How to visit the Pantheon in Rome, post-Covid

It was just a while ago when visiting the Pantheon used to be a breeze: you walked right into the door and at the very most you could find a little bottleneck by the entrance where people assembled, unsure whether to ask for a ticket or an audioguide.

Unfortunately, Covid hit and things were never the same, at the Pantheon nor at other landmarks in Rome. The world-famous temple-turned-into-a-church is just one of many attractions in the Eternal City that had to adapt to the concept of crowds, and now visitors have to change the way to approach it if they still want to take a peek inside.

Admission is free – well, not always!

If you’ve done your research on Rome, you’ll know churches are always free to go in, except when they house a separate museum or site/sight: think the dome at St. Peter’s, the underground levels at San Clemente, the Mouth of Truth at Santa Maria in Cosmedin!

Due to the Pantheon’s popularity, the government has tried a different strategy here, encouraging travellers to plan their visit from Mondays to Fridays – that’s when access is free of charge.

On weekends (and bank holidays, and proper holidays!), visits must be booked. And this must be done at least one day in advance, as to avoid excessive crowds.

Booking a visit to the Pantheon? Now that’s new!

Again, just like many other attractions in Rome where booking a ticket beforehand is not only encouraged but mandatory, the Pantheon has embraced this necessary… evil.

Data provided by the Mayor’s office show that the building has been accessed by 9 million people in 2019 alone! With tourism in the city going back to the same levels reached pre-Covid, it’s understandable that new policies would have been implemented there.

Where to book your visit to the Pantheon… and beware of fake websites!

The Italian government has a dedicated website for the Pantheon: register here!

Don’t go around googling too much when looking for Pantheon tickets – it’s actually very easy to end up on a fake official website, basically a reseller offering tickets at a higher price!

Of course you’re free to spend your money as you wish, so if a reseller should have a better interface and were to be easier to use than a local authorized website, by all means go ahead! Just remember this before going in to avoid any disappointment should any problems arise.