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Why are taxis so expensive in France?

High insurance and taxi license costs lead to the increased fares.



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French taxis are among the top 10 most expensive in the world, a new study on global taxi prices has shown. France came in 9th place in the world ranking, with an average price of €10 per five kilometre journey, according to the study by airport taxi booking platform taxi2airport.com.

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Taxis in Paris are metered, meaning that their fares are calculated by their taximeter according to the journey's distance and time (exempt for airport transfers to Paris downtown, which have set rates).

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Uber is cheaper than taxis in some cases, and vice-versa. But because of Uber's dynamic pricing, prices can vary by a lot within one day. This is what we observed once for a ride between Place d'Italie and the Orly Airport, where the price can go as high as €70.

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Tipping taxi drivers isn't required; however, locals often round up to the nearest euro or leave up to 5 percent. If the driver helps you with your bags (particularly if they're large), it's customary to tip one or two euros per bag.

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In Taxis. Rounding up the fare to the next euro usually suffices for a tip amount, but if that seems paltry, go ahead and leave 5–10% on top of the fare.

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Remember, you don't need to tip your taxi driver in Paris, it's already included in the price, but it's polite to round the fare up to the next Euro. Most Paris taxis still don't accept credit cards, so be sure to have about some euro cash with you.

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Tipping in France is not mandatory. Even though it is always appreciated, it's up to the customers to decide if they want to tip or not. Unlike other countries, the price of the service is included in the total cost of the bill. You will never be asked to tip, but it's common to leave one if the service was good.

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The currency of France is the Euro. US dollars are not accepted. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand or be prepared to exchange your dollars for Euros upon arrival.

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Many taxi drivers in Paris speak a little English, but it's always a good idea to have a pen and paper to write down the address. There are many similar sounding streets and you could wind up across town. (Especially if you have dubious French accents, like we do.)

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Take the (slow) train – Train travel in Europe is cheap and it's the easiest way to get around France. The TGV line can be expensive, but if you get the slow train or have a Eurail pass, you'll save money. Drink wine – In France, the wine is cheaper than water (well, almost!).

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Taxis in Paris generally do not take credit cards, so be prepared to pay in cash. If you do want to try to pay with a credit card from the airport, always ask the cab driver if they accept cartes bancaires before you jump in. But, to avoid problems, try to make sure you bring about 100€ with you to Paris.

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The cost of the taxi trip between CDG and Paris is between 50 Euros and 60 Euros, depending on the route taken and the destination in Paris. In the event of frequent traffic jams in Paris and its surroundings, this price may be doubled.

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In France, leaving a tip swings both ways. If you don't tip, that's fine – no one will think you're particularly rude. Pressuring you to leave a tip is exceedingly rare and I've only seen it happen in establishments that cater almost exclusively to tourists.

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Yes, tap water in Paris is perfectly safe to drink and is readily available wherever you go, even at public water fountains. As long as taps aren't labeled eau non potable—meaning “not for drinking” in French—everything else is potable. In fact, drinking water from the fountains of Paris has been encouraged.

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For housekeeping, you'd leave gratuity as you would in most hotels around the world—a few euro per day. And finally, for a concierge giving excellent recommendations or taking care of your reservations, you might tip five to €15 for each reservation or booking they handle.

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You should tip your taxi driver at least 15 to 20% of your trip fare. If you think of giving anything less than 10%, you might as well leave without tipping at all. If your fare is less than $10, leave a tip of not less than a dollar. Something like a 50-cent tip is insulting and more of a hassle to come up with.

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