Photo by vitkéz

There are a bevy of options for traveling to and from Paris airports. None of them are perfect. The bus is a bit slow and crowded, ditto for the Metro; airport shuttles and taxis are expensive and slug along through traffic with blatant disregard for impending departure times. Most frustrating of all is watching motorcycles glide carelessly by as your driver blabs away into an awkward bluetooth headset.

Now, thanks to two motorbike chauffeur services, you can stop dreaming of whizzing along the périphérique atop a German motorcycle and actually hop on the back of one.

ParisMotos and Citybird chauffeur services offer a very cool alternative to other airport transport options. A bit beyond the Cheapo budget at €55 to €75 for service to CDG (and €45 to €55 to Orly), these motorcycle shuttles provide riders with jet-black helmets, gloves, and jackets and a solemn promise to get to the airport on-time. Both offer ample space for medium sized baggage—which is more than the train or bus can claim.

While you will surely feel James Dean cool on the back of one of these motorcycles, navigating through traffic and hugging the back of an accented stranger can be a bit frightening.

The hog-to-airport option, it must be said, is really only appealing to solo travelers comfortable with aggressive driving, hostile traffic, and frazzled helmet hair.

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photograph courtesy of h.andras_xms

We fall for it more often than we care to admit. If it looks like a taxi it must be a taxi, right? Wrong.

Budapest is overrun by illegal cabs that take advantage of unsuspecting tourists. A five minute ride in an unofficial taxi in Budapest can set you back a startling HUF5700 (€23; $30).

Threatening to call the police or your local embassy won’t help, as the taxi syndicate is run by the local Hungarian mafia.

To choose your taxi wisely, follow these few simple guidelines. Always ride in cars that bear a taxi company logo and have yellow registration number plates. Don’t be fooled by the mere presence of a lighted TAXI sign. If you’re not familiar with the local system, head to the nearest restaurant and ask them to call a taxi for you. Most taxi companies have an English-speaking operator on staff.

Another tip: Taxis are often less expensive if you call ahead rather then flagging one down on the street. Dial these reliable taxi companies: City Taxi (+36 1 2 111 111); Budataxi (+36 1 2 333 333); and Fotaxi (+36 1 2 222 222).

Or take the metro, a gorgeous photo of which (thanks, h.andreas_xms!) can be seen above.

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