1st day jet lagged itinerary
 

We will be arriving in Amsterdam at 6 a.m. after our overseas flight. We will go straight to our hotel knowing that it will be highly unlikely we can get into our room.. In Dublin we fell asleep on the lobby couch until our room was avaliable, slept for an hour or so, showered and hit the ground running with not much of a plan. I would like to come up with a 1st day plan. I thought of a hop on hop canal cruise and maybe late afternoon tickets for Anne Frank house or maybe Van Gough museum. We like to get a feel for the area so that the next day we are more familiar. Any suggestions for our 1st Day?

I tend to avoid museums of any kind the first day as its just too much to absorb when I am sleep deprived. By the time you get off the plane, through passport control and to your hotel it may be closer to 8am. I would opt for a walking tour, as it would help you get orientated and fresh air and exercise helps with jet lag.

You should get tickets in advance to the Anne Frank house and the museums.

How many days will you be in Amsterdam and what other places do you want to see besides the two you mentioned ?

What's more hypnotic than a canal cruise on the arrival day...zzz....

Ah yes, the soft motion of a boat meandering through the canals would be like a lullaby! My D-I-L suggested the Albert Cup market area and also the Ovid Zuid area ( I probably spelled that wrong). I am considering going to Delft on Sunday afternoon, maybe Van Gogh in the a.m. Monday Anne Frank early & Jordan district. I am open to suggestions!

Do advise the hotel of your arrival time. You never know ... they may be able to accommodate an early check in.

Good idea, 2010. Tipping the desk clerk also helps!

The desk clerk would be very puzzled by a tip. Not normal and could be misconstrued.
You will certainly be able to leave your luggage at the hotel. Then go find some breakfast and have a walk around on your own. No tour, no information overload. Maybe visit the Begijnhof, look at the flower market, get a feel for the city. Buy a pass if you plan on using the trams a lot. Get tourist information. Potter. Look for where you will eat that evening.

Agree with hetismij2.

Many on this board suggest the opposite tactic: Do not take a nap. Stay active, walk outdoors, explore an undemanding attraction. Early evening meal and then early to bed. Even if your eyelids droop, you will be forcing your body onto the local schedule as quickly as possible.

In our recent travels--age may have something to do with it--we have taken a nap and had no problem adjusting to the new time zone.

I agree, Michael, a quick nap & a shower can do wonders. We like to get out & walk & try to stay up as late as we can. Then hopefully get a good night sleep. Tipping the desk clerk worked in Dublin. So, I will take note not to tip the desk clerk in Amsterdam.

I will have to check out the Beginhof, not sure what it is.

I would advise against the canal boat ride. We tried that in a jet lagged state on our last trip to Amsterdam and could hardly barely stay awake.

Have lunch at the La Place in the public library (OBA), then find the Dutch literature floor and admire the view. A small nap for 20 iinutes and you're good to go. There's Iphone apps (pzzizz) for instance, that can time this for your and it will look like your listening to your iPhone. In between the bookcases, at the end where you look out over Amsterdam there are very comfortable chairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNa4LpQ8kSg

sorely missing an edit function. oh well

Don't have an itinerary on your arrival day. Go for walks in different neighborhoods, get hour bearings. Do not go the Anee Frank House as it is too much to hamdle emotionally when met lagged.

I had a very hard time staying awake in a bateau boat on the Seine. I wanted to take a nap, but it was my sister's first time in Europe and she was so excited that she wanted to go go go.

Now that I travel solo, I always take a nap.

We just keep going on day one, and it works for us. But, we have found that day two or three is the one that causes us problems because we always end up sleeping in until noon or so because of exhaustion. So, we never plan anything for the mornings of those days.

You can combine a day trip to Delft with The Hague. I highly recommend the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague. You can easily do this by train from Amsterdam.

Based on may of your recommendations, I thought I had a plan. This is what I thought might work:

Sat; arrive early a.m. Hopefully grab a quick nap, shower & head out to visit some of the neighborhoods/markets like Albert Cuyp, Singer or Beginhof. Good dinner, good night's sleep!
Sun: Van Gogh museum & Ovid Zuid are in a.m.
Tour of Delft & The Hague in afternoon
Mon: Anne Frank House, Jordan, 9 straatjes
. Now, here is the problem....I have checked tickets for Anne Frank on Monday 5/10/15 and they are all sold out. I used Victor and then Anne Frank site. Any suggestions where to look? Hotel concierge? I found 1 available for Sun a.m, but need 2. Afternoon won't work since we are going to Delft. We can only do Delft Sun since we have evening plans on Mon & Tues all day. I think going to Delft on Sat would be too much after our long travel.

So...need suggestions where to book tickets.

the official website says that only a limited number of tickets are available online and that you can buy tickets on the spot at the museum. Just show up at the museum.