This question is for people with experience using Uber in Paris.
Our hotel in Paris is in the 5th arrondissement. We must get to Montparnasse station for an 8am train with carry-on luggage. Would it be preferable to use Uber or a taxi to get to the station? Any advice about using Uber in Paris in general would also be helpful. Thanks for any information/advice you can provide on this topic.
I have used Uber in Paris and I have used taxis. Uber in Paris operates the same way it does where I live and my guess it that it operates the same way in Paris that it does where you use it. I find that Uber drivers are generally not as knowledgeable of the city as taxi drivers but every taxi that I have taken recently in Paris has GPS and the same is true for Ubers. It's just that if traffic is bad, I find that taxi drivers will veer off the GPS route while Uber drivers tend to stick to it. For your specific trip from the 5th to Gare Montparnasse, you could have the hotel call a taxi for you. I am a planner so I would reserve a taxi the night before and pay the 7€ dispatch charge. But you could request the taxi on the morning (4€ dispatch charge) that you need it or request an Uber. My worry with waiting until right before travel time is that you could have bad luck and there could be no taxis available (unlikely but it has happened to me) or hitting surge pricing with Uber (which has also happened to me though never in Paris).
Always reserve the day before for an airport run; we use taxi G7 for that and have had complete reliability. There are situations in which taxis are not readily available. When we were there a few years ago our hotel concierge warned us that there had been a lack of airport taxis last minute for airport runs especially if the weather was bad. I don't use Uber because its business model is designed to impoverished the working class. I don't want to live in the world where most people don't have decent jobs with benefits. I am willing to pay for the service I get.
Taxi drivers in Paris need to pass two days of exams, which include memorizing every street in Paris, loading times that block different streets at different days and hours, and problem solving in jams and emergencies. I'll stick with taxis in Paris, even if Uber and Lyft work better where I live.
If you are anywhere near Place d'Italie or the number 6 Métro, a short hop on the Métro will do the job, cheaper and maybe faster.
Do leave early enough though - - Gare de Montparnasse is a huge station with several ancillary bits scattered around. You will need time to find your train.
Do you know which part of the station you need?
If you have luggage, take a regular Parisian taxi.
You can hail a taxi on the street from your hotel, or call or order a G7 Taxi (in English).
G7 Taxis send you an SMS concerning the make and color of the car which will pick you up.
https://www.g7.fr/en/
Wouldn't advise asking your hotel, because some will charge you extra for the service.
I just chose a random hotel in the 5th - your trip will cost you around 15 EU and should take about 15 - 20 minutes to Montparnasse station. No luggage fees apply.
