What to pack for Paris in December
Paris in December is cold, gray and lovely. The department stores on Boulevard Haussmann dress their windows for Christmas, the streets are strung with lights, and the Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour from late afternoon, because the sun is down before five. Days hover in the mid 40s, rarely freezing, but a fine drizzle comes and goes and the damp gets into everything.
So the list is built for the damp and for long evenings. A warm wool coat, knits you can layer under it and pull off in a heated museum, boots that shrug off a wet street, and one outfit that feels a little dressed up for a holiday dinner. Parisians dress in dark, quiet colors in winter, and so does this capsule.
Checked
The weather
- Daytime high
- 47°F
- 8°C. Rarely below freezing.
- Overnight low
- 38°F
- 3°C. Damp, so it feels colder.
- Wet days
- ~10
- Mostly drizzle rather than downpours.
- Daylight
- 8–8.5 h
- Sunrise near 8:40am, sunset near 4:55pm.
The capsule
A week, one traveler, Boathouse palette. Navy and cream with chocolate brown, warm enough for an evening by the Seine and smart enough for a bistro. A capsule is a few clothes in one palette (a base color, a neutral and an accent) that all go together. The full list below adds what sits outside it.
Layers
Wool peacoat
Longline cardigan
Tops
Merino turtleneck
Striped cotton top
Fluid shirt, for dinner
Bottoms
Dark jeans
Pleated midi skirt, with tights
Brown pants
Shoes
Waterproofed ankle boots
Leather sneakers
Three days from this capsule
Shown for one traveler. Packlier packs a capsule like this for each person on the trip.
The full list
Clothes
- Warm wool coat that reaches the hips
- Cardigan or light sweater, for layering indoors
- Four or five tops, two of them warm knits
- Jeans and a warmer pair of pants
- A skirt or dress with thick tights
- Something a little dressed up for a holiday dinner
- Wool socks, one pair for every two days
Shoes
- Waterproofed boots with a grippy sole
- Comfortable sneakers for dry days and museums
Day bag
- Crossbody bag that zips shut
- Compact umbrella
- Scarf, hat and gloves
- Refillable water bottle
- A foldable tote, for market finds and gifts
Documents and tech
- Passport
- Travel insurance details
- Card for tap-to-pay, plus some euros for markets and cafés
- Louvre and Eiffel Tower tickets, booked ahead
- Type C/E plug adapter (230V)
- Power bank, since phones drain fast in the cold
Toiletries
- Rich moisturizer and lip balm, for the heating and the wind
- Blister bandages
- Any prescriptions, in your carry-on
Gear worth the space
A wool coat that covers your hips
It cuts the damp chill, goes over every outfit in the bag and looks right at a nice dinner. Pick one that fits over a sweater.
Waterproofed leather boots
The drizzle is light but steady, and wet feet ruin a day of walking. Leather boots stay smart enough for evening.
A compact umbrella
Light enough to carry all day, for a city where the rain comes and goes. When it settles in, Paris's covered passages, like Galerie Vivienne, make a dry walk.
A zip-top crossbody bag
Pickpockets work the crowds at the Christmas windows, around Sacré-Cœur and on metro line 1. Keep it zipped and in front of you.
A warm scarf
It weighs nothing, adds more warmth than another sweater, and changes the look of an outfit you have worn twice already.
Short gray days and long lit-up evenings. Packlier packs your December in Paris for both, sized to your bag.
Tell it where, when, why, which bag and which palette, and it packs the capsule, checks it against the bag and adds everything that is not clothing. Free on Android now, with iOS on the way.
