Orly airport to Paris city centre

Getting from Orly into Paris, made simpler in 2024

Paris Orly (ORY) sits roughly 13-14 km south of the city centre, which already makes it the shorter run into Paris compared with Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), about 25 km to the north-east, or Paris Beauvais (BVA), around 85 km out with a shuttle ride well over an hour. What changed the picture further is metro line 14: since June 2024, it runs directly into Orly, giving travellers a straightforward metro connection where previously a shuttle bus to a train station was the standard route. This page walks through the real options — metro, Orlyval, and taxi — and how to choose between them based on where you are actually staying, not a single blanket recommendation.

None of the figures below include prices or fixed journey times. Transport pricing and schedules change, and a guide that prints a number today prints a wrong number within a year. What follows is a comparison of routes and trade-offs, the kind of thing that stays true regardless of what a ticket costs this month.

Metro line 14: the newest and often simplest option

Line 14 is an automated, driverless metro line that was extended south to serve Orly directly in June 2024. Before that extension, arriving at Orly by public transport meant a shuttle bus connection to a train line; the metro now removes that step for a large share of visitors. Line 14 runs north through the city, linking to major interchange stations along the way, including connections near Paris train stations and central hubs.

For travellers headed to destinations directly on or near line 14, or within a short transfer of it, this is generally the simplest way in: no shuttle bus, no separate airport ticket booth to find, just a metro platform inside the terminal area. It uses the same Île-de-France Mobilités ticketing set up in January 2025 as the rest of the network — the Metro-Train-RER ticket for a single trip, or a Navigo Easy card or phone for a Navigo Semaine pass if you are staying several days. Tourists commonly use a Paris Visite pass instead. No prices are printed here because Île-de-France Mobilités tariffs are revised periodically; check current fares before travelling.

Line 14 being new to Orly also means it is worth confirming signage at the airport is fully settled — terminal layouts and airport-side wayfinding can lag behind an infrastructure change like this, so give yourself a few extra minutes on a first visit rather than assuming everything is obvious.

Orlyval: the direct link to RER B

Orlyval is an automated shuttle that has connected Orly’s terminals to the RER B line at Antony station for years, predating the line 14 extension. It remains relevant for one specific case: if your accommodation sits on the RER B line itself, north through Denfert-Rochereau and on to Chatelet-Les Halles and Gare du Nord, Orlyval-to-RER B can be a more direct route than metro line 14 plus a transfer.

The trade-off is that Orlyval is a separate, dedicated shuttle rather than part of the core metro network, so it typically costs more than a standard metro fare, and the transfer at Antony adds a change of vehicle you would not have on line 14 for destinations along that route. Which option wins depends entirely on your hotel’s location relative to these two lines — there is no single correct answer, and a guide that tells you “always take the metro” or “always take Orlyval” is not being honest with you.

What about Orlybus?

Orlybus has historically run between Orly and Denfert-Rochereau as a direct bus option. Given how much has changed at Orly’s transport links since the line 14 extension in June 2024, do not treat any bus route as a certainty — verify on Île-de-France Mobilités signage or their information point at the airport whether Orlybus is still operating on your travel dates before building a plan around it. This is the kind of detail that a printed guide can get wrong within months, so treat it as something to confirm on arrival rather than book from home.

Taxis from Orly

Official taxi ranks are located outside each terminal at Orly. A taxi suits travellers with heavy luggage, young children, a late-night or early-morning arrival when public transport options are less frequent, or a group where splitting a fare works out reasonably compared with several individual metro tickets. As with any Paris airport, only use the official taxi rank — never follow a driver who approaches you inside the arrivals hall offering a ride, which is a known scam pattern at every airport serving Paris.

Do not assume a taxi will be faster than the metro. Traffic into central Paris varies significantly by time of day, and line 14’s direct connection means the metro can be competitive or faster depending on your final stop. If your hotel is a fifteen-minute walk from the nearest metro station with bags in tow, though, a taxi removes that friction entirely.

If you would rather not navigate ticket machines after a long flight, a pre-booked private transfer from Orly straight to your accommodation or a one-way private car booked in advance both take the guesswork out of arrival, at a higher cost than public transport. For a long layover or an early departure, an airport lounge pass at Orly is worth considering separately from the transfer question.

Comparing your options by destination

Route	Best suited to	Transfers	Notes
Metro line 14	Destinations on or near line 14, most first-time visitors	Often none, or one metro change	Direct since June 2024; part of standard network ticketing
Orlyval + RER B	Accommodation directly on the RER B line	One change at Antony	Separate shuttle fare in addition to RER B
Orlybus	Denfert-Rochereau area, if still running	None if operating	Confirm current status before relying on it
Taxi from official rank	Heavy luggage, late arrivals, groups	None	Only use the official taxi rank, never a tout in arrivals
Pre-booked private transfer	Families, no interest in navigating tickets	None	Booked in advance, costs more than public transport

Which route suits your Paris neighbourhood

The right choice from Orly depends less on the mode of transport itself and more on where you’re sleeping that night. If you’ve booked into Le Marais or somewhere in the Latin Quarter, metro line 14 combined with a single change onto the wider metro network typically gets you close, since both neighbourhoods sit within the historic centre that the line was built to serve. Travellers staying near the Eiffel Tower or around Trocadero will usually still need at least one transfer off line 14, since that corner of the city sits west of the line’s route — a taxi or private transfer removes that extra change if you’re arriving with heavy bags.

