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 and backpacks full of excitement and desire to visit the French capital. If this is also your case, you'll be pleased to know that there are many options for getting from the airport to Paris and getting your trip off to a great start.

Although the connections, especially by train, are not always the best, there are many alternatives, such as private transfers or buses, that will allow you to cover 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.

After the hours of travel, when you land at Orly you'll be eager to head straight for 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. Within 10-15 minutes of landing, you can board the coach and be in the city centre in about an hour, with several stops at your hotels.

A safe, comfortable and fast option

This option is undoubtedly comfortable and economical. On the one hand, it allows you to rest after your journey without worrying about when your stop will arrive, whether or not there is room for your luggage or whether you will have to walk a long way to your hotel.

On the other hand, by sharing the cost of the transfer with more travellers, the price is more affordable, so if you want to invest in a safe, quality and comfortable arrival in Paris, I recommend that you consider this option.

At most you will wait around 15 minutes for the coach to leave and the route will be designed in detail so that all passengers arrive safely at the hotel and 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?

Make a note of this task as part of your Paris trip planning! Once you know your flight times and the hotel you'll be staying at, you can book a shared transfer online. As you will already know the time of landing and where you are going, you can enter these details, which you will be asked for. When your booking is confirmed, you will be sent a voucher to show to the driver at the meeting point at Orly airport.

Also, knowing this information, the route will be designed to be efficient and waiting times and stops will be kept to a minimum. You'll see, the transfer from Orly Airport to Paris will fly by and you'll have no worries even before you arrive.

One last piece of advice, if you are travelling with children to Paris, add it as an observation so that child seats are available.

Can I choose the departure and arrival time of the coach?

Not exactly, as they will do it for you. When the route is created, the time you arrive will be taken into account and you will be placed in a group with other tourists who land 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:

• Journey time: depending on the distance between airport and accommodation and the number of stops, the journey can take between one hour and one and a half hours.
• 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.

Do you 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 time: a professional driver will meet you at Orly airport to take you to your Parisian 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 he said, this service is exclusive, unique and personalised for you.

Do I have to book my private transfer in advance?

If you want to book a private car from Orly to Paris, remember to do so well in advance of your trip. You will need to give 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 chauffeur and following him to a modern and comfortable vehicle - he'll 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, is there?

What time will you pick me up?

The great advantage of hiring a private transfer from Orly Airport to Paris is that the timetable 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 4:00 to 23:00 every day of the week).

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

Practical information:

• Journey time: it 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.

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. Even so, there are several options that, 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 at 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). It is also quite frequent (between 8-15 minutes) and 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 + RER Line B (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.

My advice is to value this option, as 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.

The frequency is also quite high (the Orlyval approximately every 8-15 minutes and the RER B every 5 minutes). Note, however, 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 + RER Line C (Paris regional train)

Line C of the Parisian suburban train does not stop at Orly airport, but from Orly airport you can take the 183 bus to the Pont de Rungis stop, which connects to the suburban train 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 and both tickets can be bought in combination from the machines at the airport or on the 183 bus.

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

Practical information:

• Journey time: 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 €2 to approximately €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 that area, the Orlybus is a great alternative that, in about 30 minutes, will take you there. It's also quite reasonably priced, costing around €9 each way.

The Orlybus route runs from Orly to Denfert-Rochereau station, which is in the south of Paris, but 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 about 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:

• Journey time: 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 the 183 bus, which takes you from the south terminal of Orly airport to the Porte de Choisy stop for around €2 in about 40 minutes.

The downside to taking the 183 bus is that you'll have to transfer to the Porte de Choisy metro to get to your final destination, which means more travel time and also the purchase of another ticket.

Alternatively, you can get to Pont de Rungis station in about 10 minutes by bus and then 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 means of transport: very economical alternative.
• Recommended if: you want to save money and can transfer later.

As one of Paris' major airports, 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 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 and 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. In terms of 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're travelling in a group and you don't know the exact time your plane is due to land or if you're running late and can't get to another means of transport such as the train or bus.

Practical information:

• Journey time: 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.