Ok, this should be a fun thread. We are spending 12 days in Paris end of September, first part of October. We have our hotel - near Rue Cler. We are going with another couple who has never been and were hesitant to go on their own. My husband told them we will go with them cause we love Paris! We have been there many times and would love to show them around. So now I feel the pressure is on.

We arrive on a Thursday am. Meet friends at airport, taxi to Paris. Have early check in or drop off bags at hotel. Probably get a coffee - maybe Cafe du Marche or Le Petit Cler, get something from the bakery. Then? They are so excited to see Paris - what should we do first? Eiffel Tower? I know we are going to need a rest. DH has suggested Le Florimond for first dinner. We will not purchase Museum pass until Monday or Tuesday so 4 days, no museum pass, and Sunday is the first Sunday of the month so museums are free. So, give me your thoughts. I am thinking a dinner cruise on Bateau Calife either Saturday or Sunday night. Help me plan some perfect first few days with our newbie to Paris Friends. Merci!

Don't do the dinner cruise--just a cruise with a bottle of wine--maybe on your first night.
Walk over to the Champ de Mars to look at the ET.
I would not have a jet lagged dinner at Florimond on the first night either--it IS our fave resto in Paris.
I'd do easy things outside the first day--go see Notre Dame, have a little lunch somewhere (or a nice lunch at Brasserien en l'Ile St. Louis, just behind ND.
Go to bed relatively early and be ready to go the next day.
Have alternative plans for meeting at the airport in case planes are late (unless you have telephones ready).

I would really recommend hiring Michael Osman for a day or so (one for museums) and take the burden off you for planning every day and touring. He will show you things YOU have not seen, in addition to entertaining your friends. We have done what you are doing and another recommendation is to show them how to use the Metro system and NOT be tied to each other every single day. Our friends had very different morning rising habits and we often just made arrangements to meet for dinner.
Have fun.

I think some people do enjoy those dinner cruises, I presume you know what you are in for, it's rather expensive, that's all.

I agree I wouldn't do anything that energetic the first day but I'm just really jetlagged. My MO is to force myself to stay awake until at least 10 pm, naps kill me if I take one the first day and I don't recover for days. Others differ. But I'm definitely not "alert" and don't want to do things I won't appreciate. I just do errands (getting supplies, metro tickets, bottle of wine for the room, etc), mainly. If I do any real tourist site, it would not be a museum, for sure. Unless it were free, maybe, but I don't really.

I personally think the Eiffel Tower would be a good idea that first day. It doesn't require a lot of energy, just going up and looking at the view. And if you have to wait in line, you don't have a lot of energy, anyway, so that's maybe not so bad. And it's near where you are staying, you could really walk to/from it if you want. I wouldn't go all the way to Notre Dame myself nor over that direction the first day, just stay around "home." The crowds there are just too much the first day and I wouldn't enjoy it.

I also would not book a special dinner the first night, but again, that's me. If you have traveled like this before and know you are fine the first day until late, that does sound like a good idea, and it's close to your hotel.

A cruise on the arrival day, presuming they are taking a long overnight flight, is soporific. Unless that is the objective, avoid it.

One key objective of the arrival day is to sync to the local time above what to do. What to do on the arrival day helps the syncing process.

Unless you know how they react to jet lag, don't go with a fixed schedule. Many people don't reveal this to you, either don't know themselves or don't want to admit it. Some people must take a nap, and actually can sleep overnight again later and sync to the local time next morning. For many people I know, this is a recipe for disaster. Taking a nap in the afternoon, and for the remainder of trip, they wake up at 2am and remain groggy during the day.

If they and you are the type who needs to stay up to sync to local time, resting long time is also soporific. Light movement, strolling, visiting free places (where you don't feel bad calling quits early) are good choices.

I would line up several casual places to eat dinner, so I can adjust when and how much time I care to spend eating to hit the bed. Some trips, I am so tired by 7pm and other times, I can stay up until 10pm. With 4 people, you need a lot of flexibility.

Greg, to each his own. Even soporific, a cruise on the first night is not a bad thing. But I have suggested (from a number of trips doing it) and you have responded.

the first day for us is best played by ear--walk by an interesting café and have lunch there--you can read the menu. We like to stay outside, take care of buying passes for the museums and/or metro.

