Pantheon Tickets

The short answer is, it depends on when you visit! It is not necessary to make a Pantheon reservation if you are planning a mid-week visit, as the Pantheon is now a church, and so entry is free on weekdays. However, during the weekend, it is necessary to make a Pantheon reservation in advance, which means you will need to book either a guided tour or an audio guide.

Due to the high volume of visitors, audio-guided Pantheon tickets and Pantheon guided tours come with an allotted time slot as standard, so if you book one of these options, your reservation is included in your tickets. It's recommended to book your audio guide or guided tour as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment on the day.

Which Pantheon tickets are right for you, depends on what kind of visit you tend to prefer.

For many, part of the appeal of exploring ancient wonders like the Pantheon is the social element; uncovering history in a group setting and bouncing your thoughts and impressions off one another. If this sounds like you, you should book a guided tour of the Pantheon, where an expert will lead you and your group around the ancient temple and give you an in-person account of its epic history.

If, on the other hand, you prefer a more personal and cerebral experience, audio-guided Pantheon tickets are your best bet. Tickets with an audio guide will let you uncover the amazing history at your own pace, as high-quality audio commentary brings the ancient wonder to life in real-time as you explore.

Before choosing which Pantheon tickets are right for you, it's good to familiarize yourself with the Pantheon's standard opening hours, which you can find in the About section.

As the Pantheon remains an active site of worship, there are some exceptions to the usual opening hours, including the following:

On public holidays, the Pantheon is open from 09:00 until 13:00 (last admission 12:45)

The Pantheon closes on the following dates: 1st January, 1st May, 25th December.

Visits do not take place during Masses (Holidays: 10:30; Saturday: 17:00).

The precise date of the Pantheon in Rome's original construction is difficult to say with precision, as the current building sits on the site of an earlier temple, which was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus around 27 BC – 14 AD.

The Pantheon's predecessor was burned down, and the current temple was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian around 126 AD. Formerly a pagan temple dedicated to all of the gods, the Pantheon was consecrated as a Christian church in the year 609.

Consequently, the building has been in continuous use ever since, which is the main reason why the Pantheon is one of the best-preserved architectural relics of the Roman Empire still standing today.

The Pantheon's extraordinary dome-shaped roof, is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world to this day. But that’s not all that’s special about this ancient ceiling.

Considered one of the most beautiful coffered ceilings in the world, its patchwork pattern of depressed cubes surrounds a nine-meter hole - known as the oculus - directly in the dome’s center. The hole serves multiple functions, the first is that it helps to alleviate structural tension at the weakest part of the dome. It also fills the space with natural light and makes lovely moving shadow patterns on the squares.

No matter the time of year, this hole is never covered, so bear that in mind when you visit. Your perfect moment in the spotlight might be washed out quicker than you might think!