Paris: Orly

Until a week ago, I had always flown into Charles de Gaulle. CDG had a lot of associations for me: it was my first destination in Europe when I came for the first time in 1997, it was my point of entry on subsequent trips, and a preferred stop on the way to visit my family in Atlanta. Many of these experiences were positive, or at least tinged with good feelings about Paris.

Recently, however, a good deal of the lustre had rubbed off. Too big, too disorganized, too difficult to navigate. On my last trip to Oslo with my boss, we were fairly certain that we'd miss our connecting flight due to the crazy setup; only a delay in our Oslo flight allowed us to make it.

So when my husband and I were planning a trip to Paris a month or so ago, I was curious to see what Orly would be like. Vueling used to fly into CDG, and it was pretty much a disaster, given their stepchild status. In Orly, however, they have a prominent position in the West Terminal. Amazingly, when you exit the arrivals area, the baggage claim is right there! The transportation by bus/train is easy into Paris, and even easier if you take a taxi (and not that much more expensive for two people).

Coming back to Orly was a quick taxi ride from the Marais, and we enjoyed the airport for its amenities, pleasant service, and functional design. It seemed to me a nice partner to my beloved Barcelona airport: older, less polished, but good-hearted and practical. And who could have predicted there would be a Ladurée tea room there, or such a fabulous magazine selection at Relay? The image here is of the glass brick wall in one of the departure lounges.

Will I ever go to CDG again?