Name: Grand Pigalle Hotel
Address: 29 Rue Victor Massé, Paris, 75009, France
Telephone: 01 85 73 12 00
Price range: $$

Fodor's Expert Review

When a neighborhood gets an acronym it means only one thing: hello hipsters. Enter Paris's newest case in point, SoPi (South Pigalle), a once-Bohemian neighborhood at the foot of Montmartre, and Paris's red light district since WWII. But the fabled home of the Moulin Rouge cabaret is now laced with chic watering holes, boutiques and the Grand Pigalle Hotel, a stylish lodging, restaurant, wine and cocktail bar all rolled into one. On the edge of the lovely Nouvelle Athènes residential neighborhood, this is a great place to stay and explore.

Tip Musée de la Vie Romantique was the home and studio of artist Ary Scheffer, whose artistic salon drew neighbors Delacroix, Ingres, Liszt, Georges Sand, Chopin, and other artistic lights of the day. Now host to excellent revolving exhibitions, as well as an important collection of Sand memorabilia, and a charming garden café this is a neighborhood spot not to miss. The newly renovated Musée National Gustave Moreau is kept as it was when the artist lived and painted here, and is a unique testament to life in Nouvelle's Athènes' rich artistic milieu.

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Room

The new incarnation of a former hotel, updated by rising interiors star Dorthée Meilichzon, these 37 well-equipped rooms follow a stylish pattern, with variations mostly in color schemes and wallpaper. Fireplaces and terraces are a nice touch in some rooms, as are plush lounge areas in larger rooms. Top-floor rooms have round windows with views over the Paris rooftops and Sacré Coeur. Mini-bars come nicely stocked with Paris-based delights, including bottled cocktails by the Experimental Cocktail Club, owners of the hotel and the group largely behind for Paris's cocktail renaissance.

You Should Know Set on a semi-busy street, try to get a courtyard-facing room to insure total quiet.

Bathroom

Good sized, colorfully tiled baths come with showers; higher category rooms with baths and hand showers or large rain showers and double sinks.

Lobby

A stylish reception area opens onto a handsome bar, lounge, and restaurant (also the breakfast room), where you can relax with a coffee or a drink any time of the day or night.

Dining

A quality buffet breakfast pays homage to excellent local providers, with better than usual coffee, croissants and breakfast pastries, gluten-free breads, fruit, and hot dishes. Giovanni Passerini, a star of the Paris gastro-bistro movement, created the menus for the Italian restaurant, open for lunch and dinner.

Drinking

The street-side bar is deservedly popular, not only for its excellent cocktails and wine list, featuring 200 Italian wines, but for a reasonably priced menu of hot and cold tapas plates.

What's Nearby

Getting Around

Within five minutes of Saint-Georges, Anvers and Blanches metro stations, which connect to all the major metro lines. You're also within 15 minutes of the Gare du Nord. Those who know Paris know what a treasure this neighborhood truly is. A crossroads between Montmartre and Grands Boulevards—and just steps from the wonderful rue des Martyrs—this is a prime area to explore on foot. Within minutes of two of Paris's great small museums (Musée de la Vie Romantique, Musée National Gustave Moreau), you're in the heart of the Nouvelles Athènes neighborhood, one-time home to artists and writers and one of Paris's more lovely authentic enclaves. You're also close to a bevy of chic cocktail bars (Glass, Dirty Dick, L'Entrée des Artistes, Lulu White), restaurants (Pétrelle, Le Pantruche), and cafés (Le Bal, KB Café, Rocketship), as well as a ton of chic boutiques.

Restaurants

Good, well-priced nearby gastro-bistros abound, Le Pantruche and Le Bon George are a good start. For something wonderfully Parisian and totally off-the-beaten-path head to romantic Petrelle.