Petersen Automotive Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Petersen Automotive Museum
Petersen Automotive Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Rated the #1 Automotive museum in the world, the Petersen Automotive Museum is dedicated to the exploration and presentation of the automobile and its impact on Global life and culture. The museum features 25 galleries with more than 350 vehicles on display between the main floors and exclusive Vault. Visitors can immerse themselves in the 1000's of stories on display in the museum.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Dale & Eric
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Petersen Car Museum and Vault
    We had an amazing time in the Petersen Vault! We had some questions so we found Steven, one of the docents there! He was totally awesome, he answered our initial question and the proceeded to share his passion for the cars there with us! He made our visit 5stars! We only wish we could have taken him with us on the other three amazong floors! Thank you Steven for making our day spectacular!
    Visited April 2023
    Written April 15, 2023
  • Explorer82247
    Colorado Springs, Colorado81 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth the visit!!
    The visit exceeded our expectations! This car museum is definitely worth taking the time to visit. We loved their exhibits of the "movie" cars, McClaren race cars, and all the concept cars. The museum is very well done.
    Good afternoon. On behalf of the Petersen Automotive Museum I would like to offer my appreciation for your lovely and warm review of the Petersen's! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit to the Museum and we hope that you come back soon as we update the exhibits every so often. Thank you for your time and we hope you have a wonderful day! Sincerely, Michael
    Written August 18, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 14, 2023
  • FoxFrancis
    Boston, Massachusetts263 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Museum
    This museum was awesome! I recommend paying to tour the Cault where you can see the Pope mobile, the Bat-cycle, and countless cool cars. In the regular museum, you can see really famous cars like Michael Kenton’s Vat car. Really great time. Also, the museum has a really nice restaurant rant.
    Good afternoon. On behalf of the Petersen Automotive Museum, I really appreciate you leaving us a 5 star and kind review of our establishment. I am really glad you enjoyed the Vault and the main exhibits and I hope you come back for more as we update the museum every so often. Thank you for you time and I hope you have a great day! Sincerely, Michael
    Written August 10, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written July 6, 2023
  • TonyFi18
    Laguna Beach, California379 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Visit one of the finest Auto Museums in the World
    If you are visiting Los Angeles, love history, art and stunning automobiles The Peterson is a must visit experience. The Museum offers year round exhibits that feature everything that the best of perfect historic autos has to offer. Revisit decades of represented collections from foreign to American antiques and classics.
    Good afternoon. One behalf of the Petersen Automotive Museum, I would like to thank you for taking time out of your day to leave us a kind and positive review. We always appreciate positive feedback and we hope to see you again soon! Thank you very much for your time and have a great day! Sincerely, Michael
    Written August 11, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited July 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 15, 2023
  • Kyle R
    8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing Inside Tesla Exhibit. The rest of the museum is good too...
    I toured the entire main museum. However, I went through the Inside Tesla exhibit three full times. The quality of displays and historical significance is unprecedented in an automotive museum. The Tesla exhibit alone by itself is worth the visit. The display has one of the two remaining T-Zeros, Elon's Founders #1 Roadster, an early Model S prototype, and new prototypes not yet in mass production like the Cybertruck, next gen Roadster and Optimus Bot. There is even SpaceX and NASA artifacts that are one of a kind. I would provide my highest recommendation for a visit for the Tesla exhibit and the rest of the museum is good too.
    Good morning. On behalf of the Petersen Automotive Museum, I would like to offer my gratitude for you gracious and glowing review of the Petersen's. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your visit to our museum and we hope you will come back soon as we update our exhibits every so often. There's always something new to enjoy. Thank you very much for your time and lovely words and I hope you have a nice day! Sincerely, Michael Bodell
    Written August 10, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written August 7, 2023
  • Lauren
    West Yorkshire, United Kingdom552 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Cars!!
    A great museum for any car enthusiast, or even if you’re not! There was Porsche exhibit on one of the floors when we were there which I enjoyed. Personally, classic BMWs (everything up to the 90s) are my favourites so I would have like to have seen more of those. Lots of famous cars from TV and Film, such as the Delorean, KITT, The Mystery Machine etc. Down in “The Vault” is where they keep all their other cars that they rotate up on the exhibition floors. The Plymouth Fury from Christine was down there which I really wanted to see. Hundreds of amazing cars down there. Such a good day out!
    Good afternoon Lauren, On behalf of the Petersen Automotive Museum, I would like to thank you for your glowing and warm review of the Petersen's. I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful visit to the Petersen's and we hope that you will come back soon as we update our exhibits every so often, so there's always something new to see. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a fantastic day! Sincerely, Ryan Merino
    Written September 1, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 1, 2023
  • BonitaBulldog
    Bonita Springs, Florida58 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A long-anticipated visit that met expectations
    This “car guy” and museum enthusiast spent six hours, and could have stayed longer with younger legs. The collection is vast and varied, celebrating all types, vintages and rationales. Nothing shows this better than The Vault, in the lower level of the parking garage, where cars not on display bide their time. Thankfully, eager volunteer Richard stepped in to narrate the Vault, otherwise much of it would have been lost on me (and I’d like to think I know some about cars). The Porsche 75th anniversary retrospective was extremely well curated and attacked the subject from a variety of interesting angles (though the 804 F1 car was conspicuously absent). A floor celebrating automotive design was appropriate and captivating. But, an exhibit on Tesla came off as a mildly irritating commercial from Elon Musk. The restaurant was a welcome respite and a nice surprise — one of the best museum eateries I’ve encountered. The gift shop was appropriate to the broad demographics of general visitors. Traffic flow is generally good, though the lobby is weird in having a path to the restrooms and (only apparent) elevator cut straight across the ticket line.
    Good morning. On behalf of the Petersen Automotive Museum, I would like to thank you for your positive and lovely review of the Petersen's. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit and that we met your expectations. We understand your criticism of the Tesla exhibit, but understand that the exhibit on the first floor changes every few months, so if you ever come back, it will be a different floor. We hope to see you again soon! Thank you for your time and have a great day! Sincerely, Michael
    Written September 5, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written September 1, 2023
  • Sharon Y
    Leven, United Kingdom39 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pricey but a must-do for car enthusiasts
    Our family love cars, and we loved this museum! Definitely the best car museum we've ever been to. Even though it ended up being over $100 for 3 of us (including The Vault admission), which is a lot for a museum visit, it was well worth it.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 20, 2023
  • MNowosad
    San Jose, California179 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great collection of vintage cars
    Very cool collection of vintage cars, with permanent and rotating exhibitions, from historical and classic vehicles to sports cars and famous cars used in the movies. This time the museum had a special event celebrating the 75th anniversary of Porsche, displaying many beautiful automobiles made by the famed German manufacturer. You don't need to be a car aficionado to totally enjoy a visit to this museum.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written October 21, 2023
  • lucycan
    San Diego, California3,518 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great stop
    First time here in nearly 25 years. Easy parking, was about $25 for a few hours. Nice exhibits including the Vault which was $25pp extra. Wish there was more modern stuff but still nice.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 19, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles2,484 reviews
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elizabethlascheid
Los Angeles, CA4,861 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
I expected to be so bored. I had no desire to go to the Peterson Auto Museum, but my grandson saw it on one of our drives so in we went. I thought this will be easy, I won't be reviewing it because I know I won't care for it, so best I keep my opinion to myself. I was so wrong.

