Getty Villa Museum

About

The Getty Villa sits on a hillside above the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, on the western edge of Los Angeles near Malibu. It is the Getty's museum of ancient art, and the building itself is a re-creation of a Roman country house, modeled on a villa buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Galleries hold Greek, Roman and Etruscan antiquities, from marble sculpture and bronzes to painted vases, jewelry and coins. The gardens are a big part of the visit. The long Outer Peristyle has a reflecting pool lined with bronze statues, the Inner Peristyle is a quieter courtyard, and the Herb Garden grows plants the ancient Romans used. An introductory film plays in the Orientation Theater, and the Outdoor Classical Theater stages Greek drama in late summer; in fall 2026 that is Antigone: In the Language of Kings, through Oct. 9. Two to three hours is a comfortable visit.

Admission is free but requires a timed-entry reservation, which you can make online or with Visitor Services at (310) 440-7300. The Villa is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesday. A café serves Mediterranean-style food, and the Museum Store sells books on the ancient world. The free GettyGuide app has audio tours.

You arrive by car or rideshare from the Pacific Coast Highway. The Getty Center, the Getty's other museum, is about 13 miles east off the 405 freeway, and the beaches of Santa Monica and Malibu are a short drive either way along the coast.

Accessibility

The Getty Villa is wheelchair accessible. The Getty describes the Villa Museum as ADA accessible to all visitors.

Accessible parking is in both the Central and South garages, first come, first served, and staff can direct you to the closest open space. Wheelchairs are lent free, first come, first served, in the Entry Pavilion and at the Coat Check in the Atrium. Seating is spread through the site, including the Entry Pavilion, museum hallways, some galleries, both peristyle gardens, the Herb Garden and the Outdoor Classical Theater.

All public restrooms have accessible facilities. Family restrooms, with space to help a companion, are next to the Museum Store and at the tour bus drop-off area. At events in the Auditorium and the Outdoor Classical Theater, front and rear row wheelchair seating is set aside for wheelchair users and their companions, and Visitor Services staff can help.

For visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing, free assistive listening devices are available for all tours and in the Orientation Theater and the Villa Auditorium, and induction neck loops are at the Coat Check. The Auditorium has infrared sound enhancement. The introductory film has English open captions, and the GettyGuide app has text transcripts of the audio tours. ASL interpretation can be requested by email about two weeks ahead.

For visitors who are blind or have low vision, the GettyGuide app includes a visual descriptions audio tour of selected works. Lighting may be dimmed in galleries with photographs or drawings. Service animals are welcome; pets and emotional support animals are not. For help, call Visitor Services at (310) 440-7300.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in California

• Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (Los Angeles)
• San Diego Zoo (San Diego)
• Yosemite National Park (Yosemite)
• Exploratorium (San Francisco)
• Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach)

Photo credits

• A long reflecting pool lined with hedges and bronze statues leads to the Getty Villa's columned building.: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 (source)
• The Getty Villa entrance and its columned facade seen from the top of the outdoor classical theater.: Scotwriter21, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• A painted Roman-style interior at the Getty Villa with arched doorways and a railed walkway.: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0 (source)