A Guide to Paris Orly Airport (ORY)

Orly Airport is the other Paris airport: smaller than Charles de Gaulle, south of the city rather than north-east, and for anyone heading to the Left Bank, usually the better one to land at. It sits roughly 13 to 14 kilometres from the centre, which makes it the closest major airport Paris has.

Travellers tend to know CDG in detail and Orly hardly at all. That gap is worth closing, because ORY is often the easier arrival, and this guide covers the layout, the routes into the city, and how a pre-booked chauffeur pickup works there.

Orly in One Paragraph: South, Compact, Mostly Short-Haul

Orly handles most of France’s domestic flying plus a dense network to southern Europe and North Africa: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and more. Long-haul and the big international alliances live almost entirely at Charles de Gaulle on the far side of the city. So the first practical rule of Paris travel: read your ticket carefully. ORY and CDG are about an hour apart by road, and booking ground transport to the wrong one is a mistake people genuinely make.

The airport itself is one connected building divided into four numbered areas, Orly 1 to Orly 4, linked by indoor walkways. After the sprawl of CDG’s lettered sub-terminals, Orly feels almost domestic in scale; you can walk the whole thing. Terminal assignments shift occasionally, so check which Orly number your airline uses close to your travel date.

Getting from Orly Airport to Paris

The picture at Orly changed substantially when metro line 14 was extended to the airport, giving ORY something it never had before: a direct, single-seat metro ride into central Paris. Here is the honest comparison.

Option	Typical time to centre	Best for
Metro line 14	About 25 to 30 min	Solo travellers with light luggage
Orlyval + RER B	35 to 45 min with a change	Destinations on the RER B line
Tram T7 + metro	An hour or more	Budget travel, no deadline
Taxi from the rank	25 to 45 min by road	Door to door, queue permitting
Pre-booked chauffeur	25 to 45 min by road	Door to door, car confirmed before landing

Line 14 deserves genuine credit. It runs automated trains from the airport into the heart of the city, and for one person with a cabin bag and a hotel near a line 14 station, it wins on cost and often on time. We will say that plainly.

The Orlyval shuttle is the older rail option: a short automated ride to Antony, then a change onto the RER B. It still works, but for most central destinations line 14 has made it the second choice.

The case for a car is the same as at every airport, only easier to justify here because the drive is short. With luggage, family, colleagues, or a destination that is not near a metro station, a door-to-door car via the A106 takes 25 to 45 minutes depending on Paris traffic. A pre-booked Orly airport transfer differs from the taxi rank in one structural way: the car is confirmed before you land. With SilverDrive the price is fixed at booking, flight tracking is free, and the chauffeur waits at arrivals in your Orly terminal with a name board, the same terms as all our airport transfers.

Why Orly Wins for the Left Bank

Geography does the work here. Orly sits due south of Paris, so the southern half of the city (the Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montparnasse) is reached without crossing the city at all. From CDG, those same destinations mean traversing Paris or looping the ring road.

For the Right Bank and the La Défense business district, the calculation is closer and CDG’s rail links may serve you better. But if your hotel or meeting is south of the Seine and you have any choice in the matter, fly into ORY. If you are already committed to CDG, our guide to the CDG to Paris transfer covers that journey honestly.

How a Chauffeur Pickup Works at ORY

One exchange settles it. Send the flight number, the passenger count and the destination. You receive a fixed price and a confirmation, and nothing about that price changes with traffic or delay.

We track the flight free of charge. Land early and the chauffeur is already in position; land late and the pickup simply moves with you. Your chauffeur (screened, English-speaking) meets you at arrivals with a name board, handles the luggage and walks you to the car, typically an S-Class for individual travellers or a V-Class for a family or team with real luggage.

Because Orly is compact, the meeting itself is simple: four connected areas, clear arrivals halls, none of CDG’s sub-terminal navigation.

Beyond Paris: Orly as a Starting Point

Orly’s southern position points it conveniently at the rest of France. The A6 and A10 motorways begin nearby, which puts the Loire Valley châteaux within about two to two and a half hours, and opens clean routes toward Burgundy and the south. We regularly collect clients at ORY for itineraries that never really involve Paris at all.

The whole route is quoted as one fixed figure before you fly, and on multi-day bookings the same chauffeur stays with you throughout, the pattern behind our chauffeur service across Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far is Orly Airport from central Paris?

Roughly 13 to 14 kilometres south of the city centre. By road via the A106, allow about 25 to 40 minutes depending on traffic, and more in the morning and evening peaks. Metro line 14 now runs directly to the airport, reaching central stations in around 25 to 30 minutes. Orly is meaningfully closer to Paris than Charles de Gaulle.

What terminals does Orly Airport have?

Orly is organised as a single connected building divided into four areas, Orly 1 to Orly 4, linked by walkways. It is far more compact than Charles de Gaulle, so moving between areas is a walk rather than a train ride. Check which Orly number your airline uses shortly before you travel, as assignments do change.

Is Orly or Charles de Gaulle better for the Left Bank?

Orly, clearly. It sits south of the city, so destinations such as the Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Montparnasse are a shorter, simpler drive than from CDG on the opposite side of Paris. If you can choose your arrival airport and your business is on the Left Bank, Orly usually saves you meaningful time.

How does a chauffeur pickup work at Orly Airport?

Book with your flight number, passenger count and destination, and you receive one fixed price. We track the flight free of charge, so the pickup follows your actual landing. Your chauffeur waits in the arrivals area of your Orly terminal with a name board, takes the luggage and walks you to the car. Delays cost you nothing extra.

Which airlines and routes use Orly Airport?

Orly is the main base for French domestic flying and handles a dense network of routes to southern Europe and North Africa, alongside a growing set of other European connections. Most long-haul and major international carriers use Charles de Gaulle instead. Always confirm which Paris airport your ticket names; mixing them up is a common and expensive mistake.

Can SilverDrive collect me at Orly and drive beyond Paris?

Yes. We operate to any European airport from our Amsterdam base, and Orly pickups often continue past Paris: to the Loire Valley, Normandy, or a multi-day itinerary across France. The whole route is quoted as one fixed price before you fly, and the same chauffeur can stay with you for the full booking.

Book Your Orly Airport Transfer

Orly is the easy Paris arrival: close, compact and pointed straight at the Left Bank. Settle the ground leg before you fly: send us the flight number and the destination, and you get back one fixed price, a confirmed car and a pickup that follows your actual landing. Book your Orly transfer, or ask us to quote a longer French itinerary via our contact page.