Localada’s free The Pantheon audio guide is part of the Rome audio guide: the story of The Pantheon, practical visiting tips and a route map, narrated in 15 languages. It opens in your browser, with no app download and no tour group.
Listen to the The Pantheon audio guide, free →
Opens the Rome guide in Localada, where The Pantheon is one of the stops. A free account takes a few seconds.
The Pantheon: key facts
- Time to allow: 45–60 min
- Hours: 09:00–19:00 (open daily)
- Address: Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Rome
- Nearest transport: Bus stop Largo di Torre Argentina · 6 min walk (40,64)
- Localada perk: 5% OFF – Skip-the-line ticket & guided tour — book below
- Entry is ticketed — book online or buy at the door
- Free for under-18s and on the first Sunday of the month
- It is a working church; visits pause during services
- Rain falls straight through the oculus onto the floor
The story of The Pantheon
There is a hole in the roof. There has always been a hole in the roof.
Nine metres across, open to the weather, no glass, no cover. When it rains in Rome it rains inside the Pantheon, and the water runs off a floor that is very slightly domed into twenty-two drainage holes cut two thousand years ago.
Hadrian finished this building around 126 AD. It is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome on earth. Nobody has bettered it in nineteen hundred years, and for most of that time nobody knew how it was done.
The trick is that the concrete changes as it rises. Heavy travertine at the base, then brick, then volcanic tuff, and at the very top pumice — stone light enough to float. The walls are six metres thick at the bottom and one and a half at the crown.
Why is it still here when almost everything else Roman is a ruin? Because in 609 it was given to the Church and turned into a basilica. It was never quarried for stone. Raphael asked to be buried in it.
Stand under the opening and look up before you look at anything else. The beam of light moves across the wall all day, like a very slow clock.
Listen to the The Pantheon audio guide, free →
Tips for visiting The Pantheon
- Go at opening or in the last hour — the midday queue wraps around the piazza
- Stand directly under the oculus and look up before you look anywhere else
- Raphael’s tomb is on the left; the Latin epitaph is worth reading
- Look down as well — the floor is slightly convex, with drains for the rain
- Sant’Eustachio, two minutes west, makes the best coffee in Rome — drink it standing at the counter
5% off The Pantheon tickets and tours
Book through Localada and GetYourGuide takes 5% off at checkout, on experiences worldwide. No code needed.
More audio guides in Rome
- The Colosseum · 2–3 hours
- The Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel · 3 hours
- St Peter’s Basilica & Square · 1–1.5 hours
All stops in the Rome audio guide →
The Pantheon audio guide: frequently asked questions
Is the The Pantheon audio guide free?
Yes. The The Pantheon audio guide is part of Localada’s free Rome guide: create a free account and open it in your browser, no app download needed. Tickets for The Pantheon are bought separately; booking through Localada’s GetYourGuide links gives 5% off.
How long should I spend at The Pantheon?
Allow 45–60 min for The Pantheon.
What are the opening hours of The Pantheon?
09:00–19:00 (open daily). Hours can change on public and religious holidays, so check on the day.
Can I get a discount on The Pantheon tickets?
Yes. Book The Pantheon tickets and tours through Localada’s GetYourGuide links and GetYourGuide applies 5% off at checkout.
Which languages is the The Pantheon audio guide available in?
Narration and text are available in 15 languages: English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.