What to wear in Austria during Nov/Dec???
 

My husband and I don't really love the cold, but we are thinking of staying in Vienna during the months of November and December. If we do this, can you tell me what type of clothing we would need to pack? Should we go out and buy snow clothes or can we get away with tennis shoes, jacket, and jeans? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.

Winter clothes?

Depends on how well you like being soaked.

If you do then tennis shoes & jeans will be a wonderful choice

The weather can vary greatly during this time period. Not a great chance of snow but one day can be warm the next cold and windy.
I would suggest clothing that can be layered for warmth if needed or much less if it is warm- no real need for snow clothes.
shirts, sweaters,vest, scarf, hat, jeans, coat.
I would not recommend tennis shoes.
Comfortable and waterproof walking shoes are much better. Nothing is worse than wet cold feet in my feeling.

Fortunately, Vienna is a city of cafes.
Great places to get warm get dry eat and drink. They are found everywhere and good places to miss the showers.

Also no need to worry if you forget something- shops of all styles and prices can offer what you need.

I agree with Molker... dress in layers. Make the outside layer something that sheds water and consider either waterproof shoes or get some waterproofing stuff from some place like REI to keep the water away from your feet.

It will be pretty cold - expect temperatures well below freezing. And heavy rain. And snow.

Tennis shoes are certainly the wrong choice. We wear sturdy shoes, jeans and thick, rainproof coats. Do not forget to pack gloves.

Otherwise, Vienna in wintertime is very beautiful. The city hall will be illuminated for christmas, and if the city is covered with snow, everything looks wonderful. It may be nasty outside, but inside cafes and restaurants it will be warm and cozy.

December will be better than November.

Wool pants and warm socks would be at the top of my list, as well as a warm coat. If you're sightseeing in churches you will find that they retain the cold very well.

Don't you own any shoes other than tennis shoes? Where do you live? YOu need real shoes, especially in winter.

You could get by with a jacket if it's a very heavy one, although when it is real cold I don't like my rear end freezing off and need one thigh-length or just above the knees, unless skiing. Actually, some ski parkas are at least hip-length now, not just to the waist. Down is good as it is lightweight but warm, and you can get various thicknesses.

Thanks for all the responses. We are currently in Rome and have been traveling to and from various countries within Europe for the past 3 months. We each only have a 22" suitcase and a backpack and haven't had the need for winter clothes, scarves, jackets, boots, etc. just yet. Italy is pretty warm right now so shorts, tanks, sandals, and tennis shoes are what fill most of our suitcase space. We could always send home the tanks, shorts, and sandals and purchase winter clothes when we get to Vienna, but I'm concerned about the space in our luggage being taken up very quickly by heavy boots and jackets. Anyway, thanks for letting us know that it is COLD in November and December. We can handle COLD, but aren't so into stormy, rainy, windy weather. Hmmm....I'll have to really think about whether we want to spend those months in Vienna or not. Thanks again...

Tennis shoes are fine as long as they're waterproof.

Jeans will be warm enough - but take forever to dry when (not if) they get wet. I would wear cords instead.

For outerwear you might get away with a raincoat with liner - if you wear 3 or 4 layers underneath. I would bring my (heavy) leather jacket with liner (and not need the liner some days) and some sweaters and turtlenecks. Or a regular winter jacket.

You are on the central european plain - weather comes in from Russia and it can be chilly - or very cold with snow.

Jeans should be fine but I would wear tights under them to keep my legs warm. My neice was living in Copenhagen a couple of winters ago and she wore jeans all the time, but she did wear tights under, and on the coldest days she also wore leg warmers under them. She were tennis shoes quite often with heavy socks of course. I was there visiting right after Christmas. I had a pair of waterproof, insulated, and lined boots. They were fabulous. They weren't heavy and I could just wear my tights and sometimes a pair of light socks and my feet were never wet or cold. They were ankle height. I will say that my feet would sweat in them sometimes, so that was the downside.

A scarf makes a real difference in comfort level and as mentioned, lined gloves. I had a pair of lined Isotoner gloves that were perfect. They were very warm but not bulky so easy to put in my coat pocket of in my purse. If you can get some silk underwear it would be great. That really helps with warmth but they are so thin and light, they will take up no room in your suitcase. The biggest thing would be your coat but I'm assuming you'd be wearing that most of the time so I don't think you would have to pack it. I love cold weather, but if as you say you and your husband don't like it that much and it will be a lot of trouble to get winter clothing, perhaps wait for warmer weather to see Vienna. There is nothing more miserable than to be cold and wet and trying to walk around and see the sites. I was prepared for Copenhagen, I like the cold AND they had a ton of snow (unusual for Copenhagen) so I was quite happy.

Thanks nytraveler. Thanks crefloors. If we do find a place (I'm looking right now) then we'll probably buy some winter clothes when we get there. I've been told by a few friends who have visited Austria during Christmas that tights and/or leggings under the jeans is really helpful so I'll definitely be buying a couple pairs of those. The shoes are the only thing that concerns me, but if they must be waterproof, then they must be waterproof! No, we don't love the cold, but I'm willing to have a better attitude about it, seeing as how we never get snowy cold Christmas' where we are from (Santa Barbara, CA)! It will be a Christmas to remember....

