are available free at the lower tram station and the museum coat check. The South Pavilion also has a family restroom with private companion facilities.

photography and filming

Personal photos and video are welcome in public outdoor spaces and in the permanent collection galleries. Selfie sticks stay outdoors only, some individual works and changing exhibitions can restrict photography, and professional shoots such as weddings or modeling are not permitted.

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