Travelnut

"..we have to wait a long time for one due to totally valid people riding around in them in wasteful bliss..."

nope, still plenty of 'attitude' in this statement..!

hellokittie

The michelin folks have a small guide with taxi stands and streetwise too. There are two versions of streetwise and apparently I looked at the "wrong" version.
Thanks to all who responded. I promise to use them sparingly as when I have heat stroke, broken foot, etc.

shellio

Travelnut's link to taxi stands is great, but it's not comprehensive, so not finding one listed near where you are doesn't necessarily mean there isn't one somewhere nearby.

LoveItaly

Good grief hellokittie, I do hope you are able to find a taxi stand and take a taxi as much as you want to, lol. Just one simple little questions can certainly cause quite a debate it seems. I use taxi's too when in cities, wasted money or bad idea or whatever!! Have a lovely time in Paris.

starrsville

Wonder which of the following are considered "wasteful" or foolish during a multi-day stay in Paris?

100 euros spent on taxis
100 euros spent on lunch at Jules Verne
100 euros spent to upgrade a * on your hotel
100 euros spent on food or drink spent sitting down rather than standing at bar
100 euros spent on a Fat Tire Bike Tour
100 euros spent on souvenirs to take home
100 euros spent on Laduree chocolates
100 euros spent on a spa treatment
100 euros spent on guidebooks
100 euros spent on fresh flowers for your room every day
100 euros spent on something special for your loved one/ traveling companion

Hmmm... could the answer(s) possibly be a matter of OPINION or personal preference? Just wondering...

tuscanlifeedit

Mon Dieu!

kerouac

I have never been in a metro accident, but I have been in taxi accidents 3 times.

Aileron

Anthony, wow, what's with the "my way or the highway" attitude?

I take cabs in Paris often. I also take the Metro from time to time. It depends on my needs. An individual spending his or her own money on transportation should not be the subject of someone's personal moral declarations.

prolepsis

Residents and visitors in a city like Paris will rarely agree on priorities and attractions. If there is something odd here, it is to realize that part of the taxi crowd is comprised of the same people who complain about paying $8 for a soda. If one is willing to pay 10 times the price for transportation, why not pay 10 times the price for other goods and services?

AnthonyGA

If you don't want informed opinions, why come here?

In some cases, you may spend hours trying to find a taxi, when the same trip would take ten minutes by Métro.

Sure, you can do it your way. You can rent a limousine, if you want. You can insist that everyone speak English around you. You can eat at Pizza Hut or McDonald's. But the more you insist on doing your way, the less you do in the Parisian way, which—at least to me—seems to negate the whole purpose of going to Paris.

In the U.S., there is usually someone to put your groceries in a bag for you. However, if I insisted on going only to grocery stores that do this in Paris, I'd probably starve before I could actually find one.

Aileron

Anthony, again, why the hostility? "Informed opinions?" And you are the only one with them? Please!

I speak French, I do business in France and I have lots of French friends. So spare me from the condescension, please.

AnthonyGA

I am never hostile; I am simply direct. Some people apparently interpret anything other than euphemism, unconditional agreement, sweetness, and light to be hostility. I think it is projection.

starrsville

Right.

hellokittie

I think Anthony has a "lack of insight" or finds it more to his liking not to have one. Whatever turns him on.

Margaretlb

I metro,I bus, I cab, I walk. Big deal! hellokittie, I have a Michelin map that I picked up in Barnes and Noble (maybe it was Borders) that has a little blue T where the taxi stands are. You can also hail a cab like you can in NYC (if the dome light is on, it's available) but a taxi won't stop for a hail if you're in the vacinity of a taxi stand. Personally, I find the fares reasonable and have never been "taken for a ride" but have always had efficient cabbies.

Shalott

here is another list of taxi stands

http://tinyurl.com/pq4x6

paris-anglo is the website, it seems to have other useful info also

MissZiegfeld

AnthonyGA, Simply direct? More like simply obnoxious.

This is why I barely visit fodors anymore. There are some wonderful posters here and so much information, but this holier-than-thou attitude that some people have is just nauseating.

AnthonyGA

In Paris, if the taxi sign on the taxi is lit, the taxi is on duty (not necessarily available). If one of the lights below the main taxi light (three colored lights are below, indicating different fare ranges), the taxi currently has a fare and is not available. This is true even if the taxi is empty. If both the main taxi light and the three lights below are off, the taxi is off duty and unavailable.

As previously noted, you cannot hail a taxi near a taxi stand. Taxis at a stand are required to take you just about anywhere you want to go, but they are not required to accept more than three passengers. Taxis hailed in the street are not required to stop, nor are they required to accept any fare that they don't want to accept. I'm citing this from memory but I think that's all correct.

Louie_LI

In Paris, if the main light that says taxi is lit, the cab is free. This light goes out when the meter starts.

Louie_LI

Forgot to add: Of the taxi stands shown on maps and lists, many are so infrequently used as to be pointless for anything other than taxi parking.