Everything here is under a roof and costs nothing. Check the free day on each card: some of these museums are free only at certain hours.
Always free in Los Angeles12
Open to everyone, every day they are open. No ticket to buy.
Getty Center
Brentwood
Always freeBooking requiredIndoorGood with kids
European paintings, photography and a hilltop garden in Richard Meier's travertine campus, with a view from Downtown to the ocean. The tram ride up from the garage is part of the visit.
Free when
Always · Tue–Fri and Sun 10 am–6:30 pm, Sat 10 am–9 pm. Closed Mon. Some North, East and South Pavilion galleries are closed for renovation.
Free for whom
Everyone. Admission is free, parking is not: $25 per car, $15 after 3 pm, $10 after 6 pm, free on Saturdays after 6 pm.
Reservation
Free timed-entry reservation required, booked on getty.edu. Weekday slots are easy, weekends go a few days ahead.
Time needed
3–4h
How to get there
Metro bus 761 stops at the entrance on Sepulveda Blvd at Getty Center Dr. Catch it at the E Line's Expo/Sepulveda station or in Westwood. The tram from the gate is free.
Worth it? Yes.The best free museum day in the city if you skip the garage. Take the 761, or drive up on a Saturday after 6 pm when parking costs nothing and the museum stays open until 9.
Greek and Roman antiquities inside a re-created Roman country house on the coast, with a long reflecting pool and herb garden. It reopened in June 2025 after the Palisades fire.
Free when
Always · Wed–Mon 10 am–5 pm. Closed Tue.
Free for whom
Everyone with a reservation. Parking is $25 per car, $15 after 3 pm. There is no street parking, and people on foot are turned away unless they arrive by public bus or are dropped off inside the gate.
Reservation
Free timed-entry reservation required, online or at (310) 440-7300. Every person needs one, including those arriving by bus or rideshare.
Time needed
2–3h
How to get there
Metro bus 134 from downtown Santa Monica stops at Pacific Coast Hwy and Coastline Dr, across from the entrance. Rideshares must pull inside the gate to drop you off.
Worth it? Yes.Smaller and calmer than the Getty Center, and the building is the main exhibit. If you do both on the same day, ask the information desk for the pay once, park twice coupon (not valid Mon or Tue).
Always freeBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
Postwar and contemporary art from the Broad collection: Koons, Basquiat, Kusama, Warhol, Kara Walker. Two floors, easy to see in one visit.
Free when
Always · Tue, Wed, Fri 11 am–5 pm, Thu 11 am–8 pm, Sat–Sun 10 am–6 pm. Closed Mon. An expansion is being built next door, so expect some construction noise.
Free for whom
Everyone. General admission is free. Some special exhibitions carry a separate charge.
Reservation
Timed tickets recommended, booked on thebroad.org. Extra same-day tickets are released online each day and walk-ups are taken. Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room needs its own advance reservation.
Time needed
1.5–2h
How to get there
Metro A or E Line to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill, 2 minutes on foot. The garage under the museum is $19 for 3 hours with validation.
Worth it? Yes.Book the Infinity Mirrored Room at the same time as your entry ticket or you will not get in. Thursday after 5 pm is the quietest slot.
The Museum of Contemporary Art's main building, across the street from The Broad, with a strong permanent collection of Rothko, Pollock and Los Angeles artists.
Free when
Always · Tue–Fri 11 am–5 pm, Sat–Sun 11 am–6 pm, until 8 pm on the first Thursday of the month. Closed Mon. The Geffen Contemporary branch in Little Tokyo is closed between installations, check before going.
Free for whom
Everyone. General admission is free.
Reservation
Advance reservation recommended on moca.org, walk-ins usually fine on weekdays.
Time needed
1–1.5h
How to get there
Metro A or E Line to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill, then cross Grand Ave. It is 250 S Grand Ave, directly opposite The Broad.
Worth it? Yes.Pair it with The Broad and you have a full afternoon of contemporary art for nothing. The galleries are below street level, so look for the stairs down from the plaza.
UCLA's art museum on Wilshire, mixing a small old-master collection (Rembrandt, Van Gogh) with ambitious contemporary shows and a courtyard to sit in.
Free when
Always · Tue–Sun 11 am–6 pm. Closed Mon.
