Another jacket and shoes question - for travel in France last week march, first week April

What an amazing trip! I can't help with the shoes but I took a wind and waterproof lightweight hooded anorak (3/4 zip) to Patagonia, to pull out of my day pack as needed over my lightweight puffer jacket.
I only needed it twice in two weeks and it was a bit lumpy feeling, but with a light merino sweater I stayed warm enough, and dry.
Maybe this could work for you?

I think you might run into the Mistral, in which case you might be glad to have that puffer jacket. When you say you "don't have room for both", do you mean both jackets won't fit in your suitcase or they cannot be layered?

People's tolerance for wet feet (not to mention wet, cold feet) probably varies significantly. My tolerance is low, so I've started wearing waterproof shoes on all my trips, because they are long enough I will inevitably run into some significant rain somewhere. My shoes are klutzy, black, lace-up walking shoes. They don't look good, but they feel great, and that's what's important to me. YMMV.

You'll be fine with the raincoat with a wool sweater underneath at the end of March and beginning of April. Just be sure you have a scarf for your neck, maybe a knit cap and light gloves in case the Mistral blows down the Rhone during your cruise.

As for shoes, I've started wearing sports shoes again instead of leather shoes after the heavy rains here in the south of France. You'll be fine with two pairs of sneakers. If for some reason both pairs get soaked, there are shops in Paris and along the Rhone. BTW, yesterday Paris was sunnier and warmer than the south. Bon voyage.

Take a look at the forecasts before you do your final packing.

Spring came early to Paris last year. It was sunny and daytimes temps were in the upper 60s/lower 70s the first week of April. So many tourists were carrying their heavy coats and puffers around since it was so warm.

I was in France April 5-20 of last year and took the Paris and Heart of France tour. So, I was in different parts of France. I live in New England, keep in mind. If you live in Florida, well, listen to someone else. LOL

1. RE: Raincoat. I had my Eddie Bauer Trench (On the Go, it might be called). It has no added warm lining, just a raincoat with a finished lining. I wore it as my coat if I needed it. I also had a blazer with me so mostly I just wore the blazer...Paris. I had a Costco puffy vest, which I wore a little bit, but only under the raincoat on one Normandy day. In other words, if you have a light sweater or such that you can wear under the raincoat, You should be fine. IMO. Layer as you suggest and leave your puffy at home.

2. RE: Shoes. No to the waterproof shoes. People's comments about the need for waterproof shoes on here always boggles my mind. If you are hiking and camping, fine. But just out all day. No. I, too, am a sneaker/athletic shoe type. You're walking all day so just be comfortable. The nice thing about athletic shoes is if they should get wet, you take out the inner sole at night and the shoe will be dry by morning. If you're really worried, put a dry pair of socks in your pocket (I never have.) Regarding waterproof shoes, when they get wet, they stay wet a long time. I have goretex hiking shoes. I've had them for, well, a couple of decades, I hate to say. It was a waste of money, IMO. The only time I wear them is when I am cleaning my car off after a large snow fall. They have nice grids on the soles. That's why they've lasted so long...

I'm from SoCal, so trying to pack for weather is anxiety inducing. Plus after much self reflection, I accept that I'm not built for puffer jackets. I have enough puff in my own arms and can't stand more on my arms.

April 2024 for Paris, Normandy, Belgium and the Netherlands I took my Lands End Squall Packable Waterproof Raincoat and bought a Columbia fleece vest at the last minute. That worked for me for the times I needed to layer. We ended up with fabulous weather and only one rainy day which I still marvel at. The only thing I don't like about my Lands End raincoat is the sleeves are elastic band and are too wide, and don't really close at the wrist.

Just last week in SoCal, we had quite a bit of rain and blustery cold 60*F weather. (: A friend from Cape Cod arrived wearing a Kuhl Stretch Voyager Trench Rain Jacket. (She returned to the Cape just in time for the blizzard and still without power.) I went out and bought the same jacket (REI) for our upcoming trip to Switzerland end of Aug/early September. I like the longer length and fit though the hood doesn't fold away. So we shall see...

