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Travel to northern Europe summer: help me make sense of temperatures

Kookaburra

I will be travelling to Scandinavia in mid-July for a few weeks. We have some city sight-seeing (Stockholm, Copenhagen) as well as time on the fjords in Norway. I've been keeping a watchful eye on the weather forecasts and plan to adjust my packing on the last day based on the temperatures. However, I wanted to be ready with a rough guideline so that I can quickly pack more or less of something.
Leaving aside the fjords as gear can be easier to pack, here is a rough draft of the translation temperature / clothing for city sightseeing:

18 degrees & below - long trousers + closed shoes
19 - 23 degrees - cropped trousers + closed shoes
24 - 27 degrees - cropped trousers + sandals
28 degrees & above - skirt/dress + sandals

I am only including the bottom parts as they tend to be a lot harder to adjust on the fly (can't take off my trousers if a bit too warm), whereas with top layers I always start with a short-sleeve top, then add a cardigan, then a jacket, etc. and take off as I go along.

Please give me feedback, especially those living in Europe or who have recently travelled there: does this hold water? The temperature in Scandinavia seems to be around 20-22 maximum each day: what are you wearing?

As a final remark: I tend to run warm and being too hot makes me feel miserable. My experience is that I most often pack too warm for Europe and end up sweltering.

Dressing

19 replies

Latest reply was from Kookaburra

rachylou

Veteran

That sounds right - 21-22 being the max and chilly in the mornings and evenings. I personally run cold I should say, and 22 is sweater weather to me...

Astrid

Veteran

With a maximum of 20-22 I would probably wear long pants, closed shoes and a T-shirt with optional cardigan over it in the morning and evening. I hate to be too warm too, but I would say I tend to run cold. I don't know why it works, but one good method for me is pairing sandals with long pants. I'm less likely to overheat when my feet are breezy and my Birkenstock sandals keep my feet fairly warm when it's still cold in the mornings.

All in all I would say the bottoms for your temperature brackets sound like a good idea. I think it also depends a bit on whether the weather is sunny/rainy/windy/humid, the same temperature can feel quite different depending on that.

Kookaburra

Astrid - thank you, they are excellent points, especially wearing long trousers with sandals as a way of striking that balance between too hot and too cold. Thankfully I have. 2 pairs of Ecco sandals which ( to me at least) look cute and city-appropriate but are actually the two most comfortable walking shoes I have. So your suggestion would be a great way to get more mileage out of them - I'm certainly packing one of the pairs! And yes, rain or wind would make such a difference, too. Perhaps I need to pack one of each and hope for the best

Rachylou - yes, definitely a sweater, or more a cardigan as I'm more a cardinagn person at 22 degrees. Plus this cute pocketable parka I'd bought for the trip at Uniqlo, but have ended up wearing even when it's not raining cause it just looks so cute.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Where do you usually live and what are the temperatures like for you? How you will feel in these temps. will depend to some degree on what you are acclimated to.

I agree with Astrid's suggestion of sandals with longer trousers (or the reverse). I also love cotton scarves for this situation, and of course layers are your best bet.

Where I live, it gets humid, so can be very hot indeed at even 25 degrees. It is 25 today and I am wearing my coolest sleeveless modal dress and sandals. I have a fan blowing on me and windows open for breeze!! But on drier days, that same temperature feels cooler. I expect it would feel cooler in Scandinavia.

I'd definitely bring a rain jacket as well. And have a wonderful time!

Kookaburra

Suz - thank you for your reply. I am in Sydney, Australia. So going from our winter to European summer. If you just looked at the maximum temperature, they wouldn't differ too much: 20-22 degrees is a common max temp in Sydney winter. But I have learned from previous experiences that it's useless just looking at the numbers, because a 'winter 22' can feel very different than a 'summer 22'.

Wow - the fact that you are dressed in your most summery garb at 25 does help me reset my brain to more of a summer expectation. Yes, definitely packing a rain jacket and a few cardigans to layer, not to mention all the gear stuff I will have for the fjords, which can serve as a backup for the city component.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yes, the gear layers will be useful if you need to do that.

European summers are very different from North American, in my limited experience...and of course it is crazy to generalize about "European" summers anyway, since Italy and Greece are entirely different from France which is different again from Scandinavia.

