A Simple & Practical Packing List for a European Christmas Market Vacation

Welcome to week two of a four-part series covering everything about visiting European Christmas markets! This episode is all about what you should and shouldn’t pack on your European Christmas adventure.

I have learned so much by trial and error packing for trips, and here are some of my top tips for packing (specifically for Europe in the winter).

1. Lay out everything you think that you’ll wear, and put half back

This will save you from overpacking! This philosophy works really well for general trips where you can wear similar outfits daily. Obviously, some trips require different attire for each day’s activities, but if that is not the case, this tip works wonders! You don’t need as many outfits as you think you’ll need on your European trip.

2. Try to pack in carry-on only

I follow this rule for all of our trips, but it is specifically handy for European trips! Once in Europe, you will likely travel between cities quite often. Many cities also have cobblestone roads and not a lot of elevators, so you’ll thank yourself when you don’t have a ton to haul around.

In our family, each person brought one carry-on suitcase or duffle bag, and one smaller backpack.

3. What to pack

  • 1 or 2 coats 

    • These are bulky, so you only need a couple! 

    • Make sure one is warm enough for 40º weather (we had puffer jackets). 

    • Also, bring a rain jacket! It rained a lot for us.

  • Tops

    • 3-4 sweaters/crewnecks to rotate through (I love merino wool).

    • My kids usually wore long-sleeved shirts under their warm jackets.

  • Pants

    • Go basic! All you’ll need is 3-4 pairs of pants.

    • I personally didn’t wear jeans that often. 

    • I LOVED my fleece-lined leggings! I also had some regular black leggings from WoolX and I loved those as well.

    • Another common pair of pants for me was Gamma pants from Arcteryx. I liked these for rainy days because they were more waterproof.

    • My kids wore jeans, athletic, or cargo pants.

  • Thermals (optional)

    • I wore thermal tops and bottoms under my clothes on a few days of our trip. I brought 2 pairs to alternate with.

    • However, my kids didn’t wear thermals and were totally fine. If you run cold, I would bring them!

    • I love the brand Icebreaker for thermals! But Amazon also has some great cheaper options.

  • Shoes

    • I found the most perfect boots for this trip! They are Chelsea-style waterproof boots from Vessi. I ordered a pair for me and both of my daughters (based on great reviews) and we loved them! The three of us wore these almost every day of the trip. They were great for walking and keeping our feet warm and dry.

      • I would have been fine only packing these.

    • We also each had a pair of running/tennis shoes for days with more walking.

    • I overestimated how cold it would be and brought snow boots that were NOT necessary. 

  • Other items

    • Beanie (1-2)

    • Gloves

    • Scarf 

    • Warm socks

      • We got wool socks and loved them! They stayed warm and dry.

    • Underwear

    • Pajamas/loungewear

      • Our favorites are Vuori joggers. These are great for plane rides and hanging out at the hotel.

4. Bring a collapsible tote/bag

  • I like to bring additional bags that can fold into my other bags in case I need to carry additional souvenirs or anything that I don’t want to tightly pack when we move cities.

  • I bought a tote bag from Walker Family Goods. 

5. Everyday bag

  • Bring some sort of purse or fanny pack to carry your phone, wallet, keys, or other small items throughout the day. 

  • My daughter and I both brought larger fanny packs that could hold a water bottle in addition to our personal items. 

  • This can be stored in one of your other bags during travel.

6. Leave room in your bag

  • Don’t stuff your bag because you will likely want to bring home souvenirs! We didn’t buy much, but enough to be a little too tight in our bags.

Lisa AndrewsComment