How to Get from Orly Airport to Paris

Orly airport, which has two terminals (South and West), is the second largest airport in Paris, so many travellers land there with their suitcases full of excitement and desire to visit the French capital. If this is your case, you'll be pleased to know that you have many options for getting from the airport to Paris and starting your trip.

Although connections, especially train connections, are not always the best, there are many alternatives, such as private transfers or buses, which will allow you to travel the 20 kilometres from Orly to Paris quickly and comfortably. I'll tell you what these alternatives are and which one best suits your needs.

Remember those movie scenes where the main character arrives at the airport and a chauffeur is waiting for him? Well, it's not always fiction and, in fact, the chauffeur may have your name on the sign. This is undoubtedly the great advantage of hiring a private transfer from Orly airport to Paris, the exclusivity of having someone waiting for you as soon as you land to take you to your hotel.

By hiring this service you avoid any unnecessary waiting: a professional driver will come to pick you up at Orly airport to take you to your hotel without delay. What could be better? Moreover, if for some reason your destination is not a hotel, but a residence, a house or even a train or bus station, he will also be able to take you there. As I say, this service is exclusive, unique and personalised for you.

Do I have to book the private transfer in advance?

If you want to book a private car from Orly to Paris, remember to do so well in advance. You will need to indicate your flight details and also the full address you want to be taken to in Paris. When you land in Paris, all you have to worry about is greeting the driver and following him to a modern and comfortable vehicle, he will even help you with your luggage!

If that's not enough, after the trip, there's nothing better than refreshing yourself with a bottle of water offered by the driver, sleeping for a while or even reading a magazine during the journey. There's no better way to start your visit to Paris, don't you think?

What time will you pick me up?

The great advantage of hiring a private transfer from Orly Airport to Paris is that the schedule is set by your needs. If you are used to taking public transport and having to wait for it to arrive, forget about it, because the chauffeur, knowing in advance the times of your flight, will be waiting for you when you land as long as you do so during the hours when the service is active (approximately from 4 am to 11 pm every day of the week).

Arrival time will vary depending on where your hotel is and the traffic that day, but I can tell you that the journey will take approximately 40 minutes, which is the time it takes to cover the distance between Orly and the centre of Paris.

Practical information:

• Journeytime: depends on the distance between Orly and your hotel, but it will take approximately 40 minutes.
• Price: from €35.
• Advantages of using this means of transport: a personalised and comfortable journey.
• Recommended if: you want to leave your worries behind and get to Paris quickly and comfortably.

After your hours of travel, when you land at Orly you'll be looking forward to heading straight to the centre of Paris. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on private transport or take public transport, you may want to book a shared transfer with a small group of other tourists.

This option is certainly convenient and economical. On the one hand, it allows you to rest after your trip without worrying about when your stop will arrive, whether or not there is room for your luggage or whether or not you will have to walk to your hotel.

On the other hand, sharing the cost of the transfer with other travellers makes the price more affordable. And at most you will wait around 15 minutes until you leave and the route will be designed in detail so that there are no unnecessary intermediate stops or stops where no one gets off, as can happen in a public transport with a pre-established route.

How do I book a shared transfer?

Once you know the flight times and the hotel where you will be staying, you can book a shared transfer. As you will already know the time of landing and also where you are going, you will be asked to provide this information and when the booking is confirmed, you will be sent a voucher so that you can show it to the driver at the meeting point. In addition, the route will be designed to be efficient and waiting times and stops will be kept to a minimum.

However, you will not be able to choose the time of departure and arrival, as they will do it for you. When the route is created, your arrival time will be taken into account to place you in a group with other tourists landing at Orly at a similar time. This way, no one will have to wait too long and you can get to Paris as soon as possible.

The route is also created by avoiding too many stops and grouping people going to the same hotel or the same area. Thus, when you enter Paris, you will try not to make more than 4 or 5 stops approximately. In total, it will take you about an hour and a half to get to Paris from Orly.

Practical information:

• Journeytime: depending on the distance between airport and accommodation and the number of stops, the journey can take between an hour and an hour and a half.
• Price: from €25 (the price may increase if more than one piece of luggage is carried per person).
• Advantages of using this means of transport: economical and very comfortable.
• Recommended if: you want to get to Paris with the comfort of private transport, but at a more affordable price.
• One last piece of advice, if you are travelling with children to Paris, add it as an observation so that child seats are available.

Orly airport is not always well connected, especially when it comes to trains. Although it is fast transport, there is no local train station at Orly airport. However, there are several options which, with a short transfer, can be considered to get from Orly to Paris by train in approximately 40 minutes.

Tram 7 + metro 7

If you don't mind changing trains on your arrival in Paris, I recommend this alternative: take Tram 7 from Orly airport and, after a journey of approximately 30 minutes, get to Villejuif-Louis Aragon station, where you can take metro line 7, which has stops such as Chậtelet and Opera.

Although the total journey time takes about an hour, it's a very economical option, as the full fare is around €4 (you'll only need two single Paris transport tickets). Its frequency is also quite high (between 8-15 minutes) and it is available from 5:30am to midnight throughout the week, making it a very accessible and affordable alternative.