Having said that...my guess is that the typical summer weather in most parts of Scandinavia would be similar to the summer weather in Northern Ontario. I live in the southeast of our province where it is warmer.

I think the best case weather you could expect would include warm, sunny days. In our northern Ontario lakes, people spend all day swimming, boating, sunning themselves, sometimes fishing...it's certainly warm enough to be out and about doing summery things. But it's very far from tropical heat. And it will probably cool down quite a lot at night, so you would certainly need layers and maybe even socks.

DonnaF

Veteran

You might also think of taking straight leg jeans and the like that you can roll to a cropped length. I am a lot warmer when my pulse points (ankles, wrists, and neck) are covered, and likewise cooler when one or more of them are bare.

Kookaburra

DonnaF - wow, I have never considered pulse points. It certainly sounds very plausible and I must test his out. Nothing like some quick-cool tricks to have up one's sleeve

Suz - yes, huge differences between parts of Europe. I must admit my packed-way-too-hot misadventures were usually in Southern Europe. Though not the last one. When you are coming from Australia, everyone thinks they need to warn you about how cold Europe is going to be, in any season. So not the case, usually. Funnily enough, I'd never realised how hot Canada can get in the summers

Kookaburra

Hmmm - just saw a post on FB from an Aust colleague who had landed in Frankfurt and was absolutely sweltering. It was written 17 hours ago so I looked up the weather in Frankfurt yesterday: 25 degrees max, 15 degrees minimum. He must be happy it seems to have gone down to 21 max today.

OK, I think more breezy clothing required for my trip

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Frankfurt is inland so may be more humid. He was probably experiencing a 25C similar to what I was experiencing yesterday.

That's what is key, I think -- looking at the humidex and finding weather reports that tell you what the temperatures "feel like" vs. the number, which can be confusing.

Re Canadian summers -- like Australia, we are a huge country, so summers vary enormously across the country -- but in general, in the south (which is where the vast majority of people live) temps can and do get quite high in our summers. It is exceedingly rare to have a 40C day...but it is less rare for days to feel like 40C due to the humidity. Where I live, most summers include a share of 30C days for sure, many of which feel hotter.

But summer is really only about 8 weeks long. We get back to our brutal winter reality pretty fast, alas...

Scandinavia would for sure be cooler than Frankfurt...oh, but you are going to LOVE the long evenings....

Here's what I would pack (based on the weather I'm acclimated to myself):

A couple of pair of substantial weight long pants/ jeans that can be rolled for crops (e.g. denim)
A couple of pair of more substantial shorts (i.e. not linen, but denim or similar.)
A couple of skirts/ dresses -- one midi length.
3 or 4 short sleeved or sleeveless tops
2 or 3 long sleeved tops
Sandals.
Closed shoes.
2 or 3 cotton sweaters to be layered over, similar to Breton sweaters.
Denim jacket
Cotton scarves
Sunhat
Raincoat
Socks
Tanks for layering

If I had room I might include a pair of linen pants that bare the ankles.
Maybe a blazer, too, if I had dressier days planned.

Sunglasses!

Camera!

Ooh - I just had an idea -- take a look at Angie's spring travel capsule from last year. She wore a lot of cotton knit tops and jeans. It was spring vs. summer.

Anonymous

Wow - what a major trek that will be - literally across the world! I have no advice for packing for Scandinavia, but have to smile at the temp ranges and suggested outfits. As soon as it gets above 18C here (mid- Canada ) we're all in shorts Optimistic folk, we are . It was 35C here the day before yesterday - so yes, Canada can get as good and hot as the rest of the world .

plonkee

I'm currently on holiday in Dorset in the UK. I've been wearing a mix of jeans, cropped trousers, closed shoes and sandals. Most comfortable for temperature have been cropped trousers and closed shoes. We've had highs of 20C, but some wind. Hope that helps.

Kookaburra

Plonkee - thank you, that really helps! Trouble is, coming from Aust winter, it is easy to start thinking that 20 is really cold, as it is often the (reported) winter temp in Sydney. But it's a different 20, with a real cold bite in the air that makes it a woollen coat and boots sort of 20. Your experience is helping realign my thinking...

Lisap - indeed it is the very other end if the globe! Haha, so you're in shorts if it's over 18 degrees! Yes, that helps indeed. I really need to think carefully so that I bring enough cooler clothing. Thankfully it's smaller to pack.

