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5 Fantastic and Free Tours at the Getty Villa

Get an up-close look at this ancient recreation of a Roman home

Ed. note: The newly reopened Getty Villa was temporarily closed after the Pacific Palisades fire surrounded the 55-acre museum in January of 2025. Thanks to firefighters, volunteers, and the Villa’s own facilities and security team, who rallied to save the art inside, the antiquities and structure were spared. The Villa now welcomes tourists and visitors to return to the property.

The Getty Villa Museum is a premiere free activity in Los Angeles, and just one part  of the J. Paul Getty Museum campus. Located in Pacific Palisades, about 14 miles from The Getty Center, the structure is a magnificent recreation of the ancient Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, which was lost in 79 AD after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius covered the Roman town. 

The exhibits housed inside this painstakingly recreated country home focus on the study of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. Oil tycoon J. Paul Getty funded the operation, which was designed by architects Robert E. Langdon, Jr., and Ernest C. Wilson, Jr., with the help of archeologist Norman Neuerburg. 

Walking the grounds and gardens is a trip into the ancient world with thousands of artifacts on display. But if you’re looking for a little more as you explore, you can take a guided tour for in-depth information and behind-the-scenes details from a museum expert. 

Tickets to the Villa are free to the public but you must make a timed-entry reservation to attend. Most tours run multiple times a day but make sure to check the current calendar to see which will be available during your visit or confirm at the information desk in the museum entrance hall on the day you go. The tours are interactive as the guides share their knowledge and unique perspective while engaging and answering audience questions. 

Architecture Tour

While the Getty Villa collection includes more than 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities dating from 6,500 BC to 400 AD, the Villa is a work of art on its own. The 45-minute Architecture Tour highlights various design elements of the Villa as well as the unique materials and building concepts used to create the structure. Guides offer insights into daily life in the ancient world, and the tour is provided multiple times every day.

Garden Tour

Explore the Villa’s four gardens and learn about the ancient Roman gardens that inspired them. This 45-minute tour highlights the site’s sculptures, fountains, and reflecting pools, along with its 300-plus plant varieties. The tour takes place primarily outside with a few stops along the way, and offers step-free access and wheelchairs rentals for added accessibility. The Center Garden Tour is offered multiple times every day.

Center Collection Tour

Want to see the Villa’s greatest hits? First-time visitors to the Getty Villa might consider this intimate tour, limited to just 20 guests. The 45-minute excursion highlights many of the major works on display from the museum’s collection, including paintings (don’t miss the Vincent van Gogh 1889 still life), drawings, and sculpture from the 8th century to the present day as well as illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and photographs. The tour is offered four times a day on weekdays and Sundays, and five times a day on Saturdays.
 

Focus Tour: The Renaissance

Want to go deep on a specific theme? This 30-minute guided exploration examines the collection’s many medieval and Renaissance masterpieces. You’ll see works such as Andrea Mantegna’s The Adoration of the Magi, painted between 1495 and 1505, as well as Rembrandt’s Young Man Leaning on a Stick. The Renaissance focus excursion is offered twice daily. 

Focus Tour: Era of Impressionism

This 30-minute tour offers a crash course on one of art’s most famous periods. Must-sees include multiple works by Claude Monet such as Wheatstacks, Snow Effect, Morning, and Still Life with Flowers and Fruit, as well as paintings from Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and more. This tour starts at 11:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. daily. 

More to do near the Getty Villa

The Getty Center sits in the hills above West Hollywood, a free cultural destination featuring a world-class art museum, music and theater performances on the weekends, a conservation institute, two cafes, and more across 86 acres. 
For more, check out the Getty app—you’ll see information about visiting the Getty Conservation Institute, additional areas of the J. Paul Getty Museum, and other cultural attractions on the campus. Meanwhile, the University of California Los Angeles and luxurious Beverly Hills are just down the street from the Getty Center while the legendary Sunset Strip and the cinematic magic of Universal Studios Hollywood sits a bit further afield.

Official Resources

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