Paris RE-DO!
 

My husband and I took our very first trip to Europe in October 2008 and went to Paris. I've always dreamed of going to Paris but the trip didn't go as I thought it would. Our first day there we were so completely out of it from jet lag and the time difference. (We flew from Austin, Texas.) We saw most of the "typical" sights and enjoyed every minute of it but the whole week felt so rushed and we NEVER adjusted to the time. We would be up until 2am because at home it would only be 7pm. Overall we did well with the language barrier (neither one of us speaks any French except for "Bonjour" or "Au Revoir") and with handling Euros. I feel that we missed a few sights and things on our list to do. Also I feel that I wasn't able to completely appreciate Paris and I wasn't able to "fall in love" with Paris on my first trip. I do feel that Paris and I deserve a REDO!

I have three questions for you Fodorites:

1) Has anyone felt this way after going to Europe for the first time? I mean with the time difference and not being to fully appreciate the place you are vacationing at.

2) How much time would you let pass before giving a Paris a second chance?

3) In 2010, my husband and I would like to venture back to Europe. The two places I would love to visit are Italy and Greece. We would be going for 10 days. If Greece, then we would go to Athens/Santorini. If Italy, we would most likely go to Florence/Tuscany and possibly Cinque Terre. Which would you choose for your next European trip: Italy or Greece?

Thanks in advance to all replies!!!

I don't have a particular suggestion for you, but I want to say I admire you for wanting to return (as opposed to people who don't have the best experience the first time and decide the place they went to s***s and they'd never in a million years return to that hellhole LOL)

Everyone handles time changes differently. For me, I have an easy arrival day getting settled in and I always arrange for an early dinner, glass of wine and the an early to bed. In the morning I am on Paris time..not a problem. For me, to take a nap during the day on arrival day would only mess up the time change.

I go to Paris regularly. 3 trips last year. Most recent was December. I will be leaving 4/14 for a month. Getting everything ready for that now.

Enjoy your planning....

Joan

Unlike Joan, above, I have to nap. Arrive, lunch and walk around a bit, nap, dinner and walk around a bit, bed by 10:00. The next day I'm on local time. The one time I didn't get to nap it took me 3 days to adjust. You have to figure out which type of person you are and follow the routine that works for you.

I haven't yet been to Greece so I'd vote for Italy next. Then Greece and then return to Paris.

Don't worry about missing things from your Paris "to do" list. How could you experience a city as diverse as Paris in one visit (or in 10 visits). I think perhaps the problem is that you tried to do everything and didn't take time to sit in cafes or along the river and enjoy the views or people watching. You felt rushed because you were rushed. Don't try to rush from place to place. That's a sure way to be disappointed.

Think about what was on your to do list. Was it a lot of museums and monuments? Did you add some gardens or walks/walking tours? Try to see different things each day, for example do not see 2 or 3 museums in one day. Do a museum, a church, shopping, stop for a crepe or ice cream, schedule a music concert. Do not do more than 2 things per day that take a lot of time; see 1 large/time consuming sight and then 1 or 2 small sights that take less time. Take an hour or two and just wander around an area for the experience of it. If you're sightseeing in a church, sit down in a pew (chair) for a few minutes to absorb the atmosphere then look at the stained glass windows.

I guess one only goes to Europe the first time once in their life, and no, I didn't feel as you did when I did that. I don't count on much for the first day of a trip with a big time change, though, but I've never been out of it for an entire trip or week, I guess I adjust better than that. And I am definitely not one of those folks who says they don't feel any jetlag at all from the first day.

Other than the time issue, which will be the case in any country (in fact, worse in places farther away, such as Central Europe), your other issues are just typical vacation/traveling things. Whether you are the kind of person who crams too much into an itinerary, etc. I have never been that way, actually, and prefer to see things most important to me but pace myself.

I have never had big fantasies about places I want to travel, though, so for one thing, maybe I don't have unrealistic expections. And I've traveled enough to know how to pace myself and what to plan for -- this isn't unique to Europe at all, it's the same for any major vacation. And things are a little more stressful, etc., if it's a country where you don't speak the language, of course. But it's no different to me on those points if I go to Europe or Africa or Latin America, etc.

So who knows, maybe you will never love Paris, a lot of people don't. Maybe you are not that crazy about big cities. I have never been in love with London, for example, in many ways it's just another big city to me, I don't crave going there, although I go once in a while for the museums and special things.

Paris will always be there, so why not go back after you have a little more travel experience under your belt, mainly for the idea of planning things and jetlag issues and how you cope with them.

As for your next trip, I would choose Greece, but I've always been fascinated by Greek history and contribution to civilization, love the food and folk dancing, etc., and it's a beautiful country. I don't know why, but Italy doesn't fascinate me as much, even though I like Italian food, but I guess I'm not as interested in the whole Roman thing as well as all the religious stuff.

