Taxis in Paris
 

If we have to take a taxi in Paris, which one should we use and how expensive are they? For example, how much would it be from Nord train station to Rue de Rivoli?

Sorry, but I don't understand the question "which one".<BR>You want an official taxi de Paris,but the taxi will have that posted.<BR>There are taxi stands at stations and all over Paris's main streets, marked with a sign.<BR>Here are some good websites with Paris taxi info, do's and don'ts<BR>http://perso.club-internet.fr/podvin/sitegb/taxis/taxiarrt.htm<BR>or, http://paris-anglo.com/guide/travel/transportation/taxis_stands.html<BR><BR>http://infotaxiparis.free.fr great taxi info<BR><BR>www.ehow.com search on Paris taxi<BR>

There are no obvious "taxi cab companies" like in U.S. All legal taxis have a "Taxi Parisien" dome light. They are tightly regulated and are all very nice & clean cars.<BR>A ride from Gare du Nord to Rue de Rivoli should cost no more than 10 - 15 euros. Mind you, the rates are a bit higher on nignts & weekends.

I'm not sure what you mean about which one -- there are several major cab companies in Paris (G7 and Taxis Bleus are two big ones), but as long as you get a registered taxi, I wouldn't care about the company. There are official taxi stands or ranks at all train stations, just go there and get in line and you'll get the next one that is suitable. Some let you pay by credit cards and some don't, if that's an issue, ask. That fare wouldn't be very much at all, US$10 or less, I'd say. Fares are .60 euro per km in Paris during daytime, plus a little extra per bag and .70 euro for the train station.

The reason I said "which one" was I had heard there are taxis in London you should not use and I wondered if the same was true for Paris.

No, it's true that London has got a three tier cab system: the official ones (the famous black cabs, which are not all black any more), the much cheaper but less nice minicabs, and the totally wild unofficial "cabs", ie you and me in our car trying to make a little extra money prowling around discos and theaters. In Paris, the picture is less third world, since taxis themselves are a fiercely corporatist bunch who don't hesitate to resort to physical violence to prevent any non licensed taxi to "steal" customers away from them. BTW, I think you should know that if your taxi driver is not an immigrant,there is an 80 % chance that he voted for Le Pen...

I just grabbed a cab last week from the Eurostar station to the Luxenberg Garden area - it cost me 9 euros. <BR><BR>I only used a cab because it was raining and I had luggage.<BR><BR>The remainder of the trip I used the metro and found it to be pretty simple and cheap.

All that has been said is true. I would add just so you don't think you are being "ripped off" that there is a small extra charge for luggage and I think there is another small charge for getting a cab at the gare. The fare will be very reasonable however.

One thing to remember....if you call a cab to pick you up, they will charge you from where they are located when they receive their dispatch to pick you up to where they drop you off. I was unaware of this when I first went to Paris and thought I was getting ripped off. This is common practice so be prepared!