Rome with jet lag

It all depends on you. Personally, I typically don't experience jet lag either. When I arrive someplace (especially Rome), I'm usually so excited to start seeing everything, even if I wanted to, there's no way I would be able to just wind down to start it off.

I like the quick hustle & bustle of sightseeing at the beginning of the trip, and just relaxing at the end, which it sounds like you have planned with Cinque Terre.

If anything, maybe the first few days are more relaxed, and you don't try to tackle all the major destinations in one day. Much of the beauty of Rome, as least for me, is the everyday. Just sitting at a cafe in some lesser known piazza (or even a well known one), enjoying gelato, and watching people walk by & enjoying the vernacular architecture, which are much different than Midwest buildings.

We arrive at our destination, find the hotel, drop off bags and then start sightseeing. When we were in Rome 9 years ago with 4 adults and 4 teenagers we headed out from our hotel, grabbed a slice of pizza on the way and walked to the Coliseum. Then the Forum. After an early dinner we hit the sack and the next day we were in great shape. Some people try to take it easy the first day or two but I think I'm wasting valuable vacation time. But then again I've never had 3 weeks. Seeing Rome for the first time is pretty exciting, who wants to rest in their hotel?

Here is Rick's advice on jet lag:

Everyone experiences jet lag simply because it is a process of nature. How everyone handles it can vary greatly and depends a little on your physical makeup. And you may have to experiment some to determine what works best for you.

In the two or three weeks leading up departure we try to shift our local time patterns by two to three hours. Up earlier, to bed earlier, shift meal patterns, etc. On the day of the trip we will be up very earlier and are very active. Have a large evening meal in the airport prior to boarding. Once on the plane, we take about an hour to settle in, ignore all of the cabin service -- it is not that great anymore anyway -- have the eye shades on and ear plugs in, and try to sleep the best we can. We do OK. In the hour prior to landing they will wake you up and so do we. Try to get as awake and active as possible including whatever the airline provides for breakfast.

On the ground we try to stay active in the sun light, walking around,etc. No riding of buses or dark museums -- that will put you to sleep. We used to gut it out, have an earlier dinner and early to bed (as someone else posted) but always was a little off the next day or so. Now, we push hard till about 3 or 4 pm local time and then take a nap with an alarm set for no more than two hours. Most of the time we are awake within an hour and a half or so. Seems to provide enough recharge that we can have a dinner at the local time and stay activity till 10 or 11 pm. And the next day is no effect.

Truthfully, Rome is a good cure for jet lag. Stick with your original plan.

Please do not confuse jet lag with travel fatique. Most of us suffer from both, in varying degrees though.

True jet lag is waking up at 3 am ,, ravenously hungary as your body thinks its 7 pm back home,, dinner time,, then you can't sleep,, then you are dead tired at 8 pm as you think its 2 am.. your body clock is messed up.
The only way to deal with jet lag is to start living in the time you arrive. Which means, although you may be tired,,( 10 hr flight etc) you arrive in the morning, you do NOT go to hotel and take a 5 hour nap,, nope, get out, get some sunshine,, and push yourself to stay awke till at least 9 pm.. Then crash in exhaustion.. LOL, This is easier to do if you are at least doing some exciting sightseeing, preferably outdoors .

Travel fatique you can get over with a good nights sleep and an easy first day or two .. but just try to live the time you are in,, not the time your poor messed up body thinks it is in...LOL

Some people seem to do better then others with jet lag,, hopefully it will not be a big issue for you.

Stay active and take in the sun. That's usually the best way to combat jet-lag. Fortunately, Rome allows you do just that while still exploring the city. Lots of outdoor sites! I wouldn't do the Vatican or any indoor museum on the first day but walking for example through the Forum or the Colosseum should be just fine. And if you get a bit tired walk over to the Piazza Navona (or any other of the many piazzas), sit down in one of the cafes to enjoy a drink and watch the people and pigeons on the fountain.

