Paris - evening arrival at CDG, morning departure -- taxi or shuttle?
 

Hi. Here’s my situation:

--- Arrival – I (solo American tourist, 60’s) will be arriving at CDG from Warsaw on a Saturday evening at 6:40, and assume that means I’ll be able to leave the airport at about 8pm???. I don’t know if there are any customs procedures or something similar, coming from Poland, but I would love to know what to expect.

I’m staying in an apartment, so am on my own for transport. I’ll have a large purse, a full tote bag, and one 22” rolling bag; I don’t feel capable of handling those on public transport – buses or trains of any kind. I really want to take a taxi, as the simplest, easiest, quickest choice, but am a little worried about evening or weekend fare supplements. Then again, I’m also worried about getting a shuttle promptly at that time and day, and I do have to be at the apartment at some fairly reasonable hour to meet the landlord.

--- Departure – my flight leaves CDG at 9:45 am, again on a Saturday. This is a flight to London Heathrow, where I’ll transit to a flight to LAX. I’m assuming that I should leave the apartment by about 6am to ensure getting to CDG in plenty of time. Is that awfully early for a shuttle?? Early for a taxi?? Are there taxi supplements for early morning too??

So does anyone have advice or information about this particular situation? I would really appreciate any information.

Thanks,

Sandy

My only advice is you have to decide what it is worth to you to take a taxi, that's all. You cite reasons why you don't want to take a shuttle or public transportation, so you have to weight what that's worth to you.

As for being afraid of fare supplements. Well, they are there (no weekend one exactly, but fares on Sunday are like evening after 7 pm). I still take taxis under those higher fares, and the total isn't so bad. Partly because traffic may be less, and also because those increased rates don't apply to the waiting time, I think, only the per mile traveling time. What's your bottom line as to what would be unacceptable in a taxi fare? I don't think shuttles are even an option at that hour, but I'm not sure. I think some won't go after 8 pm.

The taxi fare is higher between 7 pm and 7 am. It should be about what you paid upon arrival, for that reason. I'm not sure where your apt. is, perhaps an Air France bus or something would be an option. That will add on time, however, and I wouldn't do that if not getting out of the airport until 8 pm.

Is the extra 25-30 euro that important to you (that might be the different in taxi vs. private shuttle, one-way, fo example)? If so, you just have to make decisions on what you are willing to do for that money. When you make certain travel plans like arriving late at night, you sort of have to make arrangements around that, unfortunately. I've arrived at CDG late at night and never would have done anything but a taxi, but I considered that part of my budget.

Thank you, Christina; I appreciate your ideas. I guess the truth is that I want to take a taxi on arrival and departure, simply to be more sure of a direct trip, and so I'm getting resigned to paying whatever the fare may be.

I'm still concerned, though, about how early I have to leave the apartment on Saturday morning? Is that considered out of the ordinary by taxi companies and so they'll be reluctant, or will they take it for granted? Maybe that's a silly question, since I'm sure many people have to get to CDG for morning flights, but I still worry about it.

Thanks,

Sandy

Many apartments have information/resource booklets. In ours, there was a list of taxi drivers next to the phone. We just phoned the day before to arrange a ride to CDG the following morning.

Thank you, dikbooks. Did you have to leave very early in the morning? I'm no so worried about getting a taxi, as about getting a taxi at 6am.

Thanks,

Sandy

If you want to take a taxi (as you stated) then take it.

We have taken flights from CDG with a transfer at LHR on to LAX - it's a hellish long day. I'd go for all the comfort I could get and a taxi will ensure that. Yes, it's more expensive then a shuttle will be and more then public transportation, but since you already state you want to take a taxi then just do it :-)

Ask your Landlord about contacting a taxi company to pick you up at 6 a.m., surely he/she could point one out to you.

WE took a taxi last Saturday from our apartment on Blvd. St. Germain to CDG at 6 am.
I first tried calling the numbers left by the owner in the apartment but found that they were answered by recordings in French and I wasn't sure enough to choose an option from the recording. I called the owner's Paris manager, she called for the taxi the day before and we were picked up promptly at 6 am.
We were out in front of the apartment at 5:55 am which was a really good thing as another couple attempted to get into the taxi as he pulled up. Had we been out a few minutes later we would never have known that our taxi did, indeed, show up! And I would have been a wreck worrying about getting to the airport and finding another taxi.

Thank you SO much, Judy.

Now I feel better; 6am is not that unheard of. As a matter, of fact, I should probably be waiting outside early too!

Sandy

If you had a metro station name to give us for the apartment, it would be much easier to say whether or not you are being foolish about avoiding public transportation. There are many public transportation options to and from both airports, and many of them drop people off (without any transfer) less than 50 meters from where they are staying, for from 8 to 12 euros.

Thank you for your reply, Kerouac, but I was not even considering public transportation with luggage, foolish or not; just don't feel up to hauling it around that much. In point of fact, though, my apartment is probably about 500-600 metres from either St. Paul or Bastille, a distance I have no problem with -- sans luggage.

Sandy