Orly handled 34.9 million passengers in 2025, already 9.7% above its pre-pandemic peak, and that number is climbing. Yet most travellers arriving at France's second-busiest airport still make their transfer decision in the arrivals hall, sleep-deprived, rolling luggage in hand. The options are more varied (and the price gaps more significant) than most guides admit.
This is the complete, honest breakdown of every Orly-to-Paris transfer option in 2026: real fares, real journey times, real trade-offs. Including the one option that has changed the picture considerably since mid-2024.
The Lay of the Land: Orly's Terminal Reality
Since the 2023 terminal consolidation, Orly operates across Terminals 1 to 4, all connected by the free Orly Shuttle (Navette Orly) bus. Terminal 4 handles most Air France and Transavia departures; Terminals 1 to 3 serve international and low-cost carriers. Orly sits 18 km south of central Paris (Notre-Dame de Paris), versus CDG's 25 km to the northeast. That proximity advantage is real, but the right transfer choice depends far more on your budget, group size, and departure time than on raw distance.
Option 1: Ligne 14 Metro, the Game-Changer Since June 2024
The biggest development in Orly transfers in a decade: Ligne 14 now runs directly to the airport. The station "Aéroport d'Orly" opened on 24 June 2024 as part of the Grand Paris Express, connecting Orly to central Paris without a shuttle or platform transfer.
2026 fare: €14 per adult (Ticket Paris Région <> Aéroports, sold via Navigo Easy, the Île-de-France Mobilités app, or Apple Wallet). Navigo annual and monthly pass holders with zone 4 or 5 coverage: included at no additional cost.
Journey time: approximately 24 minutes to Saint-Lazare; 28 minutes to Châtelet-Les Halles. Trains run every 2 to 4 minutes during peak hours, 06:00 to 01:00 daily.
The honest trade-off: For a solo traveller with carry-on luggage, this is now the fastest and cheapest public option, materially better than the OrlyVal connection it largely supersedes. The station is connected to Terminals 1 to 3 by pedestrian walkway (under 8 minutes); Terminal 4 passengers still need the free shuttle. If your transfer involves multiple passengers or significant luggage, the cost and convenience arithmetic shifts quickly toward taxis or private chauffeurs.
Best for: Solo or duo travellers with manageable luggage landing at T1 to T3, comfortable with public transport.
Option 2: OrlyVal + RER B, Still Viable for Navigo Holders
OrlyVal is a fully automated light rail connecting Orly terminals to Antony station on RER B. Since Ligne 14 opened, its main advantage has narrowed. It remains useful for passengers whose destination is better served by RER B stops (Châtelet, Saint-Michel, Luxembourg) rather than Ligne 14 stations.
2026 fare: €14 (Ticket Paris Région <> Aéroports, the same unified airport ticket that covers Ligne 14). Navigo pass holders without zone 4 to 5 coverage pay only the OrlyVal supplement (around €9.30) with RER B included in their pass.
Journey time: 40 to 50 minutes to Châtelet-Les Halles; 50 to 60 minutes to Gare du Nord. Frequency: every 4 to 7 minutes (06:00 to 23:15 daily).
Best for: Travellers whose Paris destination aligns with RER B stations. Navigo holders for whom Ligne 14 is not yet on their pass zone.
Option 3: Bus Lines (Slow, Cheap, and Situational)
Orlybus (Line 91-06): Runs from Orly T2/T3 and T4 to Denfert-Rochereau (14th arr.), where Metro lines 4 and 6 and RER B continue onward. Fare: €11.10. Journey time: 25 to 40 minutes to Denfert in light traffic, which roughly doubles during the 08:00 to 10:00 and 17:00 to 20:00 peaks.
Filéo (Line 91-07): Connects Orly to Villejuif to Louis Aragon (Metro line 7). Fare: €3.50 with Navigo. Journey time: 15 to 25 minutes. Useful if you live along line 7.
Le Bus Direct (formerly Air France Bus) discontinued its Orly to Paris service in 2023 and has not relaunched. Buses have no dedicated luggage storage; a family with large cases will encounter friction at boarding and on board.
Best for: Light travellers with flexible schedules and destinations near Denfert or along line 7.
