Before you just drop in at the Getty . . .

If you’re coming by car, you need a reservation for one of the 1,200 parking spaces. Call the 24-hour reservation line at (310) 440-7300 or, for the hearing impaired, (310) 440-7305. Information is provided in English and Spanish.

* Admission to the museum is free, but there’s a $5-per-car parking charge.

* The Getty formally opens on Dec. 16. Its hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Don’t expect to go on Mondays and major holidays because no one will be there. Except maybe for deer.

* Learn to love the 405. The Getty is in Brentwood, with Sherman Oaks to the north and Bel-Air to the east. Unless you’ve hijacked some MTA equipment and tunneled through the Santa Monica Mountains, to get there you must drive along Sepulveda Boulevard or the San Diego (405) Freeway, where it’s hard to miss the offramp, called, conveniently, Getty Center Drive.

* After you park, take the garage elevator to the T1 level and board the electric tram, which arrives every five minutes. The tram doors remain open 20 seconds, so don’t dally. Essentially a horizontal elevator, it snakes up the hill at 14 mph to deliver you to the Getty Center in a 4 1/2 -minute trip. Once at the arrival plaza, ascend that rather daunting set of broad steps to reach the museum.

* If you’re feeling spontaneous but didn’t snag a reserved parking space, you can arrive at the Getty via bus, taxi or bicycle without reservations. (You can walk in, too, but remember, parking on neighboring streets is restricted.)

* MTA bus No. 561 and the Santa Monica Blue Bus No. 14 stop at the front entrance on Sepulveda Boulevard.

* There is a taxi stop in the parking garage.

* And, yes, if you really want to, you can ride your bike. Racks are at the entrance of the parking structure.