No need for exaggerating. Most the time it'll be well above freezing temperatures. Maybe some snow, but still the western winds dominate. It's only December. If you want to go in the mountains, you'll need to be prepared. Other than that you can buy everything you may need locally. Waterproof is good, but more important is a proper insualtion of the sole. However, don't expect snow, but rather lots of rain... In most years the first snow comes in January or late December :-(. November is dark and often wet...

I found a new use for my Rick Steves travel bood last Christmas in Vienna. We stopped to rest on an outside stone bench. I sat on the travel book to insulate me from the cold stone bench. Now I'm going to have to talk to Rick Steves about printing a larger size book.

"book" Must be something wrong with the computer to spell like that.

Now that you're in Vienna Gills, how is the weather? Have you bought warmer clothes? Snow yet??

The forecast is for snow and -1 C max!

We're coming to Austria for Christmas and New Year's and are hoping it'll be "white"!

-5C at this moment in Munich, Vienna should be much better ;-)

There was snow in the south of the Netherlands today. We didn't get it thnk goodness - lots of sun but cold here. I hope that continues.
I don't like snow. :(

YOu need multi layers so that as you step into shops ( at 30 degree C) you can un zip and stay cool before stepping into -5 streets. You need a hat, either a ski hat you can shake out (snow or rain) or a wool felt or leather cowboy hat. You need a waterproof outer with windbreak features. Jeans no as they will freeze on you. You may want long johns (no seriously) but you can get by with sheep skins/mink skins etc. Walking boots. The city runs on trams and unless you want to take taxis everywhere you will be in and out of hot and cold enviroments. There may be a Mall in Vienna but if so not a big one and only iwth boring shops. All big places will have lockers or wardrobes which will store your outside things.

A minute ago on TV weather:
Andechs -8C (west of Munich)
Holzkirchen -12C (S-Bahn to the south)
Zugspitze -20C, great for skiing :-)
Winter is here.

Vienna
Tonight is snowing. Tomorrow is going to snow too. The temp for tomorrow is zero / both high and low.

Good shoes for that area are good rubber soles. Mephisto produces some excellent shoes with gummi soles. It forms the sides of the shoe and it's great in the snowy/rainy days.

When I left Sweden, wearing Swedish winter clothes, I thought I was going to be okay. Wrong. I had to buy a overcoat that day. It can be very cold there.

Blackduff

We are California kids and we've NEVER experienced cold like this before. It's freezing!

Images, we did buy winter jackets that have helped immensely and we plan on doing some more shopping for gloves, long underwear, and hats! It's like every part of your body that is exposed in someway becomes frozen instantly! It's the wind that is killing us. If it weren't for the wind I think we would enjoy going out more. Today we woke up to a nice thick blanket of snow which is beautiful! We're hoping that Salzburg will be white for Christmas as well. Christmas Markets start up next week....can't wait!

Oh and bilboburgler is correct when he/she says layer! The stores are so HOT compared to the COLD outside.

The shoes aren't an issue insofar as your luggage is concerned GillsinEurope, as you'll be wearing them. So if you haven't already purchased them I'd do so.

I'm very susceptible to the cold (but prefer cold weather to warm), and find that earmuffs are a really nice option (I use a type called 180s that go around the back of your head/neck, so not hat hair and no sweaty hair). I also use a muff for my hands, on top of gloves. Keeps me very toasty, and you may be able to find a muff that will double as a small handbag/wallet.

Sounds like Vienna is lovely.

Thanks so much for the update! The snow sounds magical. We're also Californian's originally, but have lived in the midwest enough years now that we are used to snow and ice. The wind, you never get used to.

It'll be challenging just bringing our carryon bags, as we usually do!

You don;t need "snow clothes" - there isn't any skiing in Vienna - it's flat.

But you do need winter clothes. This includes a winter weight coat (a waist length jacket will leave your bottom half freezing), hat, scarf, gloves and waterproofed walking shoes or booties, preferably with a ridged rubber sole good for sleet, ice or packed snow. And I think cords are better than jeans - dry faster and don't get so stiff when wet.

You'll also need a good sturdy folding umbrella.

Sneakers would be worse than useless.

Vienna is not flat and does have skiing - the area in the norhern part of the city is very hilly - exdample 18th 19thdistrict places like Nussdorf, Grinzing, Sievering, Neustift .
Panoramic views and good hiking available in the area of the Kahlemberg.
Vienna skiing and tobagganing . example the area at Hohe Wand including ski lift.

When I went to Copenhagen in the winter I bought an ankle length medium weight wool coat and it was fabulous. I had tights under my pants, then the boots I mentioned, silk under shirt, a knit T-shirt, and knit cardigan and my coat. With a scarf and gloves, I was quite comfortable most of the time. The silks are so light and thin that one day when it was really cold..the high was 18 F, I wore all three pair of the silk undershirts I had brought and they didn't add a lot of bulk.

The stores were too hot but it didn't seem to bother the "natives". I was sweatin' bullets even after taking my coat and cardigan off, and they were all bundled up and cool as a cucumber. Go figure.