Cindy, Frank is exactly right. We always do a lot of walking in Rome, anyway, but we make sure we do the first day. We walk the backstreets around the hotel, find the market, cafe, keep an eye out for restaurants that look good to us, things like that.
Stay outside as much as possible, no museums the first day. If you need a nap make sure it's not too long, and then get outside walking again right away.
have a great trip!

I've flown into Rome after long flights twice. The first time my family and I went out saw the Panthenon, had dinner, rested for an hour and did a night walking tour of the fountains. The second time I flew in I had such an adrenaline rush over being in Europe again that I ran out and saw most of the big sights in Rome that day! I don't seem to be affected by travel fatigue or jet lag very much. I totally agree that you wouldn't want to waste precious vacation days in Italy on catching up on rest.

Cindy,

Lots of great tips so far! Since you'll be travelling for 3-weeks, I'd suggest adding at least one day to Rome. You'll lose the first day in flight times and time zone changes and won't be up to "touring speed" for a day or so after arrival. There's a LOT to see in Rome, so it's a good idea to spend some time there.

I find that my "jet lag recovery" is a bit different each time. If I'm well rested after the flight, I can usually follow Rick's advice and recover with sunshine and fresh air. However, if I'm tired and didn't sleep well on the flight, I sometimes need a "power nap" before I'm ready to start touring. You'll have to figure out which method works best for you.

I often start my touring slowly and "pace myself" until I'm somewhat used to the new time zone. I wouldn't bother trying to find a smaller town to "wind down". Start exploring Rome right away and check out the local Gelato shops!

Have you started any planning yet on which part of Rome you want to stay in? I assume you'll be using open-jaw flights (inbound to Rome, outbound from ?).

Cheers!

Hi Cindy. I think you'll be fine flying into Rome but I would advise not planning a full first day & leaving room for a cat nap in case you should need it. We are flying into Rome and we arrive late at night so I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep that first night & get onto local time easily but for the next day, I've only planned a tour for the late afternoon in case I want to sleep in or take it easy for the first half of the day. I know by our second day in Rome, I'll be ready for a more active day of sightseeing but I'm planning the first day light just in case we need to take it easy. Enjoy your trip.

Our first overseas trip, many years ago, we were tired when we arrived. We decided to "take a quick nap" That nap was 4 hours long, and we were so groggy when we woke up, we didn't know what day it was, or where we were.

Now, we arrive, and check into our hotel, and get out walking and sightseeing. Even if we have no agenda, we still get out of the hotel and walk around the neighborhood. That really helps.

Jet lag is usually worse when coming home. It will last 3-5 days.

Try to get into the time zone in Rome asap. Stay up until your normal bedtime...at at least 9-10 PM the first night. You will be amazed at how soon your body adapts to the new time.

But....so be prepared to feel jet lagged home in MN. Now we allow 1-2 days home before returning to work. Arriving home on Friday gives our bodies internal time clock to readjust to "home" time.

I can't tell you how helpful your responses have been. You have completely convinced me to stay in Rome our first few days rather than make a mistake thinking we need some "down time" first. My husband and I are taking our sons (12 & 14) on our first trip out of the U.S. (other than Canada since we live right by the border!) so I have been reading this website for a year in anticipation and planning. Our boys voted for a vacation to Italy while we take a year sabbatical from our jobs at a small college. We're coming next spring.

Ken, I have no clue where we should stay in Rome, even though I've been trying to educate myself. We would love to find an apartment, to help us cut down on dining costs - someplace fairly quiet, but where we can walk to some of the sights. Any suggestions on what area to look in or specific accommodations would be GREAT!!!!

Thanks, everyone!

Your boys will be so excited to be in a new place that they may not calm down if you want to rest. Get everyone outside to have fun, eat gelato, shop. And have fun!!

Cindy,

Rome is a great place to start your trip. You can walk, walk and walk some more. Perfect for overcoming jet lag. Keep in mind the advice you are getting is from people that live in 3 different time zones (in the US) and have varying experiences with the effects of travel. 9 hours time difference from the west coast to Europe is different than 6 hours from the east coast. And that difference affects people accordingly. I need at least 2 days of acclimation before I can talk in sentences let alone drive. Just keep moving once you get there and start living by their clock asap.