Taxi in Paris - How they all about
 

I am planning to have a trip to Paris within a few days. I have never been there and I have no idea how to go my destination from the airport. In any new place, it's wise to hire a taxi for going around instead of using any bus or rail service. Because you have no idea about the stoppages.

In Paris, how much the cost of any taxi service from the airport and how the service is actually? As I don't know anything about the service available there, I am asking here to get any good idea or suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Have you done any research at all about the transportation options ftom the airport? a simple visit to the airport website would be an excellent place for you to begin.
And there are plenth of people who will disagree that it is wise to use a taxi.

A taxi would be a lot more expensive than a bus or a train.

A taxi can get stuck in traffic as easily as a bus. And if you haven't negotiated a flat fee you may end up having to pay for the extra time, too.

Which airport is it, anyway? Paris has more than one. The transfer options are different for each of them.

Are you landing in CDG? Do you know how to do a google search? www.google.com and enter "cdg to paris transportation options". You get "Charles de Gaulle Airport" www.aeroportsdeparis.fr.

Unless you read French, click the French flag at right top, then choose the Union Jack flag (of UK) to convert to English.

Access/Paris-CDG access on left menu.

It gives you public transit options with prices and taxi with price estimates. You select an option based on where you are heading to your time/budget constraints.

Also if you have a guide book on Paris, it almost always contains a section on how to get to Paris from CDG.

If taxi makes sense or not depends on who/how many are you, the amount of and your willingness to schlep luggage, where you are landing and where your hotel is.

We always take a taxi from airport to first hotel since I am past the age of being pack mule women - although once rid of luggage we do foot and metro everywhere unless very late at night and/or very footsore. We have never had any sort of problem with a taxi in Paris, except the occasional grouch.

From CDG to central paris the fare (although on the meter) is usually about 48 euros - but can be more if you hit a lot of traffic. There is also a charge for the 4th or more additional passenger and for luggage more than 1 bag. There is also a higher rate on sunday. If you have any questions the driver has an official list of prices for you to look at (in French).

At the airport you just head for the official taxi line and take the next cab that pulls up. Do not go with random people that offer you rides since they may charge anything.

If you want a fixed rate you can reserve a private shuttle in advance - perhaps get it through your hotel.

But we have always doe regular cab and had no problems.

'If you want a fixed rate you can reserve a private shuttle in advance - perhaps get it through your hotel.'

Might work. Might be a no show. Will be 99% of the case more expensive than a taxi.

Never prepay.

It would be helpful if you said where you were going. I think you don't have a lot of experience with public transportation in large cities, so it is intimidating. But if you were staying right ner an Air France airport bustop, that would be easy and much cheaper (or the airport bus to the Opera).

Otherwise, you do need to be prepared that the rate could easily be 60 euro. If you are lucky, it won't be, but it depends on traffic, where you are going, time of day, etc.

I have never heard of standing at the curb at CDG in the official taxi queue and bickering with taxi drivers to get a "flat rate." Forget that option. It violates taxi regulations, for one thing.

<<In any new place, it's wise to hire a taxi for going around instead of using any bus or rail service. Because you have no idea about the stoppages.>>

Not true. If you're willing to do just a bit of research ahead of time, you can learn your way around any city on public transportation. For Paris, study www.ratp.fr and www.parisbytrain.com. If you plan to take taxis all over the city, you will spend far more money than you need to. A taxi from the airport is always what I choose to do after an all-night flight. They are perfectly reliable. You cannot negotiate a flat rate with a Parisian taxi. It will cost around 50-60 euros to get into town, depending on where you're headed.

If you're young and able-bodied and don't have too much luggage, the RER/métro is a good and much cheaper option.

We are people who use local public transport in cities. Paris has a marvelous metro system which is the most efficient way to get around the city. you will want to study the metro system so you can get around.