Thanks for all your ideas. I really appreciate them. Yes, Gretchen, we usually play it by ear. I want to have options ready though.

If you are staying near rue Cler, you are close enough to walk across Les Invalides to Musee Rodin. That is a great starting point for a first day in Paris - you get that instant hit of 'we really are here' from the views as you walk past Napoleon's Tomb, and then the peace and tranquility of sitting in the morning sunshine in Rodin's beautiful garden (best time to go IMO). And for breakfast pastries before you go, try Le Moulin de la Vierge at 64 rue Saint Dominique (intersects with rue Cler), which is a beautifully restored Belle Epoque era patisserie. The shop itself has some sort of historic classification for its interior fittings, and they make fantastic pain aux raisins! Once again, you really know you're in Paris! I agree with the others to keep things more low-key for the first night. Not far from Florimond is a nice relaxed place called Pasco, which is very good too.

most assuredly "options". I make a small notebook (being digitally challenged) with our restaurant possibilities (address and metro), sites, etc.
Then pull them out for the day's trekking. It is also why I like the DK Eyewitness Guide to Paris--it graphically shows what is "available" within a given area.

I think you have it right with Le Calife one night. The dinner cruises on the cattle cars are terrible with inedible, warmed-over food. They actually cook the food on the smaller Calife. It's the only dinner cruise that gets consistently good reviews.

On your arrival day, nothing says you're in Paris like the Eiffel Tower. The gardens at the Rodin museum are an excellent idea. Anything outside, where you get fresh air and sunshine are a good idea. Try to keep moving, even just strolling.

If anyone absolutely must have a nap, keep it to an hour or less, or they'll never acclimate to local time.

Fat Tire bikes rents bicycles and leads ride-by tours of the city. I have not done one, but it might be a fun way to get the lay of the land and fight jet lag at the same time. Sunshine and exercise go a long way to minimizing jet lag for me.

I'll suggest you could probably have lunch at the Eiffel Tower for the price of the dinner cruise, and have a nicer and more memorable dining experience.

Acclimation on day one to avoid jet lag is best spent in the sunshine. Assuming the weather is acceptable, I'd spend as much of the day outside as possible on day one. In order to be prepared for day two, I'd suggest staying out as much as possible on day one and finish it with a soporific boat ride after dusk. Trudge back to the hotel and fall asleep. You'll hopefully be able to sleep through the night and first thing day two is get out into the sunlight as soon as possible to begin the completion of jet lag avoidance.

Please post a trip report of this trip, DW and I are doing a similar thing next May/June with a couple - for two weeks in Normandy and Paris. Any ideas/pitfalls would certainly be helpful!

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Our first Sunday is the first Sunday of the month and so museums are free. Not going to try doing the Orsay or Louvre but maybe Rodin and Tomb.

I spent a few months in Paris and blogged about our trip, lots of ideas here, http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/search/label/Paris

I agree the Rodin is an excellent idea. I love the Jaquemart Andre for another day or the Marmottan-Monet. Make sure you see things you haven't seen before, you don't want to feel you''re just showing your friends the same things you know.

My favorite thing to do on arriving in paris is to walk around at night, to head down to the seine and see everything when it's all lit up. You can take a stroll and see things without opting for the river cruise just go out after dinner. If it's your friends' first visit there is nothing more magical than seeing the Ile de la Cite, Notre Dame or the Louvre at night.

My husband and I tried the short canal cruise in Amsterdam one year while jet lagged. Sitting on the boat was very sleep inducing -- we had a very hard time staying awake. I wouldn't advise the cruise on the first night.

Same thing happened to our daughter when we took her to London - thought a red bus tour would be a great idea only to have her fall asleep on the bus! lol

Thanks well traveled, nice blog, good tips.

The three best places to see the Eifel Tower are from across the Seine, from the top of the Montparnasse Tower, and from the tethered balloon in the Park Citroen, IIRC.

Trocadero--is that what you mean by "across the Seine"? I STILL love it from the Champ de Mars.

Appreciated all the tips.