Getting into Paris (difficulty level: travelling with a senior)
August 15, 2013 3:24 AM   Subscribe

My mother is here in Europe for a visit. Unfortunately, she's not up to par in terms of walking fitness in recent months, and I've booked us a trip via Ryanair to Paris. I'm quite clear on getting out of Beauvais via the shuttle, but 1) would it be worth it or is it possible to take a taxi directly into Paris; or 2) how do I go about getting a taxi once we're in Porte Maillot? My French is extremely basic but we're both fluent English speakers. She's also very used to cars.
posted by cendawanita to Travel & Transportation around Paris, France (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
If you're willing to spend the money, nothing is as easy as taking a taxi. I've only taken them from CDG into Paris, and it wasn't cheap—about 60 Euros, IIRC—but worth it in my case and I'd imagine yours. I'd be shocked if taxis weren't available. Typically you get one at a common taxi stand with an attendant who will speak English and tell the driver where you need to go.
posted by The Michael The at 3:40 AM on August 15, 2013


Best answer: A taxi from Beauvais to central Paris will cost about EUR100 - as per this site. If you take the bus to Port Maillot then this page will let you estimate your fare to other locations in the city.

I don't think you should run into language problems - but it may help to have the address written down and hand it to the driver. "nous aimerions aller ici s'il vous plaƮt"
posted by rongorongo at 3:43 AM on August 15, 2013


There are taxis parked all around the bus stop at Porte Maillot. There is also a large hotel across the road where taxis park.

The shuttle bus from Beauvais to Paris is pleasant enough as these things go. I'd recommend you take the bus to Porte Maillot then get a taxi from there.
posted by mani at 4:41 AM on August 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


I was just in Paris with my 70-year-old mom. If you can tell your driver which arrondissement you're staying in, or a landmark, that may help you avoid the scenic tour of Paris at your expense. (Showing the driver a marked map somehow did not help, despite our hotel being next to a huge landmark)

Do you have a cell phone you can use in Paris? Or get a telephone card. G7 is a taxi service with an english-speaking phone number, put that in your phone plus a few others as backup. Taxis are available at stands near metro stops--except for when there aren't any. We had one night where there were no taxis at the stand, we asked a restaurant to call one for us but they told us "it's easy! Just wait at the curb and flag one down," but there were no available ones driving by, and we didn't have a cell phone or phone card.

We used the bus most of the time for getting around, the Metro has a lot of stairs. Bus 69 is great, it goes to many, many tourist sites. ***Note that it has two ends to the line, meaning two places where you have to get off, walk 30 feet, and pay another ticket to get back on the same bus.***

Good luck and have fun!

http://www.parisperfect.com/blog/2012/09/the-69-bus-see-all-the-top-sights-in-paris/

http://www.ratp.fr/itineraires/en/ratp/recherche-avancee
posted by Anwan at 1:00 PM on August 15, 2013


I'd also recommend you take with you a pocket-sized French/English dictionary. You'll be able to look things up (on menus, for example), and if you know how to say "I would like a ..." in French you can find the word you're looking for. I found a dictionary to be of immense help in Paris, far more useful than a phrasebook.
posted by essexjan at 3:35 PM on August 15, 2013


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