🛫 Orly 1, 2, 3 — The Connected Complex

Orly 1: Schengen flights mostly. Air France domestic + Schengen, Transavia, Vueling. Metro Line 14 station serves Orly 1 directly (and is reachable from Orly 2 via the connector).

Orly 2: the central hub. Schengen + non-Schengen. Air France, KLM, easyJet, Air Caraïbes, Corsair. Main check-in concourse, largest food court, the Air France lounges.

Orly 3: non-Schengen, including African and Indian Ocean carriers (Air Algérie, Royal Air Maroc, Tunisair, Mauritania Airlines), and the Latin America Air France subset (Cayenne, French Polynesia codeshares). The OrlyVal shuttle to Orly 4 starts here.

🛬 Orly 4 — The Separated Terminal

Orly 4 (the historic Orly-Sud) is the oldest part of the airport, retains a distinct 1960s-French-modernist architecture, and serves a mix of Schengen LCCs (easyJet, Wizz Air, Pegasus from Türkiye) plus selected long-haul (Norse Atlantic, French Bee).

Tramway T7 station is at Orly 4 (Exit 47D).

Connection to Orly 1-2-3: the OrlyVal shuttle is free, runs every 5-7 minutes, takes 6-8 minutes between terminals.

EES — Fully Operational Since 10 April 2026

All non-EU passport holders now biometrically registered on first entry: 4-finger fingerprint scan + facial photo. Subsequent entries auto-match within 3 years. Morning Maghreb arrivals to Orly 3 hit hour-long queues 06:00–10:00. Sky Priority lane reduces this to 15-20 minutes.

ETIAS — Coming Q4 2026

The €7 pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals (UK, US, CA, AU, BR, JP, etc.) launches in autumn 2026 with phased grace period. Apply at travel-europe.europa.eu — beware the third-party scam sites already saturating Google ranking for “ETIAS France 2026” charging €60-90.

Caribbean & Indian Ocean Queues

Evening Caribbean and Indian Ocean arrivals at Orly 4 hit 45-60 minute queues during EES rollout. If you have a tight onward connection, allow 90 minutes for non-Schengen passport control. Morning is faster than evening at Orly 4.

⭐ Metro Line 14 — The New Default

• Direct from Orly station (under Orly 1) to Paris non-stop — Châtelet in 25 min, Madeleine in 22 min, Saint-Lazare in 28 min, Gare de Lyon in 30 min.
• Runs every 4-7 minutes, 06:00–24:00 daily.
• Single fare €14 with the Paris Region <> Airports ticket — sold ONLY in digital format on the Navigo Easy travel pass or smartphone via the Île-de-France Mobilités app. No paper ticket option. Reduced fare €7 for under-25s.
• The Paris Region <> Airports ticket also covers Roissy CDG via RER B — buy once, use either airport.
• Note: this is NOT the standard €2.50 Métro ticket — the airport extension carries a special tariff. Standard Métro tickets are not valid.

🚊 OrlyVal + RER B — The Legacy Route

• OrlyVal driverless shuttle from Orly to Antony station (8 minutes), then RER B north to Châtelet, Gare du Nord, Charles de Gaulle Étoile.
• Total time 35-40 minutes to Châtelet (longer than Metro 14, but covers north Paris and CDG transit).
• Combined fare €14.50 — slightly more than Metro 14, slightly slower, but the option if you’re heading directly to a north-Paris RER B stop or onward to CDG.
• RER B runs every 4-8 minutes during the day, 5:30–24:00.

🚋 Tramway T7 — The Bargain Option

• From Orly 4 (Exit 47D) to Villejuif Louis Aragon (Métro Line 7), 45 minutes.
• Single fare €2.50 with a standard t+ paper ticket or Navigo Easy carnet.
• Métro Line 7 runs onward to Châtelet, Opéra, République — total door-to-door 65-75 minutes from Orly 4 to central Paris.
• The cheapest option, but slow. Worth it for backpackers and budget travellers staying in southern Paris.

🚌 Orlybus + Bus 183 — Direct Buses

• Orlybus — direct bus from Orly to Denfert-Rochereau (Left Bank, Métro 4 + 6) in 25-35 min, €11.50.
• Bus 183 from Orly to Porte de Choisy (Métro 7) in 45 min, €2.50 — the most local-style option.
• FlixBus from Orly to Bercy and other long-distance points, varying prices.

🚕 Taxi / Uber / Bolt

• Official Paris flat-rate taxi — €36 to Right Bank, €44 to Left Bank, fixed since 2022, no surge. Pickup from official rank, signed.
• Uber, Bolt, Heetch — €30-55 depending on traffic and time. Meeting point inside Orly 1, Orly 2, Orly 4 designated pickup zones.
• Avoid the unofficial drivers in arrivals offering “fixed price” rides — illegal, often unsafe, frequently 2x the proper rate.

🛋️ Air France Lounges (Orly 1-2-3)

Air France Lounge — Schengen (Orly 2 airside, after security on the central concourse). Free for Air France Business Class, Sky Priority, Skyteam Elite Plus, Flying Blue Platinum/Ultimate Elite. Walk-in not available.

Air France Lounge — Non-Schengen (Orly 3 airside). Smaller, similar access rules. Used by Air France long-haul to West Africa and the Caribbean.

🎟️ Salon Privilège (Orly 2 airside)

Walk-in: €38 for 2 hours.

Priority Pass / LoungeKey / DragonPass: all accepted.

