- taxi
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It is a company that provides transportation between the airport and any hotel in the city. I recommend it, because it helps you enjoy more your vacation or focus on your business without thinking about transport.
It is a company that provides transportation between the airport and any hotel in Istanbul. I recommend it, because their service is very useful and highly professional. It can really help you enjoy your vacation more or focus on your business without thinking about transport.
We had been warned not to flag cabs down in the street but to book one through our hotel. Nevertheless as we were miles from our hotel on a hot day and already well on the way to La Boca, we flagged down an official taxi to take us there. Things were going fine until, driving down an eerily empty street, the driver stopped for no apparent reason and a young guy came to the front passenger window. Words were exchanged between the driver and the man and the driver handed over a small amount of money. The guy then stuck his head through my window looking around the car (our bags were on the floor at our feet and we were not wearing jewellry etc) and demanded something from us in Spanish. Thinking he was asking for money, I told him in no uncertain terms (in English but am sure my intention was clear!) where to go. The man then left us. Meanwhile, mysteriously, our taxi meter had switched itself off (or been switched off?). Luckily I had glanced at it just before this happened so the heated exchange we then had with the driver when we got to La Boca was able to be sorted out fairly quickly with us still feeling we had given him a fair price. Things got more interesting when we returned to central Buenos Aires. We decided to take a bus and while heading back through the same deserted streets we came across a taxi stopped at an intersection and being swarmed over by people who were literally reaching in to the car and removing cameras and bags from the hapless tourists inside. Fortunately we were not the only ones shocked to see this happening right under our noses as the locals on the bus were horrified too. So, it seems the buses are safer in some instances and we would definitely be a bit more careful in future about taking taxis in Buenos Aires, particularly to an area like La Boca. Having said all of that, the taxis that we took from the official stands at the airports, and that were booked through our hotels were all absolutely fine (probably just proving the point to try and avoid flagging them down off the street!).
Just got back from Krakow and stumbled upon a great way to get from airport into the centre. As you come out of the airport you'll see a bus stop to your right, from there take the 292 bus to the main train station (3 Ztls, make sure you have change, the ticket machine doesn't take notes) but get off at the Craovia hotel/casino. This takes about 25 minutes. From here you are only about 5 minutes from the Ibis hotel (Sykomil 2 street) and from the hotel it's not a 10-minute to the centre. We got the bus to the main station, then paid 25ztls for a taxi that dropped us off virtually where the bus had taken us.
A web site that offers great rates for airport transfers in Dublin, they offer a full chauffeur service at prices not much more than a taxi.
We stepped off a bus from Phnom Penh after a seven hour journey and foolishly jumped into a taxi before checking costs etc.
Taxi driver charged us equivalent of c.$20 for a 5 minute ride.
He fiddled the meter and charged us in dong and we were not used to the exchange rate which added to our confusion. Our fault!
I had to go to Annecy to watch the time trial at Tour de France today and was really late arranging it. I got a flight at the very last minute and found that I needed to get from Geneva to Annecy in a hurry. I called Alpine Cab up and they picked me up at the airport and took me right to where I wanted to go in Annecy, They were fantastic, quick and polite (and they spoke English)
We met friends who had arrived in Rio the day before us. They went to the yellow taxi kiosk at the airport and got a ticket with a price for their ride to Copacabana. But, after being escorted to their waiting taxi the price was crossed out and a new price written on the ticket. The man who had escorted them to the taxi then handed the ticket to the driver who crossed that price out and added his own price! Essentially they ended up paying 95 Brazilian Reals,(US50) for a journey that should have cost a lot less. Of course, like us, they don't speak any Portuguese which makes it very difficult to argue in these situations.
We had read about these sorts of problems on a few different travel sites and my husband booked our transfers to Copacabana with Rio Airport Transfer, who he had seen comments about on this site, and paid 50 US for a smooth journey to our hotel in a very nice car.
I'm sure everyone has different experiences and there's always a few people who get conned by opportunists, but for the sake of convenience we prefer to book in advance and know what we're getting for our money. We would recommend Rio Airport Transfer for those like us who prefer less stress.
Happy Travels!
Jan
For older travellers one of the most stressful experiences is finding your way from the airport to the hotel.
Option one: Get a taxi directly from the airport to your hotel. It will cost some euros but it's worth it, I assure you.
Option two: Get the shuttle bus to the centre of the city. It will stop outside a McDonald's outlet. You will drag your luggage off and look for a taxi rank. You won't see one - only a lot of whizzing traffic. You will now curse the day you left home - but do not despair! There is a taxi rank but it is on the opposite side of the square from McDonalds. Drag your luggage over there, get a taxi to your hotel and collapse on your bed. Have a nice day!
I know some people think that pre-booked transfers can be a waste of money, but I guess it depends how adventurous, or exhausted, you feel when you arrive at the airport.
We'd previously seen Rio Airport Transfer 'tipped' on this site and thought we'd give them a go as we'd never been to Rio and didn't know what to expect.
Although getting a yellow taxi from the airport doesn't look like it's too stressful, we're still happy that we booked our own private transfer as it meant we were whisked away to a nice car, with air-con, and didn't have to worry about speaking the language or being ripped off - which I'd heard happens often to tourists arriving at the airport.
