Discover Pantin

During a stay in Pantin, you can explore the city through specific cultural and architectural sites. The themes range from exhibitions and dance to historic buildings and 20th-century architecture. If you are looking for a hotel, these different highlights can help you decide whether Pantin suits your travel interests.

Exhibitions along the Canal de l’Ourcq

The Magasins Généraux are located along the Canal de l’Ourcq in former warehouses dating from the 1930s. Today, they host exhibitions and cultural events throughout the year. The combination of former warehouse architecture and a changing cultural program gives the site two sides: its history is embedded in the building complex, while individual exhibitions and events each explore different subjects. If you would like to include a particular exhibition or event in your stay, check the relevant program; individual offerings change.

Architecture as a city theme

The city of Pantin offers the “Promenade architecturale à Pantin,” a tour of 20th-century architecture. This provides a specific architectural focus alongside the cultural sites associated with individual institutions and buildings. The Église Saint-Germain is also part of Pantin’s protected heritage: it was classified as a Monument historique by decree on December 29, 1978. The Gare de Pantin bears the Île-de-France region’s “Patrimoine d’intérêt régional” label. These two distinctions apply to different buildings and levels of heritage; they are not the same label.

Dance and architecture at the CND

The Centre national de la Danse (CND) is a public institution devoted entirely to the art of dance, with locations in Pantin and Lyon. The Pantin building is a significant Brutalist work by architects Jacques Kalisz and Jean Perrottet. The building includes, among other spaces, a media library and an exhibition area. The CND can therefore be understood both through its clearly defined role in dance and through the architecture of its building. Anyone interested in the connection between a cultural institution and architecture will find two distinct aspects at this named site, without conflating them.

Cinema and music history

Ciné 104 is an arthouse cinema in Pantin. It holds the “Patrimoine,” “Recherche et Découverte” and “Jeune public” labels; labels and programming may be updated. The building’s history is also connected with the city: the cinema is housed in the former festival hall of Pantin’s old town hall. The cinema’s profile and the building’s former use thus offer different points of interest when choosing Pantin’s cultural sites by theme.

La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues tells a different cultural story in the Quatre-Chemins district. It is housed in a former jute sack factory. The hall was the first in France built for jazz and improvised music. The former factory building and its special place in the history of performance venues give the site its own architectural and musical significance. La Dynamo can thus be considered alongside cinema, dance and exhibitions as another part of Pantin’s cultural profile.

Choosing Pantin as a destination

The sites mentioned offer different highlights: 20th-century architecture, protected historic buildings, dance, film and changing exhibitions. To help decide whether to visit, you can first consider which of these themes matter for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Clichy-sous-Bois, Aulnay-Sous-Bois, La Courneuve, Neuilly-sur-Marne, Gagny, Bagnolet, Drancy, Bobigny.

For the broader travel overview: Seine-Saint-Denis.