Latin Quarter · Stay in Paris
Hôtel des Grands Hommes
Deluxe Panthéon room at Hôtel des Grands Hommes.
The Atlas take
About Hôtel des Grands Hommes
A small hotel facing the Panthéon, with Empire-style rooms and a literary history that includes André Breton and Philippe Soupault.
Best for
- Readers interested in Breton, Soupault and the beginnings of surrealism.
- Couples and solo travellers who want to stay on the Panthéon square.
Know before you book
Classic rooms face the patio, so a Panthéon view is not standard across the hotel. The two Junior Suites have different sizes. Confirm the exact bed configuration, breakfast inclusion and any accessibility requirements when reserving.
- The setting
- Facing the PanthéonChoose a view category if you want to see the monument from your room.
- Literary history
- Breton and SoupaultThe hotel links their work here in 1919 to Les Champs magnétiques.
- Room choice
- Balconies and terracesAvailable in specific categories, alongside smaller patio-facing rooms.
Hôtel des Grands Hommes stands at 17 place du Panthéon. Its location is the main distinction: several room categories face the monument, while others look into the patio. Choose the category carefully if a Panthéon view is the reason for your stay.
Inside, patterned fabrics, classical motifs and traditional furniture give the rooms an Empire-style setting. Entry-level rooms are compact, starting at 14 m². Larger categories add a sitting area, balcony or terrace rather than simply a different decoration.
The hotel offers breakfast, a bar and assistance with transfers and laundry. The Luxembourg Garden is nearby, and the surrounding Latin Quarter is convenient for exploring on foot. The hotel’s literary connection belongs in the history of this particular building, not just the neighbourhood.
Choose the right fit
Rooms at a glance
Compare the hotel’s room categories, then check your preferred configuration and dates when booking.
01 / ROOM CATEGORY
Classic Room
14 m² · patio outlook
Room details
The entry-level category has a bath or shower and Empire-style decoration.
02 / ROOM CATEGORY
Superior Panthéon Room
15 m² · monument view
Room details
A compact room facing the Panthéon, with a shower.
03 / ROOM CATEGORY
Superior Balcony Room
15 m² · balcony
Room details
A balcony with a table and chairs adds outdoor space; the bathroom has a bath or shower.
04 / ROOM CATEGORY
Deluxe Panthéon Room
17 m² · monument view
Room details
A little more floor space than the Superior category, with a bathtub.
05 / ROOM CATEGORY
Terrasse Deluxe Room
30 m² · up to 3 guests
Room details
A separate sitting area and a balcony overlooking the patio, with both a bath and a shower.
06 / ROOM CATEGORY
Junior Suite
22 or 35 m² · sitting area
Room details
The two Junior Suites differ in size. Both have a sitting area and a Panthéon outlook; confirm the suite allocated to your booking.
07 / ROOM CATEGORY
Romantic Junior Suite
Top floor · 15 m² terrace
Room details
The terrace looks toward the Panthéon and Paris rooftops, with Sacré-Cœur in the distance. The bathroom has a shower. The 15 m² figure describes the terrace, not the room.
The practical details
Amenities & guest services
- Free Wi-Fi
- Air conditioning
- Nespresso coffee machines
- Bar
- Minibars
- Adapted accommodation on request
Breakfast
Breakfast is available, including room service. Check whether it is included in your rate before booking.
Reception assistance
Ask the hotel about airport transfers, laundry and the availability of an adapted room.
In-room facilities
Rooms have a safe, television, minibar and coffee machine. Slippers are provided; bathrobes are listed from Deluxe categories upward.
The Paris Atlas · Beyond the booking
History & cultural connections
Breton, Soupault and the beginnings of surrealism
The building dates from the eighteenth century. According to the hotel’s history, it became a boarding house near the end of the nineteenth century before becoming a hotel. Its address on the Panthéon square places that domestic past beside one of the Latin Quarter’s best-known monuments.[1]
In 1919, André Breton and Philippe Soupault worked here on Les Champs magnétiques. The hotel presents that collaboration as a formative moment in the development of surrealism. Their experiments in automatic writing give the building a connection to a specific literary work, beyond its broader Latin Quarter setting.[1]
Marguerite Andrée Nègre Souquet-Basiège owned the hotel from 1947 to 1957. A guestbook from that period survives in the hotel’s historical collection, preserving a record of its mid-century life.[1]
The Brethous-Moncelli family took over in 1982, and a renovation in the early 2000s developed the Empire-style interiors seen today. The building’s literary associations are older than the present room decoration; the present interiors are a later chapter in the life of the building.[1]
Sources for this history
See where you’ll be
Paris, just outside the door
Places to discover nearby
landmark · Latin Quarter (Montagne Sainte-Geneviève)
The Panthéon
A domed neoclassical building at the top of the Latin Quarter, begun as a church to keep a king's promise and turned into a mausoleum for the nation's great by the Revolution. Voltaire arrived in 1791, Hugo's funeral settled its purpose in 1885, Alexandre Dumas came in 2002 and Josephine Baker in 2021. Open 10 a.m.–6.30 p.m. in summer; €13–€16.
Explore this place
park · Odéon / Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg
Ernest Hemingway's daily shortcut and his hungry-day refuge — the park where he walked to avoid the smell of food, and studied the Cézannes in its museum on an empty stomach.
Explore this place
landmark · Île de la Cité
Notre-Dame de Paris
The cathedral seen at night from the wooden footbridge off the Quai de Béthune — the still point of the finest walk in Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, answered a decade later from the same river in Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer.
Explore this placeBefore you go
Useful questions, clear answers
Do all rooms overlook the Panthéon?
No. Classic rooms face the patio. Select a category explicitly described as having a Panthéon view.
Which rooms have outdoor space?
The Superior Balcony and Terrasse Deluxe categories have balconies. The Romantic Junior Suite has a 15 m² terrace.
Are there rooms for three people?
The Terrasse Deluxe category is listed for up to three guests. Confirm the sleeping arrangement directly.
Can I request an adapted room?
The hotel lists adapted accommodation. Contact it before booking to confirm the particular room and facilities you need.
What is the connection to André Breton?
The hotel’s history says André Breton and Philippe Soupault worked here on Les Champs magnétiques in 1919.
The details behind this page
Sources & image credits
Hotel information reviewed .
Hotel information & sources
Image credits
Illustrations and reconstructions are labelled throughout this page.
- Deluxe Panthéon room at Hôtel des Grands Hommes.The Paris Atlas — reference-based illustration.Source & reference
Your next Paris chapter
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