Inside Pantheon Rome there is one enormous room, and that is both the appeal and the reason a map of it is short. This page gives you a Pantheon Rome map of the square around it, the route I would follow across the hall, and a note on each thing worth stopping at. If you have not booked, my guide to tickets for the Pantheon in Rome compares ten options starting at $8.
Pantheon Rome Map: Entrance, Stations and Sights Around It
The map below shows the Pantheon with the sights within walking distance, from Google Maps data.
The Pantheon is at Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Rome, per the official page. From the pin, Piazza Navona is about a 5-minute walk, Piazza Venezia 9, the Trevi Fountain 10, the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II 11, the Spanish Steps 16 and the Roman Forum 17. Those walking times are my estimates, from straight-line distance multiplied by 1.3 at 4.8 km/h. The Barberini and Spagna metro stations are listed in my data about 19 and 17 minutes away, so most visitors arrive on foot or by bus.
The Direzione Musei Roma has an official map section on its Pantheon page. What I saw there was a single static picture, not a downloadable floor plan, so I will not copy it. Because the space inside Pantheon Rome is one round room, a floor plan adds less than it would for most buildings, and my route below follows the order in which things appear as you walk in.
The Route I Would Take Inside Pantheon Rome
This is the order I would follow inside Pantheon Rome, and it is also what to see inside Pantheon Rome, step by step. I have left the times off, because no source I found gives a time for each stop.
My route inside the Pantheon
1Portico and facadeEight granite columns across the front
2Bronze doorsThe oldest doors in Rome
3Floor and coffersFive rings of 28 panels
4OculusThe only light, never covered
5Tomb of RaphaelOn the left as you enter
6Royal tombsTwo kings and a queen
7High altarIcon of the Virgin and Child
The Portico and Facade
You see the portico before you step inside Pantheon Rome, and it already sets the scale. Wikipedia says the front has eight Corinthian granite columns in the first rank and two groups of four behind, under a pediment, and that each column is 11.9 metres tall, 1.5 metres across and about 60 tonnes, per Wikipedia. The grey ones came from Mons Claudianus in Egypt and the pink ones from Aswan. The frieze reads “M AGRIPPA L F COS TERTIVM FECIT”, which Wikipedia says is the Hadrianic inscription reusing Agrippa’s original wording.
The Bronze Doors
The doors are the threshold between the porch and the hall. The doors to the main hall are 4.45 metres wide and 7.53 metres high, and Wikipedia calls them the oldest in Rome. Stop for a second, because from here the whole hall opens in front of you.
The Floor and the Coffered Dome
Once inside Pantheon Rome, the room is a rotunda with a drum wall 6.4 metres thick, according to Wikipedia, and a dome that is the same 43 metres high as it is wide. The official page gives the dome diameter as 43.30 metres, equal to its height. The ceiling is divided into sunken panels called coffers, in five rings of 28, and the floor is a checkerboard pattern. The floor slopes about 30 centimetres and has drains, because the oculus is never covered and rain falls in.
I would walk to the middle and look straight up, not at the walls. Most of what is inside the Pantheon is the shape of the room, not objects in it, and that is the best answer to what to expect inside Pantheon Rome: one room, one light source, and a lot of looking up.
The Oculus
The oculus and the door are the only natural light sources, and Wikipedia describes the light moving around the interior like a sundial. The opening is about 9.1 metres across, per the same article. That is why your visit time changes what you see: sun is a bright disc on the wall in the middle of the day, and rain is a visible column. A wet day is not a reason to skip it, because the floor is built to drain.
