PARIS - France 2014 - page 92

Bus #24 runs east-west along the Seine riverbank from Gare St. Lazare to
Madeleine, Place de la Concorde, Orsay Museum, the Louvre, St. Michel, Notre-
Dame, and Jardin des Plantes, all the way to Bercy Village (cafés and shops).
Bus #63 is another good east-west route, connecting the Marmottan Museum,
Trocadéro(EiffelTower),Pontdel'Alma,OrsayMuseum,St.SulpiceChurch,Lux-
embourg Garden, Latin Quarter/Panthéon, and Gare de Lyon.
Bus #73 is one of Paris' most scenic lines, starting at the Orsay Museum and
running westbound around Place de la Concorde, then up the Champs-Elysées,
around the Arc de Triomphe, and down Avenue Charles de Gaulle to La Défense.
How to Catch un Taxi: You can try waving down a taxi, but it's often easier to ask
someone for the nearest taxi stand ( “Où est une station de taxi?”; oo ay ewn stah-see-ohn
duh “taxi”). Taxi stands are indicated by a circled “T” on good city maps, and on many
maps in this topic. To order a taxi in English, call 01 41 27 66 99, or ask your hotelier for
help. When you summon a taxi by phone, the meter starts running as soon as the call is
received, often adding €6 or more to the bill.
Taxis are tough to find during rush hour, when it's raining, on weekend nights, or on
any night after the Métro closes (Sun-Thu at 24:30, Fri-Sat at 2:00 in the morning). If you
need to catch a train or flight early in the morning, book a taxi the day before (especially
for weekday departures). Some taxi companies require a €5 reservation fee by credit card
for weekday morning rush-hour departures (7:00-10:00) and only have a limited number
of reservation spots.
By Bike
Paris is surprisingly easy by bicycle. The city is flat, and riders have access to more than
370 miles of bike lanes and the many priority lanes for buses and taxis (though be careful
in these). I biked along the river from Notre-Dame to the Eiffel Tower in 15 wonderfully
scenic minutes.