We only got a one-way transfer to our hotel, and the hotel then organised a yellow taxi to collect us and take us back to the airport. The yellow cab was ok, but the car Rio Airport Transfer used was certainly nicer, and cooler, although of course we did pay a little more for the pleasure.
We were very happy with the service they provided.
Many visitors arriving at Schiphol Airport might get a bad first impression of the country, because of unfriendly taxi drivers that might also overcharge. I use taxis a lot when I travel to and from the airport and I can give you this tip: use Ambassador Taxis. They have very helpful and friendly drivers and their rates are very good.
www.ambassadortaxiservices.nl
tel +31 65 4747470
On arrival at either the main railway or bus station, or airport, march straight to the OK taxi desk for your trip to the city centre: They will give you the fair rate. Don't even think about responding to any of the touts you'll encounter.
On arrival
You'll be lucky if you ever get into a taxi in Cairo that has a working meter. The meters were calibrated years ago when petrol was much cheaper, and so now everyone has to guess the price of a journey.
A good rule of thumb is about 1LE for each minute of your journey. We've been living here for four months now and haven't been shouted at by irate taxi drivers since using this rough rule.
On a recent trip to Marrakech I became tired at being fleeced by all and sundry. This was especially true of taxi drivers who will use your geographical ignorance to charge more than you would pay for a similar length of trip in a London Black cab if you're not careful. And they tend to get quite aggressive if you have the neck to negotiate – even though you're doing so nicely. Thus I resolved to make a planned trip to Cascades d'Ouzoud (well worth it by the way) by public bus rather than taxi. In most ways this was a good way to travel – all Moroccans, no tourists, rooster in cage on roof, altogether much more interesting than a more tourist-oriented option.
What I discovered, though, is a vast difference in condition of buses. Some look quite together and well, if creatively, maintained. The one we got on was falling apart – and that's by Moroccan standards. It's typical to see some quite creative repairs on Moroccan cabs and buses but this thing had repairs on top of repairs to the point where it was hard to tell what was holding what together. It seems the same buses tend to do the same journey times day in day out. We were on the same bus on the way back two days later (it was later in the day but this made sense as it was the return leg of the journey). This time the dilapidation started to show up big time. The windscreen shattered, showering everyone at the front in glass and, ten minutes later one of the side windows fell out. Even the locals were a bit perturbed by the state of the bus in question! If this kind of thing worries you it may be best to go to the bus station a day before you plan to travel. Find the bus that's going where you are headed and talk to the driver or ticket man to ask if the same bus will be running at the same time the next day. If the bus looks sufficiently knackered that you don't think you can stomach a trip in it you can then change your plans accordingly.
In the end we all got back in one piece but it wasn't a trip of the feint of heart.
The Belfast taxi tour takes in the history of the troubles, the murals, the peace wall and the areas of significance. As an Englishman visiting Belfast for the first time this was by far the most striking, memorable and humbling part of our trip. All driver-guides have been involved in the troubles from a political or paramilitary standpoint in some way. Hearing from them firsthand, in an unbiased and even-handed manner, the rich detail of such recent struggles and resolutions is worth every penny.
Taxi tours are easily bookable through the tourist office.
Instead of bankrupting yourself on a taxi fom the airport to your hotel, get one of the reliable and regular limousine buses from the airport directly to your hotel
Info in Tokyo airport, book on arrival
Getting around Panama City can be tricky at certain times of the day. There are several bus routes that essentially go along the city but the queues for these can be enormous during the rush hour (as many as 100 people). In addition, the buses tend to go to places you don't really want to visit.
The only other alternative is to travel by taxi and while these are numerous during busy periods taxi drivers are picky over where they take you: I have frequently spent between 20 minutes to more than an hour trying to flag one from Ancon to the El Cangrejo area. They also overcharge, especially if your grasp of Spanish is weak, and will not issue receipts so I suggest (a) agree a fare before you get in, and (b) if you need receipts, buy a receipt book from Office Depot or the Rey supermarkets. Taxis hovering outside big hotels will charge at least two to three times the 'normal rate' but they will provide receipts (usually). In summary, just be patient!
In the peak hours of arrival, the taxi queue at Paddington (connecting for the Heathrow Express) can be quite sizable. Don't forget that there is a taxi share service that runs from the station so you can get to where you are going and save money if you share a taxi. London is split into different zones and there should be an agent at the station to help you.
It’s quicker to take the S-Bahn rail service from Terminal 1 at Frankfurt airport than to bother with a taxi. It’s cheaper, too. You can get a day pass that includes the airport trip for around €6.85 and the journey is just 11 minutes into town. A taxi, on the other hand, will take you half an hour and cost about €30.
There are plenty of taxis outside the airports and, for those who were brought up watching 'To The Manor Born', you can book a limo to whisk you to your 5-star hotel suite in comfort (as in most US cities, Carey are the best provider). But public transport is probably your best ticket. Chicago is in fact, very unusually for the US, thoroughly served by public networks of buses and trains. The El Al, a rather spiffing elevated train, is the quickest and cheapest mode of transportation between O’Hare, Midway and The Loop.
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