Orly vs. CDG, Yes or No Question

If coming from central Paris, a taxi to Orly would be slightly less that a taxi to CDG. Also, is either one a direct flight?

Flight is the same, cost of transportation to the airport is the same. Is avoiding Cdg worth $40 per ticket to YOU?

nope

I have not been to Orly airport but we have been from Boston to CDG twice on direct flights. There were no connecting flights to worry about and we took the RER B into Paris once and the train to Reims the other. Both times were seamless so we would not pay extra.

The question is really "Is it worth it to Matt?"
It's really nobody's decision but his own.

This is good info - thanks.

I find that surveying the personal opinions of experienced travelers (who have a larger sample size than myself) help me frame my own partially-formed views on subjects like this - so I REALLY am looking for YOUR opinion.

Thanks a bunch!

-Matt

If you're worried about the size and perceived difficulty of navigating CDG, then if everything else is the same, use Orly. A lot depends upon which terminal you land in at CDG.

The flat fee from Orly will be either 30 or 35 EU, rather than 50 or 55 EU from CDG, depending on your address.

Absolutely (it would be worth $40 more to me to fly from Orly rather than CDG). (although I guess to some extent it depends how many tickets, and thus how big the overall additional expense is. I remember that you all are a family, and I imagine Bets has it right that you're a family of four, so $160. Some have pointed out that you'll save a little on the cab ride. The main thing you'll save is your sanity because Orly is SO much easier to manage and less of a headache than CDG. Not to mention not as far out of the city.)

Not that you can't manage CDG, because you've done it many times before.

My .02!

Good luck with your decision, I'll be interested to hear what you decide and what this option is.

No. CDG is not one of my favorite airports but if I get there early, it's fine. Going home isn't fun no matter the airport.

No, I wouldn't. In the 3 times we've flown in/out of CDG we haven't had any problems. I'd rather spend that money on extra wine at a cafe!

So far i have yet to understand why people find CDG so awful or confusing? There are signs everywhere.

Anyways in op case if he is a bit nervous , then pay the extra 40 bucks a head , in the scheme of what one spends on holidays its a drop in the bucket.

I agree with Pat ..... CDG has never been a problem for us. Yes, it is large, so is O'Hare and so is Toronto. If you have no mobility problems, read the signs, follow the signs and Bob's your uncle.

Thanks everybody - I have what I need. I've been to many airports (not Orly) and the only one that has ever given me trouble is CDG (actually, Philly is a nightmare too), so I wanted to collect other people's perspectives. I'm leaning towards CDG and $160 in my pocket. I think I agree with Bets - definitely $20 ($80) worth, not $40 ($160) worth.

Thanks for the insights!

-Matt

I loath CDG and have actually ended several trips with a few days in Amsterdam, just to avoid using them. Will be flying out of there this November though because flights to Chicago don't originate in ORY. If I had a choice I'd take ORY. We have flown out of CDG many times and have had many tales of mismanaged lines, nearly missing a flight even though we arrived 3 hours ahead due to seriously screwed up management by the airline etc. They just don't care and the experience is never very pleasant. So all things equal, we'd take ORY -- it might be worth 40$ to us -- we always fly out of ORY for intra European flights where there is usually a choice.

I too loathe CDG, and it has nothing to do with the difficulty of finding things. It's really the sheer size and chaos. On the other hand, there are some lovely towns to stay in that are a 10-20 minute drive from CDG, making it convenient to fly out of.

No, I would not. CDG is like many big airports, it has problems but it is manageable. It's not like this is O'Hare or something. Plan on showing up even earlier than they recommend and plan for awful traffic getting there.

O'Hare, CDG, JFK--are neck to neck in competition for worse of the worse. Did somebody say Heathrow?

That depends on various factors. I would weigh the factors before deciding.

I have not been to Orly in ages and only once but I'm used to CDG. Getting your luggage can be taxing at CDG, I've had that experience too. That I would take into consideration. I have no problems navigating that place, luckily I've not had to make a connecting flight even though I know a person who has had to make a connecting flight at CDG after flying in from SFO , then connect to Toulouse. My complaint is that CDG could have better dining facilities which you find to be the case at MUC, Heathrow and Frankfurt.

I would not. I've had one awful experience at CDG (still made my flight) vs. about 7-8 good ones. I'd go for the $40.

Thanks for the insights everyone. Really helpful.

Funny, I actually like JFK!

absolutely not. Orly is old and weathered - and the service tends to run slow (including gates and security). I would pay $100 extra to go into CDG vs. Orly.

I deleted my original answer after leaving from Orly this week, admittedly the first day of fall vacation, but I would not pay a cent or centime more.

Gosh, wo, that's a bit insulting. I've made about forty flights out of CDG and Orly, so I think I, and a lot of other people posting, have some knowlege of how to travel. I still don't like CDG particularly. The departure halls have been extremely chaotic for years with people pushing all directions, getting hit with carts filled to the brim, etc. This is the scene for T2 from early in the morn until most of the overseas flights are processed. And if you have to change terminals with luggage and kids in tow--ouf.

Now Orly is becoming a smaller version.

Bets is right. And CDG was even worse 30 years ago, at least as far as its procedures go (such as waiting in a long line to check in, then after checking in being released into the general public area, which meant a further trip through security down the road). Some of those have improved, but I'm sure that the volume of traffic has increased exponentially. Maybe improvements could be made, but it just might be that the sheer volume of traffic makes it impossible to do much. Can't speak about Orly, since I only flew in there once.

My last experience leaving out of CDG was the easiest I have ever encountered. The lines to check bags wasn't as long as I an used to and the whole process of a checking a bag was automated. Even my students found it a breeze . Though admittedly, this was during one of the strike days this summer and traffic to the airport was murder (we were coming from the Loire Valley and the flooding made our journey 3 hours longer). I hope my flight to and from CDG this Christmas will be just as easy.

True that Orly is old, I was there in 1973, nothing bad enough or good enough stands out in my memory of the place. CDG has had parts of it refurbished. Taking the return flight back to SFO from CDG is no problem, at least, not enough to bother me. which is routine with the RER B from Paris Nord the night before to the Campanille hotel at Roissy, the latest by 8 pm. Flying out from Paris I always stay the night before at the airport but not in London or FRA or Munich. Nothing against Orly but departing from there means a different route.