Dear Adventure Avenue,
My uncle, brother and I explored the Getty Villa on a Sunday in September 2026, and it was more beautiful than I imagined. We registered for tickets online for the first available time slot which was 10am. I would definitely recommend getting there right when they open. Parking was easy and the crowds in the morning were very minimal. The tickets are free, so we only had to pay for parking, which was $25.
We walked up the pathway to the security entrance – and I promptly missed the bathroom located right next to security as we went through.
After a quick bathroom pitstop, we headed to museum. We decided to do a quick walkthrough of the bottom floor of the building before checking out the gardens first.
The interior courtyards were a magical mix of indoor and outdoor aesthetics.
The main attraction of course was the beautiful gardens that made you feel like you’d been transported back to Roman times.
There were two reasons I wanted to do the gardens first before the museum. The first reason was that it has been dreadfully hot this summer in Southern California, so we wanted to make sure we saw the gardens while it was still relatively cool out. The second reason was to get pictures with little to no people in them.
The gardens featured many statues and a gorgeous ocean view.
This picture below almost seems to feature an Italian mansion on the cliff looking out at the sea.
The herb garden was outside the main garden with the reflecting pool and featured all sorts of edible plants including lavender, lemons, apples, and more.
After walking through all the gardens, we went through the first floor of the museum.
I learned a lot about ancient Greek and Roman times which was particularly interesting having just watched the Odyssey.
After we finished the first floor of the museum, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to doing the second floor. My uncle and I split the burger and my brother got the pizza.
After lunch, we headed back into the museum to explore the second story. The second story had a lot less to see, but one thing that was very interesting (not pictured) was the special exhibit on the papyrus scrolls. I always thought the were read vertical but they seemed to be read horizontal.
All in all, I am glad to say I have finally visited the Getty Villa in Malibu, California. Next time, I will need to check out the Getty Center!
Until next time,
A