One of our contributors turned me on to Daytrip last year when she raved about the amazing service she received. Then one of our friends said the same thing after using them during an Easter trip to Sweden. So when Daytrip offered to let us experience their new hourly driver service during our trip to Paris, I jumped at the chance.
Our bags took about 15 minutes to come out and our driver, whom we had arranged through Daytrip, was waiting for us. So we were out of the airport much earlier than I thought.
What makes Daytrip unique is that they don’t just take you from Point A to Point B like most car services. They’ve built their reputation on private city-to-city transfers with English-speaking drivers and the ability to add sightseeing stops along the way. They also offer airport transfers and curated day trips. Now, they’ve added a new service called Hourly Driver, which allows travelers to book a private vehicle and English-speaking driver by the hour for up to eight hours, with the flexibility to make as many stops as needed.
It turned out to be perfect for our situation. Our apartment rental wasn’t going to be ready until 4 p.m. and the nearest luggage storage location was about a mile away. I could have used a service like Bounce, but it’s way better having a professional driver keeping your bags nearby and safe while you explore the city.
Our driver, who messaged me on WhatsApp the day before to confirm where he would meet us, stayed in direct communication with us the entire time. Whenever we got out to visit a site, all I had to do was send him a message when we were finished and he would pick us up at the same location as he’d dropped us off at. It was incredibly convenient and removed all the stress of figuring out transportation, storing luggage, or coordinating multiple rides.
There’s so much to do in Paris but not all of it was close by. Since we’d landed on a Sunday morning and my wife and I wanted to show our kids Notre Dame, we decided to attend mass so that was our first stop after landing. We made it to the 11:30am mass and it was a truly incredible experience. After mass, our driver was waiting right where he’d left us, to take us to our next stop.
From there, we drove around and showed the kids the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. And of course, everyone was starting to get hungry so our driver took us to a local boulangerie with a line out the door (so you know it’s good!) where we picked up jambon et fromage baguettes and took them to Luxembourg Garden to eat and enjoy the views. Our last stop before heading to our apartment rental was at a grocery store to pick up some essentials.
None of this would have been easy with our luggage and two tired children in tow but with Daytrip, customizing our day exactly as we liked, couldn’t have been any more seamless.
According to Daytrip co-founder and CEO Tomas Turek, the new service was created in response to travelers asking for more flexibility during their journeys. After using it firsthand, I can see why. It’s ideal for travelers with early arrivals and late hotel check-ins, families trying to maximize sightseeing time, business travelers hopping between meetings, or anyone who wants the convenience of a private driver without committing to a full-day tour.
The launch of Hourly Driver comes as Daytrip celebrates a major milestone: more than 2 million travelers served across more than 130 countries. The company now works with a network of over 10,000 English-speaking drivers and offers more than 40,000 routes worldwide.
Based on our experience, I can understand why both our contributor and our friends were so enthusiastic. Having a driver available throughout the day while keeping our luggage secure allowed us to make the most of our first day in Paris instead of wasting time waiting for check-in or dragging bags around the city.
If you’d like to give Daytrip a try, they’re offering my readers 10% off through June 15 with promo code NG343Y.
