Hello, I'm considering a trip to Europe next year. I travel alone and exclusively by train. A couple of things I want to do and visit are far from any train station. I don't want to rent a car. Does anyone have suggestions on negotiating with a cabbie or cab company for a trip that would probably take a least a half a day to do? One trip for instance, the closest city is Besançon France. I want to visit a very small town probably at least 65Km away from Besançon and I would want to stay a while to visit and take pictures. So a trip like this isn't just a "drop-off" and I would need transportation back, and where this town is, I doubt they have any taxis. Should I find the taxi office and negotiate there or just find a taxi and say "this is your lucky day" how much for a trip like this? Thank you.
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Sammamish, WA
403 posts
Where are the place you are trying to visit? Specific destinations will help others identify ideal transport. There may be buses or other options for the places you want to go. As far as taxis go, negotiating a daily rate for a taxi is not an unusual thing to do. We have done it in advance with a reputable taxi company (your hotel can usually help with this) or on the fly by walking up to the taxi rank and yes, saying "this is your lucky day!" We did the latter in Malta for a taxi for the whole day, visiting several sites and it worked just fine. The most important thing is to make sure you negotiate and agree CLEARLY on the fare and the terms for the day before you get in the car. You don't want any surprises when you are way out there! You can offer to buy the driver lunch for the day to sweeten the deal and make a friend. Some agencies also offer hire of a car and driver for the day or whatever. These are usually more expensive options, but not always. Again, it depends on where you are going.