London Toolkit 
Paris Toolkit Walk 5 - Pantheon to Vatican via Piazza Navona
Self-guided walk for independently minded visitors
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Relaxing: Piazza Navona
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Pantheon to Vatican via Piazza Navona walk route
This walk is direct but is full of interest. Apart from crossing a couple of busy roads, you are walking most of the way on narrow lanes where vehicles are virtually non-existent. The exception is the final section walking up to St Peter's Square where there is a wide pavement.
The aim of this page is to focus on the logistical aspects and give sufficient information in the form of text and images so that you can get a good idea of what to expect and allocate in terms of time.
The length of this walk is about 2km or well over a mile, if you walked it without stopping at a brisk pace it would be only around 30 minutes.
However, this is the ancient centre of Rome, where every turn, nearly every building is of interest. The beauty of doing this walk independently is you take it at your own pace. If you stopped at every bar, cafe or restaurant along the way you'd probably need a year.
Do get a good guide book and do pick up a detailed street map, many of the free street maps given out by hotels are adequate. Probability is that you will be attracted by something just off the route described here and go off at a tangent, all part of the fun of exploring the ancient centre and making your own discoveries.
The Pantheon is the hub from which 4 of our 8 self guided walks connecting the main sights of Rome either end or start from.
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We also have more detailed pages on the Pantheon, Vatican and Piazza Navona:
Walk 1 - A circuit of Villa Borghese
Walk 2 - Spanish Steps to Trevi Fountain
Walk 3 - Trevi Fountain to the Pantheon
Walk 4 - The Pantheon to Trastevere via Piazza Navona
Walk 5 - The Pantheon to Vatican City via Piazza Navona
Walk 6 - A walk above and around Trastevere
Walk 7 - Trastevere to Capitoline Hill & Museum
Walk 8 - The Pantheon to Colosseum via Roman Forum & Capitoline Hill
Walk 9 - The Appian Way (outside Rome City Centre)
Pantheon towards the Vatican direction
The first section of the walk from the Pantheon to Piazza Navona is signed for pedestrians much of the way.
With your back to the entrance of the Pantheon, walk through to the back of the square lined with restaurants in front of you (Piazza della Rotonda).
At the back of the square turn left into the Via Giustiniani and follow it until you cross a minor road (Via della Dogana Vecchia) and becomes the Via del Salvatore.
The Via del Salvatore leads you quickly onto the busy road Corso del Rinascimento. Take care, using the pedestrian crossing to cross to the other side of the road and turn left down the Corso del Rinascimento
Take the first turning right about 20 yards along the road, (Corsia Agonale) which leads directly into the vast Piazza Navona.
Outline map of walk between the Pantheon and Vatican via Piazza Navona 
Once you have finished with the Piazza Navona our exit is from the top northern exit, (the end to the right as you enter Piazza Navona from Corsia Agonale).
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Via dei Coronari (Narrow lane between building) |
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Via dei Coronari |
The short road that exits at the top, north end of Piazza Navona is called the Corsia Agonale and leads directly onto a busy road where you turn left into small Piazza which is little more than a junction at a busy bend of the main road. There is a major taxi rank here too.
This is an important junction to get right.
When you turn left on exiting Piazza Navona, you will be presented with the scene in the image right.
The main road bends right, and on the bend are two roads/lanes leading off the main road. Ignore the first road that bends back left down the western side of the back of Piazza Navona and take the much narrower road that leads straight, this is the Via dei Coronari. (The gap in the buildings of the image right.)
You now go on autopilot for 5-10 minutes along the charming Via dei Coronari lined with shops and cafe's that have one eye on the visitor.
Eventually at a small piazza, (Piazza dei Coronari) a major lane comes in from the left, the Via di Panico. At the crossroads of the piazza you turn right onto Via di Panico. The void you can see about 100m down the road in front of you is the River Tiber.
When you arrive at the end of the Via di Panico, use the public crossing that takes you over the busy road onto the Pont Sant Angelo, a bridge across the river to the Sant Angelo Fortress.
Once you have crossed the river you turn left in front of the Sant Angelo Fortress and you catch your first glimpse of St Peter's directly in front of you. The dead straight Via della Conciliazione connects Sant Angelo with St Peter's Square and is a dead straight very wide and busy road. There are wide pavements either side of the road though.