Free for whom
Everyone. Parking under the museum is $9 for the first 3 hours with validation.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1.5h
How to get there
Metro bus 20 or 720 along Wilshire Blvd to Westwood Blvd. The museum is on the corner.
Worth it? Yes.No tickets, no line, and the exhibitions are often better than the paid ones across town. Check the calendar, the evening talks and screenings are free too.
A big hands-on science museum with a kelp forest tank, a desert flash flood and a sports science floor. Space shuttle Endeavour belongs here but is off display until the new Air and Space Center opens.
Free when
Always · Daily 10 am–5 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Endeavour is off display until the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center opens on November 13, 2026.
Free for whom
Everyone. The core galleries are free. IMAX and special exhibitions are paid. Parking in the Exposition Park lot is about $20 per car.
Reservation
Not needed for the core galleries. From November 13, 2026 the Air and Space Center will use timed reservations that carry a small service fee, and walk-up entry may be very limited.
Time needed
2–3h
How to get there
Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC, then 5 minutes on foot through the Rose Garden.
Worth it? Yes.Great with kids on any day, including Mondays when most museums are shut. If you are coming for the shuttle, wait until after November 13 and reserve ahead.
A 1935 observatory on the south slope of Mount Hollywood with free exhibits, public telescopes and the classic view of the city grid and the Hollywood Sign.
Free when
Always · Tue–Fri 12 noon–10 pm, Sat–Sun 10 am–10 pm. Building closed Mon. The grounds and terraces are open daily with Griffith Park, 5 am–10:30 pm.
Free for whom
Everyone. The building, grounds and telescopes are free. Planetarium shows are ticketed. Parking in the lot and along West Observatory Rd is paid (card only) from noon on weekdays and 10 am on weekends, until 10 pm.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
2h
How to get there
Metro B Line to Vermont/Sunset, then the DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus, every 20–25 minutes from 10 am to 10 pm. Fare is 50 cents cash or 35 cents with a TAP card.
Worth it? Yes.Go an hour before sunset and stay for the lights. Do not drive up at dusk: the road backs up and gets closed. Take the DASH, or park free near the Greek Theatre and walk the mile uphill.
A museum of Cold War life in a former National Guard armory: East German furniture, Soviet posters, surveillance gear and a sculpture garden.
Free when
Always · Fri–Sun 10 am–5 pm. Closed Mon–Tue, school groups only Wed–Thu.
Free for whom
Everyone. Exhibitions, programs and tours are all free. Free parking in the city lots next door.
Reservation
Not needed. Free guided tours usually run Fri at 11:30 am and Sat–Sun at 2:30 pm, RSVP encouraged.
Time needed
1–1.5h
How to get there
10808 Culver Blvd, near Overland Ave. Culver CityBus runs along Culver Blvd, or it is a short ride from the E Line's Culver City station.
Worth it? Yes.Unlike anything else in Los Angeles and nobody seems to know about it. Time your visit for the guided tour, the open storage only makes sense with someone explaining it.
Frank Gehry's steel concert hall, with a free audio tour on your own phone narrated by John Lithgow that takes you through the lobbies and up to the hidden rooftop garden.
Free when
Always · Most days 10 am–3 pm, last start at 2 pm. Tours are cancelled or shortened around rehearsals and matinees, so check the Music Center tour calendar that morning.
Free for whom
Everyone, individuals and groups of up to 14.
Reservation
Not needed. Start in the Grand Lobby on Grand Ave. If you have no smartphone you can borrow an audio player with photo ID.
Time needed
1h
How to get there
Metro A or E Line to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill, or B/D Line to Civic Center/Grand Park and walk two blocks uphill.
Worth it? Yes.The tour does not go inside the auditorium, which disappoints people. Do it anyway for the rooftop garden and the rose fountain made of broken Delft china.
Everyone. Campus parking in Lot 4 is $5 an hour, $17 a day maximum.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1h
How to get there
Buses to the UCLA transit stops at Hilgard and Strathmore, then a 10-minute walk across campus. From the Hammer it is about 25 minutes on foot up Westwood Blvd.
Worth it? Depends.Worth it if you are already at the Hammer or want a look at the UCLA campus. Royce Hall and the sculpture garden are a few minutes away and cost nothing.
A non-collecting contemporary art space in a converted warehouse on 7th St, showing three or four exhibitions at a time.
