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Wondering if tickets are required for entry to the Roman Pantheon?
Yes! They are!
Sometimes.
5€ fee for tourists, free for Rome residents, worshippers, and those under 18
In March 2023, Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano has introduced plans for a 5€ entry fee to this stunning monument.
Entry will remain free for Rome residents, worshippers, everyone under 18, and handicapped visitors and their caregiver.
As of March 2023 the Pantheon remains FREE, although booking (still free so far) is required on weekends and holidays.
There is no date yet when this new fee plan will be implemented, although they have said it will be in force as soon as they can organize the mechanisms for handling it.
STAY TUNED AS I UPDATE THIS PAGE!
Here’s everything you need to know about how, where, and when to get tickets, and the best way to visit the Roman Pantheon.
For more about the history, architecture and meaning of this amazing monument from Ancient Rome, visit this dedicated page about the Pantheon Rome.
You could pretty much just show up in the square where the Rome Pantheon is, wait in line, and go inside.
But you might want to know a few things so your visit goes smoothly.
On this page, you'll find all the updated news about how to visit the Roman Pantheon, along with other practical information:
The Pantheon Rome is one of the most stunning and best-preserved monuments from Ancient Rome, so visiting the Pantheon should be high on your list of must-sees.
And it’s so easy to visit.
It’s central and near many other must-see sites in Rome.
It’s open daily throughout the day. It doesn’t take that long to visit.
And best of all, it’s free!
Over the past few years, it looked like an entry fee would be implemented. There was even a semi-official announcement about Pantheon tickets but then nothing happened.
Locals and tourists alike speculated about how much it would cost and how they would manage ticket sales
Many people were against the idea.
The Roman Pantheon is, after all, a church. (It's official name is Santa Maria ad Martyres.)
But it’s also a monument visited by millions of people each year. And it requires upkeep.
In Rome, churches are free to visit. Even St Peter’s Basilica is free.
In Florence and many other art cities across Italy, you will often find you have to pay to visit a church as a tourist.
So, it did make some sense that they would charge a fee for visiting the Pantheon.
One day I spoke to one of the policemen there about this and he gave me something of an explanation.
It seems that the property outside of the Rome Pantheon, including the portico, belongs to the state of Italy.
But the inside belongs to the Vatican.
And since they couldn’t agree on the fee or logistics for selling tickets, they dropped the subject.
Is this true?
Maybe. It makes sense to me. Will this situation last forever? We just never know.
For now, the Roman Pantheon remains free to visit.
The perfect 3-day itinerary in Rome
Trying to figure out how to organize your visit to Rome? I've got the perfect 3-day itinerary for first-time visitors (or those who have not been here in a while.) It works for a 2.5 day visit as well.
In my 3-day itinerary, you'll see all the major must-see Rome attractions like the Vatican, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, Castel Sant'Angelo, and much more.
And if you have more time, or want suggestions for extra/other things to do, you'll find that there too.
Visit my page with the best 3-day itinerary in Rome for first-timers.
So if there is no admission fee to enter the Pantheon, you don’t need tickets, right?
Well actually, not quite.
On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, you must book your visit to the Roman Pantheon at least one day in advance. (And you can only book about 2-3 weeks ahead.)
Entry is still free and there is no fee to book.
But you will not get in on those dates without booking.
(You can try to book in the moment, but lately on the weekends, Pantheon tickets have been completely sold out so it really is best to plan a little bit ahead.)
This is the official website of the Pantheon as a church.
You can find mostly up to date info about hours and liturgical events. You do not need tickets for these events.
What happens if you can’t get tickets or show up on a weekend and didn’t realize you have to book in advance?
You can try to book guided tours with a tour company.
Availability may be limited, and naturally this means paying to visit what is normally a free site, but it can be a way in and you would receive the information in the guided tours to boot.
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The Pantheon in Rome
The current Pantheon was rebuilt between 110-126 CE under Roman Emperor Trajan and his adopted son Emperor Hadrian.
The first Pantheon in Rome was built in the time of Emperor Augustus by Marcus Agrippa - the original inscription on the front was preserved.
The Pantheon is a wonder of engineering as it contains what is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
We are not sure exactly of all its uses and meanings when it was used in Ancient Rome.
However, it seems that one use of it was as a giant sundial.
The sun passes through the 9-meter oculus (hole) in the roof, and sweeps around the coffered concrete dome, creating different lighting effects throughout a given day and throughout the seasons.
There are even special dates and times during the year when the light creates a special effect.
You can easily visit the Pantheon on your own as a self guided tour.
There are little stations along the route where you can put in a coin and listen to a bit about what you are looking at.
Or you can book one of the official audio guides.
Or, bring a good guidebook with you so you can get some sense of the importance of this structure from Ancient Rome.
Or, read all about the Pantheon here.
And even if you don't feel like taking a tour or reading or listening to the audio guides, it is a truly amazing place to just be and enjoy at your own pace.
Click below if you'd like to pre-book the Pantheon's audio-guide.
(This is not the same as booking your visit to the Pantheon when required for a weekend entry)
However, like any ancient monument with so much history, it is certainly worth taking a guided tour and having someone explain things as you go, plus you generally get skip the line access with a tour.
There are three types of guided tours you can take at the Pantheon:
Click below if you'd like an audio guide app for your smartphone.
(Entry not included.)
The Pantheon is open daily 9am - 7pm. Last entry is at 6:30pm.
These hours may change if there is a special event or liturgical event.
Here is the official Pantheon website where you can double check for any schedule changes.
The Pantheon is closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It may also close on August 15.
The Pantheon was converted to a Christian church in the 7th century, and has been a functioning church ever since.
Mass is held at 5pm Saturdays and on pre-holidays, and 10:30am on Sundays and public holidays - mass times do not generally affect the last entry or general Pantheon opening hours for visitors.
