Orly Airport is around 10 kilometres south of Paris, and of the city’s big airports, it’s the one closest to the centre. From Orly to Paris, you have four real options: metro line 14 straight into the city, the driverless Orlyval combined with RER B, a fixed-fare taxi or the cheap T7 tram. My first choice is metro line 14, because it runs right into the airport.
Which one suits you best depends on where you’re staying and when you land. The metro is the fastest choice for the Marais, Opéra and Gare de Lyon, Orlyval and RER B suit the Latin Quarter, and a taxi is a good option late in the evening or for a family. Here you’ll find fares, journey times, where to get off and what to do at night. For the rough conversions I’ve used about £0.84 and $1.13 per euro.
Contents
At a glance
- Metro line 14: €14 (about £12/$16), under 25 minutes to Châtelet, running from 05:30 to around 00:30.
- Orlyval and RER B: €14 (about £12/$16), around 40 minutes to the centre, with Orlyval running from 06:00 to 23:35.
- Tram T7 and metro line 7: €4.60 (about £3.90/$5.20) for the two tickets, around 80 minutes to Paris, running from 05:30 to 00:30.
- Night buses: €2.05 (about £1.75/$2.30), around 60 minutes to the centre, running from midnight to 05:30.
- Taxi: A fixed fare of €36 (about £30.50/$40.50) to the Left Bank and €45 (about £38/$51) to the Right Bank, 25 to 40 minutes.
- Uber and other ride-hailing apps: No fixed fare, and the app shows you the price before you book.
Finding your transport at the airport
Orly has four terminals. Orly 1, 2 and 3 are joined together in one long building, while Orly 4 stands on its own. You can get between the two parts on a footbridge or by Orlyval, which is free between Orly 1, 2, 3 and Orly 4.
The Aéroport d’Orly metro station is right by Orly 3, so if you land at Orly 1, 2 or 3, just follow the signs for metro line 14. If you land at Orly 4, cross the footbridge or take Orlyval one stop. Orlyval stops at both parts of the airport, and the T7 tram stops at Orly 4, close to exit 47d. You can buy the airport ticket in the Île-de-France Mobilités app or from the machines at the station.
The official taxis wait at the exits from baggage reclaim: at Orly 1 and 2 by exit 14a, at Orly 3 by exit 32a and at Orly 4 by exit 48a. Uber and the other ride-hailing apps show you where to meet your driver. You can see all the options on the Paris tourist office’s page about Orly.
1. Metro line 14 to Gare de Lyon, Châtelet and Saint-Lazare
Metro line 14 is the obvious first choice. The driverless line runs north from Aéroport d’Orly station through Paris, and in the city it stops at Olympiades, Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, Bercy, Gare de Lyon, Châtelet, Pyramides, Madeleine and Saint-Lazare, among others. The journey to Châtelet in the middle of the city takes under 25 minutes, and it takes 40 minutes all the way to the end of the line at Saint-Denis Pleyel, north of Paris.
In the rush hour, there’s a train roughly every minute and a half, and the rest of the day there are only a few minutes between trains. The metro runs from 05:30 to around 00:30, and a little later on some days, so it covers the vast majority of flights. The line is fully accessible for travellers with reduced mobility, which also makes it easier to get around with suitcases. When Orlybus was withdrawn, Île-de-France Mobilités itself pointed to metro line 14 as the replacement.
The metro suits almost everyone who’s staying on the Right Bank or close to one of its stations. The catch is the ticket: a standard metro ticket isn’t valid to and from Aéroport d’Orly station, so you need the airport ticket. Late in the evening, the line is sometimes closed for engineering works and buses run instead, so check the RATP page about the airports before you set off.
Fares and tickets
To and from Orly, you need the Ticket Paris Région <> Aéroports, which costs €14 (about £12/$16) to any station in the region. Children aged 4 and over but under 10 pay a reduced fare of €7 (about £5.90/$7.90), and children under 4 travel free. The same ticket is also valid on Orlyval, but not on trams and buses.
