Hello, travelling to Paris next week:
1) We are staying in an AirBnB and while we will be taking a taxi from CDG to Paris, any recommendations for a taxi company from Paris to CDG. (When staying in a hotel, easy - just ask the front desk - here we need to arrange).
2) Have seen usual recommendations for Google Maps and Bonjour RATP and City Mapper. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Just go to the official taxi rank, stand in line, flat rate depending on left or right bank. Have your address printed on a card. Ignore touts who approach and say they can get you in their cab quicker.
Google maps works just fine, I have never had an issue. Many like Citymapper, I just saw no need to add more apps if I have something that works fine.
The transit app may be fine, but I never really had an issue navigating in Paris, the Metro is somewhat simple to use, Google maps again will give you suggested routes.
Citymapper or the RATP's apps are my apps of choice. There is no reason to arrange a car at CDG unless you need something special like a car seat. Do you need something special like that? In case you do not know, there are two flat rate fares for groups of up to four and their luggage: currently, 56€ to the Right Bank and 65€ to the Left Bank. The fares are the same 24 hours per day, every day of the week. Scroll down to "Location of Taxi Ranks" at https://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/passengers/access/paris-charles-de-gaulle/taxi to see the locations of the taxi stands and do not accept offers for rides from anyone who approaches you on your way to the official stand. Some of the exits have arrows painted on the floor with the word taxi or a picture of a taxi on them so the correct exits are pretty hard to miss.
Thank you most kindly! And what about the return - when we are going from Paris to CDG? Any recommendations for Taxi Companies and how to arrange ahead of time? Thanks again!
Most recommend using G7 taxi. You can download the app or call them. Find them online.
Just follow the signs at CDG to the taxi line to get a fixed rate taxi ride to your hotel.
To use a taxi at any other time in Paris including returning to CDG use the G7 official Paris taxi app. It’s very user friendly like the uber app. G7 is the way to go.
It may be that you will be in touch with your AB&B hosts during your stay and they can arrange a taxi pickup for you at your apartment. I did this in Florence a few years back and my host was happy to do it and it was really nice. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.
All the taxi companies are the same. They all have the same fares and rules of operation at determined by the préfecture de Police. Taxi G7 is the largest dispatcher.
You can call them to arrange for pickup to return you to the airport. CDG is 56€/65€ from the Right/Left Bank respectively. There is a 7€ fee paid to the dispatcher:
English speaking operator 01 41 27 66 99
Or you can use the G7 app.
I used taxi between CDG and the 6th arrondissement a month ago. I paid flat 65euro from CDG to the left bank, but paid 72euro from my hotel in the 6th arr. to CDG. The hotel staff called the taxi for us. They said the extra 5 euro was for the taxi to come all the way to the hotel entrance, which was fine for us because it was raining that day and we had a few suitcases. I noticed that many metro stations did not have escalators or elevators; I saw people carry huge suitcases on the stairs and I thought I wasn't going to do that. I used Bonjour RATP and IDF Mobilites for the app; they were both great for taking Metros.
"The hotel staff called the taxi for us. They said the extra 5 euro was for the taxi to come all the way to the hotel entrance . . ."
The difference was actually 7€ and that is the charge mentioned by Tocard above for the immediate dispatch of a taxi as opposed to trying to hail one from the street. My guess is that the hotel did not literally mean that the extra charge was for the taxi to come to the hotel's entrance but rather meant that it was for a taxi to come to your location.
It costs 7 Euro to order a taxi ahead. hence it wiill be 72 TO CDG. You need to do this two days in advance for an airport trip in Paris. They may not have availability the night before,. when I booked in the spring, they told me there were not cabs to book the next day -- he had misunderstood that I wanted it the next morning when I was booking two days out. So be clear but realize that a day in advance is not always enough.
Might be worth mentioning, in addition to the 7 euro booking charge for your return, they can also tack on wait time. So if you order a taxi for 7:00 AM, be out on the curb at 7:00 AM. The charge is somewhat up to the driver, some more aggressive than others, but it can be a surprise for some.
One of the benefits of the G7 app is once your driver is assigned you can track their location so you know exactly when to be outside waiting
Just to clarify when calling taxis, there is a 4€ dispatch fee. The 7€ fee is to arrange for future pickup. There is no dispatch fee if you hail a taxi or go to a taxi stand. Airport departures are from taxi stands - no dispatch fees.
Taxis are very reliable and are always on time, if not 5 minutes early. If you arrange for a 7h00 pickup, be ready at 06h55.
The only other taxi fee is if you travel with more than 4 passengers. There is a 5.50€ up charge for the 5th, 6th, and 7th passengers. There are no other taxis fees. The préfecture, which sets all taxi prices, has disallowed approach fees or luggage charges.
All this information is displayed in every taxi, written on a sticker found on the passenger left rear window. The information is in French and English.