Suz - really appreciate your thoughtful and comprehensive answer. I'm not sure about Angie's travel wardrobe. It looked fabulous, as it always does, but to me she was dressed for winter (difference in body temperatures). Plus I could never walk more than half an hour in such dainty shoes I shall peruse your suggested list very carefully, thank you for sharing. You are right I that the humidity levels would make a difference. Everywhere we will go will be coastal as well, so there should be at least some breeze in the air. And yes, so looking forward to the long evenings in Scandunavia - the thing I hate most about winter us his it gets dark by 5pm ( I'm sure it's worse in Canadian winter... not to mention much longer).

I might post my final list based on yours, with the adjustments to what I actually own. For instance, I don't own any city shorts, because I spend the entire Autumn, summer and spring here in skirts and dresses ( more breezy and versatile ). So I have dozens of skirts, of course! Have just acquired 2pairs of cropped trousers, so they will be useful for the trip. Exciting!

Cococat

Veteran

I'm on a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest at the moment. Amsterdam was around 22 highs with cooler mornings and nights. It feels like early Spring in Australia. I've been wearing jeans and tees with a light jacket which I take off during the middle of the day.

My Uniqlo heattech camis have been my favourite travel item so far.

It gets dark here at about 11pm!

Kookaburra

CocoCat - Thank you, this is valuable information. I am starting to think that cropped trousers + sneakers + s/s T-shirt + cardi + light rain parka + umbrella in my backpack will be my default outfit!.Especially that there's showers or rain forecast for every day of our trip Hopefully it'll be a sprinkle rather than a downpour.

Enjoy your trip!

Helen11

Veteran

I do love comparing summers across YLF. 18C is winter to me!
No further packing suggestions, but do have a wonderful time and let us know how you enjoyed it all!

Laura

I live in Germany, near the North Sea but have travelled to Scandinavia many times. 22C is usually the max but during the daytime, it is not unusual for the temperature to be in the teens, especially when you are near the ocean.

If I was doing a trek across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, I would incorporate light cardigans, light sweaters or perhaps a t-shirt with jacket combination, jeans or perhaps jean shorts with tights and my trusty pair of knee high riding boots. For places where I want some really nice photos, a dress would be nice to have as well.

quietloud

Hello!
I live in western Norway, so perhaps I can add something to the discussion.

I agree with Laura above me that temperatures above 22C is rare, and 18C+ is usually considered shorts/sandals weather here (although I frequently see tourists wearing winter hats and coats while the locals are in t-shirts, so I suppose it's all about what you're acclimated to.

It's been quite cold here the past couple of weeks, around 15C max, and my outfits usually consist of jeans, closed shoes, t-shirt/blouse and a light jacket, and I always bring a lightweight scarf just in case. For evening I might add a lightweight sweater or cardigan if I'm spending a longer time outside. Western Norway (and in my experience Denmark too) can be quite windy, so it often feels colder than the temperature indicates.

Also, remember to dress warmly for the fjords! For the kind of weather we're having right now I would bring a heavier knit sweater and a wind proof outer layer.

In general for Scandinavia I'd say layering is key!

Kookaburra

Helen11 - yes, I've also learned in my travels that you can go very, very wrong just looking at the temperature number. And yes... It's what you're used to, 18 is winter here as well.

Laura - thank you,sounds like you really have quite a bit of experience with that part of the world. Your suggestions ar great, I am a cardigan girl through and through, so may bring a couple. I think I'll leave the knee-high boots to you, though.... way too big to pack. I have been tossing up whether to bring my hiking shoes as they take up a lot of space, but as there are showers forecast just about every day, I don't think anything else will stand up to the weather.

Quietloud - oh fantastic, I was so hoping to hear from someone who lives in Scandinavia. It is this sort of answer that really makes me glad I'd asked the question, as 18 degrees is a winter day here, and a winter day in a cooler side. But it's a very different 18 degrees, with a real frosty bite in the air that is all winter. 15 degrees would be a very, very cold winter day. So 18+ is shorts.... I will definitely need to throw my one and only pair of running shorts into the suitcase, something I hadn't even considered until your post. I do run warm and always tend to get surprised by how warm Europe feels, way beyond the stated temperatures. And yes, layering is definitely the way to go and hedge my bets at the start of each day!