Need Paris airport taxi recommendation

July 24, 2014 9:31 PM

Need recommendation for taxi/car service from Paris CDG airport to 12th arrondissement.

We're arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport at 9:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning and would like to pre-arrange a taxi or car service to our Airbnb apartment in the 12th arrondissement. We don't mind sharing a taxi or van. RER/Metro is not an option, and the Air France bus to Gare de Lyon would still require us to take a taxi to get from the station to our apartment.

I'm currently looking at WeCab (44 euros shared) and LeCab (48 euros, does not say it is shared). Tripadvisor is a nightmare of conflicting and outdated opinions. I trust you guys more. Does anyone have personal experience with either of the above two services, or any others that you would recommend?

posted by Joleta to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)

I've used G7 and uberPOP for this journey in the past.
posted by ellieBOA at 12:22 AM on July 25, 2014

I cannot say enough good things about UberX in Paris, which is €45. You can't pre-arrange but they will always be close by at the airport. I would prefer that, since CDG can be an absolute madhouse to get out of. There is 15 minutes free WiFi in the Paris airport, and you can ask to use the phone at the information desk if there's a problem. LeCab can be booked in advance, but then you have to worry about how long it takes to get through customs. We had to wait around to file a lost bag report, and LeCab charges for waiting time beyond a half hour. Both Uber and LeCab are private and will pick you up at the curb. LeCab guarantees a nice large Peugeot sedan, while UberX is a mix of cars, larger than the compacts of UberPop, which is even cheaper.

There's also Bus 351 which goes from CDG to the 12th. It's €6, but it only runs every 25 minutes on weekdays and will take an hour to get into the city. Still, if it's going right by your hotel, it might be the right choice.

We have taken shared shuttles/vans in the past, but with the Uber price war going on, they aren't even cheaper if you have 2 people, and the experience obviously isn't as good. Enjoy your trip!
posted by wnissen at 9:32 AM on July 25, 2014

Is there a specific reason you want to prebook a taxi? I've done fine going to the taxi stand and taking the next available cab. Just make sure it's the legit taxi stand; don't fall for people trying to intercept you near it to ride in their unmetered car for a ridiculous fare. The last time I did it, to an apartment in the 12th near Nation back in January 2012, it cost about € 50 plus tip.

Depending on luggage and where in the 12th you're going, the RER B to Châtelet-Les Halles and a transfer to the RER A to Nation might work, too.
posted by brianogilvie at 10:13 AM on July 25, 2014

Thanks wnissen. I checked out Bus 351, but it's still not going to get us close enough. I have the Uber app on my phone but I still haven't actually booked an Uber. It would be fun to have my first Uber experience in Paris (as long as the taxi drivers aren't attacking the Uber cars).

brianogilvie: I just like to have everything arranged, but I was already getting nervous about LeCab's waiting time, as wnissen points out. I guess I was thinking about knowing what I would be paying in advance, as opposed to getting a taxi at the airport and not knowing what the final fare would be.

I'm cheap and travel with only a carry-on, so I would take the bus or the RER. But my husband says he needs bigger luggage and doesn't want to do the up and down the stairs thing in the Metro. He had his pocket picked while hauling luggage in Madrid's subway and just wants to get to our Paris apartment with the least amount of fuss.
posted by Joleta at 1:25 PM on July 25, 2014

I absolutely sympathize with the desire to get to the apartment as easily as possible; I've had a few lousy experiences while jet-lagged. During the recent strike, what should have been a direct 45-minute RER journey turned into a 1.5 hour ordeal that could have used white-gloved Japanese transit workers to push people into the overfull cars. One time a beggar made fun of us on the train, "Oh, Monsieur Le Touriste, who travels with no money." That line, especially, is notorious for the pickpockets (maybe even more notorious than Madrid!). And other times we catch an express train are are downtown in half an hour. The RER between CDG and Gare de Lyon is handicap-accessible by the way, so you'd just have to lift your luggage onto the train, transfer at Châtelet, and catch a cab from Gare de Lyon, although I agree that sounds like not much fun. And by the time you pay almost €20 for the train and probably €10 for the cab, you're not saving much.

Similarly, we've had very nice cab and shuttle rides, and ones that took over an hour. It's hard to generalize. For your circumstances, I would take the UberPop, and stick any extra luggage in the front seat. No reason to pay more when private transport is competitive on price and convenience. The Uber app is extremely well designed and easy to use. It's all in English and very convenient since tip is included and you don't need to handle cash. It will even give you a description of the car and license plate. You will still have to give the driver your destination. Unfortunately CDG doesn't have unlimited free WiFi but you can enter your name, address, and email to get 15 minutes free, which would be enough to order the Uber. Definitely don't take a metered taxi, that will be an €80 ride.
posted by wnissen at 4:07 PM on July 25, 2014

wnissen: All our baggage (even my husband's largish suitcase) will fit in the back of our Prius, so it should fit into an Uber Pop car (which shows as a Prius on the website but might not actually be one, I assume). I usually get a small AT&T international roaming plan for my iPhone, so I'll have that if I go over the 15 minutes of free wifi. I'm going to do it!
posted by Joleta at 7:38 PM on July 25, 2014

Uber worked great. Got a car at CDG in 3 minutes. 45 euros (tip included) to Paris center.
posted by Joleta at 5:30 AM on August 8, 2014