Pajamas, winter, and packing light!

I always bring 1 pair of pajamas when I travel - flannel in winter; cotton the rest of the time. We like to sleep in a cool room, so I find that they give an extra bit of warmth while sleeping. Also, they provide some "modesty" if you have to wander down the hall to find a washroom in the middle of the night.

"how many pairs"

One pair of course. I haven't brought flannel( although I love it at home) as they take a long time to dry if hand washed in sink. I bring stuff I can handwash, except for slacks, which I just wear over and over , at least 3 times.
One thing you could do is find out if any of the places you are staying offer laundry facilities. If so you could bring flannel and make do with one wash per week. Remember you are pjs are worn inside only, and on a clean body, so don't need to be washed as often as regular clothes( thats my theory anyways) . IN summer when it could be hot and you could be sweaty , then lightweight pjs are easy to wash and dry in a day .

Pack a sweatshirt or fleece shirt that if its cold you could pull over pjs to sleep in , but also it serves double duty as outdoor wear too. I have done this on ski trips,with casual pull over sweaters. They don't wrinkle and are comfy enough to sleep if needed.

Hey Pat!!

I was also thinking about PJs. We were in England/France earlier in the summer, and I needed more clothes to sleep in. It was quite cold in both places, so I ended up adding a t-shirt below my PJ top, and then using a fleece top.

I am not going to believe for a minute that anywhere across the pond will keep their rooms/apt warm enough for sleeping so I plan to layer under and over my pj, but as Pat said, with things that can do double duty.

Don't forget a cozy pair of fuzzy socks to sleep in if you get cold feet! I would definitely take fleece and/or sweatshirt and sweatpants; have been cold too many times when the heat was turned down at night. In the b&bs you could always ask for a hot water bottle (yes, they still use them) or a heating pad. Have fun, sounds like a great trip!

You might want to think about using long underwear in place of pajamas, as 1. they are comfortable and warm and 2. if it gets really cold outside and you are doing a lot of walking you can wear them under your clothes. and 3. they are lightweight and not near as bulky as pairs of pajamas.

Actually over here, I find myself too warm as the duvets are so lovely and cozy, so I often sleep with the window open a bit. The rooms usually have adjustable radiators in them and you can make them as warm as you want. I have seen this in hostels too. Has anyone else seen this?

I agree with Jo - consider long underwear instead of PJs. Especially silk long underwear - they're featherweight and roll up extremely small. I usually bring just one silk long underwear top, and 1 silk long underwear bottom, and a pair of liner socks for sleepwear. I also always bring one silk/very lightweight camisole top (even in the winter) that I can use as a warmth layer during the day, or if the room is very hot at night, as a sleep shirt.

I agree with Jo too. We just came back from Switzerland and the soft fluffy duvets were so warm, we were not even using them in the middle of the nights.
I do have a questionn regarding the long johns: rn't these tight though? I have never used them and am not even sure what they look like. If they are tight, the pj's would be better coz they are loose and personally while sleeping I'd like looser clothing for comfort.

Aries: I don't wear the full-body longjohns. And the silk long underwear I bring on trips isn't particularly tight and it's thin, so I don't feel constricted.

I still can't get the idea in my head that something so light (silk) could keep you warm enough for sleeping in.

I use LLBean's wool blend thermal tops for sleeping in at home (under my fleece pj's), and still need a huge comforter.

Anyway, I have stayed at B&Bs in the UK and let me tell you, they used to turn the heat on at around 4 p.m. and that was it.

Thanks, everyone! I do have silk long underwear I bought for the trip.

I vote for the silk underwear also. It's so lightweight and comfortable and can be washed out in the morning & dry by evening. They take up so little space, you can take a couple of sets.

Hi Everyone!
I just got back from Milan and the Swiss Alps! Like Jo, and some other people, I did sleep in my longjohns, and was very warm and comfy. In Milan, I stayed in a budget hotel. They turned off the heat between 9pm to 11am. It did get pretty chilly at times, and I also wore a long sleeved undershirt, and sometimes had to put on a sweater over that. Once the heat came on, I was fine.
I didn't take PJ's at all and the longjohns and longsleeved undershirt with an extra sweater worked just fine. Have fun on your trip!!

I realize this reply is past your trip date, but for future reference: check Wintersilks website for a variety of silk items. Their underpants are pricey but last a long time and wash/dry quickly, particularly if rolled first in a pac towel to remove excess moisture. They have both turtlenecks and mocks in 3 weights and many colors as well as several styles of bottoms. Honestly, I do not work for them!