So-Pi, France
Self Catering So-Pi Holiday Apartments, France
‘So-Pi’ is a relatively new name which has been given to a residential area in Paris. When you stay in So-Pi know that you’re residing in one of Paris’ up and coming quarters. It doesn’t exist on any maps yet – it is in fact a nickname for the southern part of Pigalle that stretches into the 9th arrondissement. Just as New York has SoHo and NoHo, Paris now has its SoPi and NoPi, with NoPi being the part of Pigalle that extends north into the 18th arrondissement.
A stay in a So-Pi holiday apartment doesn’t have the notoriety that a trip to Pigalle might have had in the past. New boutiques, cafés and galleries are replacing the dingy peep shows, massage parlors and sex shops that have proliferated in this part of the famous old red-light district.
Between the chic of Place St-Georges and the Sexodrome on Boulevard Clichy, a spate of new specialty shops and artisanal businesses are reviving the village ambiance, especially around Rue des Martyrs—the backbone of south Pigalle—and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.The area incorporates some of Nouvelle Athennes to the west too.
When you stay in a holiday apartment in So-Pi know that it nestles in the heart of many places of cultural, historical, and architectural interest, including the Palais Garnier, home to the Paris Opera, Boulevard Haussmann and its large department stores of Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. The Montmartre quarter is also nearby - many artists had studios or worked in this now culturally protected area of Paris, including Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.
Paris is at its hottest in July and August and coolest between December and February, though Paris rarely experiences freezing temperatures. City breaks to Paris in the springtime and autumn will also experience pleasant temperatures. Parisians are used to heavy spring and autumn showers, and are not surprised by a sudden summer cloudburst. There is occasional snow in winter. Paris' average yearly temperature is 12°C (54°F), witnessing 3°C/37°F in January and 19°C/66°F in July. Temperatures often drop below zero in winter and can climb to the mid-30s or higher in the middle of summer.
How to get to your So-Pi holiday rental apartment: Arrivals to Paris can be made via the city’s numerous airports – including Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly. The Gare du Nord train station is within walking distance of So-Pi – which welcomes the Eurostar. So-Pi is served by the metro Line 2 and 12 at Pigalle station.