Rideshare & Taxi Questions

Welcome to the forum!
Any particular reason you don't want to use the Metro? It's really pretty easy.

We plan to but was just wondering about other options and what is best?

I normally use the G7 taxi app. But I do use the Metro where possible. Re a "safe" option - is there anything in particular you're worried about? No reason to be concerned about taking a taxi....

I prefer the buses over the metro. I need to avoid the stairs in the metro stations. Yes, buses are a bit slower, but you have the advantage of seeing the city as you ride. Taxis are reliable and safe. You can use the G7 app to order a taxi just like Uber. However, they are official Paris taxis so they can use the bus lanes that Uber drivers cannot.
I used Google maps for directions to use the buses. I used the Bonjour RATP app to purchase bus tickets on my iPhone. Super easy to use the Wallet app to store tickets. Paris is wonderful, have fun!

The Metro and buses are easy and well organized and should probably be your first choice. There is the new Navigo easy pass which is a plastic card you can load with as many metro (2.50e) and bus (2e) tickets you want - even from your phone. Just beep it when you go into the station or on the bus.

If you anticipate using cabs get the G7 app and sign up. It's what everyone is using now to call cabs from multiple companies to get around Paris if you end up needing a cab. Otherwise look for cabs at popular tourist spots where they are dropping people off.

Citymapper is great at plotting routes and pointing out which metros and buses will meet your needs and Google Maps works well too. Also walking is assumed in Paris and will your primary mode of transporation because the city is small, walkable and beautiful. Watch out for the bikes as much as cars when crossing streets and enjoy Paris.

Paris is amazing - have a great trip!
=Tod

Just for fun, you might like to consider bikes? You just download the app, upload a credit card, pick a bike and take off. The only issue is finding the place to drop off convenient to your destination, but I suspect there's a map built into the app for that now, there wasn't years ago. You should see them when you're out and about. We used them exclusively on a 5-day trip to Paris. Good luck!

The G7 taxi app is for the official Paris taxi. Official taxi's can also use bus lanes. App is similar the uber app. We found it to be so convenient and user friendly.

The best way to get around Paris is to walk. The second is the métro, the bus is the third. On the very rare occasion that I might use a "VTC", I contact Bolt.

From either airport, I use either a Taxi Parisien or the RER/métro.

Yes, if you are wanting to maybe use taxis or what is called VTC here (like Uber), I too recommend downloading the G7 and Bolt apps.

In fact it was Tocard's recommendation here on the Forum a few years ago that got me to try Bolt. I am sitting in one now, headed home from CDG airport.

G7 app is very easy. They know where you are when you book on the app, everything paid including tip. We never waited more than 3-5 minutes in May. One of our party suddenly (!) found themselves unable to negotiate stairs so although I had planned to use the Metro we defaulted to taxis when necessary. Most of our taxi rides were 15-20 Euro. Walked a great deal as planned, but from hotel to starting and finish of days adventures G7 was handy.

I walked everywhere when I was in Paris. I used the Metro once to get to Montmartre then walked back.

The Metro was okay but has the potential to be a little unsafe. The stations I was in were deserted (it was mid-day) and I didn't know my way around the corridors. There were a lot of steps to get up to the street. I wasn't sure if someone was lurking around the corner. I'm traveling solo and fairly street savvy but I don't know Paris.

Here are MY reasons for not wanting to use the Metro:

First, I try to minimize my exposure to pickpocketers. Walking is a lot safer--I'm pretty street savvy, walk very fast and do not talk to anyone.

Second, I don't like having to get out my phone or credit card to buy a ticket inside the Metro nor (alternatively) I don't like having my phone in my hand to scan at the gate. I only used the Metro once so I didn't have a Navigo card.

I don't think a bike is appropriate for a first timer in Paris. Have you actually biked in Paris yourself? It looks fairly tricky with the traffic and hordes of people that you have to dodge. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

I get very carsick in stop and go traffic, so I wouldn't use a bus. Nope, not at all.

I purposely picked my hotel to give me a reasonable walking distance to the train station and to the sites that I wanted to see. The furthest site for me when I was staying in the Marais was the Eiffel Tower. It took about 1 hour to walk there.

I'd have to point out that most Americans aren't used to walking 1 hour to a site then 1 hour back and then adding more hours of walking to dinner or other sites. So if you're planning on walking, I suggest you check distances on Google Maps and decide if you are really up to it or not.

If you aren't traveling during rush hour and don't want the Metro, the bus is probably you best option. I'm not sure what the American aversion to buses is-perhaps it's seen as transport for only the poor, but European buses are pretty good. As said before, you get the views and if your mobility is impaired, most buses are handicap friendly and can be lowered so a person doesn't have to use the steps.

Honestly, unless you are going out late at night there is no need for Uber/Lyft.

Thank you all so much for all your suggestions. We do plan to walk a lot. I appreciate all the tips!

Have you actually biked in Paris yourself?

Yes, we only biked or walked our entire week long stay in Paris, got everywhere we wanted to visit - it's an easy city in which to bike, and since the pandemic, they've installed many bike lanes that are super convenient. I would rate biking in Paris as significantly more pleasant than Amsterdam, about on par with Stockholm & Berlin, & not nearly as nice as Copenhagen, where bikes seriously rule. Obviously you stay away from the very busy streets, maybe start with a bike tour. I recall walking slowly down some side streets to find a bike stand near the Louvre. I would have no qualms recommending cycling in Paris to an adult first time visitor, as long as they already know how to cycle in a big city.

The G7 app is a taxi service but with a platform similar to Uber. It is quick and reliable if you need to get somewhere in a hurry or if you want a ride to the airport without struggling on the trains (that is when I splurge.)

But the Metro system is designed to get you around Paris very quickly, easily, efficiently and affordably. That is how most Parisians move through the city on a daily basis and it is user friendly for tourists as well. It is a very extensive network that will take you anywhere in the city you want to go, so for best results be prepared to travel this way.

However, if you have an elderly or mobility impaired person in your group, you might find the Metro challenging, in which case a taxi/ride share is a better solution and G7 is the go-to transportation app in Paris.

PS... think long and hard before you decide to rent a bike in Paris - better yet carefully observe the traffic patterns. You will see Parisians blithely pedaling along (no helmets) while a 20 ton city bus is just inches behind them. They are used to it, most of us are NOT. So don't bite off more than you can chew here - if you wouldn't consider riding a bicycle through the streets of NYC, then you probably wouldn't do it in Paris, either.

I have ridden the métro extensively in Paris, it is perfectly safe or as safe as you are anywhere in a big city. Anyone saying that one métro station is more "dangerous" than another is simply grasping for sensational content for a video blog. The idea that the métro is inherently dangerous is nonsense.

Pick-pocketing is a crime of opportunity. It can occur in the métro, at the Bon Marché, or in any restaurant. I was recently at a restaurant in the Marais, Auberge Chez Rosito if you happen to know it. A patron near the door had placed his mobile phone on the table. A staff member suggested that he stow his phone as anyone from the street could easily grab it and run. It can occur. Being aware is a strong deterrent.

In reference to riding a bike in Paris, it is true that Mayor Hidalgo has done everything possible to discourage automobile usage in Paris and has strongly encouraged bicycle usage. However, it can be very dangerous, particularly for those not used to riding in big cities. Regrettably, Paris averages 1 bicycle fatality monthly or about a dozen a year. Better odds than riding a trottinette (motorized scooter), but I prefer walking.