You can also attend midnight Mass at the Pantheon in Rome on Christmas Eve.
The Roman Pantheon is open for Mass on Pentecost Sunday, and there is a Mass held that morning.
After the 10:30am mass, members of Rome's fire brigade climb to the top of the Pantheon's concrete dome and drop thousands of red rose petals through the oculus.
It's an amazing sight and in recent years it's become a very popular event.
If you want to see this beautiful moment inside the Pantheon, you'll need to arrive by about 7am and wait in the queue to get in.
Then you will need to attend Mass, which lasts about an hour.
They drop the petals once Mass is finished.
Currently there are no tickets that get you in to this event.
The Roman Pantheon is in the Campo Marzio rione (neighborhood) in Rome's historic center.
I would consider it to be one of the most central monuments you can visit in Rome.
The Pantheon's official address is Piazza della Rotonda (this is because the Pantheon is informally known as Santa Maria Rotonda.)
When it was constructed during the Roman Empire, it was one of the few buildings in the area. The door faces straight across to the Mausoleum of Augustus.
You might say the Pantheon is at the very center of the Eternal City (more or less, and depending how you look at it.)
But you probably want to know where it is in relation to other Rome monuments and sites, and of course how to get there.
On foot, it's about 5 minutes from Piazza Navona, and 15 minutes from Trevi Fountain or the Spanish Steps.
The closest Metro station is Spagna at the Spanish Steps.
The Pantheon is a 15-minute walk from there.
Many buses stop nearby, either at Corso Vittorio Emanuelle II (get off at Argentina) or on Corso Rinascimento (get off at Senato.)
You can easily visit the Pantheon when you take the Hop-on/Hop-off bus.
To see the Pantheon's location on a map of Rome, you can visit this Google map here (the link opens in a new window).
Built in around 125CE, the Rome Pantheon is only about 40-50 years younger than the Colosseum, which was built between 70 – 80CE.
They are not that close to each other, you can walk between the two sites in about 30-40 minutes.
Some tours of Ancient Rome combine a visit to the Colosseum with a visit to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.
Want to learn about Roman cuisine?
Why not take a Twilight Rome Food Tour that includes a visit to the Pantheon?
Since you now have to reserve to visit on the weekends and holidays, my suggestion would be to visit on those days, precisely because you will have a booking.
Even if there is a bit of a line, it moves very quickly because everyone in that line is showing their timed ticket and going inside so crowd control is not an issue.
During the week when you cannot book ahead, there is now almost always a long line to get in.
Since entry is free, and the line is mostly about crowd control, it moves fairly quickly so don't be too daunted if you see a line that snakes around the piazza.
In winter when Rome tends to be less crowded, you may find less of a line but don't count on it. The Pantheon is always popular with Romans so you'll find them in line too.
No matter what time of year, if you come first thing in the morning when it opens, you will rarely find a queue.
You might find yourself visiting the Pantheon when it’s raining. You might even want to.
If it's raining pretty hard, you will get treated to seeing the rain come through the oculus. (Just be mindful of the marble floor which can get slippery.)
As for the best time of day to visit the Roman Pantheon, really any time is fine. It's always amazing to me, any time of day or night.
But since the inside of the Pantheon has some special properties, here are some things you might want to consider:
Besides the doorway, the only light inside the Rome Pantheon comes from the oculus in the ceiling.
Depending on the time of year, the light beam will be higher or lower. In the middle of the day the light beam will shine straight down.
In winter, the light beam will be moving very close to the top of the dome as the sun is low in the sky.
In summer, the light beam moves closer to the bottom of the dome, even along the walls, as the sun is higher in the sky.
Here are some very special days of the year not to miss if you want to see a fascinating phenomenon inside the Pantheon, either at 12 noon or at 1pm:
The Pantheon is one of the most beautiful monuments to see at night, even if only from the outside.
But because of its opening hours, if you are here in winter, you can visit the Pantheon inside while it’s dark out.
It’s quite a special experience.
The entire visit, including any standing in line you may have to do, should take under an hour.
A simple non-stop leisurely stroll around the inside of the Roman Pantheon takes approximately ten minutes.
Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the square, the fountain, and the view of the Pantheon from the front and sides.
You will enter on one side and then walk around the sides of the Rome Pantheon.
The center is off limits (which means you get to really see and admire the beautiful floor, which is the original floor from Ancient Rome!)
Once inside, you do not have to go at a specific pace. You are welcome to stand and look around and take photos.
You will leave through the same door where you came in (which is, in fact, the only door to the Roman Pantheon.)
Explore other sites from Ancient Rome
The Pantheon is a church and so, as with churches around Rome and Italy, you should dress appropriately to enter.
This means having covered knees, shoulders, and midriffs.
There is no problem entering a church, even Saint Peter's Basilica, in casual attire, as long as it's modest.
You are welcome to wear jeans, sandals, t-shirts, etc.
The question may be, will you be allowed to enter the Pantheon if you are not appropriately dressed?
The answer is, "maybe."
Over the years, and especially recently, I have seen many a visitor with bare shoulders or short-shorts turned away and not allowed to enter the Pantheon.
This rule is especially enforced at the Vatican and Vatican Museums.
No matter what season you visit Rome, here are 4 things never to leave at home:
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At the Roman Pantheon, as with many other churches around Rome, you may or may not find the rule enforced.
To be on the safe side, when sight-seeing in Rome, consider the fact that you may want to visit a church and thus, would want to be properly dressed.
In summer, this can be daunting, which is why I suggest always walking around with a scarf.
In summer, other good options include knee-length skirts/dresses/capri pants/shorts, or hiking pants with removable legs that convert to shorts.
Click here to visit my page about what to pack for Rome.
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