Sleeping in Paris Orly Airport

Whether your situation calls for a short nap or an overnight slumber, this sleep guide will give you the essential information needed to prepare you for sleeping in Paris Orly Airport.

Our guide is updated with the help of airport sleepers who tell us about their experiences at Paris Orly Airport. If you have a tip to share, write a review to help us keep this sleep guide up-to-date!

Read the latest traveller reviews.

Sleeping in Paris Orly Airport

The Paris Orly Airport may close at night from 12:30AM – 3:30AM, though it seems that if you’re already inside before closing time, you are allowed to remain inside. Be safe by having a backup plan ready.

Locations & Seating

What seating exists is mostly fit with armrests, making it hard to get comfortable. Get creative to prop yourself up, or spread out on the floor for some decent shuteye – you won’t be the only person to do so! If you’re sleeping in the pre-Security public zones, the seating is much more limited, so bring an extra layer or cushion for the floor.

Here are good sleep spots that travellers have reported:

Try sleeping on the couches and benches inside cafes, especially once they close after 9:00 PM or so.
There’s a hallway just before Halls 3 and 4 with a few chairs that offers a bit of privacy.
Before Security, many people sleep in Terminal 1-2 on Floor 1.
In Terminal 4, pre-Security, the check-in counters 15-17 are good for sleeping on the floor.

Rest Zones

At the time of this update, there are no designated rest zones within the airport.

Temperature

Plan for colder temperatures inside the airport, especially overnight. Floor sleeping will be much better with an extra layer for warmth. Arrive prepared with a blanket or even a sleeping bag. A hoodie provides extra warmth if the terminal gets even colder.

Lighting

Lights are bright throughout the night. Come prepared with eyeshades or something else to cover your eyes, such as a shirt or towel.

Noise

Travellers report standard airport noise during the day: frequent announcements, TVs and music playing, and the ambient noise of people, restaurants, and workers. By night, there are rarely any flights, so it does quiet down a good amount. You may hear cleaning crews or security guards, but they seem to pass quickly enough.

Weather Delays

Paris Orly Airport sees more than its fair share of flight cancellations due to bad weather or transportation strikes, but this means they are more prepared than other airports. When mass cancellations happen at Paris Orly Airport, cots are available for stranded passengers who opt against getting a hotel room. To find them, ask an airline or airport employee or use a courtesy phone to reach someone who has access to this information.

Please note that these cots cannot be reserved in advance and they are not available simply because you decided to spend the night at the airport before an early-morning departure.

Showers

Unfortunately, there are no showers available to freshen up.

Food & Drink

With no 24-hour food concessions, stock up on food and water before eateries and convenience stores close for the night.

Hotels

If you’re craving the privacy and comfort of a hotel room, you will have to leave the airport behind. Several hotels are within a 5-minute drive, including one within a 10-minute walk. Most offer free shuttle service, too. See the hotel section in our Airport Guide for locations or visit Tripadvisor to find hotels deals at Orly Airport.

Lounges

While Paris Orly Airport has a couple lounges, neither have designated sleep rooms or rest areas. If you just want to relax in a comfortable seat, check out this list of lounges in our Paris Orly Airport Guide that you can pay to access.

Security & Safety

At the time of this update, we have no reports from travellers commenting on safety issues at Paris Orly Airport. Airport staff don’t seem to mind sleepers and overnight campers. Several travellers mentioned feeling safer thanks to security patrolling the terminal at night.

As a precaution, here are a few tips to ensure you have a safe airport sleeping experience:

Know Where Security is Located. Whether you are sleeping in the airport by yourself or with friends, it is good to know where security is. Know where their office is located and look for video cameras in the spot you decide to stay the night. Ask security where it is safe to spend the night. They’ve probably seen many airport sleepers before you and they will direct you to a safe spot.
Don’t Seclude Yourself. If you are travelling alone we recommend that you sleep near other travellers or close to security.
Hide Your Valuables. Don’t leave all your mobile devices out in plain view. We have received reports from people who woke up with earphones and no ipod and a laptop bag strap and no laptop bag (or laptop). Same goes with important documents and money. Keep these secure on your body, so that no one can get them without waking you up.
Secure Your Bags. If you are a deep sleeper, you may want to padlock your bag to something. If your bags have zippers turn the bag upside down (zippers to the floor) or sleep with your bag up against the wall, so that it would be hard for someone to access.
Choose to Stay Alert. If you don’t feel safe, drink coffee and stay awake and be alert. You can always sleep on the plane!

Pro-tip: If you are sleeping in the public zone, don’t be surprised if you receive an early morning wake-up call. Security is known to make the rounds waking people up as travellers begin to arrive for morning flights.