The ticket is valid for two hours from when you first validate it, and you can change to other metro lines and to the RER on the way, as long as you don’t leave the system. There’s no return ticket, and the same ticket can’t be used in both directions, so you’ll buy a new one for the journey back. A standard Ticket Métro-Train-RER for €2.55 (about £2.20/$2.90) isn’t valid in and out of Aéroport d’Orly station. You’ll find the fares and rules at Île-de-France Mobilités.
The app, Navigo Easy and paying
Tickets in Paris are almost always on your phone or on a card. You can buy the airport ticket in the Île-de-France Mobilités app and keep it on your phone, or you can load it onto a Navigo Easy card, which costs €2 (about £1.70/$2.30) and is sold at the ticket offices. You validate it at the gates with your phone or card.
One thing to watch out for: the airport ticket can’t be on the same card or phone as another ticket, so if you already have standard metro tickets on your Navigo Easy card, you can’t load it on. That’s a good reason to buy the airport journey in the app. On the way into the city, have your ticket ready before you go through the gates at the airport.
Multi-day passes
Paris Visite covers Orly on both metro line 14 and Orlyval, as well as public transport across the whole region. It costs €30.60 (about £26/$34.50) for one day, €45.40 (about £38.50/$51) for two days, €63.80 (about £54/$72) for three days and €78 (about £66/$88) for five days, and children aged 4 and over but under 10 pay half price. It only pays off if you travel a lot, because two airport tickets cost €28 (about £23.50/$31.50) together. See the prices for Paris Visite.
If you’re staying a whole week, Navigo Semaine for €32.40 (about £27.50/$36.50) is much cheaper. It’s valid in all zones, so metro line 14 to the airport is included, and it always covers Monday to Sunday. You can buy it for the following week from the Friday before. Read more about Navigo Semaine.
Where to get off
Gare de Lyon: One of the city’s big railway stations, in the eastern part of the centre, with lots of hotels in the surrounding streets and trains on to the rest of France. Get off here if you’re staying in the area or travelling on by train.
Châtelet: The big interchange in the middle of the city, where you can change to lots of metro lines and the RER. From here you can walk into the Marais, and you can see hotels in the Marais here. I’ve also put together the best hotels in Le Marais. If you’re going to the Latin Quarter, you can change here to RER B southbound on the same ticket.
Pyramides: The station is on Avenue de l’Opéra between the Louvre and the opera house, and it’s the best stop if your hotel is in the Opéra area. You can see hotels near Opéra here.
Madeleine: The stop by the Madeleine church, close to the big department stores behind the opera house. From here you can also walk down to Place de la Concorde and the lower end of the Champs-Élysées.
Saint-Lazare: Another big railway station and the stop for the north-western part of the centre. If you’re staying in Montmartre, change here to metro line 12 for Abbesses.
If you’d like to choose your neighbourhood based on the connection, have a look at my guide to where to stay in Paris, where I go through the five best areas and their hotels.
2. Orlyval and RER B to the Latin Quarter and Gare du Nord
Orlyval is a small driverless train that runs from the airport to Antony station, where you change to RER B towards Paris. The Orlyval journey takes 6 minutes from Orly 1, 2, 3 and 8 minutes from Orly 4, and there’s a departure every 5 to 7 minutes from 06:00 to 23:35. Allow around 40 minutes in total into the centre.
From Antony, RER B runs north through the southern part of Paris, stopping at Cité Universitaire, Denfert-Rochereau, Port-Royal, Luxembourg, Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame, Châtelet-Les Halles and Gare du Nord, among others. RER B runs from around 05:00 to midnight, so it’s Orlyval that sets the limit in the evening. The times are on Visit Paris Region.
This route is best if you’re staying in the Latin Quarter, by the Jardin du Luxembourg or in the southern part of the city, because you travel straight there without changing in the centre. The catch is the change at Antony, which is an extra hassle with big suitcases, and the fact that Orlyval stops running earlier in the evening than the metro. If you’re heading to the Right Bank, metro line 14 is both faster and easier.