Free when
Always · Wed–Sun 11 am–6 pm. Closed Mon, Tue and public holidays.
Free for whom
Everyone. Free onsite parking during opening hours.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
45 min
How to get there
Metro bus 60 or 62 to 7th/Decatur. It is at 1717 E 7th St, about 25 minutes on foot from Little Tokyo/Arts District station.
Worth it? Depends.One of the few museums in town where the parking is free as well. Short visit, so combine it with a walk around the Arts District murals.
Mostly museums. The free window, who it applies to and the booking rule are on each card.
LACMA free second Tuesday
Miracle Mile
Free on certain daysBooking requiredIndoorGood with kids
The county art museum, now centered on the new David Geffen Galleries spanning Wilshire Blvd. General admission is free for everyone one Tuesday a month.
Free when
Second Tuesday of each month · 11 am–6 pm. On other days adults from outside L.A. County pay $30.
Free for whom
Everyone on the second Tuesday. Bank of America cardholders also get in free on the first full weekend of each month.
Reservation
Timed-entry ticket required for all visitors. Reserve the free ticket on lacma.org ahead of time, slots do run out.
Time needed
2–3h
How to get there
Metro D Line to Wilshire/Fairfax, right at the museum. Metro bus 20 or 720 on Wilshire also stops outside.
Worth it? Yes.The only way a visitor from outside the county sees LACMA for nothing, so plan the trip around it if you can. Urban Light, the lamppost installation on Wilshire, sits outside the ticketed area and can be seen any day.
Free on certain daysResidents onlyBooking requiredIndoorGood with kids
The standing weekday deal at the county art museum for people who live in Los Angeles County.
Free when
Mon, Tue, Thu after 3 pm until 6 pm, Fri after 3 pm until 8 pm. Closed Wed.
Free for whom
L.A. County residents with valid ID only. Visitors from outside the county pay $30 at these times. County residents 17 and under are free at all times.
Reservation
Timed-entry ticket required, reserve the free resident ticket on lacma.org and bring ID showing a county address.
Time needed
2h
How to get there
Metro D Line to Wilshire/Fairfax. Metro bus 20 or 720 on Wilshire.
Worth it? Depends.Friday is the one to pick, since you get five hours instead of three. Tourists should not count on this: staff check ID, so use the second Tuesday instead.
Natural History Museum free hours for L.A. County residents
Exposition Park
Free on certain daysResidents onlyBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
Dinosaur Hall, the gem vault and the Becoming Los Angeles galleries, free for locals in the last two hours of each weekday.
Free when
Mon–Fri 3–5 pm. The museum is closed on the first Tuesday of each month, except June to August. Regular adult admission is $18.
Free for whom
L.A. County residents with ID or a utility bill. Also free every day: California teachers and school staff, active or retired U.S. military, EBT cardholders, USC students and faculty, and children 2 and under.
Reservation
Free resident tickets can be reserved online with an ID upload, or picked up at any ticket desk from 3 pm.
Time needed
2h
How to get there
Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC, then 5 minutes on foot.
Worth it? Depends.Two hours is enough for the dinosaurs and one more hall, so go straight upstairs at 3. Special exhibitions and the Butterfly and Spider Pavilions still cost extra.
Free on certain daysBooking requiredIndoorGood with kids
A museum of the American West, from Native California to Hollywood westerns, on the northeast side of Griffith Park across from the zoo.
Free when
First Wednesday of each month · 10 am–4 pm. Regular adult admission is $20.
Free for whom
Everyone on the first Wednesday. Active-duty U.S. military and veterans are free every day. Parking is free for Autry visitors.
Reservation
Register for a free spot on theautry.org before you go.
Time needed
1.5–2h
How to get there
Metro bus 96 to the L.A. Zoo and Autry stop. By car, free parking in the museum lot at 4700 Western Heritage Way.
Worth it? Depends.Better than its cowboy reputation suggests, and one of the few free days in town with free parking attached. The Colt firearms gallery and the movie costumes are the parts people remember.
If you spend on one thing in Los Angeles, make it this.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
Los Angeles is a company town and nothing free gets you inside the company. The tour drives through working backlots and soundstages in Burbank, which the Walk of Fame and a distant look at the Hollywood Sign cannot stand in for.
Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.
