Clothing to wear in December in Switzerland and France

Warm! Seriously, we were in Paris last year for the holidays and it was very cold. Be sure to bring warm socks, gloves, hat, silk or thermal long underwear (I prefer the silk because it is thin but warm), and warm shoes or boots. I don't know if you will be in the city or country, but that may dictate what you bring. Many people recommend layers, so that is what I did. To do it over again I think I would bring a warmer jacket, like down, knee length or slightly shorter, that could be taken off indoors. I found that when I would go indoors and take off my outer layer I still had on too many other layers for comfort. A person can only take off just so many clothes!

Andrea

If I wear thermals and then jeans and boots and perhaps just a long sleeve shirts will that be too warm for the inside tours? Should I wear a thermal under my shirt as well? I have a down coat to my knees that is also water repelant. Plenty of hats and scarfs.Would that work? How cold was it? It says it is usually mid 40s to 50s. Did it rain on you alot while you were there? Thanks for the info. I appreciate any info I can get. I dont want to be unprepared when we get there.

Kym, I wore tights under my pants rather than thermals, which was okay but probably not quite as warm. I highly recommend silk long underwear because it is not as bulky. It sounds like your coat is perfect. Wool or wool blend socks would work well. I saw in the Wintersilks catalog that they have sock and glove liners. If I do another winter trip I will definitely invest in those! I wore tights, warm socks and Uggs and my feet were still cold. I would think about a sweater over the long sleeve shirt and a silk thermal under the shirt.

We were in Amsterdam, Bruges & Paris from 12/26 - 1/8. Most of our time was in Paris. The warmest it ever got was about 33 degrees. We only had a small amount of rain one day, and we had one day of snow. Mostly it was just cold, not wet. It was beautiful, but cold, for us anyway. For someone from a colder climate it probably would have been fine. I guess it all depends on what you are used to. I don't know where in TX Quinlan is, but it may be very cold for you too.

Where are you going in Switzerland and France? That will probably make a big difference in the temps you should expect.

Where you are going in Switzerland can make a big difference in what weather to expect.

Echoing the others, where you're going in these countries makes a big difference. And realize that last winter in Europe was much colder than normal, so peoples' experiences from a year ago were atypical.

Paris (and most of NW France) usually experiences highs in the mid to upper 40s. Snow is rare, although because of the high humidity, always expect some rain, which is usually light (not like the sudden gushers you experience in Texas). In the city, I would much rather carry a small umbrella than wear rain gear, which usually doesn't breathe very well. But overall, Paris usually has very pleasent weather over the holidays. Although you could bring them, I wouldn't automatically wear long underwear unless you sampled the temps and decided you need them. Long underwear can become uncomfortably warm indoors or after long walks. I usually wear a fleece overcoat, a sweater, scarf, light gloves, and if needed, a hat.

If you're in the south of France, expect even more mild temperatures. For central and eastern France, particularly the Alpine regions, daytime highs usually hover closer to the freezing point.

Most of Switzerland, except perhaps Ticino, will likely be colder than Paris, especially in the Alps. You may need thicker socks here, and you also may need an extra layer, depending on what sorts of activities you plan.

We are going to Paris France for two days the 29 & 30th. We will be in Switzerland on the i9 & 20th in Zurich and probably in Gimmelwald, Lauterbrunnen valley and Murren.

Yeah, just my luck we got the atypical cold weather! But...that can happen any time so it is best to be prepared. It didn't ruin our trip, but it would have been better if we weren't so cold during our time outdoors. I love to walk around Paris and it was so cold (for us) that we took the metro more than we might have otherwise.