Paris/Spain in December - How to I account for warm and cold?

I have seen down "sweaters" at both REI and Eddie Bauer. When compressed it fits into one of the pockets. They are very lightweight, but presumably warm.

Hi Adam. As your trip gets closer (maybe start 2 weeks ahead of your departure date), you can go to weather.com and enter the name of the cities where you'll be, to monitor what the weather will be like there. Then you'll have a better idea of what to bring. I did this in July when I went to Germany - the temperature was in the 90s instead of the normal mid-to-upper 70s, so I brought shorts instead of jeans.

In December, Paris typically experiences temperatures in the mid 40s (although the last two years were much colder than normal). If the usual averages hold, you should be able to get by with a jacket and layering.

I wouldn't be so sure that it's going to be particularly "warm" in Barcelona at the end of December. Sure, it'll probably less chilly than Paris, but your definition of "warm" may not match the weather there.

I am with David. Our experience with Paris and Seville in the winter is that the temperature is not much different. While Paris could be very cold and snowy and Seville fairly warm, the chances of either is remote. We found Paris to be cool and rainy. Last year Seville was cool and rainy. You need the rain coat and use a fleece vest under it for additional warmth. Barcelona and Chicago are close to the same latitude. Barcelona does not benefit as much from the sea because the weather moves from west to east and cool air is coming from land side.

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like I pretty much need to ditch the fall jacket and bring a solid fleece/something water repellent with me, and layer up. I guess I had a hope to just layer up under a lighter coat, but if you guys are saying Spain won't be as warm as I thought, then I'll go safe and bring something a bit heavier. Thanks again.

Adam, it's not going to be nearly as cold as Chicago in December. Pack for layering and buy something extra once you are there if you need it.

Spain is a big country with lots of climates not like going to Florida. If going to southern Spain along the coast - Costa del Sol for example you would find it warm similar to mid Florida. But Barcelona is further north, doesn't benefit much from the sea, and Seville is more in the mountains with a winter climate similar to the coast area of North Caroline. And you need to anticipate rain. When we were in Paris a few years over New Years it rained lightly every day for 30 minutes or so in the late afternoon. It was cool, damp, and overcast most of the time. I wore a medium weight, waterproof parka. over a fleece vest. Last year in Seville wore the same parka without the fleece vest. And it again it rained every couple of days. So go prepared.

A big thing to consider is what you plan on doing in each city. If the metro stops right by your hotel and you plan on spending all your time in museums, that's one thing. It's an entirely different thing to spend some time up in the Eiffel Tower, walk over to the Seine and take a river cruise from the outside of the boat for a completely unobstructed view. Or if you want to spend a significant amount of time strolling an outside Christmas market and it's a bit rainy, the air will definitely have a bit more "bite" to it. Layering it's definitely a smart thing - unless you find you're having to wear all your layers every day!

You could always take an old winter coat with you and when you leave Paris, donate it to some homeless person, or drop it off at a mission somewhere. That way you got to use it and someone else will get to use it, and you don't have to schlepp it to Spain. Clears out your closet at home too.

A fleece under a good rain jacket will do you just fine. Make sure they both cover your butt. If your hands tend to get cold, toss in a pair of thinsulate gloves or something. A long-sleeved tee shirt affair adds even more flexibility. To me, down is expedition gear. It's inconvenient as heck for traveling since it bulks you up like the michelin man and you just about break your elbow trying to get a beer or cup of coffee up to your mouth. In any case, it's usually an over-kill for warmth. Also, a vest doesn't cover your tail or arms, thus when it's dry-chilly you don't have everthing working for you. I wander all over Europe at all times of the year and that's all I ever take for anticipated temps down to maybe twenty (and I aways take it all, even in summer), unless I know I'm going to be outside continuously for eight or ten hours with no chance to warm up.

If you absolutely need it, you can buy a sweater or something while you're over there. So don't worry too much.

A few years back we spent the weeks before Christmas in the
Bois de Boulogne camp ground (in a VW camper) and we had much snow. As we lived in Alaska at the time, it was no big deal, and we enjoyed seeing Paris covered with snow.

Having spent a couple of Christmases and New Years in southern Spain, I can tell you, it gets cold there too sometimes!