Under ordinary mid-day conditions, how much will it cost to put three people in a taxi at Charles de Gaul airport, just outside Paris, and take them to a hotel in the St.Germain district in the centre of the city?

Again, under ordinary conditions of traffic and so on, how long should this trip take?

How are the cab drivers? What I mean is, will they take deliberately round-about routes, or pretend they don't know the address, to increase the time, distance and fare? Can one expect they "know their town", or do they need a big map and large print letters?

Also, in Paris, what is an appropriate tip for a cabbie? Also, will they charge extra, and if so how much, for handling luggage in the sense of three large suitcases?

Any specific information would be much appreciated.

Cost is approximately 45 euros. The trip usually takes less than an hour. And we never had dishonest taxi drivers.
There is a charge for luggage usually between 1.50 euros to 2 euros each piece. We give around 15% tip.

Thank you...just the kind of precise information requested....from one who has "been there, done that". Merci!

CAUTION: be sure to take one of the taxis pulled up at the taxi rank by the airport terminal curb. Don't go with anyone who comes up to you and offers to drive you into Paris--those are unlicensed drivers who will charge a ridiculous amount. You'll be just fine with the licensed taxis who wait their turn for customers.

For three of you, a private shuttle might be a good choice (set price & no charge for luggage). If your taxi runs into heavy traffic and the meter keeps running, you could actually end up paying more than you would for a shuttle. Check these two sites: www.airport-connection.com and www.parishuttle.com.

I agree with TimS--you're better off taking a shuttle. The traffic from CDG can be impressive and unpredictable. Enjoy!!

The way I understand Paris Shuttle is that it will cost you 54 euro to take it. You may (probably will) be sharing an 8 seat van with others and you may be dropping them off first or going a roundabout way to get to your hotel depending on who else is in the van. When you get to the airport you will need to call them. You may be lucky as many people are and it will come in 5 or 10 minutes, but you may be unlucky as many also are and wait a half hour or more. On the other hand, you would have to get caught in pretty heavy traffic for your taxi bill to go over that amount. It is possible, but certainly not by more than a few euro. For the chance that it could cost you maybe 5 or so euro extra, the convenience of getting a taxi immediately on your arrival and going directly to your hotel would easily be "worth it" to me over taking a shuttle.

Ooops, sorry I see TimS. was talking about a "private shuttle". With Paris shuttle the cost for that is 120 euro. Your taxi would have to get stuck in traffic for a couple of extra hours to rack up that kind of price.

Actually, I shouldn't have used the term "private." As Patrick says, that would cost a small fortune. I meant a shuttle in which you might have to share the ride with other passengers. If "immediate" departure is important, then a taxi probably is the better choice.

I've taken the shuttle into Paris twice and didn't have to call on arrival nor did I have any significant wait.