Taxis and ride-hailing

How do taxis work in Europe, and which app should you use?

Meters, fixed airport prices, licensed apps and the unmarked cars to avoid. What a taxi should cost in six cities and how the main apps compare.

By the Time to Travel teamUpdated 16 October 20265 min read

The short version

Many European cities set a fixed taxi price from the airport to the centre, per car and not per person: as of October 2026, €55 from Rome Fiumicino, €56 or €65 from Paris Charles de Gaulle depending on the river bank, and €50 by day from Athens. Take taxis only from the official rank or book through an app that dispatches licensed drivers. Uber, Bolt and FREENOW all work in much of Europe, but each country regulates them differently, so the same app can show a licensed taxi in one city and a private-hire car in the next. Avoid anyone offering a ride inside the arrivals hall.

Who is this guide for?

Visitors who want to know what a fair taxi fare looks like before they land, and which app to install. Prices are official fixed fares where cities publish them, checked on 16 October 2026; the sources are listed at the end.

What should a taxi from the airport cost?

Several cities fix the fare between the airport and the city centre so that drivers cannot run up the meter. The price covers the whole car, usually up to four passengers with luggage, and it applies only inside a defined central zone.

Paris CDG, Left Bank€65
Athens, night€65
Paris CDG, Right Bank€56
Rome Fiumicino€55
Athens, day€50
Paris Orly, Right Bank€45
Rome Ciampino€40
Paris Orly, Left Bank€36
Madrid Barajas€33
Thessaloniki, day€28

Fixed fare per car between the airport and the central zone; orange bars are night or far-bank fares. Sources: Paris order of 24 December 2025 as reported by taxi operators, Roma Capitale resolution 252 of 2024, Madrid city tariff 2026, Greek ministerial decision of September 2026. Checked 16 October 2026.

Each fixed fare has a zone. In Paris it applies only to trips that start or end inside the city itself, not the suburbs; a booking fee of €4 for an immediate order or €7 for an advance booking can be added if you call a cab instead of taking one from the rank. In Rome, the €55 fare covers the area inside the Aurelian Walls, which includes the historic centre and the main station. In Madrid, the €33 fare covers everything inside the M-30 ring road. In Athens, the fixed fare rose in September 2026 from €40 to €50 on the day tariff and from €55 to €65 on the night tariff, which applies from midnight to 05:00.

The rules are enforced. In Rome, local police fined a driver €3,000 after he charged six tourists triple the fixed fare, according to the Italian news site Fanpage.

How do taxis differ from country to country?

Spain: the UK Foreign Office warns that passengers using unlicensed taxis can be fined up to €600.
Italy: use only licensed taxis with a taxi sign on the roof, and agree that the fixed airport fare applies before you set off.
Greece: the Foreign Office suggests using taxi apps such as Uber or FREENOW, which supply licensed cabs.
Czechia: the Foreign Office warns of drivers in unmarked cars posing as taxis and overcharging. Book through an app or a reputable company.
Hungary: the Foreign Office notes that some taxi drivers are part of overcharging frauds, and recommends using a reputable local taxi company.

Which taxi app should I use?

Ways to get a taxi in Europe, compared as of October 2026
Option	Coverage	How the price is set	Pros	Cons
Official taxi rank	Every airport and main station	Meter, or the fixed airport fare	No app or data needed; fixed fares protect you	Queues at peak times; you must know the fixed fare yourself
Uber	Most large cities; in some countries it books licensed taxis rather than private cars	Usually shown before you book	Familiar app, card payment, receipts	Service type and price differ by country; surge pricing at busy times
Bolt	More than 50 countries worldwide, including most of Europe	Usually shown before you book	Upfront price, card payment, widely available	Car type and licensing differ by country; surge pricing at busy times
FREENOW (Lyft)	200+ cities in nine countries, including Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Poland and the UK	Licensed taxi meter, or a fixed price where offered	Built around licensed taxis; card payment	Not available in many countries; meter fares can rise in traffic
Local taxi company or app	One city or country	Meter, plus any booking fee	Licensed drivers; often recommended by local authorities	A new app in each country; booking fees in some cities

Who should pick what: for an airport run in a city with a fixed fare, the official rank is simple and fair. For trips across town, install the app that dispatches licensed taxis in that country (FREENOW where it runs, Uber in Greece). In Czechia and Hungary, always book through an app or a known company rather than flagging down a car. Where several apps run, compare the upfront prices before you book.

Install the apps before you land, while you are on Wi-Fi.

FREENOW Bolt Uber

Goes to the official operator site.

How do I avoid being overcharged?

Know the fixed fare for your airport before you land, and say it when you get in.
Only take a taxi from the marked rank. Ignore anyone offering a ride inside the terminal.
Check that the meter is running for non-fixed trips, and ask for a receipt.
Pay by card where you can, so the payment is traceable if you need to dispute it.

Our guide to the fastest ways to and from Europe's airports compares taxis with trains and buses, and how to avoid tourist scams covers the fake-taxi trick and others.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a taxi from Rome Fiumicino to the city centre?

A fixed €55 per car, for up to four passengers with luggage, to anywhere inside the Aurelian Walls, as set by Roma Capitale. From Ciampino the fixed fare is €40.

How much is a taxi from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport?

As of October 2026, the fixed fare is €56 to or from the Right Bank and €65 to or from the Left Bank of Paris. From Orly it is €36 to the Left Bank and €45 to the Right Bank.

Has the Athens airport taxi fare gone up?

Yes. In September 2026 the fixed fare between Athens airport and the city centre rose from €40 to €50 on the day tariff and from €55 to €65 on the night tariff, which applies from midnight to 05:00.

Does Uber work in Europe?

In most large cities, yes, but the service differs by country. In some places Uber books licensed taxis rather than private cars, and prices can differ from what you are used to at home. Check the app for your destination before you travel.

Is FREENOW the same as Lyft?

FREENOW is owned by Lyft. As of September 2026 it operates in more than 200 cities across nine European countries and is built around licensed taxis.

Where the figures come from

Checked on 16 October 2026. Official sources first; secondary sources are labelled.