The general-public lounge with a French breakfast/lunch buffet, decent wines, quiet workspace. The bigger and better of ORY’s Priority Pass options — French buffet, calm workspace, less crowded than Extime Orly 4.

✨ Extime Orly 4 Lounge

Walk-in: €38-42 depending on seasonal pricing.

Priority Pass / LoungeKey / DragonPass: all accepted.

The newest Orly lounge, opened 2023. Modern Scandinavian design, hot food, full bar. Smaller than Salon Privilège but convenient if your flight is from Orly 4 and you don’t want to OrlyVal back.

The airport breakfast standard. Decent croissant, properly pulled espresso. Maison Paul is a national chain; the Orly branches at Orly 1 and Orly 2 are competently run. Skip the supermarket-style packaged versions in WH Smith — get the actual fresh bake from the Maison Paul counter.

Bistrot Parisien (Orly 2 airside) does a respectable bistro plate, served with red wine by the glass. The closest you’ll get to a Paris brasserie experience inside an airport. Allow 45 minutes for a proper sit-down meal — the staff move at the same pace as a Paris bistro, not airport speed.

Le Comptoir de la Mer (Orly 2 airside) does a small plateau with oysters, prawns, langoustines. Surprisingly fresh given the airport setting. If you’ve never had French oysters, this is the airport-friendly version. Pair with a Sancerre by the glass for around €8.

Available at any of the brasserie counters. Classic ham-and-cheese sandwich, grilled to bubbling. A respectable airport quick-eat — proper French béchamel, decent ham, real Gruyère. Skip the airport McDonald’s; this is the cheap-and-French alternative.

Orly 1, Orly 2 retail branches. The iconic Parisian macarons in their pastel boxes. Better presentation than Pierre Hermé at the airport (the latter’s airport range is limited). Buy a 12-pack box for €30 to take home or gift.

🍾 Champagne

€40-65 for 750ml. Bollinger, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Pol Roger — duty-free pricing is genuinely competitive vs central Paris wine merchants. Buy here if you have airline-allowed sealed liquids and a connecting flight letting you carry it on.

🥃 Cognac and Armagnac

Hennessy XO ~€170, Rémy Martin VSOP ~€60. Better than UK or US duty-free pricing typically. Armagnac (the older, less-marketed cousin) starts at €40 and offers better value than mid-range cognac.

💄 French Perfume

10-15% off central Paris department-store prices. Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, Hermès — duty-free pricing varies. Often less interesting than Galeries Lafayette in town for similar stock and broader selection.

🥫 Foie Gras & Rillettes (Canned)

€15-25 per tin. You can take canned foie gras through customs to most non-EU destinations including the US (with restrictions). Sealed for international transport, gift-wrappable, distinctively French.

Paris has two major airports and the choice matters more than most travellers think.

Choose ORY if: you’re flying Air France domestic; flying Transavia, Vueling, easyJet, French Bee, Norse Atlantic; heading to southern Paris (south of the Seine, Latin Quarter, Montparnasse); flying to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, or West Africa on Air France or LCC; price difference is over €40 vs CDG.

Choose CDG if: you’re flying any Star Alliance or Oneworld carrier; flying Asia, North America (most carriers), Australia long-haul; in transit between two non-Schengen flights; heading to the Right Bank, Marais, or northern Paris; flying out of Paris in Air France Business or First (La Première lounge is CDG-only).

For travellers heading to the Loire Valley, Bordeaux, or southwest France, ORY is the better fit. Air France domestic from ORY to Tours (TUF), Nantes (NTE), Bordeaux (BOD), Pau (PUF), and Toulouse (TLS) operates 20+ daily across the network, all at ORY rather than CDG. Combine with a 25-minute Metro 14 transfer to Gare Montparnasse for the Paris-side rail option (TGV Atlantique terminates there) and you have an integrated arrival/onward-rail combination.

If your ORY connection is 6+ hours and you’ve already done central Paris, the under-known move is to take Metro 14 to Châtelet, transfer to RER C south to Versailles in 35 minutes. Versailles palace tickets need pre-booking but the gardens are free and walkable. Total round trip 4-5 hours from ORY door-to-door, comfortably possible on a 6-hour layover.

Best zone: Orly 4 quiet zones — the older terminal has more sheltered seating areas with armrest-free benches. Orly 1-2-3 connector floor is busy 24/7 and a poor choice.
Showers: Orly 4 has paid showers (€8 for 30 min). Orly 1-2-3 does not.
Curfew: Orly closes for arriving flights between 23:30–06:15. Departing flights from 06:00. Airside is accessible only when there’s an active flight.
Better alternative: the Hilton Garden Inn Paris-Orly is connected via OrlyVal and offers €120-160 night rates. The Aerotel Paris CDG/Orly is cheaper at €70-90 but lacks airside-direct access.

EU/EEA visitors: your home plan covers France free under Roam Like At Home — do nothing.
UK/US/non-EU visitors: Orange and SFR kiosks landside in arrivals. €15-25 for 30 GB EU-roaming plan, valid 30 days. Bring passport. Tourist eSIM 10 GB / 28 days runs €15-25 — Airalo or Holafly before landing for €5-10 less.
5G: default across central Paris and the airport.

France’s strike culture is a real travel variable. Air traffic control strikes (CGT, FO unions) typically get 48-72 hours notice and can ground 30-50% of ORY operations on a strike day. Check the SNCF and DGAC strike calendars before booking critical connections. Air France domestic is most exposed; international flights tend to be reduced rather than cancelled. Travel insurance with strike cover is worth the €30 if your trip is time-critical.