Our first trip to Paris was not our first trip to Europe, but we did have a similar experience. Our itinerary was probably overly ambitious. While we weren't bothered too much by Jetlag, we packed too much into every day and our energy waned significantly as the days went on. Obviously, we've learned to (attempt to) do things a bit more leisurely.

We didn't return for four years, mostly because it was almost as much fun to plan as to actually go (and once you go, you've been!), but also because I suddenly found very attractive air fares and the exchange rate was very favorable (also factors in deciding where we'll go next), and when I was able to book the room/hotel I wanted for our preferred dates. I also wanted to wait until places closed for renovation and or under reconstruction were completed. So, on our first return, we were thrilled that Pont Alexandre III was finished and all the scaffolding had been removed from Notre Dame. That trip hooked us and we returned to Paris many times before moving further down our "list".

I fly from the west coast and it's hard. I force myself to stay up all day and am not shy about taking Tylenol PM to get me through the nights. That said, I don't suffer from horrible jetlag usually. I occasionally travel with my mother who is in her 60s now, and I've noticed her jetlag is much, much worse than it used to be say 10 years ago. She also tends to get sick. For her a longer vacation is better when crossing that many time zones. So, to answer your questions:

1. No.

2. As much time as you want. Paris will always be there but maybe try to visit in the late spring when the days are long. Lots of daylight will help you adjust to the time change.

3. I haven't been to Greece and LOVE (love!) Italy, so I'd choose Italy.

Have a great trip wherever you go!

My first trip to Europe was a 21-day bus tour. I was so worried about how hard it would be to go there, that there was no way I would have gone solo. I had the confidence to go back the next year on my own, since it now was not so "foreign".

I've been to Paris 9/10 times, and would never say "I've seen it, no need to go back". It will always be a place that I need to go visit. That being said, I do plan big trips elsewhere, Ghana and Turkey being my last two biggies. And in planning stages for an April London-Paris trip.

As my number of visits increased. I found that they changed character. I know can pick and choose two things to do every day, one in morning, one in afternoon. It may be a walking tour, or a museum, or perhpas just a walk around a neighbourhood ( I tend to always end up in the Ile St Louis/Seine area every trip). I've now become a bit more focused on food...where to have dinner, based on recommendations from here and elsewhere. Haven't been to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee in quite a while.

What is boils down to is a more relaxed way to see Paris, and perhaps experience it more. I hope a bit more open to serendipity. I don't have a long list of things to see ( a list that never gets shorter, by the way!), so I can start my day at a cafe planning my day, have a longer lunch, and get excited about dinner. Lot of walking no matter what :)

But one thing I think is mandatory, is to prepare your body for any European trip (unless you are going for 2 or more weeks). I always start going to bed earlier and getting up earlier...so 5 days before 1 hr earlier, 4 days before 2 hrs,etc...On the plane, sleep as best as I can,no alcohol or coffee, and NO naps when arrive. Walk outside first day as much as possible, and dinner and bed at local time. Next day, I'm ready to go. I've seen studies that you "get back" one hour a day when in different time zones, so I want to expedite the process. My holidays are valauble, I want to maximize my body rhythms as best I can. I read somewhere that this is what NASA does for its astronauts, so that's good enough for me.

I usually have the jet lag issue on the return flight but everyone's own body clock is different. I can't sleep on the plane, stay awake on arrival, am asleep usually by 9:00 p,m. or so, and the next day I'm fine.

The only time I had a problem was when I went to Copenhagen and Stockholm in the dead of winter, right after Christmas. I never adjusted on that trip.

I'm glad you are ready to go back to Europe. 10 days is not a lot of time, so I think you should choose either Italy or Greece and not try to do both. As far as going back to Paris? I'd go any time as often as possible.

I hope you can acclimate to the time change better this next trip and have a relaxed visit.

I've never tried michel's jet-lag recovery plan, but I might next time. I suffer badly from jet-lag (hence, sleeping through an entire day, I mean 25 hours, on arrival in Egypt last summer), but never to the extent the OP did. I don't prepare in advance, I try to sleep on the plane, and I try to stay awake when I arrive (or take a short - no more than 2 hours - nap). BUT, I'm never on local time by the day after arrival. I still get up late that day, although not on my "home time", more like 11 a.m.-noon. By the third day, I'm acclimated (sp?).

Jet lag should not be underestimated, and it appears that this is the first problem with which you should deal.

Considering what happened on your first trip, my recommendation would be to arrive in Europe and absolutely keep going (even if that just means sitting at a café and keeping your eyes open) until European bed time. If you go to bed at a 'normal' time (not before 10 pm) that should cure you of the jet lag problem after the first day. If not, stay up again the next evening the same way. Sometimes it takes an effort.

Once your internal clock is on the correct schedule, much pleasure awaits you, no matter what your destination.