Practical information:

• Journey time: approximately one hour.
• Price: around €4.
• Advantages of using this means of transport: it is the cheapest option.
• Recommended if: you are not in a hurry to get to the centre of Paris and want to save money.

Orlyval + Line B of the RER (Paris regional train)

The Orlyval is undoubtedly one of the great transport advances that the city of Paris has opted for. Incredible as it may seem, it is an automatic train without a driver. In about 6 minutes and for an estimated €9, the Orlyval will take you from any of Orly's terminals to Antony, a stop where you can catch the RER B, which stops at various locations in central Paris.

For a total price of around €12, you can get to stations such as Luxembourg, Saint Michel Notre Dame, Châtelet Les Halles or Gare du Nord in around 35 minutes.

Also, the frequency is quite high (the Orlyval approximately every 8-15 minutes and the RER B every 5 minutes). Please note that the service is only available between 6:00 and 23:35.

Practical information:

• Journey time: about half an hour.
• Price: approximately €12.
• Advantages of using this means of transport: speed and good connections to the city centre.
• Recommended if: you don't mind changing trains and you want to be able to get to different parts of central Paris.

Bus 183 + Line C of the RER (Paris regional train)

Line C of the Paris R ER does not stop at Orly airport, but from Orly airport you can take bus 183 to the Pont de Rungis stop, which connects to the RER in about 10 minutes. Once you're on the train, it's a 50-minute ride to central locations such as the Eiffel Tower and Saint-Michel Notre Dame. The total cost of the journey is around 6 euros and both tickets can be bought in combination from the machines at the airport or on bus 183.

Frequency is adequate (approximately every 15 minutes) and the service closes between 23:22 and 4:50.

Practical information:

• Journeytime: approximately one hour.
• Price: from €6.
• Advantages of using this means of transport: affordable price.
• Recommended if: you don't mind making a transfer before reaching the centre of Paris.

The different Parisian bus lines are undoubtedly a great option if you arrive at Orly airport, as they connect Paris with the airport's two terminals. Moreover, the price, although variable depending on the line chosen, ranges from around €2 to €12, which makes the bus a very interesting alternative for getting to Paris.

The Orlybus

This shuttle bus connects the two terminals of Orly airport with the south of Paris, so if you're staying in the south of Paris, the Orlybus is a great alternative that will get you there in 30 minutes or so. It's also quite affordable, costing around €9.

The Orlybus route runs from Orly to Denfert-Rochereau station which, although in the south of Paris, is well connected by metro and regional train (RER).

You can easily buy a single ticket at the airport ticket office or on the bus when you get on, although if you're buying a Navigo Zones 1-4 card (the Paris transport pass), be warned that it includes the Orlybus.

Note that although the Orlybus runs fairly frequently (every 10 minutes or so), it's only available from 5.30am (when the first departure from Denfert-Rochereau is approximately) until midnight (when it leaves Orly for the last time). Therefore, if your flight arrives outside these times, this is not an option for you.

Practical information:

• Journeytime: about half an hour.
• Price: around €9.
• Advantages of using this means of transport: value for money and speed.
• Recommended if: you want to go directly to the city centre without the need for transfers.

City bus line 183

If you want a cheap alternative, you can take bus 183, which costs about 2 euros and takes about 40 minutes to get from the south terminal of Orly airport to the Porte de Choisy stop.

The disadvantage of taking bus 183 is that you will have to change at the Porte de Choisy metro station to get to your final destination, which means more travel time and also the purchase of another ticket.

If you prefer, you can also get to Pont de Rungis station in about 10 minutes by bus and from there take the RER C (regional train), which connects to central Paris.

Practical information:

• Journey time: about 50 minutes.
• Price: approximately €2.
• Advantages of using this mode of transport: very economical alternative.
• Recommended if: you want to save money and can transfer later.

As one of the major airports in Paris, Orly has a large taxi rank that will be waiting to take you to the centre of Paris, and you can tell them where you want to go. My advice is to go directly to exit L in the South Terminal or B in the West Terminal to make sure you get an official taxi. Another very quick and safe option is to book a VTC service in advance, as Uber is available in Paris, as are other French apps such as Marcel or LeCab.

The journey time, as well as the price, depends on the final destination. In general, I remember that getting to the centre of Paris costs between €30 and €40, as it is around these amounts that the general price of the transfer was set, although you can always check with the taxi driver or, if you take an Uber, check it on the app itself. Please note that the price may also increase if you are carrying a lot of luggage. As for the time, taking into account Parisian traffic, the journey can take between 40 minutes and an hour.

In any case, I think the taxi is a great option if you are travelling in a group and you don't know the exact time the plane lands or if you suffer a delay that prevents you from getting to another means of transport such as the train or bus.

Practical information:

• Journeytime: approximately 40 minutes.
• Price: from €30.
• Advantages of using this means of transport: there are no intermediate stops and you go straight to Paris.
• Recommended if: you don't know when your flight will arrive and you are travelling in a group.

Do you already know how to get from Orly airport to Paris? The city of lights will be waiting for you, so choose the means of transport that best suits your needs and go and enjoy it.

Here's a summary of the different options available so you can quickly choose the one that suits you best: