Orly airport in Paris

I am basing this posting on the assumption this is the Grand Hotel Leveque you will be staying at.

The closest Metro station to the hotel is Ecole Militaire - line 8.

To keep your changes to the minimum - I would recommend you take the Air France bus to Invalides - then change to the Metro line 8 - 2 stops to the Ecole Militaire station.

It will be slightly more expensive (not by much) 8 euros per person for adults - but with the least hassle and time for you.

The Air France route you are looking for is #1 (red) the route is Orly to Montparnasse then to Invalides.

Depending upon which terminal you are coming into in Orly the pick up location varies -

Orly Sud (south) - Gate L
Orly Oest (west) - Gate D

You can purchase tickets online - but it really is not necessary. You can purchase when boarding the bus - just have cash and correct change is always appreciated (helps if there is a lack of French)

There is a very nice modern train (Orlyval) which links Orly Airport with the Paris Metro system. If you buy a Paris Visite Pass for zones 1-6 (http://www.ratp.info/informer/anglais/paris_visite.php) then the Orlyval train is covered along with the vast Paris Metro System for 1,2,3 or 5 days. We traveled all the way from Ecole Militaire to Orly Airport via this method. We stayed in the Hotel Royal Phare which is located about 10 steps from the Ecole Militaire Metro. The Leveque is about a 5 minute very easy walk from this metro stop.

The current fare for the Air France bus to Invalides is €10. The fare for the Metro ride to Ecole Militaire is €1.60.

A cheaper route--with one more change--would be to take the Orlybus to Denfert-Rochereau (€6.30), Metro line 6 to La Motte Piquet Grenelle, and Metro line 8 one stop to Ecole Militaire. Again the fare for the Metro ticket is €1.60.

See this zoomable map of the Metro and RER system.

A timely post....my wife and I will be staying at the Hotel Kensington in Paris this October, which is also near the Ecole Militaire metro station.

We will be arriving at Orly on a Jet4You flight from Morocco. Our flight arrives around 9 pm, and coming from North Africa, I expect that customs might take a little longer than a typical flight from the US. So we may not get out of the airport until somewhat late (10 pm? 11 pm?).

At that hour, what's our best way to get to the same neighborhood (Ecole Minitaire metro station, near Rue Cler)?

David,

The last Orlybus to Denfert-Rochereau leaves Orly Sud at 23:30 and Orly Ouest at 23:32. The last Air France coach #1 to Gare Montparnasse and Invalides leaves Orly Sud at 23:15 and Orly Ouest a few minutes later. It's your choice. You should get out of the airport in time to catch a much earlier bus; but even if you are delayed and have to take the last bus, Metro trains will still be running when you get to either Denfert-Rochereau or Invalides.

Take a cab.

So what's a cab going to cost for a trip like that (Orly to Rue Cler area)?

The Aeroports de Paris site says that the average fare from Orly to the center of Paris is €35. However, it also says the rate is higher at night so you should expect to pay about 15% more.

I should have mentioned that the Paris Visite pass also includes the RER trains to CDG Airport and places like Versaille. We got our money's worth because we arrived in CDG and used the RER and metro to get to our hotel at Ecole Militaire. In addition we used the pass to get to Orly as we departed Paris for Munich.

We just did this in June and took the Roissy bus to Opera and then the metro to the nearest metro stop. Sounds easy but it took us hours because it's not as easy to do as it sounds.

As we were checking into Hotel Leveque we noticed a sign saying they had an airport shuttle for 19 Euros. That may sound like a lot right now but after all the time and effort it took us to get to the hotel, we would have spent it in a heartbeat. We wasted hours we could have spent in the city just trying to get to the hotel.

You'll love Rue Cler!!

To just add -

The suggestion of Orly Bus to Denfert and then to line 6 and change at La Motte to line 8 - is not what I would recommend with luggage.

First, the change at Denfert Rochereau requires you to cross several intersections and down stairs to line 6. Then the change at La Motte Piquette will require about a 4 minute walk down many flights of stairs (4 to 5 actually). I have found this to be a bit much for those who are not used to stairs and luggage all at the same time.

Although the cost may be slightly different - I believe you will find the Air France Bus to Invalides or a taxi (approx. 30 - 40 Euros plus bags) to be the most enjoyable solution.

If you want to avoid all this struggle on your next trip to Paris do what I always do. Choose a hotel that's along the RER B line (covers both airports), and with a metro stop right at the hotel door. It could not be more pleasant! Bonne chance!