This place is super cool. They have every car you can imagine and more. There is a 2.4 million dollar car, whose name escapes me, but that car looks fast. They have low riders, which I love, and great futuristic cars.

If you don't care that much for cars but like art, there is something here for you. Some of these cars have the coolest art work, from fantasy to just funny and all of it done perfectly. Whoever owed these painted cars must have loved them dearly.

They have 2 fees and you can pick which one. There is this area called the "vault" and since we were there, I paid the higher price for the entire museum. I found it to be a fair value. Parking is pricey, which I hate and good luck finding street parking.

All in all it was a fun time and we learned quite a bit. The people that work there are kind and know everything. So, as often happens my little grandson says, "Bubbie stop the car" and I think what he wants he gets and I will just pretend to love it. I am wrong more often than I can count. The kid should be a tour guide of Los Angeles.
Written April 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are happy to hear that you and your grandson had a great time at the Petersen Automotive Museum. We work our hardest to make sure the Petersen is a fun experience for everyone, and it is worth it for visitors like you and your grandson. We hope to see you again soon as we have updated our exhibits quite a lot since your last visit. Thank you for your time and have a great day! Sincerely, Michael
Written July 22, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Excursion721402
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
This was our second visit in the last two years. Weather you are a automobile enthusiast or just enjoy art, history & museums, I highly recommend a visit to the Petersen. On this visit we upgraded to the vault tour. Although a little pricey, the 1 1/2 - 2 hr. tour is well worth it. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the collection.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GlueGuy
Newport, NC125 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
I had a chance in December to visit the museum and spent the better part of a day there. including the "Vault" tour. The cars in the museum are amazing, the presentations are simple and well lit but do leave you wanting more information which ,sadly, seems unavailable. The vault tour (pictures not allowed) is also spectacular but really only cover 30 or 40% of the cars. Again, leaving you wanting more!
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael T
Chicago, IL68 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
My real interest is contemporary art and LA is packed with museums and collections. I have been an auto racing fan for decades and drive an ancient sports car. So when I close friend suggested visiting the Petersen Automotive Museum, and I was able to get a ticket just days before my visit. I decided to have a look. This collection of early cars, custom cars, sports cars, all kinds of unusual vehicles, motorcycles, and so on, is worth every penny of the reasonable admission fee. Because of Covid restrictions you need to wear a mask, and you need to get your ticket on line before showing up. All a very small price to pay. There is parking right at the museum which I think was $17. Honestly, seeing any ONE of these 300 plus cars motorcycles etc. is worth the price of admission. I ended up spending nearly 3 hours -- this collection is really cool.
Written August 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are very happy to hear that you had a great experience at our Museum and that you spent nearly 3 hours! We are always appreciative of those who take the time out of their day to write about your grand experience at the Petersen. We are very fortunate to be visited by customers like you. We hope to see you again in the future as we have updated our exhibits quite a bit. Thank you for your time and have a nice day! Sincerely, Michael
Written July 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Geokinney
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019 • Family
My grandson (20) and I (71) made this visit during the Christmas holiday period. The three floors had something for both of us, vintage, modern, and racing automobiles. We also went on the Vault tour. The engaging tour guide was very knowledgeable. He was able to hold everyone's attention which included pre-teenagers to folks older than I. Money well spent.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Peter L
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
My son and I enjoyed our visit. The museum is well laid out and the displays have informative story boards.
If you are an automotive enthusiast, I would definitely recommend spending the extra money to tour the basement storage area known as "The Vault". The cars in the vault are parked in rows rather than in museum displays but our guide was very knowledgable and he enjoyed sharing stories about many of the cars.
Written September 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

