First Day in Paris - Minimize Jet Lag

Sounds like a good plan, even if you have flight delays, you could just omit something or shift it to another day.

Flight delays are my biggest concern for arrival day.

Chris, we landed in Paris right about the time you will be, and took a similar approach; dropped the bags, got our first load of euros, bought our museum passes, grabbed some coffee, and just walked all day to stay awake. We skipped lunch, though, as we weren't really hungry after all that sitting on the flight, and picked up crepes (yummy!) from one of the street-side stands later in the afternoon.

All that fresh air really helped, and we didn't have any issue staying up until an early bedtime of about 8:00 - 8:30 or so. We've followed that same routine on our other European trips, and even managed a little later bedtime a few times if we got a good second wind!

Your plan is exactly what I'd recommend, so good research and planning on your part!

I know it's just a typo, but note that you're landing at CDG or Charles de Gaulle airport; CVG airport is Cincinnati. Now that we all act as our own travel agents, we have to be careful not to go to the wrong place. One reads stories, and some of them are probably even true, of people who (for instance) want to go to Granada in Spain and end up in Grenada in the Caribbean, or buy tickets for Portland, Oregon but really want to go to Portland, Maine. I do hope you really booked to go to Paris - it never hurts to double check now!

Getting outside in daylight, drinking lots of water, eating small meals I find all help with jet lag. I then get to bed in good time ( like 8 pm because I do not sleep on planes) and start fresh the next morning

Sounds like an excellent plan to me--my first day started at about noon, and I mastered the metro, visited the Pompidou and then on to Notre Dame and the Conciergerie. With plenty of walking and outdoor time I felt great until about 6 pm and then it was time to head back to the hotel.

I like your plan. It's the kind of first day we try for when we arrive in France, although sometimes we just can't make it and wind up taking a short nap. It's not something I like to do, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

I think your plan sounds great! If you're walking from Printemps to Rue Mouffetard, you will see many gorgeous vistas and sites along the way. If you've worked up an appetite from all the walking, stop at Chez Nicos on Rue Mouffetard and have a nutella panini - YUM!! On the way from Rue Mouffetard to the Luxembourg Gardens, you can swing by Le Comptoir du Pantheon for a drink. It's a fun, friendly place to have a glass of wine with a view of the Pantheon to your right and the Eiffel Tower in the distance to your left.

It sounds like a fantastic trip - enjoy!!

Yes-- good planning. You may find, as we have, that resting along the way (Gardens, Seine river cruise) periodically will help you last longer. Sunshine is key to resetting the body clock. We have even taken turns catnapping in the comfy chairs in the Tuilleries Garden. Amazing what 15 minutes of napping will do for you! And, when you drop off your bags, there is no shame in resting for 30 minutes if your room is ready. Have a grand time!

One thing I do that I think mitigates jet lag is set my watch to the time at my destination as soon as the plane is airborne. I think it helps me mentally adjust to the time difference. I also don't drink alcohol (ok, maybe a glass of wine), but drink lots of water. Staying active and outdoors also helps, and I try not to go to bed until 9:00. Living on the West Coast, I find that the jet lag coming home is worse than going to Europe. Sometimes it takes several days to get over it.

My husband and I just spent a week in Paris. We stayed in the 7th arrondissement and on our first day we just walked around the Eiffel Tower, had coffee at a cafe, and then went to the Rodin Museum. My main goal the first day was to buy a Paris Museum Pass and we were able to do that at the Rodin Museum.

Water, sunshine, walking, a good late lunch with wine and staying awake until at least 8 p.m. Then I crash and put a "sleep aid" beside the bed with a glass of water so when I awake ready to go at 3 a.m. I can go back to sleep. If I can get 7 hours that first night (I never sleep on planes) I'm good to go and gradually adjust without problems. Carolyn's right -- coming home to Seattle is always very tough for me for a few days-- a combo of knowing I am going back to work, the vacation is over and as well as the "earth factors".

You're very regimented.

Want to know the real secret for beating jet leg? If you're one of the (un)fortunate souls who can't sleep on planes like me... well.. it happens on its own. Let me explain:

I almost always take a red eye, landing in the morning. Since by that time I have been up for, I don't know, 24 hours or something, I would normally sleep... except that the excitement of the first day is enough to get me through the day w.no problems at all, then I crash because I become disoriented and I fall asleep at like 6pm local, and bam... I wake up the next morning on the time zone. My wife on the other hand, who sleeps soundly across the entire ocean, takes a solid 4 days to adjust. Is this real advice? Not really. most people prefer to sleep on planes, but for people like me, I say, don't bother.

On the first day, my plan is similar to yours. Stay in the sunlight and fresh air to the maximum extent possible, walk rather than sit, and stay up till a normal local bedtime - at least 9pm.

The things I'd add are before you arrive. In the days leading up to your trip, go to bed an hour (two if you can get there) earlier to help you adjust time zones. Last trip I tried melatonin for the first time. I find it helps you fall asleep but won't keep you asleep and doesn't make you drowsy when you wake up. I used it for a few days before the trip to help me go to bed earlier.

I also like to sleep as much as humanly possible on the flight over. The first thing I do at the boarding gate is to set my watch to local time at my destination and completely forget about local time at home. I skip meals and entertainment. A melatonin right at boarding, helped sleep come quicker.

Even if you can only get a few hours sleep, your first day will be much better than being "out" on your feet for lack of sleep. I used melatonin to help me go to sleep for a couple of days to get into a normal sleep pattern.