Tips for exploring the Getty Villa:

• • The Getty Villa is open Wednesday to Monday 10:00 a.m.-5:00p.m.- Closed Tuesdays
  • You will want to reserve your parking ahead of time. You don’t have to pay for anything, just reserve it online. You will pay when you get to the gate. This only guarantees you a parking spot on the property. Note that cars seemed to have been sent in all different directions- I recommend setting the auditorium as a meeting point if you come in multiple cars.
  • Phone service is limited around the property but luckily they have free wifi on the property (in case you’re meeting up with someone or lose them!).
  • There’s a cute cafe on the property.
  • Gardens: The Outer Peristyle is partially closed through early 2018 for repairs to the reflecting pool.
  • You can book a tour of the property.

Impressions of the Getty Villa:

My friend suggested we check out The Getty Villa while she was visiting LA. I’d been wanting to do it for a while but always forgot about it. It was a beautiful sunny and hot day on the west side, perfect to explore an indoor & outdoor museum.

We wandered around the Villa appreciating the collection of approximately 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. Over 1,200 works are on view in 23 galleries devoted to the permanent collection, with five additional galleries for changing exhibitions (from the website). You can either spend hours looking at all the sculptures and statues, or wander through it, stopping on the first floor to appreciate the inner garden, or on the second floor to soak in the wonderful window view of the ocean.

Sadly the gardens were under construction, obstructing the full view of the garden but it was still easy to imagine the beauty of it. We walked around the fenced-off area/reflecting pool and wandered into the herb gardens. Although sparse because I suspect it was the wrong type of year to explore it, we could appreciate the diversity of it.

We sat in the open air- Roman like auditorium and soaked up some sun before heading back out into the real world.

It’s definitely worth a stop. We spent 2 hours there and it was enough for me (I tend to get A.D.D if I stay in museums for too long).

I’d recommend this as a great date spot- plenty to talk about, easy to sit down and just chat, grab food/drinks if you want to extend it longer!