While on a cruise we will be spending 1 day in Rome, Saturday June 3 2023, giving my wife and I approx. 6 hours on our own in Rome. We will be dropped off , and remeeting at St Peters Square. We have not been in Rome since 2015 and my favorite building, the Pantheon has dramatically changed its entry requirements. We have booked an Audio Tour of the Pantheon at 11.30am My wife and I are 79 and 80 respectively, I have allowed 30 to 45 minutes for the walk from St.Peters to the Pantheon, does this appear to be reasonable? My main concern is the lineup, which did not exist 8 years ago. Does anyone have recent experience of the length of Saturday am lineups? How much additional time should I allow for waiting for entry? Thank you in advance for your assistance. By the way should anyone have suggestions for must-sees/ changes due to our 8 year absence your ideas will be gratefully received, Bill.
Posted by
Portland, OR
117 posts
Years ago my husband and I walked to St Peters from the Pantheon area. It was a mistake and we were in our 30s at the time.
Last summer when we were there we took a taxi. There is a stand just in front of St Peters. That is my recommendation for you.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11948 posts
google maps shows it is 1.1 miles ( 1.8km) and 23 minutes walking time. With pedestrian traffic and whtever streets with cars you have to cross that seems optimistic. Do you have one mile walk at home that you can do a 'test walk' on to see how long you take and how you feel at the end of it?
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Pantheon,+Piazza+della+Rotonda,+00186+Roma,+RM,+Italy/St.+Peter's+Basilica,+Piazza+San+Pietro,+00120+Citt%C3%A0+del+Vaticano,+Vatican+City/@41.8997668,12.4550836,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m15!4m14!1m5!1m1!1s0x132f604f678640a9:0xcad165fa2036ce2c!2m2!1d12.4768729!2d41.8986108!1m5!1m1!1s0x132f6061b7149b59:0x724bf077cd875283!2m2!1d12.4539367!2d41.9021667!3e2!4e1
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2693 posts
I’m in Rome right now and booked an audio ticket for Monday—my hotel is near the Colosseum and I decided I will take a taxi there. I’m doing 9-10 miles per day and certainly could walk there, just don’t want to worry about getting lost with a timed ticket…I spent a good 45 minutes today circling the area of the Trevi Fountain, finally found it! The thing that has me concerned is the notice on the ticket about arriving early, even an hour, due to the lines. This shouldn’t be an issue with a ticket in hand, so we’ll see how things work—I’ll give it an extra hour just in case.
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
627 posts
That is a long walk. It will be hot, there will be crowds on the sidewalks forcing you to adjust your pace, you will need to wait for traffic signal changes to cross several streets. When there is a line at the Pantheon it moves quickly, but you should definitely take a taxi to get there. If you arrive early, have a coffee at Tazza d' Oro.
Posted by
19 posts
I concur with others! The streets are crowded, there are scooters and golf carts on the sidewalks, walking in Rome these days can be very very difficult. Take a cab.