I don't believe you'll need a down layer. Merino top, Columbia fleece vest, and a hooded rain-shell should handle the variable weather with aplomb. Worst-case you pop into a store and purchase an inexpensive sweatshirt. I'll also caution about "waterproof" shoes. Many of them achieve that claim at the expense of breathability, and it's trapped moisture that can lead to blisters regardless of so-called wicking socks. So whether you wear trainers or leather walking shoes, if you opt for "waterproof" be certain it's the result of Gore-Tex or equivalent technology, NOT simply being constructed of or coated with some impervious polymer.

I have wide feet, also, with high insteps, and my favourite waterproof shoes are from Legero. Unfortunately, they aren't a North American brand, so they can be a bit difficult to get here, but not impossible. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=wide&i=specialty-aps&srs=12666688011&crid=3H194F2HJRSXC&sprefix=wi%2Cspecialty-aps%2C990&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 The Gore-Tex ones are waterproof.

I also have a pair of wide-fit, Gore-Tex Clark's Wave Walk sneakers that are comfy, but I'm not sure Clark's makes those anymore.

Keen and Merrill shoes often fit wide or have wide options, but they tend to be quite big and clunky.

Columbia makes wide-fit shoes, and I recently bought a pair of waterproof hikers that fit well.

Some people recommend Vessi's or All Birds, but neither of those are wide enough for my feet.

Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be to find comfy, wide shoes that aren't ugly.

I have wide feet and am a NURSE - I've tried them all. My fav used to be Keen Targhee, but now I love Hoka. Shoes are totally individual, what I like, you may hate. You really have to try them on. My absolute fav is the Hoka Bondi SR, followed by the Hoka Bondi 8 or 9.

We were in France last April/May and I will say it was A LOT cooler than I anticipated - so take layers and a jacket.

Thanks to everyone for offering their opinions and suggestions. I'm leaning toward the rain jacket and layers, but will wait until the week before the trip to see what the weather predictions are. I actually ordered the next size rain jacket to see if it can handle the layering better than the one I have now. I don't enjoy that stuffed sausage feel. If anyone can recommend a packable down lightweight vest I'd consider that. The one offered by Lands End doesn't get good reviews, which is too bad because I love their Wanderweight packable down product line. As for shoes, I think finding water proof shoes/sneakers at this late date is unrealistic, so I will stick to the 2 pairs of lightweight sneakers.

Thanks again to all. Oh - and thanks for the mention of the Mistral wind. It was a feature in a novel I read but that was in Sicily. I didn't even realize that was a potential of early spring travel in France.

I have a Uniqlo down vest that packs small. My local store has their Puff tech vests on sale. Some have zipper closure, some have buttons. They come in a couple different lengths, too.

I will only add that while in Paris 3 weeks ago I inadvertently stepped right into a puddle while I was wearing a pair of sneakers. It was in the 40s at the time and I thought my foot would be so cold. But I was wearing a pair of wool socks and within about 15-20 minutes I was fine. Foot felt a tad damp/wet but it was warm. My dad always used to say wet wool can keep body heat just fine. I never believed him but it was true in this case. Back at the hotel at the end of the day I took the insert out of my shoe and by morning it was dry. Washed the socks and they were also dry the next day. Happy travels.

Again thanks for all the responses. I bought a Uniqlo lightweight puff vest today (as mentioned in a response above) and barring a freezing weather forecast will take it along with my lands end rain jacket and some tops and thin sweaters for layering. I own no wool clothing - no wool sweaters or socks or scarves. I always found wool itchy and so never purchased any. I'm willing to give a lightweight wool blend sock a try but have no idea what to get. Advice on this is appreciated.

TIA for any more responses

I've been wearing SmartWool socks for several years. I especially like their no show socks. You can often find them for less at Sierra.

Having traveled a lot to the windy and sometimes wets of England in Spring 3x, as well as Japan in Spring and Germany in the fall.. you really don't need to fret about "waterproof" 99.9% of the time. For us fretters (myself included) I usually take two pairs of sneakers. if one gets sogged I wear the other. Nowadays its easy to find a pair of gortex sneakers or you can buy some canvas sneakers and use camp dry on them. As far as jackets - - 100% recommend layering like everyone else has said. If you really need to, I suggest a packable puffer vest that has a hood you can zip down. Uniqlo makes those for about $30-40. They are small. Large puffers are generally not recommended. Squall jackets are a bit too much most of the time (I also have one of those :)!.