All taxis carry white lights on their roofs. In principle when the light is on, the taxi is free. Off, and it’s engaged.


Taxi service is regulated by the Préfecture de Police, which outlines exactly what a taxi driver can and cannot do. Paris taxi drivers are a finicky lot; while they are not allowed to, they will try and refuse less profitable trips, and they hate taking four passengers, even if they technically can by charging a small supplement.


All taxis are metered and start once you have given your destination. The meter should display €2 at the start of a trip and the minimum trip charge is €5.50. Count on paying a small supplementary fee after midnight. From CDG airport, expect to pay around €40 to the city centre and from Orly, it’s a little over half that. Supplementary charges for baggage are minimal.


Hailing a taxi can prove a challenge. Better to seek out a taxi stand, recognisable all over the city by their white-domed call-boxes. There are 28 grandes stations around Paris that are supposed to have taxis present at all times. For a map of all taxi stands, visit www.paris.fr and print out the PDF document.