We're going to be arriving by plane into Vienna and then travelling by train to Strasbourg, then Paris, then Dijon France. We're assuming we'll just take a taxi from the airport and train stations to our hotels in each town. Any advice on this? Should we pursue shuttle services? We're an older couple not so interested in taking the public buses (at least not while carrying our luggage); we are curoious how other travelers lpan their transfers with an eye towards the best bargains. Thanks!

I think the situation may be different in different cities. Certainly in Paris a taxi is your most convenient option for train station to hotel.

The way I usually evaluate airport transport is to figure the cost each way for 2 people. Sometimes a shuttle is hardly less than a taxi, since you pay per person. The airport shuttle in Paris was 17 euros per person, so 34 for 2 of us. The taxi was about 10 euros more, well worth it in my opinion since we did not have to make any additional stops en route.

The other thing to consider is whether you will be traveling during high traffic hours. In that case, a taxi could get very expensive, while a shuttle or car service is a fixed price.

You can usually get good advice on this from your hotel, so I wouldn't worry about it in advance.

You can use the Driving Directions feature at the Michelin site (www.viamichelin.com) to find out distance between your hotel and the station at all of these places. To find a street near the station, go to the Maps tab, type in the city, and keep enlarging the map (the + symbol on the map), until you see a picture of a railway engine, then click on the engine to centre the image and keep enlarging the map until you find the street name.

With that information, you can enter the location of the station and of the hotel into the driving directions. For instance if you're staying at the Maison Rouge in Strasbourg, you plug in Strasbourg into Departure City and Place de la Gare (where the station is located) into address, and into Destination, put Stasbourg and rue des Francs-Bourgeois, and you find that it's a mile from the station to the hotel.

One advantage of taxis is you don't have to reserve anything in advance..you just get one. But in Paris with all that traffic I agree it could get expensive depending on time of day. But what is "expensive" to you may not be "expensive" to others and vice versa. Let's face it..sometimes it is just nice not to have to worry about it and take a cab.

Actually, Bootman, I would never risk getting a cab on the street if I had a plane to catch. (I did that once in NYC and will never forget my rising anxiety as nothing but occupied taxis went by.) I would always book it the night before. In France this means it will cost more, but with the recent transportation disruptions, it's certainly money well spent.

We were very pleased with the "meet'n'greet" shuttle service we received from http://www.airportservice.at last month (for Vienna Schwechat airport to our hotel, near the Rathaus). MAde a reservation by e-mail.

Best wishes,

Rex

I did a trip very similar to that once. I only take taxis from airports or train stations now, even when traveling alone. It's well worth the money to me, no hassle, no plans, just do it. If I were a couple, I really would as that makes cost per person a lot cheaper. I have taken a shuttle in Prague because they are very easy there -- you don't have to reserve, just go out and get in one on the spot, at least at the airport. In a lot of cities you have to plan ahead, though.

I didn't go to Dijon, but Strasbourg is rather small and no cab ride would cost that much (I think I spent about US$5-10 from train station to Petite France area). The Vienna airport is closer to the city than in Paris, also, so isn't that expensive (I think I spent about US$35 on that). All these prices are within last few years.

I have taken the Air France bus in Paris and then a cab to my hotel from the endpoint, and saved a little money, but it wasn't worth my time and hassle.

It seems to me from your itinerary, if you take cabs everywhere, the most expensive would be Paris and that shouldn't be more than $25 a person if there are two of you (vs. I guess 17 euro or so for a shuttle, which is about $20). That's the only place I'd consider doing anything other than a cab in your itinerary.

My husband and I took a taxi the first year we went to Paris, but that wasn't as far as from CDG to Paris. We arrived by way of Belgium at the Gare de Nord, as we had flown into Brussels. The next two years, though, we booked with Airport Shuttle, and we like the shuttle. You know up front how much it will cost, and you can pay by credit card or cash.

Best,
Sandy