VirginiaCW
Mount Pleasant, SC934 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2022
A great experience on a drizzly day in LA... anytime really...in an old department store, there are 3 full floors of cars from Mercedes Benz first electric touring car to the newest concept cars out of Detroit and the OC. There is a gift store on the first floor, as well as discovery and sim areas on the second floor, for kids and adults respectively, that are temporarily closed due to CoVid.

The day we went, the first floor had an exhibit that was the history of Pinnin Farina design and manufacturing at one end, and every vehicle that had ever been in every James Bond movie throughout the rest of the floor. Wonderful for movie lovers.

Pay extra and take a guided Vault tour - of the hundreds of cars locked away in the former parking garage - that takes 90 minutes and covers 125 years of more unique automotive examples from the US and other parts of the world, and most every movie too.

Photos are not allowed in the vault, but may be taken in the main areas.

Even for those of us who get tired in museums, we were fascinatingly amused for almost 4 full hours.
Beware though, this is one of the only museums anywhere that has no food area - even if it were on the edges away from the cars.
Written January 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good afternoon and thank you so much for your kind words! We would like to take the opportunity to tell you that all of our exhibits are now open and while our cafe is still closed, a new restaurant will open in late August and/or mid September. Again, we appreciate you taking the time out of your day to write a well detailed and nice review for our Museum. We hope to see you soon! Sincerely, Michael
Written July 13, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Robert N
9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
While I was visiting LA with my son, some local people recommended the Petersen Automotive Museum. I recognized the name Petersen immediately because the Petersen Publishing Company edited the auto magazines, I read as a kid.

Tickets are purchased on the web, their rates and gift shop were reasonable, $25 total for the two of us. Free parking after a nominal gift shop purchase, or $17 without one.

The cars were excellent. A few motorcycles too, like the first Triumph to win the Baja. Easy to social distance because of the large airy size. If you're visiting make this a half day of your trip.
Written September 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so glad the Petersen's was able to give you and your son an excellent experience seeing all the cars in our collection. We are always appreciative of customers who take the time out of their day to write about the great times they had. We hope that you will come back to the Petersen sometime in the near future as we have updated our exhibits since your visit. Thank you and have a great day! Sincerely, Michael
Written July 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Carlin35
Oxnard, CA115 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
A group of us took a fun trip to visit the Petersen Auto Museum. Excellent protected inside parking. Entry fees very reasonable. This is a three story building. Certain areas require additional fees. Contains an excellent exhibit of the beginning of autos up until the present time. Many old and new vehicles are on display and make good subjects for photos. Clean Bathrooms on each floor. Nice restaurant in the building. A number of famous cars used in the entertainment field/movies are exhibited and bring back memories of James Bond, etc. Young people would enjoy the exhibits. I recommend a visit if you are in the area.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your glowing recommendation and very positive review of the Petersen Automotive Museum! We are delighted to hear that you had a wonderful time at our establishment and enjoyed many of our exhibits. We hope to see you again soon as we have updated our exhibits quite a lot since your last visit. There's a lot of new cars to see! Thank you for your time and have a great day! Sincerely, Michael
Written August 10, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Journey41888864769
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
I did the vault tour here, and if you are a car nerd like myself you should absolutely do it. The other cars in the museum are mostly concept art or were film/video game industry cars which are cool but the main attraction in my opinion is the vault tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and there was an amazing collection of cars. I hope that later there is a more extensive tour of the vault; there are over 100 cars and I would love to go over each and every one of them but I know that's not necessarily feasible.
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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