I have been to Paris four times, and am headed back again at the end of this month. I know exactly how you felt during your first trip - I felt almost the same. I had dreamed about visiting Paris my entire life but didn't immediately fall in love with it as I expected. My relationship with Paris began as a tentative friendship...now I would say it has grown into a passionate love affair (well, on my side, anyway).

We love going to Paris in the summer...the sun doesn't go down until 10 or so, and one doesn't even begin to think about dinner until after 8, so if you do sleep in a little bit, you still have a lot of day left.

I fly from the west coast, and the trip was at first very difficult for me. Now, I take a sleeping pill as soon as I take off from my connecting city (always Chicago or New York). My two kids were with us last summer, and they also took something to help them sleep (Simply Sleep by Tylenol). We all woke up right before landing feeling great and did not have jet lag. We also DO NOT take a nap that first day, we usually shower and then get out for a walk. Early dinner and then bed around 10 or so.

I know that there are a lot of people who do not like to take sleeping pills...but they are my lifesaver on these trips. If you are not up for something prescription strength, try the Tylenol stuff.

I've had a few trips to Europe, the first to England in 1954, and we stayed for 4 years. Someday I should tell you about it and how it has all changed. Since then we have been back to London, Belgium, then Paris last May and soon to Rome. My expectations are always high for anyplace I go and I think they have all measured up because I let them do so. Nothing has ever disappointed me. In Belgium I was there to work for a month, and mostly on night shift too at a manufacturing facility. It was cold in February but I managed to squeeze in a week of travelling around and it was just SO eye-opening...it was wonderful. Last May in Paris, when we arrived, we too had some jet lag from Ottawa to Paris, so keyed up - could not really sleep - and then the transfer to the hotel was so squashed and jiggly that I was quite ill. But...a quick trip to the pharmacy, a few hours sleep when we finally got the room, and then supper and I was right as rain. We did not do a lot that first day apart from an orientation around the hotel and to a grocery store, but from then on it was GO and a wonderful time. I am sorry about your lag time in Paris...I personally feel I need about 10 redo's, but to see more and more and more, I shall never get tired of Paris and would go back every week if I could it was so fantastic. To boot...almost everyone spoke English, they liked my french much better than that of my Quebecois wife..we had no problems whatsoever. :)

We are actually doing a Paris RE-DO in Sept.
We were in Paris once before for 6 nights in 2001.

My friend and I both liked some things but maybe didnt get really smitten. I was able to get out more while we were there so I saw a few more sights than her. I loved the Jewish quarter for example. She will be able to explore that area this trip.

3 things that happened because of bad planning or not researching.

St. Chappelle was closed when we got there.

The d'Orsay was closed when we got there. This was bad planning and a real disappointment for my friend especially.

The canal boat we took to Eiffel Tower didnt tell us it was the last boat of the night and would do a roundtrip. One in our party became an ass and we all had to find bus back to apartment without really seeing Tower at night.

Having been to Italy 2 times before coming to France, I personally found some of the architecture cold. I look forward to seeking out some art nouveau, seeing more of the beautiful bridges, and leaving the main drags for little side streets.

This time we purchase all tickets in advance.
We will know opening and closing times.
We will know routes.
Wasting precious time isnt good. LEARN FROM ME.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post! I really appreciate all the advice and travel insights! I love reading about experiences from other travelers! Thanks a lot!

i meant to say the boat would not do a roundtrip.

My problem isn't jet lag in Europe. It's jet lag when I get home. Each time I get home I hop in my bed and stay there. Sometimes for 12-15 hours. I sleep like a log. I might just get up eat something and go back to bed. I try and swing it so that when I get home I'm not going back to work within 3 days.

And when I go on a missions trip, I come home and sleep a week ;)

I am more affected upon my return home. I am up about 3:00 for a week or more. I try to stay up late to be able to sleep late..but when you are up at 3 it is hard to stay up late!!

I guess you get it one direction or the other!

Joan

Each time I get home I hop in my bed and stay there. Sometimes for 12-15 hours.

This points out how jet lag affects each person differently. When I fly home, I go out to dinner, unpack and do the laundry before I go to bed! After that day, I'm on my regular routine, except I do wake up earlier than usual (usual is about 7:30, and I get up around 6) for a couple of days at most.

We have been there four times, twice as part of a 3-4 country trip and twice just in Paris (with a few one-day trips by train outside Paris). My wife gets more jetlagged than I do. But because those two Paris-only trips were for four and for five weeks, it stopped being a problem even for her. We love Paris and will go back many times. There is no question in my mind that (if you can do it) staying for at least four weeks, living in an apartment, locating in a different area of central Paris each time, getting around the city by Metro/bus/walking, and (as some have suggested) pacing yourself to enjoy the cafe, park, and wandering life make it even more enjoyable.