The 1935 Art Deco observatory on Mount Hollywood gives the classic view over the basin and straight at the Hollywood Sign; inside are the Foucault pendulum under Hugo Ballin's rotunda mural, a Tesla coil and the Samuel Oschin Planetarium.
- Address
- 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
- Hours
- Tue-Fri 12:00-22:00; Sat-Sun 10:00-22:00; closed Mon (grounds open daily 05:00-22:30) (griffithobservatory.lacity.gov, 2026-10)
- Best time to go
- Afternoon · About 2 h
- Price
- Free admission; planetarium shows $8-12 (Time Out LA, 2026); pay-and-display parking near the building (griffithobservatory.lacity.gov)
- Price level
- $
- Free entry
- Free for everyone
Also free for: Building and grounds free; planetarium shows ticketed
Details can change. Check hours and prices before you go.
Good to know
- Take the DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus from Vermont/Sunset Metro station: 50 cents, 35 cents with TAP; the lot by the building fills at sunset and on weekends
- Stay after dark for the free 12-inch Zeiss refractor on the roof, or the less crowded telescopes on the front lawn
- Closed Mondays, but the terraces and trails (Mount Hollywood, Fern Dell) stay open