Paris: Private Layover Tour
Airport pickupPrivateGuide
The one that collects at Orly as well as Charles de Gaulle, four hours, with a guide in the car rather than a driver alone.
From $417 per group of up to 3
CDG vs Orly for a Paris Layover
Short answer. Orly wins on distance and price: about 14 km and a €36 to €45 flat fare, against about 23 km and €56 to €65 from Charles de Gaulle. Charles de Gaulle wins on choice, because far more layover tours collect there.
The short answer
If the only question is how fast you get into Paris, Orly wins by roughly forty minutes on a round trip. If the question is what you can actually book, Charles de Gaulle wins, because most of the layover operators work from it.
Which matters more depends on how long your gap is. Under six hours, forty minutes is everything. Over eight, choice matters more.
Distance, and what it costs you
Charles de Gaulle sits about 23 km north-east of the centre. Orly sits about 14 km south. That nine-kilometre difference is worth about twenty minutes each way in normal traffic, and more in the evening rush.
| Charles de Gaulle | Orly | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to central Paris | About 23 km north-east | About 14 km south |
| By road | 45 min to 1 h 15 | 25 to 50 min |
| By rail | 30–35 min, RER B | About 30 min, Metro 14 or Orlyval |
| Taxi flat fare, right bank | €56 | €45 |
| Taxi flat fare, left bank | €65 | €36 |
| Airport transport ticket | €14 | €14 |
| Terminals | 1, 2A–2G and 3 | One connected building |
| Passengers, 2025 | 72,029,407 | Fewer than half that |
Why the left-bank fare flips
Look at the taxi rows again. From Charles de Gaulle the left bank costs more — €65 against €56 — because you cross the river to reach it. From Orly it costs less, €36 against €45, because Orly is already south of the water.
That is not trivia. If your route is built around the Latin Quarter, the Musée d'Orsay and the Luxembourg Gardens, Orly is nearly thirty euro cheaper and twenty minutes closer at the same time.
The terminals, and the one that catches people
Orly is a single connected building and you walk out of it. Charles de Gaulle is three terminals, one of which — Terminal 2 — is seven separate buildings lettered 2A to 2G, linked by a free light-rail shuttle called the CDGVAL.
That is why every operator here asks for your flight number rather than a terminal letter. Aircraft get moved between buildings, and the flight number is the thing that does not change. The layout is on the airports and map page.
✅ Useful tip If you are choosing between two connections when you book the flight, and one routes through Orly, take it. Forty minutes of driving is an extra stop. The short-layover routes show what that buys.
Choice: where Charles de Gaulle wins
Most layover operators are based around Charles de Gaulle, because that is where the long-haul connections are. Of the departures listed here, four collect at an airport door and only one names Orly among its pickup points.
So the practical position is: at Charles de Gaulle you choose from several formats and price bases; at Orly you take what is available and book it early. That single Orly listing also travels with a guide rather than a driver, which is a good outcome — but it is not a choice.
Which airport suits which connection
- Four to five hours: Orly only. The round trip from Charles de Gaulle eats the gap.
- Six hours: either, but Orly gives you an extra stop.
- Eight hours or more: either. At this length the choice of tour matters more than the choice of airport.
- Arriving at one and leaving from the other: ask the operator before you book. None of the listings promises it as standard.
Getting between the two airports
If your connection lands at one and leaves from the other, the transfer itself eats the layover. Charles de Gaulle to Orly is about 50 km across the whole city, which means an hour and a quarter by road at a good hour and considerably more at a bad one.
None of the listings here promises a cross-airport run as standard, so message the operator with both flight numbers before you book and get the answer in writing. Two of them name both airports among their pickup and drop-off points, which makes it at least worth asking.
What the numbers look like for a party of four
The airport choice changes the transport cost; the party size changes which tour is cheaper, and the two interact.
| Party | Return taxi from CDG | Return taxi from Orly | Cheapest tour, per party |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | €112 | €90 to the right bank | $137, per person |
| Two | €112 | €90 | $274, per person |
| Four | €112 | €90 | About $427, one car |
| Seven | Two cars | Two cars | About $771, one car |
The pattern is the same at both airports: a per-group fare wins from about three people upward, and a per-person fare wins for one or two. What Orly changes is the baseline, because every taxi leg is nine or twenty-nine euro cheaper.
And Beauvais, which is not really a Paris airport
Beauvais-Tillé is about 85 km north of the city and reached by a scheduled coach that takes well over an hour each way. Two and a half hours of transfer removes the usable middle of any connection.
If you are flying through Beauvais and want to see Paris, take a night in the city rather than a layover tour. Nothing here is built for it.
The verdict, by traveller
| If you are | Choose | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Tight on time, under six hours | Orly | Forty minutes of round-trip driving saved |
| Heading for the left bank | Orly | Closer and €29 cheaper by taxi |
| Wanting a choice of tours | Charles de Gaulle | Where the operators work from |
| On an eight-hour gap or more | Either | The tour matters more than the airport |
| Connecting through Beauvais | Neither | Take a hotel and see Paris properly |
What to do next
Look at your own itinerary and find the airport code. If it says ORY, book early because the list is short. If it says CDG, you have a choice to make, and the axes that separate the options are laid out in the guide to choosing one.
Either way, run the numbers on the timing rules page before you pay. The airport changes the drive; it does not change the buffer.
Tours by departure airport
Paris Private Guided Layover Tours
Airport pickupPrivateUp to 4
Charles de Gaulle only, five hours, eight stops, and the highest review volume of anything here.
From $427 per group of up to 4
Private Paris Airport Layover with English speaking Chauffeur
Airport pickupPrivateUp to 7
Charles de Gaulle, five hours, up to seven seats in one fare. Sold non-refundable, so confirm the connection first.
From $771 per group of up to 7
This one is sold non-refundable — the rest cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Whichever code your ticket carries, check the gap first on the timing rules page, then read what a first layover feels like. Paris private tour layover lists every departure and where it collects, and Paris Layover Tours sets them out in one table.