Vatican towards the Pantheon direction
Starting in St Peter's Square with St Peter's directly behind you take the wide straight Via Della Conciliazione heading towards the centre of Rome. Just before the river, you cross a busy road to Sant Angelo Fortress. Just past the main entrance into Sant Angelo Fortress on your right the Ponte Sant Angelo pedestrian bridge crosses the River Tiber.
On the far side of the bridge you will see two roads directly opposite the bridge. The Via di Panico, our way ahead, is the road on the left hand side of the two roads opposite.
After 100m you come to the Piazza dei Coronari where you turn left onto the Via dei Coronari which you follow for around 400m until it spills out onto a main road. Bear right around the bend past the taxi rank and take the first right into Piazza Navona.
Once you have finished with the Piazza Navona our exit is the one mid-way down the Piazza on the left (eastern) side called Corsia Agonale.
This leads immediately onto a major road, (Corso del Rinascimento) where you turn left. Cross the road using the crossing about 20m up the road that leads you directly into the narrow Via del Salvatore. Just keep going straight over a minor road and our way becomes the Via Giustiniani which brings us to the Pantheon, the end of our walk.
| Popular tours & tickets in Rome |
| Vatican Museums Tours & Fast Track Tickets |
Vatican Museums Fast Track Tickets €27.00 Fast track admission to Vatican Museum |
Vatican Museums Fast Track Tickets + Audio Guide €39.90 Fast track admission to Vatican Museum with Audio Guide |
Vatican Museums Fast Track Tickets + Early Entrance €56.00 Fast track admission to Vatican Museum before public opening |
Vatican Museums Fast Track Access With Coach Transfers €60.00 Tour in English plus hotel pickups |
Vatican Museums Private Tours With Fast Track Access Prices vary on numbers Your own personal guide for your own grouo of 1 to 9 people |
| St Peter's Basilica Tours & Fast Track Tickets |
St Peter's Basilica Fastrack with audio guide €19.50 Fast track access to St Peter's together with audio guide in choice of languages |
St Peter's Basilica guided tour €27.00 Small group tour maximum 20 people |
St Peter's Basilica guided tour with access to cupola (Dome) €49.00 includes lift access to the dome of St Peter's with far reaching views |
| St Peter's & Vatican Museums Combined Tours |
Vatican Museums + St Peter's (With Fast Track Access) Tour 1 From €57.00 Guided 3 hour walking tour with Fast Track Access + early/evening entrance options |
Vatican Museums + St Peter's (With Fast Track Access) Tour 2 From €61.00 Guided 3 hour walking tour with Fast Track Access + early/evening entrance options |
Early Access Vatican Museums Small-Group Tour with St Peter’s €92.50 Entry when doors open to Vatican Museums + St Peter's Basilicas |
Vatican Museums, Vatican Gardens & St Peter’s guided tour with breakfast €139 Complete tour of the Vatican with American breakfast in the Vatican Cafeteria |
| Vatican Gardens Tours |
Vatican Gardens Walking Tour €38.00 Includes admission to Vatican Museums |
Vatican Gardens Bus Tour €85.00 Includes admission to Vatican Museums |
| Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill |
Colosseum & Roman Forum fast track tickets from €23.50 2 Day fast track admission ticket to: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill |
Colosseum & Roman Forum Walking Tour from €45 Fast Track Admission & 3 Hour Guided Tour |
| Walking tours (Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, Trevi...) |
Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon,Trevi €35.90 3 hour walking tour with admissions. Afternoon tour |
Spanish Steps, Pantheon,Trevi,Navona €39.00 3 hour afternoon walking tour |
| Villa Borghese Gallery |
Villa Borghese Fast Track Tickets €24.00 Fast track admission ticket for a 2 hour slot |
Villa Borghese Fast Track Tickets+ Guided Tour €79.00 Fast track admission ticket for a 2 hour slot |
Villa Borghese & Gardens €69.00 2 hour tour of gallery + 1 hour gardens tour |
| Other popular City of Rome tours |
| 3 hr tour of Rome's highlights by bike |
Best of Rome Coach Tour €33/€91 Half or Full Day coach tour of main sights |
Roman Gladiator Lesson from €88 2 hour lesson in becoming a Roman Gladiator |
Night Tours of Rome €54.00 Choice - walking or coach tour of Rome by night |
| Private tours of Rome |
Flexible customised private tours of Rome by car Luxury executive vehicles (1 to 8 passengers) |
Private sightseeing tour of Rome by golf cart A novel, fun way to see Rome (1 to 3 passengers) |