But on arrival, we usually choose to take a taxi. After a long flight (usually overnight) I want someone to get us to our hotel. As others have said, it taxi fare will be 50-60 E. Many taxis accept credit cards.

We use Victor Taxi to and from the airport: www.facebook.com/victorstaxitransportation

Another good option would be to take the Air France Bus. You can purchase your ticket ahead of time:
http://www.airfrance.us/US/en/common...t_aeroport.htm

Taking a taxi from the airport to your hotel on arrival is likely a wise idea if you are unfamiliar with public transport but using a taxi to explore Paris is the least efficient and most expensive way to get around Paris when it has one of the best public transport systems on the planet. I suggest you spend just a little bit of time familiarizing yourself with a map of Paris and its transport system and get yourself a Paris guidebook. Paris is also a great city to walk in and there are times when you'll want to be walking and not even using any form of transport. Here is some general info to help you explore:

To learn how to get around Paris (and the Île-de-France region) by métro/bus/RER use www.ratp.fr. Here is a link to a route planner:

http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ra...herche-avancee

Here is an interactive map of the system:

http://www.ratp.fr/plan-interactif/carteidf.php?lang=uk

Since parts of this website are only in French you can also use www.transilien.com or www.vianavigo.com. Via Navigo probably has the most complete English website. Keep in mind that all these sites are time and date sensitive and they will use Paris time, not your local time.

Another thing to keep in mind is that they all default to the next available departure. So you may get one route that looks very complicated (multiple métro/bus connections) but scroll forward through the next few departures and you'll often find the simplest connections for your journey.

To learn about the various types of tickets, transport passes and fares look here:

http://vianavigo.com/en/tickets-and-fares/

A good website to learn how to use public transport in Paris is www.parisbytrain.com. It will likely answer any of your questions about what is the métro, what is the RER, what kinds of tickets you need, how to buy tickets, what kinds of passes are available etc.

Buy a good detailed map of Paris of around the scale 1:12,000 and it will show all streets and street names, museums, monuments, gardens, parks, sites, attractions and the location of all RER and métro stops. A handy booklet to buy is called ''Plan de Paris par Arrondissement, L'Indispensable''. It is available in the Relay bookstores you'll find in the main line train stations and RER stations. It can be bought in many other places as well, such as bookstores, magazine/news stands, many touristy souvenir stores, larger supermarkets, tabac stores etc.

In any métro or RER station with an information booth you can get free maps of the Paris transport system and use those in conjunction with your street maps to figure out how to get around and determine where you are.

You can figure out walking times and distances between sites by using a mapping website like www.mappy.com or a similar website.

You can look at the Paris tourist office website for info about what to see and do in Paris as well as learn about the various passes for visits and public transport: http://en.parisinfo.com/

If you let us know which airport you are flying into, where you are staying in Paris, and how many people you are traveling with we can give you more specific information.

Hi Mike, I am an annual visitor to Paris and I always take a taxi when I land. From CDG to most places is usually between 50 and 60 euro, as Kathie said. At the evening commute time the traffic can be quite slow. I don't like navigating the metro/trains with luggage after a 10 or 11 hour flight.

If you are an Uber user, Paris is a great place for it. I find the drivers polite, the cars clean and comfortable and the convenience great. I use Uber to return to the airport and it's a bit cheaper than a cab.

Enjoy Paris! It's a wonderful city.

Your link to the taxi site doesn't work for me, but at any rate, there is no need to book a taxi ahead of time. If you do that, you risk ending up with an unreliable service. Just get off the plane and go to the official taxi ranks, wait a few minutes in line, and get into the taxi you are steered to. Forget about arranging anything in advance.

Nov 4, 15 at 5:39pm
May 13, 16 at 8:27pm
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Remember that if your hotel calls a taxi for you the meter starts running then… so the taxi will arrive with charges already on the meter.(Unless things have changed since my last visit.) Very often that causes tourists to think they're being cheated. Just hope your taxi was parked around the corner.

Whoops…..