Do you recognize this situation? You arrive too early at your destination to check in at your accommodation, or you have a few hours before your flight/train, and you are forced to wait in a café… You are burdened with your luggage and that means dragging it on crowded sidewalks or leaving it in one place, and coming back to get it…
What a pain!
Fortunately, there are services that can help with this problem.
For the price of a coffee per hour, a large number of businesses – delicatessens, tobacco bars, cell phone stores – will take care of your luggage so that you can walk around hands-free, around the place where your luggage is stored. This service is called luggage storage.
For the price of two pints of beer, Alfred will collect and deliver your luggage at a time and place that’s convenient for you, so you can worry only about yourself before you resume your trip. This is called Luggage or Concierge delivery Service.
So which option should you choose between a storage service or a baggage delivery service? The most convenient service is Alfred’s luggage delivery service, for its simplicity and for the freedom it gives to travelers. Decide where and when you want to leave and retrieve your belongings.
To help you in your choice, let’s study together the options that exist in Paris to store and deliver your luggage.
What luggage storage services are available in Paris?
Luggage storage in Paris
What are the luggage storage companies in Paris?
There are three types of luggage storage services: public luggage storage, private luggage storage and luggage concierge services.
The differences between public and private luggage storage
Public luggage lockers are generally located in places belonging to the French state, or in “transport hubs”, such as train stations and airports.
You will also find them in certain monuments. These places, which are often difficult to find because they are buried in places that are not well known to the general public, offer code lockers where you can deposit your luggage.
The difficulty with these services is the time it takes to get there, the waiting time and the risk of not having any lockers to hold your belongings, because there is no more availability or the lockers are not big enough.
Private lockers, on the other hand, offer numerous storage locations in the cities they serve. On the other hand, they have a risk of theft or difficulties with the drop-off and collection times. Indeed, they are often businesses with a high number of customers (therefore a greater risk of theft), they have little space under lock and key to keep your luggage and have sometimes random schedules.
What happens if your locker is closed when you leave, or if you have to wait 20 minutes behind a queue of customers, before going on your way?
Where to find public lockers ?
More and more often, you can not only store your luggage for a few hours in the usual places (airports, train stations, luggage storage companies), you will find for example the following places to deposit your bags
- Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
- Orly Airport (ORY)
- Gare du Nord Station
- Gare de l’Est Station
- Gare de Lyon Station
- Gare d’Austerlitz Station
- Paris-Montparnasse Station
- Gare Saint Lazare Station
Where can I find private luggage storage?
There are many private luggage storage companies. To make your choice, you will need to find out about the company that puts you in touch with the storage place, and then check the rating of the store or sign that will have your luggage storage. With this type of service, it is important to verify that you are dealing with a trusted third party. An hour or two of research on the internet should answer your questions.
What luggage delivery services ou transfers are available in Paris?
What is a door-to-door luggage delivery service?
Door-to-door luggage delivery services consist of picking up your belongings at an agreed-upon time slot and delivering them in the same manner.
To do this, companies like Alfred offer web apps, available from computer or cell phone, on which travelers book a date (it can be the same day) and a place. Then, a person will come and collect the luggage.
The service is similar to the Uber model, but applied to a luggage service.
Where to find a luggage delivery service in Paris ?
You will find many services to free you from your luggage via internet searches, including Alfred, which will also offer customised tourist itinerary services.
When should I use the luggage storage or delivery service (luggage concierge)?
Luggage lockers are useful for city dwellers who need to use this service for a few hours. On the other hand, after 3 to 5 hours of storage, the luggage delivery service becomes economically more interesting, especially considering that it will allow you to fully enjoy your visit. For about 10€ more than a daily storage service, you gain the freedom to go wherever you want. You won’t have to worry about picking up your bag or suitcases, they will be delivered to you at the time and place of your choice.
Is luggage storage or door-to-door delivery safe?
Luggage storage services are not as secure as custom services such as door-to-door luggage delivery.
The significant difference between a locker and a door-to-door luggage delivery service is the monitoring and security of your belongings. In the case of a luggage delivery service, a person is dedicated to the permanent surveillance of your belongings, the bags are “chipped” to be geo-located and locks are set with codes known only to their owner. In the luggage lockers, security buckets are often placed on the suitcases, but these are not always guarded by the shopkeepers, who moreover do not always have enough to lock up the entrusted belongings.
Can we put everything in a suitcase entrusted to a luggage delivery service?
Many of these companies specify in the fine print that you should not keep jewelry, cash or other important and fragile items in your bags, as they are not covered by insurance policies. So, if you plan to try one of these networks, be sure to put your jewelry, essential papers, electronics and medications in a purse or light tote bag that you keep with you.
Also, as with airplanes, there is a list of items that cannot be stored, including combustible, flammable, hazardous or toxic materials, chemicals, drugs, fireworks, explosives, weapons and ammunition.
Are bags, suitcases and luggage insured when they are entrusted to a door-to-door delivery service?
In the general terms and conditions of sale, there is obviously an insurance policy. Nevertheless, the amount of insurance is conditioned and limited, in the event that you entrust very high value items, Alfred Travel for example, will offer you an different options when it comes to the insurance of your luggage.
