Pantheon Rome: Tickets, Hours and What You’ll See Inside

The Pantheon in Rome is one of the most impressive buildings to survive from antiquity. It's a unique, remarkably well preserved monument that deserves a spot in your Top 5 of things to do in Rome. Walking in feels like stepping back into the Roman Empire.

History of the Roman Pantheon

The Pantheon you see today was built on the orders of Emperor Hadrian around 126 AD. It carries Agrippa's name because it rose on the ruins of the original Pantheon of Agrippa, a building destroyed by a major fire in 80 AD.

Pantheon wasn't the name originally intended for the building. Agrippa‘s plan was to create a dynastic cult dedicated to the protectors of the gens Julia (the group of families in the ancient empire who shared the name «lulius»), namely Mars, Venus and the Divus lulius (the deified Julius Caesar).

In Rome it's also known as La Rotonda, a name that carried over to the square it stands on. Its circular shape was no accident: it gave equal importance to each of the gods.

The proportions of this building and its architectural design have made it one of the most perfect examples of its kind and one of the greatest innovations in the history of construction. That's why it belongs on any list of must-see monuments in Rome.

As a rule, temples in the Roman Empire lavished attention on the exterior, and only a select few were allowed inside. Here, although the Pantheon is already imposing from the outside, the real spectacle is within.

The Pantheon today

The Pantheon is the best preserved Roman building in the world. That's because it has always served a purpose. First as a place of worship for the ancient gods and later, at the start of the 7th century, it was turned into a church when the building was donated to Pope Boniface IV. 

Today the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage looks after the Pantheon's conservation, though it also remains a working church where masses and weddings are held, along with the special Pentecost celebration, when thousands of rose petals are showered down through the oculus of the dome while a choir sings the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus.

What to see at the Pantheon in Rome

Once you pass through the huge bronze doors, almost 7 meters tall, you'll find a magnificent space so vast and imposing that you'll feel tiny. That was precisely the effect they wanted inside a temple dedicated to the gods.

• The entrance portico rests on 16 columns of Egyptian granite, quarried and shipped all the way from Egypt.
• The ceiling in this entrance area and the tympanum on the main facade were originally bronze, but they were stripped by Pope Urban VIII in 1632.
• The dome is the most impressive part, one of the great architectural feats of all time. It measures nearly 44 meters across, almost exactly the same as its height.
• The Pantheon's dome is still the largest ever built without reinforced concrete.

If you're on a flying visit and can only see Rome in a day, the Pantheon is essential. It should also be part of your itinerary if you're doing Rome in 2 days or Rome in 3 days.

Pantheon tickets and prices

As a place of worship, the Pantheon used to be free to enter, but since July 2023 you need to buy a ticket.

Entry is free only for residents of Rome.

The official ticket price for non-residents is €5 and you can get it on the Pantheon's official website. You'll need to register on the site, confirm your registration by email and pick the date and time of your visit.

NOTE: Fair warning, this website often plays up and completing the registration correctly can be a struggle.

Have a look at our article on Pantheon tickets and find out how to get skip-the-line tickets with an audio guide. You can book fast-track entry with a reliable operator using the button below:

To dig deeper into its history, you can join a guided tour of the Pantheon.

Opening hours

Open daily from 9:00 to 19:00 (last entry at 18:30)

Pantheon facts and curiosities

At the top there's a hole about 9 meters across, called the oculus, which lights the whole building naturally. Curiously, when it rains, the water doesn't get in, thanks to a continuous updraft of air escaping through the oculus that forms an invisible barrier repelling the raindrops.

The Pantheon is so well preserved that you'll see practically what the Romans saw 19 centuries ago. You'll even walk across the same marble floor that Hadrian himself walked on.

Oddly enough, nobody knows who designed it. No documents record the architect behind such a magnificent piece of architecture.

One spectacular way to admire the Pantheon is in your swimsuit, from the terrace of one of the options we recommend in our guide to hotels with pools in central Rome.

Annual event at the Pantheon

One event, dating back to the Middle Ages, is the «rain of red roses«. This ancient rite symbolizes the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles as tongues of flame on the day of Pentecost. From here you can walk to nearby Piazza Navona and the iconic Trevi Fountain.

How to get there:

Address: Piazza della Rotonda.

Metro: Line A, Barberini stop (you'll have a bit of a walk).

Bus: Lines 30, 40, 62, 64, 81, 87 and 492 (stop at Largo di Torre Argentina, 400 meters from the Pantheon).