taxi in Paris

Taxis are usually available except between 7.30-9.30 in the mornings, and late nights on weekends. Hailing them in the street is not easy, but there are many taxi stands all over the city and there is a great app, "G7", to book one.

Uber and its competitors, namely Bolt and Freenow (no Lyft), compete with taxis and can be booked through their respective apps. The taxi service is, overall, a bit more reliable than Uber, Bolt or Freenow. For the same route, the fare of a taxi is usually bit more expensive, but not when Uber etc. have surge pricing.

I alternate between G7 and Freenow. You can even book an actual taxi using Freenow.

We were there in May and used G7. They were very dependable.

I spent 2 weeks in Paris last month, and used taxis and Uber a few times. Here is my experience:

The G7 app is very convenient for pre-booking a taxi for a pick up at a specific time. We arranged for a taxi from our accommodations (an apartment) to CDG and the taxi arrived right on time with no issues. However the few times we tried to use the app to get a taxi on the spot, there were “none available” according to the app. This was frustrating and we ended up using Uber or taking the metro.

Speaking of Uber, this app worked fine but it is much slower than what I have experienced in other cities. It took up to 15 minutes on average to find a Uber driver who would respond (the app was “searching) and then we usually waited another 15 minutes for the driver to arrive to pick us up. Also don’t expect the Uber drivers to speak any English (of course). So if you have to be somewhere at a specific time, plan accordingly.

Regarding taxi stands: the only taxi stand where we found taxis with drivers waiting was outside the Eiffel Tower at night. Several times in different areas of Paris we found taxi stands with taxis lined up but no drivers in sight. The taxis were locked up tight. Maybe the drivers were on a break but we did not stick around to find out and just took the metro or walked instead.

I hope that is helpful!

Good info Amy. We’re in Paris every year and find that hailing a taxi is extremely difficult - slim to no chance. In NYC or London, you raise your arm and a taxi stops, lol. Not Paris. Like Amy experienced, we’ve found that most taxi stands are perpetually empty.
In 100s of times, there is never a taxi in the taxi stand by the Luxembourg Gardens. In a terrible rain storm we saw a taxi stand near Notre Dame with taxis lined up, got to it, found all 8 empty. Turns out they were all inside the restaurant next to the taxi stand having their 2 hr lunch.

We use Uber a lot in Paris with no issues (but per your info Amy maybe it’s changed… we’ll be there in 3 wks and will see how it goes). For a ride to CDG we use G7. We use busses and the métro most of the time, and we walk a lot.

Bolt seems to be better in Paris than Uber the last 18 months or so.

Taxi stands rarely have taxis in my experience. There are some sites that do e.g. I remember consistently seeing taxis at the one at Bastille. But we have had apartments near taxi stands and never seen waiting taxis. The metro is absolutely the best way to get around if time is an issue.

G7 is great for the airport run but book a day in advance - not the evening in advance. We had a lot of trouble booking one to the airport this spring and had to pay extra for some sort of VIP service as all regular cabs were booked. I felt totally hosed by what seemed a bogus charge. I have never had the occur before. In fact the dispatcher I spoke to seemed so flakey that I actually called the service back an hour later to confirm that I had a cab ordered because I suspected I had misdialed and gotten a prankster. They didn't announce G7 when they picked up and just sounded like a looney teen playing games. But yes, I did have a cab reserved and the whole thing went off flawlessly as usual in the morning.

Never leave this to the morning you need the cab as sometimes they are not available.

Good advice from Janet re booking the day before. Once our landlord ended up driving us to the train station to get a cab bc non were available via dispatch at any of the companies he called.

"Once our landlord ended up driving us to the train station to get a cab bc non were available via dispatch at any of the companies he called."

Chuckling here, on a similar note, larger town Germany - the dispatcher couldn't find a taxi to take me from the train station to the Inn I was staying at so he, "locked up", and came and drove me himself.

I had this happen in Granada where we stayed in the Albacin. The landlord was an expat desperate for good reviews as his consulting business had dried up and he needed the rental income to support his family -- he drove us to the train when taxis were not available.

Thank you for your recent advice about taxi's!! We are going to France next week and will be in Paris
the week of September 11!

Glad I read this. We'll be in Paris in a few weeks and I was planning on savagely waving my arms.

Thank you for the comments. I have used FreeNow (My Taxi), Bolt and Uber in Paris many times but the G7 app is something I am very interested in. Is this app available for iPhone through the app store and can it be purchased in the USA prior to heading overseas?
I also use the Metro/RER in Paris and it is also an easy and affordable option.

Jack, yes, the G7 app is available for iPhone. It is a free app. Look for the white logo with the red G7 for the regular taxi. The opposite colors are I think people using a business/commercial account.

I go in right before I travel and add a CC to the account so it's even easier to book. When I am back home I remove the CC from the account, not that I've ever had any problems with charges.