The Getty Villa: Ancient Rome Above the Pacific
By Giovanna Salas
This article is part of Free in Los Angeles, Heart of Hollywood Magazine's series on the museums across the region that open their doors at no charge.
Above the Pacific Coast Highway, a Roman country house stands among gardens and fountains. The Getty Villa opened on January 16, 1974, and like its sister museum on the hill in Brentwood, it asks only for a free timed-entry reservation.
A Villa Reborn
J. Paul Getty modeled the building on the Villa dei Papiri, a Roman country house at Herculaneum that was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. Norman Neuerberg, a historian of Roman architecture, advised on its accuracy. Getty died in 1976 without ever visiting the museum he built.
The Villa is devoted to the art of ancient Greece and Rome. After a renovation by the architects Machado and Silvetti, it reopened in 2006, adding the 450-seat Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman outdoor theater.
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Plan Your Visit
Admission: Free. A timed-entry ticket is required, online or by phone at (310) 440-7300. Walk-in entry is available only to visitors arriving by public bus.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesday. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, with early closing on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
Address: 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.
Parking: $25, or $15 after 3 p.m., cashless only. Enter from the northbound right-hand lane of the Pacific Coast Highway; there is no street parking.
Transit: Metro bus 134 stops at the Pacific Coast Highway and Coastline Drive.
Website: https://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/
Details were checked against the museum's official website in September 2026. Hours, admission policies and exhibition dates are set by each museum and may change, so please confirm on the official website before you go.
Sources
J. Paul Getty Trust: https://www.getty.edu
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