My husband and I will be traveling Mid May to Mid June to Zurich, Lake Como, Milan, Verona, Venice, and back to Switzerland to Grindelwald and Murren. I feel like I need to pack for two seasons! It can be warm in Venice and cold in the Alps. We're doing the Alps at the end, doing Italy in the beginning. I really want to pack as light as possible. We are staying with friends in Zurich, so could leave clothes there and just take what I need to Italy. We'll be gone a month. Advice?
Posted by
San Diego, California
5966 posts
Layers, including (the favorite here) 32 Degrees base layer tops (Costco), and a packable down jacket, package knee-length raincoat, and waterproof a pair of shoes.
My advice- enjoy all of these wonderful places! Safe travels!
Posted by
Schwerin
3424 posts
Actually you will pack for three main climate zones (link to map) plus varying altitudes. I recommend to look into modern climate tables from 1991 to 2020, not the old ones which are often used on Wikipedia.
Often mentioned onion principle is a good advice here because wearing multiple layers allow best possibility to adapt between the different requirements and to travel with acceptable luggage volume and weight. Protecting head, hands and feet from getting cold is always very important.
And use local weather services for looking up forecasts - not the US companies. A good quality for Europe has Windy which allows also to switch between different forecast models.
Posted by
Lynnwood
335 posts
In a similar situation, I put my puffer jacket in a vacuum seal-type bag, to help with packing small.
Posted by
5411 posts
You have a perfect solution to leave a bag with friends--were you definitely going to come back through Zurich?
I would pack two bags, one with the warmer stuff to leave with friends, and your regular size carry-on for Italy. While you may need a light jacket/cardigans in evenings in Italy, I would definitely not want to drag my wool base layers around.
Posted by
Washington DC
28689 posts
Thanks to a suggestion on this forum, I now rely heavily on 96% (or similar) nylon slacks from companies like PrAna, Eddie Bauer and Columbia. They are not waterproof, but they do a good job of shedding water--especially important since I normally travel with just a waterproof rain jacket rather than a full-length coat. When it's going to be chilly, I wear a merino-wool underlayer, which helps keep me comfortable. I regretted not having worn the merino long john bottoms last September when I went up to the Alpe di Siusi. The nylon pants, alone, don't provide great wind protection. Eddie Bauer sells a fleece-lined version of the nylon pants; they're nice to have in chillier weather, but regular pants with a separate underlayer are a lot more versatile and a better option for a multi-climate trip.
My usual warm layer is rather lightweight fleece jacket. On some trips I toss a packable down jacket into my suitcase. It only rarely gets warm, but it doesn't weigh much. I am cold-natured and hate even the idea of being cold.