Fares and tickets
You use the same Ticket Paris Région <> Aéroports for €14 (about £12/$16), and it covers both Orlyval and RER B into Paris. Children aged 4 and over but under 10 pay €7 (about £5.90/$7.90). Buy the ticket for the whole journey before you go through to Orlyval, and keep it until you’re out of the station in Paris.
If you have Paris Visite, Orlyval is included in the pass. If you’re just changing terminal between Orly 1, 2, 3 and Orly 4, the journey is free and you don’t need a ticket.
Where to get off RER B
Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame: The station is by the Seine, right opposite Notre-Dame in the middle of the Latin Quarter, and it’s the best stop if you’re staying here or in Saint-Germain.
Luxembourg and Port-Royal: The stops by the Jardin du Luxembourg in the southern part of the Latin Quarter. They’re the ones to use if your hotel is by the park or around Boulevard Saint-Michel.
Denfert-Rochereau: The stop for the Montparnasse area in the southern part of the city. It’s also where you’ll find the entrance to the Catacombs.
Gare du Nord: The big railway station in the northern part of the centre. Get off here if you’re staying by the station, or if you’re heading on to Montmartre.
3. Tram T7 and metro line 7
The cheapest way into the city is the T7 tram from Orly 4 to Villejuif-Louis Aragon, where you change to metro line 7, which runs on through Paris. The tram takes around 45 minutes to Villejuif, and you should allow around 80 minutes in total to Paris. It runs every day from 05:30 to 00:30, with a departure every 8 to 15 minutes.
The airport ticket isn’t valid on the tram. Instead, you need a Ticket Bus-Tram for €2.05 (about £1.75/$2.30) for the tram and a Ticket Métro-Train-RER for €2.55 (about £2.20/$2.90) for the metro, so the journey costs €4.60 (about £3.90/$5.20) in total. The bus ticket isn’t valid on the metro, so you need both tickets, and you can buy them in the app. Find out more about the Ticket Bus-Tram.
This option only suits you if you’re travelling light, have plenty of time and want to save money. With suitcases, the long journey with a change is much more of a hassle than metro line 14.
4. Night buses from Orly
When the metro and Orlyval stop for the night, the Noctilien night buses run from midnight to 05:30. The N22 runs to Châtelet and the N31 to Gare de Lyon, while the N131 and N144 also run towards Paris. The N144 only stops at Orly 4. Allow around 60 minutes into the centre.
The night buses need a Ticket Bus-Tram for €2.05 (about £1.75/$2.30), and the airport ticket isn’t valid. It’s a cheap but long journey after a late flight, and if there are two or more of you, the fixed-fare taxi is often worth paying for. You’ll find the routes at the Paris tourist office.
5. Taxis and Uber
Paris taxis charge a fixed fare between Orly and the city: €36 (about £30.50/$40.50) to the Left Bank, south of the Seine, which includes the Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain and the area around the Eiffel Tower, and €45 (about £38/$51) to the Right Bank, north of the Seine, with the Marais, Montmartre, Opéra and the Champs-Élysées. The fare applies in both directions.
If you book your taxi by phone or in an app, there can be a supplement of €4 (about £3.40/$4.50) for an immediate booking and €7 (about £5.90/$7.90) for an advance booking. From the fifth passenger, it costs €5.50 (about £4.60/$6.20) extra per person. The rates are on the French government’s official public service website. According to the French Ministry of the Economy, taxis have to accept card payment whatever the amount.
The journey takes 25 to 40 minutes depending on the traffic. Only take a taxi from the official ranks at the exits from baggage reclaim. From Orly, a taxi is a really good deal for three or four people, because four airport tickets cost €56 (about £47.50/$63), which is more than a fixed-fare taxi.
Uber, Bolt and the other ride-hailing apps don’t charge a fixed fare, so the price depends on the time and demand, and the app shows it to you before you book. Compare it with the taxi’s fixed fare before you tap to book.
Private transfer
If you’re landing late with children, or you’d like your transport sorted before you land, you can book a private transfer from Orly here. The price is agreed in advance, and the driver takes you to the door.