Montmartre sits furthest from Orly of the classic Paris bases, in the north of the city, so any route — metro, Orlyval, or taxi — involves a longer overall journey than the neighbourhoods above; budget extra time regardless of which option you pick. If you haven’t settled on where to stay yet, the general where to stay in Paris overview breaks down the trade-offs between these areas before you book.

Orly versus the other two Paris airports

It helps to see Orly in context. Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is the larger, more distant airport at about 25 km north-east of the city, served by RER B directly to Gare du Nord and Chatelet, with taxis available at an official station — a longer trip than Orly by nearly any route. Paris Beauvais (BVA), used mainly by low-cost carriers, sits around 85 km north of Paris and requires a shuttle bus to Porte Maillot that takes well over an hour — not a quick hop by any measure. Orly, by comparison, is the shortest trip of the three, and the newest metro connection makes it more straightforward than it was even two years ago. If you have a choice of arrival airport for your trip, this proximity and the line 14 connection are worth factoring in.

Arriving with time to spare

If your flight lands with daylight left and you are not in a rush to reach your hotel, central Paris rewards a slow first walk. A guided walk through the centre of the city the same day or the next morning is a reasonable way to get oriented once you have dropped your bags, rather than trying to sightsee straight off a transatlantic flight.

For getting further into the transport network once you are in the city, see the Paris metro guide and the Paris RER and trains guide. If you are weighing metro against taxi for trips beyond just the airport run, the metro versus taxi in Paris comparison covers that more broadly. Travellers connecting onward the same day may also want the Paris layover guide.

Settling in after you land

However you make the trip from Orly, most travellers land with at least a partial day still ahead of them. If this is a first visit, Paris for first-time visitors is worth reading before you leave the airport, since it sets expectations for pacing that are easier to plan around before jet lag sets in rather than after. It pairs well with a broader look at how many days in Paris actually make sense for what you want to see, particularly if Orly is only the start of a wider Île-de-France trip that includes day trips beyond the city itself.

Once you’ve dropped your bags, resist the urge to plan a packed first afternoon straight off a flight. A short walk near wherever you’re staying, a coffee, and an early look at things to do in Paris for the following day tend to work better than trying to fit in a major sight on landing day. Save the Louvre or Notre-Dame for a morning when you’re not running on airport coffee alone.

Orly-specific things worth knowing before you land

Orly’s terminals have been reorganised in recent years alongside these transport upgrades, so terminal numbering and walking distances to the metro or Orlyval platform can differ from older travel advice you might find elsewhere. Give yourself a buffer on arrival to read current signage rather than relying on a fixed number of minutes from an outdated source.

If you are travelling with a wheelchair or a stroller, be aware that not every metro station in Paris has step-free access, and this is worth checking specifically for line 14 and your destination station before you rely on the metro as your only plan. Orlyval and taxis remain fully step-free alternatives if needed.

Finally, whichever route you take, arriving is also the point where staying connected and sorting out cards and payments tend to come up — both are worth a glance before you land so you are not solving them for the first time at the airport.

Orly to Paris: frequently asked questions

Does the metro go directly to Orly airport?

Yes. Metro line 14 was extended to Paris Orly (ORY) in June 2024, so travellers can now ride the metro straight into central Paris without changing to a shuttle bus first.

What is Orlyval and when should I use it?

Orlyval is an automated shuttle linking the airport terminals to the RER B station at Antony. It is the more direct choice if your accommodation sits on the RER B line north of Paris, such as near Denfert-Rochereau or Chatelet-Les Halles.

Is the Orlybus still running?

Orlybus has historically connected Orly to Denfert-Rochereau. Given how quickly transport options at Orly have changed since the line 14 extension, check current signage or Île-de-France Mobilités information on arrival before counting on it.

Is Orly closer to Paris than Charles de Gaulle?

Yes. Orly sits roughly 13-14 km south of the city, noticeably closer than Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), which is about 25 km to the north-east.

Can I take a taxi from Orly to Paris?

Yes, taxis are available at official ranks outside each terminal. This suits travellers with heavy luggage, a late arrival, or a group splitting the cost, though it will not necessarily be faster than the metro depending on traffic and your final destination.

Do I need to buy a special ticket for the airport metro?

Metro line 14 to Orly uses the same Île-de-France Mobilités ticketing set up in January 2025 as the rest of the network, loaded onto a Navigo Easy card or a phone. No separate airport-only ticket is required for the metro itself.

Should I book an airport transfer in advance instead?

A pre-booked private transfer removes the need to navigate ticket machines after a long flight and can be worth it for families or late-night arrivals, though it costs more than public transport.