We will be arriving at Gare du Nord this month on the Eurostar from London with 6 of us. Would it be best to go to the taxi rank for a taxi to our hotel or have a prearranged shuttle to our hotel (70E for the 6 of us)? How would we find the official taxi rank from Gare du Nord and would there be a taxi that could hold 6 of us or would we need to travel in separate taxis? The hotel indicated that it would be less expensive to just get a taxi at Gare du Nord when we arrive than to prearrange a van to pick us up at Gare du Nord. If anyone has done either of these options recently it would be helpful to know what to do.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3702 posts
Take a look at https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en/train/train-services/mon-chauffeur to reserve a vehicle. Gare du Nord has an issue with unscrupulous taxi drivers so I prefer the reserved car or mass transit. In connection with the 2024 Olympics, the taxi stand at Gare du Nord has been moved and is a little tricky to find. See my post and Pam’s in this thread to find information on finding the taxi stand: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/paris-gare-du-nord
Posted by
Los Angeles
4412 posts
I would point out that unlike London, Paris taxis are a hodgepodge of makes and models of regular passenger cars. So while in theory you could do 2 taxis with 3 people each, well we don't live in theory. When you add in all the baggage, you're actually more like 2 people per taxi so 3 taxis. Which isn't the end of the world, but one big van would certainly be simpler.
Posted by
OP
464 posts
Thank you for your helpful responses! We will have our hotel reserve a private shuttle van for the 6 of us from Gare du Nord to our hotel. It sounds a lot less stressful than getting our own taxis on arrival.