Clothing advice for Paris and Heart of France tour

layers. especially in May when it can be cold and rainy, temperate and rainy or rarely but possibly fairly hot or at least warm. Shoes that are waterproof/resistant. I always respray my lightweight hiking shoes before each trip to make them water resistant.

What i do is back a garment like a capey sort of sweater or nice overblouse or jacket that I can throw on over my basic layer to dress it up a bit. With black pants and top, it is easy to dress up with a lightweight jacket and scarf or necklace. you can probably get by without even that much but I like to do that for fine dining and the opera myself. I have a couple of things that are lightweight and don't take up much space that fill that niche.

You won't need dressier clothing for the tour meals themselves. Are you planning some upscale dining in Paris? I am not a foodie and don't eat high end. Any of the neighborhood restaurants I've eaten in, in Paris, I was fine in my normal tour clothing of jeans and athletic type shoes.

This tour goes to the DDay landing beaches. IF you have a puffy vest I'd pack it in case it's windy/rainy/cold on your beaches day. I would probably add in glove liners if you have them.

Not female, so be sure to discount my opinion.

1. I've been on this tour, long ago. In my opinion you'll want to bring clothes you can layer along with a backpack so you can peel layers off as the day progresses, stuff them in your backpack, and then pull them back out and put them on as needed as the cool of the evening arrives.

2. Definitely have a water-resistant shell to keep yourself fairly dry, protect you from the wind, and preserve your layers' insulating effectiveness.

3. Wear good quality leather shoes that recently have been waxed to improve water resistance. I recommend Ecco or Mephisto. Shy away from shoes with cloth or mesh uppers unless you enjoy wet socks and cold feet.

4. No need for dressier clothes on the tour. If you're coming early or staying after to sightsee on your own, consider what kind of restaurants you're planning to visit and plan accordingly. Generally, casual clothes are fine unless you plan to darken the doorway of snootier Michelin-starred joints. If that's the case, make sure you have black slacks or skirt and at least one regular button up shirt/blouse.

5. Gloves? In May? In France? I live near the northern tip of the Cotentin Peninsula, and used to live near the center of France far from an ocean and I've never worn gloves in France. It's just not that cold here. Granted, I used to live near the Canadian border in the U.S. and at pretty high altitudes in the Rockies and Sierras, so perhaps I'm more familiar with cold than some folks but gloves? In May? In France? That's unlikely to be a need.

As for packing light, lay out what you anticipate you'll need and then remove one pair of shoes, one pair of slacks, and two shirts. You won't need them and it will help reduce bulk and weight in your bag.

“I'm more familiar with cold than some folks but gloves? In May? In France? That's unlikely to be a need.”

I live about 100 miles south of the Canada border and am pretty cold hardy. I’m also a birder so my hands are often out of my pockets holding my binoculars. I always have lightweight Smartwool glove liners in my pockets in Europe unless it’s Italy. I’ll do me, you do you. No need to be dismissive of others’ suggestions.

I'm taking this tour at the beginning of April. I hope I don't have to layer all these items, but they will work that way if I have to do so. Here's my plan for layers:
-Light merino wool tees (2-3 3/4 sleeve and 1 short sleeve).
-a Lands End fleece vest or a Costco puffy vest (to be decided)
-a blazer (my husband's travel blazer...with broach)
-knee length Eddie Bauer raincoat
-a silk scarf

And...
-1 pair of walking or running shoes (black Brooks or white Altras, decision has not yet been made.) Only my snow boots have needed to be waterproof, so that's not a concern for me at this point in my life.
-1 pair of Taos leather fold down leather shoes for emergency and room wear.
--I will have an extra pair of socks in my bus bag just in case my feet get wet from my athletic shoes, but they dry so quickly, it has never been a problem.
--I often put a pair of light gloves into my bag for those rainy, cold days. Not sure I have a pair for this trip.

Although this is a month before you travel, you can DM me after April 19th and I can tell you what worked and what didn't.

If I were to go to a nice restaurant, which is unlikely, I would wear my black pants and black tee with the blazer along with my taos leather flats.