Kirba Tours
Pantheon Small-Group Guided Tour with Entry Ticket
★4.9 (1,378 reviews)
50 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: A small-group guide who explains the dome and oculus: $29, 50 minutes, English or Italian, 4.9 from 1,378 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Pantheon entry ticket
✓ Pantheon tour
✓ Official guide
✓ Headset to hear the guide clearly (for groups of 6 people or more)
Not included / not suitable
✕ Hotel pickup and drop-off
✕ Tips
Meeting point: Meet your guide in Piazza Capranica, 10 minutes prior to the start time of the tour. Look for the Kirba Tours sign or flag. Piazza Capranica, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Languages: English, Italian
Duration: 50 minutes
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Chris was a fantastic tour guide. Great tour! Would highly receommend.” – GetYourGuide review
The Pantheon is a basilica, Santa Maria ad Martyres, and the official page says it was converted into a church in 609. It holds the tomb of Raphael, whose sarcophagus is inscribed “Ossa et cineres”, bones and ashes, and was given by Pope Gregory XVI, per Wikipedia. It is easy to walk past, as most visitors look up, so make a point of finding it on your way round. Treat it as a quiet corner of the visit inside Pantheon Rome, where people pause, so leave room for them.
The Royal Tombs and Chapels
Wikipedia says the second chapel holds the tomb of King Victor Emmanuel II, begun by Manfredo Manfredi in 1885, and the next chapel holds the tomb of King Umberto I and Queen Margherita. A golden lamp burns above the tomb in honour of Victor Emmanuel III, who died in exile in 1947. The niches along the walls hold paintings, including a Madonna of the Girdle and St Nicholas of Bari dated 1686 and a 15th-century fresco, per the same article. Look at them in turn, as they are the part of what is inside Pantheon Rome that is not architecture.
The High Altar
The far end of the hall, opposite the doors, is where the building shows what it has been for most of its life. At the far end of the hall, above the altar, is the icon of the Virgin and Child, which Wikipedia says was a gift from Phocas to Pope Boniface IV. The altar is in use: the official page says that during religious services entry is for worshippers only, with Mass at 5:00 pm on Saturdays and on the eve of holidays, and at 10:30 am on Sundays and holidays.
Crown Tours
Pantheon Timeless Marvel Guided Tour with Entry Ticket
★4.8 (5,685 reviews)
45 minutes
Free cancellation
My pick: A short guided entry: $21, 45 minutes, seven languages, 4.8 from 5,685 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Live guide
✓ Guided tour
✓ Pantheon entry tickets
✓ Hosted assistance
Not included / not suitable
✕ Transportation
✕ Food and drinks
✕ Tips
Meeting point: This activity has 3 meeting points. Your meeting point depends on the option you select. Piazza della Minerva, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Getting Around Inside Pantheon Rome: Access and Rules
The official page says visitors with disabilities or reduced mobility can use the external ramp on the Via della Minerva side, and that there is no cloakroom. Shoulders must be covered, clothing must not be too short, revealing or see-through, and eating, drinking and smoking are forbidden. Pets are not allowed, except guide dogs and certified service animals, and you should keep your ticket for the whole visit. The page says staff can refuse entry to anyone who does not follow the rules.
The official page also says entry is only for your booked time slot and that skip-the-line entry is not available, so check your time before you arrive. If you plan the day around the hours, my Pantheon Rome opening hours guide has the schedule. I compare the guided options on my Pantheon Rome tours page, and the story of the building is on my Pantheon Rome history page. When you are ready, compare every ticket on my Pantheon Rome tickets page. The home page lists the other attractions I cover.
Frequently asked questions
What is inside Pantheon Rome?+
Inside Pantheon Rome you walk from the granite portico and bronze doors into a single round hall under a dome with an open oculus. The hall holds the tomb of Raphael, the tombs of two kings of Italy and a queen, and a working altar, because the Pantheon is a church.
Is there an official Pantheon Rome map?+
The Direzione Musei Roma page for the Pantheon has an interactive map section, but what I saw was a static image, not a downloadable plan. I link that official page below and have not copied the image.
How long do you need inside the Pantheon?+
Most tickets and tours I compared are listed at 45 minutes to 1 hour, and the guided tours that add other sights run up to 2 hours. The hall itself is one room, so the time depends on how much of it you want explained.
What are the rules inside the Pantheon?+
The official site says shoulders must be covered, clothing must not be too short, revealing or see-through, food, drink and smoking are forbidden, and visitors must keep quiet. During Mass, entry is for worshippers only.
Is the Pantheon wheelchair accessible?+
The official page says visitors with disabilities or reduced mobility can enter by the external ramp on the Via della Minerva side. There is no cloakroom.
