Anna1013

Not posting this to start a whole Rick Steves debate, but I found this on his website and I thought it was interesting.

He calls it a "Floodlit Paris Taxi Tour", and the idea is you hire a cab for about an hour and you get to see all the famous sites, lit up at night.

He says for an hour the price would be $55-$60... isn't this a bit low?

Not sure about the route since I've never taken it, but I just wanted to see if others felt it was a good route to take if I decided to think about doing a "taxi" tour.

Anna1013

Sorry, forgot to add the link:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...e/floodlit.htm

wco81

Seems a lot of money for one hour.

Do you know where to ask to go?

Even the bateau mouches rides should be cheaper than that and you can see the sites around the Seine at night.

There are plenty of motor coach tours, including those at night. Try viator.com and look for similar sites.

dina4

Anna,
That was something I was trying to plan, but couldn't get enough good info on taxi prices, etc.
Instead I planned to do the Siene River Cruise at night.
Thanks for the link, though. I'm really tempted to do it on our first night if we're too tired to walk around...
Dina

starrsville

Much better (and more reasonable) is the night tour by Fat Tire Bike Tour. An absolute blast!

francophile03

The major sightseeing tour companies offer a similar tour for less and in the comfort of a large tour bus. For example, Cityrama offers an illumination tour for 24 euro or an illumination tour combined with a Seine cruise for 30-32 euro.

dina4

I'm assuming the $55 taxi ride is for everyone in the taxi, not per person.
If so, then it's a pretty good deal for a family of 4 people.

The risk would be ending up with a grumpy taxi driver.

starrsville

or a stinky one

Christina

That price is probably about right for what it might cost you to be in a taxi for about an hour in the evening within Paris, since it wouldn't be going very fast.

AnthonyGA

Take a bus tour of the city at night instead. More comfortable, a better view, an itinerary that you don't have to figure out yourself (taxi drivers expect instructions), and about the same price as a taxi.

Boats on the Seine cost €7-€9 for a one-hour cruise from which you can see many of the more famous sights of the city. They are equipped with their own floodlights in addition to the existing lighting on the buildings (Paris lights most of its monuments at night).

walkinaround

i agree with anthony...if you want that sort of thing, just take a bus tour. i don't think giving tours is what taxi drivers do best.

however, i refuse to support the boats that shine floodlights on the banks of the seine. they are a scourge to us strollers.

guaranteed

We did a similar thing, with another couple in Rome. It didn't work out too well, because the driver managed to find every clogged street in Rome, which gave him the opportunity to talk non-stop on his cell phone many times.
If we had to do it over again, we would explain the concept to a concierge and have him find a dependable driver.

g

CarolA

I did the bus tour. I would hire the taxi. You can get the taxi to stop where you want and you don't have to deal with 50 other folk. Plus the bus tour companies reserve the "Front" seats for the folks who bought the Dinner/Show tours too....

Anna1013

Thanks for the replies everyone! Yes, the price was for a full cab, not per person.

I also thought the downside would be getting a driver who was uncooperative, and thus would be a waste of money compared to a boat/bus tour.

Curt

Starsville - probably bigger chance that the tourists will be the stinky ones!