Are you an expert in knowing the best, cheapest, or safest way to get from an airport to the city center? I’m not, as proven by my totally crazy airport to city center experience in Buenos Aires. Here’s a great article that compares 85 cities around the world when it comes to getting to the city center by taxi, Uber, or renting a car. I’ve been to 42 of the cities on the list and I can see I made some good choices, and can do better next time. See what you think!
Image source: http://www.jfktaxiservice.com
Thanks for the link, Shelli. The article is certainly interesting, but I have to admit that there are some real head scratchers here. For one, why not include rail links where applicable? Unless you’re super loaded down with luggage, Athens airport is much easier to reach by rail. Another point is geography. I’m from Miami, and I can assure you that the airport is not 20 km from downtown by a long shot. Then there’s the prices. My wife and I took a number of taxis to the airports in Bangkok last month, and at no time did the price remotely come under $10. The fare was still quite reasonable for the distance, but another bad data point. If the prices are suspect and the geography is wrong, then I just have to wonder about trusting the list.
HI Christian, Great comment. I agree. I’m not at all sure why public transportation isn’t also included. That’s often what I compare to using a taxi. Which of the two costs less and the time difference involved enter the analysis. I have been to many of the cities on the list and some of my own data points matched the article and some did not. And I always wonder just where city center is, exactly. I have discovered that in some cities Uber is not less expensive than taxi fares. Lists like this make me curious because I only have my own data points to consider. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Also, parking may cost more than the rental depending on the city and part of town where you’re staying, plus tolls, extra time vs public transit, etc…
All good points, Brenton. Thanks for reading!
There is convenient public transportation for as little as 10% of the prices shown for many of these cities I have visited. Never taken Uber, rarely use a taxi and never rented a car outside of North America and nearly always been able to get from airport to city using public transportation without too much hassle. I average about 8 to 10 weeks a year traveling outside North America.
That’s a big savings over Uber/taxi/car rental prices. Thanks for adding another vote for public transportation. I don’t use Uber, though I will opt for a taxi when getting in late at night to a city that I’m not familiar with. I appreciate your taking the time to read and comment. Thanks, Ric!
I find that public transportation is indeed (usually) the best option *when travelling alone* and *you have a lot of time*. (This is probably why Ric is a big fan, if I understand his travel patterns well.)
However, an Uber can easily make more sense when travelling with others. And in certain places (e.g., Vietnam), Uber is by far the better option over taxis– they cant rip you off because the fare is set ahead of time. I spent 25 minutes in an Uber heading across Hanoi during a rainy morning—the price for 4 people was $1.70!
I turn to Rome2rio for all of this sort of information—it might not be 100% accurate, but it gives you a variety of options from A to B.
Great comment! From what I understand, those two criteria do fit Ric well, agreed. And sometimes they fit for me, too. That’s a great deal with Uber. I’ve not had many Uber experiences, but the ones I’ve had have not been positive. Taxis can go either way. Rome2rio is a good place to do some research. Also, if I’m staying city center, I’ll ask the hotel to let me know what I can expect in terms of taxi fares so I can weight that against other options. That helps me decide. Thanks for reading and taking the time to add to the conversation.
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