If you’re travelling alone and want a ride to your hotel without paying for a whole car, you can book a shared shuttle from Orly to your hotel here. It drops several travellers at their hotels, so the journey takes longer.
You can also book a pick-up with Welcome Pickups here, where the price is also agreed before you land. I’ve used Welcome Pickups several times, and it’s worked well.
Onward travel around France straight from the airport
Orly has no station for long-distance trains, but metro line 14 runs straight to Gare de Lyon and Saint-Lazare, two of the city’s big railway stations, so you can travel on without changing along the way. The 91-10 bus runs direct from the airport to Massy-TGV station south of Paris, which is also served by high-speed trains. You can find and compare train tickets on Omio.
If you’re going to Disneyland, the Magical Shuttle bus runs every day from all the terminals at Orly straight to the park, so you can skip the journey through Paris. Read more in my guide to Disneyland Paris.
If your flight lands at Charles de Gaulle instead, I’ve also written a guide to getting into the city from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Getting back to the airport
Towards the airport, metro line 14 runs from 05:30 to around 00:30, and Orlyval runs from Antony from 06:00 to 23:35. Buy a new airport ticket for the journey back, because the one from your arrival can’t be used again. If you take metro line 14 without an airport ticket, you can pay by bank card at the exit of the airport station, according to Île-de-France Mobilités.
The metro station is by Orly 3, so if you’re flying from Orly 4, allow time for the footbridge or the free Orlyval ride. If you’re catching one of the very earliest flights, the fixed-fare taxi is the safe option, and the night buses also run through the night from Châtelet and Gare de Lyon. How early you need to be at the airport depends on the airline, so check what they recommend.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying:
Marais: Take metro line 14 to Châtelet and walk the last bit into the Marais. With lots of luggage, a taxi at the fixed Right Bank fare is the easiest option.
Montmartre: Take metro line 14 to Saint-Lazare and change to metro line 12 for Abbesses. The airport ticket covers the change.
Latin Quarter: Take Orlyval and RER B straight to Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame or Luxembourg, or take a taxi at the cheaper fixed Left Bank fare.
Opéra: Take metro line 14 straight to Pyramides or Madeleine without changing along the way.
Champs-Élysées: Take metro line 14 to Madeleine and walk down to Place de la Concorde, or take a taxi at the fixed Right Bank fare.
Gare de Lyon and Bercy: Take metro line 14, which runs straight to both stations.
If you land at night: After the last metro at around 00:30, it’s a taxi, the N22 night bus to Châtelet or the N31 to Gare de Lyon.
If there are three or four of you: Take a taxi. The fixed fare is for the whole car, and from Orly it’s cheaper than four airport tickets.
If you’re going to Disneyland: Take the Magical Shuttle straight from the terminal to the park.
Practical tips for getting from Orly Airport to central Paris
Download the Île-de-France Mobilités app before you land. That way you can buy the airport ticket and have it ready on your phone when you reach the gates for metro line 14, and you won’t need to find a ticket machine.
Buy a weekly pass if you’re staying from Monday to Sunday. Navigo Semaine covers metro line 14 to the airport and the metro, RER and buses across the whole region for €32.40 (about £27.50/$36.50).
Don’t use a standard metro ticket for Orly. The Ticket Métro-Train-RER isn’t valid in and out of Aéroport d’Orly station or on Orlyval, according to Île-de-France Mobilités.
Only take official taxis. Find the taxi rank at the exit from baggage reclaim, and stick to the fixed fare for the Left Bank or the Right Bank.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. If you’d like to stay in the Marais, metro line 14 gets you to Châtelet in under half an hour, and you can see hotels in the Marais here. For Opéra, the metro runs right to Pyramides, and you can see hotels near Opéra here. In the Latin Quarter, RER B runs straight to Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame, and you can see hotels in the Latin Quarter here.
If you’re not sure which neighbourhood suits you, read my guide to where to stay in Paris, and find ideas for your trip in my guide to things to do in Paris.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers
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