Attire for European winter.

[jingles]

Time for a slightly different question.

I will be heading over to the UK/West Europe in December and am expecting it to be fairly cold.

As I have not been before I am not too sure if my winter clothes would be adequate.
I just have various regular jackets/hoodie type things and some jumpers which are fine for the Australian winter.

The warmest pants I have are jeans, well I have ‘track pants’ however they are not something I wear in public, let alone take on holiday.

To those who have been in December, do you think I need to buy anything extra warm or will my Australian winter jackets be enough?

I was thinking of getting some thicker socks like Holeproof Explorer (All I have currently are cotton socks which do little for warmth) which have wool in them so should be warm and maybe some gloves however I don’t know if I should buy anything else.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[notzac]

Warm socks and gloves are essential; thermal underwear definitely helps. December is definitely on the chilly side, but it can get plenty colder in Jan/Feb - so I wouldn't worry too much about it. A decent jacket, a jumper or two and your regular clothes should be fine. Buy anything else you need/want while over there.

 

[dcm]

Depends a bit on which part of Australia you are referring to when you say "Australian winter". If you are prepared for a Hobart winter, then you should be OK. It also depends on how much time you expect to spend outdoors. I have taken thermals with me in the past but rarely used them - if you are likely to be lining up for something outdoors or attending an outdoor sporting event etc, then having thermals and warm socks packed would be good. Interiors of buildings tend to be warm, so it is best to have layers that can be peeled off easily. I would recommend a warm windproof jacket and gloves.

 

[medhead]

+1 on the layers. They heat their buildings to 25+ degrees. So it quickly gets uncomfortable when inside if your not able to strip down to a t-shirt or equivalent. For this reason thermals aren't exactly ideal if you are not expecting to spend long periods outside. But you do need to be warm outside so wind proof jacket and gloves as mentioned.

 

[dcm]

I suggets taking shoes with a strong grip if you are visiting northern European cities where the footpaths can get icy (eg Berlin).

 

[Anna]

You lose a lot of heat through your head, so I recommend taking a hat if you are going to northern Europe in winter.

Scarf and gloves/mittens are also important, and a full length coat (not just a jacket).

Don't wear nice leather shoes for walking around outside in winter as they might get stained from the salt that is sometimes put on roads and footpaths to make them less slippery. Get waterproof boots if you are going to do a lot of outside walking. Wet feet can be very uncomfortable after a while. Even if it is not actually raining or snowing, there are still likely to be puddles and slush that will get your feet wet if your footwear is not waterproof.

Get a good quality fold-up umbrella and always carry it with you. It needs to be able to withstand the nasty wind gusts that might accompany sudden heavy rain.

Remember the old Scandinavian saying - there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. (It sounds better in Swedish cos then it rhymes).

 

[albatross710]

Scarf and gloves/mittens are also important, and a full length coat (not just a jacket).

I recall my first trip to Europe in 1988 and landing in ZRH. I had my best Qld winter coat. My Swiss friend just laughed and loaned me a serious coat.

Essential for me would be:

Long winter coat
Woolen winter scarf
Thermal gloves

If you are just going for a short time it may be worth borrowing a serious winter coat from a friend. I have a family friend whom loaned me a coat a couple of times for short European trips.

 

[Ewok]

+1 for layers also. It is hot in shops/hotels/metro, and cold outside. Layers is the key.

 

[2muchplastic]

It also depends where exactly you are talking of going in the UK/West Europe.

If you are talking about the Highlands of Scotland in December, then prepare to freeze. You'll need some very good gear.
However if you're talking of Southern Portugal or Spain then you 'd be looking at temperatures in mid-teens.

 

[travelbug73]

The UK is generally milder in winter than most of (northern) mainland Europe. We're supposedly warmed by the gulf stream, though I don't advise you dipping your toes in at any stage.

A good coat, scarve and gloves and you should be fine. As others have pointed out, it can be very warn indoors and also on the Tube in London, so you need to have some layers.

 

[jingles]

Thanks for all the advice guys.
Grippy shoes is a good idea.

Sorry about leaving the thread hanging, i have been flat out over the last two weeks, certainly am looking forward to getting away from it all.

I will be buying some gloves, scarf and few other things.

I dont think i will worry about buying a jacket here, if what i take is not good enough i can easily buy something over there. Less to carry for one of the flights too.

I have had an American winter and NY blizzard (which apparently made the news here) and didnt find it too bad with the clothes i already had so hopefully i should be OK.