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Getty Center

Museum
In Los Angeles, California
2.5 mi from Route 66

The Getty Center is a hilltop art campus in Los Angeles's Brentwood area, near Santa Monica, CA, about 3.3 miles off the old road. Opened in December 1997 and designed by the architect Richard Meier, it is famous for its buildings, its gardens and its views across the city. It is also free to visit. For drivers finishing Route 66, those views make a fitting look back over the city at the end of the road.

What is Getty Center?

The hilltop serves as one of two homes for the Getty's art collection, and it shares its hilltop with other branches of the Getty Trust: the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Getty Foundation. Visitors leave their cars in a garage at the foot of the hill and ride up on a small three-car tram that is pulled by cable and floats on a cushion of air.

The art inside spans European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts and decorative arts made before 1900, plus photographs from the 1830s up to today. Van Gogh's Irises hangs here. Outside, more sculpture stands on the terraces, and the large Central Garden was created by the artist Robert Irwin.

History of Getty Center

The doors opened on December 16, 1997. Richard Meier planned the campus, and the design took the threat of earthquakes and wildfires into account from the start. Today it welcomes around 1.8 million visitors a year.

Visiting Getty Center: tips

The center sits about 3.3 miles from the old road. Entry is free and the campus is wheelchair accessible. Allow at least two to three hours; the galleries, gardens and views each deserve time.

The Fowler Museum at UCLA is about 1.9 miles away and the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden about 2 miles off, making the UCLA campus a natural second stop. The Restaurant at The Getty Center is on site for a meal.

Practical info

Address: Getty Center Drive 1200
Website: getty.edu
Hours: Tue–Fri, Sun 10–5:30 · Sat 10 am–8 pm
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Getty Center

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Barney's Beanery
West Hollywood, CA · 5.8 mi from Getty Center
A West Hollywood roadhouse on Santa Monica Boulevard since 1927, its walls covered in old license plates.
Diner & restaurant
Carney's
West Hollywood, CA · 6.0 mi from Getty Center
Hot dogs and burgers served from yellow Union Pacific rail cars above the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
Diner & restaurant
Formosa Cafe
West Hollywood, CA · 7.4 mi from Getty Center
A West Hollywood restaurant and bar from 1925, long a hangout for film stars from the studio lot nearby.