Option 4: Licensed Taxi (Regulated Flat Rates)
Paris taxis to and from Orly have operated under regulated flat fares since February 2016, updated annually by prefectoral decree (most recently on 24 December 2025):
- Left Bank (south of the Seine): €35 flat
- Right Bank (north of the Seine): €41 flat
These fares apply 24/7, regardless of traffic or time of day. For a party of two or three, the per-person cost often matches or beats Ligne 14 while adding door-to-door convenience. Taxis at Orly depart from supervised ranks outside each terminal (follow "Taxis Parisiens" signs); average wait is 5 to 15 minutes, extending to 30 minutes during peak arrival waves.
What the flat rate excludes: Supplements for luggage beyond the third piece (€1 each), bank holiday surcharge (+15%), and return tolls on certain routes. In practice, final fares land within 5% of the regulated rate.
Best for: Solo or duo travellers heading to inner Paris arrondissements; anyone who values price certainty without pre-booking.
Option 5: VTC (Variable Pricing, Variable Quality)
Uber, Bolt, and Heetch all operate at Orly, with well-signed pickup zones outside each terminal. Pricing in 2026 with no surge: UberX €28 to 45; Uber Comfort or Bolt Business €38 to 60. Surge multipliers during peak arrival windows can reach 2.5×, and during CDG diversions (common in winter fog), documented spikes at Orly have reached 3× standard rates. As the Paris VTC market has matured, Uber’s take rate has approached 42% of each fare, which compresses driver earnings and creates real variance in vehicle standard and service quality at the economy tier.
Best for: Occasional travellers comfortable with variable pricing. Those with app-based corporate accounts that cap fare exposure.
Option 6: Private Chauffeur (Fixed Price, Zero Variables)
A pre-booked private chauffeur from a service like PrivateDrive operates on fundamentally different economics. The fare is locked at booking: no surge multiplier, no traffic adjustment, no time-of-day premium. The driver monitors your flight live and adjusts arrival time for delays. The vehicle is always a premium sedan or SUV.
PrivateDrive from Orly (2026): from €95 for a sedan to any Paris inner address. SUV or V-Class for groups available with full luggage capacity. Sixty minutes of complimentary waiting time from actual landing, meet-and-greet in the arrivals hall, child seat on 24-hour request.
Total-cost comparison for a family of four:
- Ligne 14 × 4: €56
- Taxi (Right Bank): €41 + crowding + luggage stress
- Private chauffeur SUV from €95: door-to-door, one vehicle, full luggage capacity
For groups of three or more, the premium over a taxi shrinks significantly and eliminates the coordination overhead entirely. Business travellers should note that the Paris luxury ground transport market consistently validates this calculation: productive transit time in a confirmed, quiet vehicle returns more value than the difference in fare.
Best for: Families, executives, late-night arrivals, anyone for whom price certainty and comfort justify a modest premium over public transport.
The Late-Night Problem
Orly's last scheduled flight arrives around 23:00 to 23:30. Ligne 14 runs until 01:00 and covers most of this window, a material improvement over previous years. OrlyVal closes at 23:15. Orlybus runs until midnight with reduced frequency. After midnight, public options are limited to Noctilien night buses (N31, N131, N144), infrequent and impractical with luggage.
For arrivals after 23:30, the practical choices are taxi, VTC, or private chauffeur. At those hours, taxi availability thins and VTC surge pricing climbs. A pre-booked chauffeur at a fixed rate is the only late-arrival option with genuine price certainty, particularly relevant for frequent travellers who've been caught by CDG-to-Orly diversions and found no reliable ground transport waiting.
Side-by-Side: Every Orly Option in 2026
| Option | Fare (1 pax) | Fare (4 pax) | To centre | Luggage | 24/7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ligne 14 Metro | €14 | €56 | 24 to 30 min | Limited | Until 01:00 |
| OrlyVal + RER B | €14 | €56 | 40 to 55 min | Limited | Until 23:15 |
| Orlybus | €11.10 | €44.40 | 40 to 65 min | Limited | Until midnight |
| Taxi (flat rate) | €35 to €41 | €35 to €41 | 25 to 55 min | Yes | Yes |
| Uber / VTC | €28 to €60 | €28 to €60 | 25 to 55 min | Yes | Yes (surge) |
| Private chauffeur | from €95 | from €95 | 25 to 55 min | Full | Yes (fixed) |
The right choice depends on your group size, luggage, timing, and how much uncertainty you're willing to absorb. Ligne 14 has made the solo-traveller calculation straightforward. For everyone else, the fixed-rate alternatives (taxi or private chauffeur) remain the most predictable options from Europe's most consistently growing secondary airport.