A week ago (April 29, 2019) we arrived in Paris at the Gare du Nord. Since we had a couple of bags, we thought we would treat ourselves to a taxi. And we had read in Rick's Paris guide that "Parisian taxis are reasonable" with strictly regulated rates. Stupidly I did not get a quotation before we left the station. We took the next cab in the queue outside the station, and after a ten minute cab ride, we were charged 70 euros. I am assuming we were robbed, but I encourage you to be smarter than I was. Get a quote before you leave the station, and write down the taxi number. Good luck!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Are you sure it was an official taxi?
Did it have "Taxi Parisien" on the roof? Click here for photo. The official taxi waiting area is at the right side of the station (relative to the direct your train was pointing).
Since it only costs €50-55 from Charles de Gaulle airport, many times the distance from Gare du Nord to anywhere in Paris, you were spectacularly ripped off.
Posted by
WA State
3961 posts
Sorry for your experience. The same thing happened to some friends years ago. Fortunately they warned us after their mishap & we found the official area. I recall we paid around €50 in 2013. Thank you for sharing this so others will be informed. Hope you had a wonderful stay.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
WOW you certainly did get ripped off big time !!
You don’t need a quote , all official taxis in city are metered ( from airport it is a set rate ) .
Did driver have meter on ?
I once got in a taxi at Gate du Nord and driver didn’t put in meter , I immediately noticed and he tried to lie to me that it was a set rate ! Luckily I knew he was a liar and demanded to be taken back to station . He argued with me , but I’m not easily intimidated and he muttered something about letting us out where we were , but I told him I would call the cops ! He returned us to station but not to taxi section as he knew he was in deep doo doo if taxi dispatcher saw him and heard my complaint .
70 euros is such a spectacular rip off , I would not have paid ! I would have demanded the driver call cops ( he wouldn’t have ) so sorry this happened to you !
Posted by
Edmond, Oklahoma
126 posts
Did you wait in the official line, that had an employee directing you to a cab to get in? There are a lot of rogue drivers waiting outside those doors to get tourist in unofficial taxis. If you were going to a hotel, i would have gone into the hotel to get the front desk person to come out and talk to the driver (assuming you dont speak French) to resolve the issue.
We just did the same thing from Gare du Nord to St Germain on April 24th, and it was only 25 euro in an official taxi.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3687 posts
There have been reports of taxi Parisians that have ripped people off from Gare du Nord so getting into one is a guarantee that you will not be ripped off. There are a few things you can know ahead of time that will help avoid a rip off. The first is to know, as mentioned before, that there is no negotiating or getting a quote for taxi rides in Paris -- the fare is either set for airport-to-and-from-Paris transfers or done by meter. The second thing to know is to get into the official taxi line which is on Rue Maubeuge, which is on the west side of the station, to the right of the front of the Eurostar trains. Even if the car is a taxi Parisian if the driver picks you up from the official line, he or she knows that you are either not following the rules or a newbie who is in the wrong place and then why not try a rip off if the driver is so inclined. The third thing is to take a picture of the license information (not the driver) as soon as you get in. There are people who rip other people off in many professions and taxi drivers are not exempt from that. I've had a "taxi Parisien" try pull a stunt on me from Gare du Nord. It was not successful for him because I knew better but it is unfortunate, and a sad fact, that some taxi drivers take advantage of customers.
Posted by
California
492 posts
We just took a taxi from Paris Nord last Tuesday to our apartment close to Place des Vosges. It took about 20-25 minutes, traffic was crazy around the station. Metered cost: €14.20. Going back to Paris Nord on Friday was also €14.20; the traffic was not bad but there was a €4 supplement because the property manager called the taxi for us.
Posted by
New York, NY
3992 posts
Your experience is why I do whatever I can to take public transport from airports and rail stations (typically commuter rail/subway/metro) to my hotel. I look at public transport convenience when choosing hotels in foreign cities. When I ever have to take a car to a hotel, I NEVER use a taxi. I get car service recommended by friends or travelers on this forum or Flyertalk in which I get fare quotes IN ADVANCE. That includes not using Uber as I avoid both metered transportation and their fare gauging.
Posted by
Paris
9549 posts
It's true unfortunately that the taxi situation at Gare du Nord is an absolutely unpleasant experience. There's the fighting off of the rogue taxi touts to make it to the official taxi line, and then often a huge, very long line for official taxis. I wish the authorities would do something to combat it. I am lucky that I can just hop on the metro with my Navigo pass, but of course it's also a pain for newly arrived travelers to find the metro and get in line to buy their tickets, etc.
It's certainly not a very welcoming tableau for Paris!
Posted by
New York, NY
3992 posts
...it's also a pain for newly arrived travelers to find the metro and
get in line to buy their tickets, etc.
A pain? Absolutely not and I have a physical disability and travelled alone for the first part of my trip a few months ago to Paris. I asked people here about how to take public transport to/from CDG and Gare du Nord and got detailed and friendly advice about the excellent signage, the ticket machines, and in particular my concerns about avoiding stairwells.
Posted by
Paris
9549 posts
Continental, I stand corrected! Glad you had a good experience.