Trip to Paris in July

Tim,
I think that was your name, somehow your message disappeared from the screen. Could you send me that link again for the bus route and also the bus number. That was a great idea. Thank you!

Linda, I deleted my message after I remembered that bus #69 doesn't run on Sundays. However, I'll stick with my general recommendation that you walk a lot to fight jet lag (a stroll alone the Seine would be a good choice), stop for coffee and a croissant when the mood strikes you, eat a light dinner, and go to bed at a fairly early hour so you're well rested in the morning and your body clock will be on Paris time.

If you're so inclined, taking the whole bus #69 route in the morning wouldn't be a bad idea. Here's the link to the zoomable map of the route.

The very first thing we do when we finally get to our hotel is take a nap. Even if you sleep on the flight, you are still tired and you want to stretch out. Europe doesn't have daylight savings time so it stays light outside in the summer until about 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. On previous trips, we would get on the metro and go to the Eiffel Tower. You can people watch or even go up to the top and see the city lights. It's spectacular lit up at night. It's very popular in the summer, so get there early enough to get through the ticket line and the line for the elevator. Not sure what time it closes--check out the guide books. Or, you could take a cruise on the River Seine. The boat docks are by the Eiffel Tower. This would be a nice relaxing activity. Don't forget to get something to eat. We would often get into seeing the sites and forget to eat (because we haven't adjusted yet). Then, after coming off of the river cruise, or the tower, all of the restaurants were closed. We would end up trying to find a McDonald's--it was our only choice. Another Hint: Make sure when you venture out that your money belt and valuables are secure. It was at that metro stop by the tower where my husband's money belt was taken out of the zippered pocket in his cargo shorts--he thought it would be secure there. Have a great time making memories with your daughter.

Well, I am from the don't nap camp, or if you feel you must time it for less then an hour, or you will only prolong your jet lag.
We get out and walk around basically. Check out area around hotel. The boat cruise isn't a bad idea.

As for eating, I have sat at a cafe at 11 pm and had food served to me, so don't worry too much about having to resort to McDonalds.. true restaurants stop serving( or seating) around 10 or so, but as I said there are cafes in the 5th and 6th that definately serve stuff later since we have eaten at them.
Check out area around your hotel, are there sites to see near it,, why not try that first day instead of trying to tackle metro first day when you are likely a bit spacey.
Another option , depending on day of arrival, some musuems are open late in evening, and the towers at Notre Dame , notorius for long lines, are also open late two evenings a week I think, and since it is light out late its a quieter time to do them then. Check out NDs website( yes, there is a Notre Dame website, just google) .

Have fun , my daughter ( only 12) and I will be arriving in 8 days.. and we look forward to just wandering around first day and enjoying the city.

If you decide to take a late afternoon or early evening Seine River cruise, I recommend Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf. The boats are fairly small--which, IMO, is better. If you're not too sleepy, wait until it starts to get dark to take the ride.

Fete des Tuilleries has begun as of this weekend and will be open late into the evening. You may want to venture down to this area at the gate from Place de Concorde. The ferris wheel is lit at night and you can see the lights of Paris.

A prior posting mentioned that Europe does not have daylight savings time - we do - Europe changes clocks just like the US - only on different weeks. The late sunlight is due to the fact that Paris has a latitude similar to Ottawa Canada - which means that right now dusk is at 22h30 or so with sunrise around 6h45. A great advantage to summer travelers and walks in Paris.

I find a boat ride to be a great idea as suggested - Bateaux Mouche are very common along the river - a main point of entry is at Alma Marceau - metro (base of the Eiffel Tower) or Pont d'Alma RER.

I agree with several others, Last July we did take a Seine Cruise first and it was wonderful.

That way you can get an idea of how Paris is layed out, while taking in a lot of the Great sights.

I had been to Paris twice before and still enjoyed the Cruise.

We usually do a hop on hop off bus tour the first day in a city we have not visited before. Since the 69 bus does not run, you might consider this. You can sit back, relax, and get a real feel for the city and its sites. Helps me sort out what I want to see while I am there and to calculate the time for each site.

No naps or you will never get over jet lag. I agree with a light meal, and early bedtime to prep for the next day of touring.

Have fun!

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I'm leaning toward doing the cruise at this point. Probably depends on the weather too. My younger daughter was in Paris last week and is now in Nice (study abroad program)and all I hear is how humid (and warm) that it is there. We are looking forward to our trip however. After arriving on Sunday, we will be in Paris Mon thru Wed and then taking the train to Nice on Thursday. We will be staying in the Trocadero area, so any additional suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks again!!!!!