The Pantheon

The Pantheon is the ancient building that still works. Rebuilt under the emperor Hadrian around AD 125 — the inscription over the portico credits Marcus Agrippa, whose earlier temple stood on the site — it has been in continuous use for nearly two thousand years, saved from the quarrying that stripped so much of Rome because it was consecrated as a church in 609. You walk in between granite columns that were shipped from Egypt, through bronze doors, and into a single perfect space: a cylinder crowned by a hemispherical dome whose diameter equals its height from the floor, so that a sphere would fit inside exactly. The dome remains the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world, its weight lightened by coffers and by ever-lighter aggregate toward the top, and at its crown the oculus, about nine metres across, is the only source of light. A disc of sun moves across the coffers through the day; when it rains, water falls straight onto the marble floor and drains through small holes. Raphael is buried here, in a tomb inscribed with a famous epitaph, alongside the first kings of united Italy. Since 2023 the Pantheon has charged an entrance fee, raised to seven euros from July 2026, with free entry for under-eighteens, Rome residents and everyone on the first Sunday of the month, when no booking is possible and the line forms at the door. During Mass the space is reserved for worshippers, and entry for worship is free. Ticket holders get an audio guide option, and booking a slot online saves time in the queue on the piazza.

The best Pantheon visit is short and well-timed. Opening time on a weekday is calmest; late afternoon, when the oculus throws a slanting beam high on the wall, is the most beautiful. On sunny days stand in the middle and watch the light move — it is the building's purpose made visible — and on wet days look for the rain falling through the oculus. Thirty to forty-five minutes is enough for most people: the dome, the portico columns and bronze doors, Raphael's tomb, and the royal tombs. The interior is a functioning basilica, Santa Maria ad Martyres, so speak quietly and dress respectfully. The paid entry has made the interior calmer than it used to be.

Timing details: the Pantheon is generally open daily from morning to early evening, with ticket sales stopping an hour before any liturgy. Mass is celebrated on Saturday evenings and on Sunday and holiday mornings, when the building is for worshippers. Each August there are late-evening openings. It closes on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Reduced tickets exist for young EU citizens, and the Tiqets venue page bundles the Pantheon with audio guides, guided walks and combinations with Castel Sant'Angelo or the Vatican Museums.

Around the Pantheon is the densest cluster of the centro storico. Piazza della Rotonda, with its fountain and obelisk, is a fine place to sit, though the cafés facing the portico charge for the view. Two of Rome's most famous coffee bars sit within a block or two, and Bernini's elephant obelisk at Santa Maria sopra Minerva — the Gothic church behind the Pantheon with a Michelangelo statue inside — is a two-minute walk. Piazza Navona is five minutes west and the Trevi Fountain about ten minutes east, so the Pantheon is the natural hinge of any walking day through the historic centre.