Is this the same domed building people visit in Italy?

No. The name is borrowed from a much older domed temple in Italy, but the two buildings are unrelated — this guide, and the Viator listings linked from it, are entirely about the Paris monument on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève.

Who runs the Panthéon?

The Centre des monuments nationaux, the French public body that manages a long list of national monuments. Its own site is paris-pantheon.fr. This guide is independent and not affiliated with it in any way.

Can I climb the dome?

Not at the moment, according to the monument's own site, which lists the panoramic view as closed to visitors. In past seasons the colonnade, around 200 steps up, has opened from April to October as a separate, booked visit — check its status before building plans around the view.

Is entry free for anyone?

The monument's own site lists free admission for under-16s with an adult, for EU nationals and regular residents of France aged 16 to 25, and for disabled visitors with a companion. Beyond that, entry is ticketed.

How long does a visit take?

An hour covers the nave, the pendulum and the main crypt chambers at a comfortable pace. Allow longer if you want to read every name in the crypt.

What is Foucault's pendulum, and is it still there?

An 1851 demonstration that a swinging pendulum's path appears to rotate because the Earth is turning beneath it. The original bob is now kept at the Musée des Arts et Métiers; an exact copy has swung under the Panthéon's dome since 1995.

Is the Panthéon good for kids?

The pendulum holds most children's attention on its own. The crypt works best if you turn it into a search for a handful of specific names rather than reading every plaque — our family guide below sets out a route that does that.

← Back to the crypt guide

Visiting the Panthéon

Written by Camille Faure · Last checked October 2026 · Writes about the monuments of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève and the Left Bank, from the crypt they stand on to the streets around them.

Everything worth knowing before you go: the order to see things in, when it's quiet, how long to allow, and what's seasonal rather than always there.

See current listings on Viator ↗

See it in this order

Start in the nave with Foucault's pendulum — it's the first thing most visitors reach and the easiest to appreciate before the room fills. Then take the stairs down to the crypt while it's still calm. The panoramic colonnade is a separate booked visit, and the monument's own site currently lists it as closed.

When to go

The first hour after opening is usually the quietest across the whole building. The crypt stays comparatively calm even later in the day, since the stairs down naturally limit how many people are in it at once — the nave above is where crowds build first.

How long to allow

An hour covers the nave, the pendulum and the main crypt chambers at an unhurried pace. Allow longer if you want to read every name in the crypt.

What's in the crypt

More than eighty people, added one or a few at a time since 1791 — Voltaire and Rousseau are the earliest still there, Marc and Simonne Bloch, honoured in June 2026, the most recent. The crypt guide linked below lists every name in the order they entered.

The dome isn't a given

The colonnade, around 200 steps up, has opened from April to October in past seasons as a separate booked visit, and the monument's own site currently lists the panoramic view as closed. If the view matters to your plans, check its status before building a day around it.

Accessibility

An outside ramp and an inside lift give access to the whole nave, and pushchairs are allowed. The crypt is reached only by stairs — around 40 steps — and the monument's own access notes say it is not accessible to wheelchair users; a virtual-visit screen in the nave shows it instead.

What to bring, and what to skip

Food and drink aren't allowed inside, and there's no luggage locker or cloakroom — only standard backpacks are accepted. The building closes on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, and opens later than usual on the first working Monday of each month, so check the monument's own site if your date lands on one of those.

Getting there

Métro line 10 (Maubert-Mutualité) and line 7 (Place Monge) both leave a walk of several minutes; RER B stops at Luxembourg, a short uphill walk along rue Soufflot. Whichever way you arrive, the final stretch is uphill — the building sits at the top of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève.

Ready to go? Entry and tours sit on Viator.

See current listings on Viator ↗