What to pack for Europe in December: Paris to Amsterdam

In December, Paris runs from about 4 to 8 °C (39 to 46 °F), and Brussels and Amsterdam from about 2 to 7 °C (36 to 45 °F), with drizzle on many days and sunset around 4:30 to 5 pm. Pack a warm hooded coat that stands rain, layers you can take off indoors, waterproof shoes with grip, and gloves.

The story

Paris in mid-December, and at noon it’s 7 °C under a low gray sky. A fine drizzle hangs in the air, and by the time you’ve walked along the Seine to the Louvre, your coat is damp at the shoulders. Inside, the heating is on full: the coat goes over your arm, and you spend the afternoon in a sweater. When you come out, just before five, the sun has already set.

On the fourth morning, the Eurostar takes you to Brussels in an hour and 22 minutes. You lift your suitcase onto the rack yourself: there’s no weight limit, as long as you can carry your own bag.

At six in the evening it’s 3 °C, and the Christmas market fills the center, from the Grand-Place to Sainte-Catherine. On the Grand-Place, the Town Hall changes color with the music, and the wet cobblestones shine. You stand between the stalls for an hour, a waffle in a gloved hand, while the cold climbs through your soles. Wool socks, waterproof boots, and thermal leggings under your jeans make the difference.

The next day, a direct train takes you to Bruges in about an hour. The wind crosses the Markt, where the Christmas stalls stand below the belfry, and it drizzles on and off all day, on cobblestones that never dry. In shoes with rubber soles, you stop thinking about them.

Amsterdam is another hour and 52 minutes up the line. On the first afternoon, a gust comes down the canal and turns the umbrella ahead of you inside out; you pull up your hood. The red lanes belong to the bikes, which don’t slow down for visitors. The sun sets around half past four, and after dinner you take a boat past the Light Festival’s artworks, every light doubled in the water.

Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam in December are cold rather than frozen: 2 to 8 °C, gray, often wet and windy, and dark by late afternoon. Pack a warm coat with a hood, layers for heated museums and trains, waterproof shoes with grip, and a suitcase you can lift yourself.

What to pack for Europe in December

Pack for 2 to 8 °C, about the temperature inside a fridge, with drizzle and wind outdoors and heating everywhere indoors.

Clothes

A warm coat with a hood that stands drizzle and covers your hips. If you don’t own one, it’s the piece worth borrowing or buying; the rest is layers.
A thermal top and leggings, for evenings standing at the Christmas markets.
Two or three sweaters or fleeces that look fine on their own: museums, cafés, and trains are heated.
Jeans or warm trousers, and one outfit a little dressier for dinner.
A hat that covers your ears, a scarf, and gloves that work with a touchscreen.

Shoes

Waterproof boots or shoes with grippy rubber soles, broken in before the trip: wet cobblestones are slippery, and you’ll walk all day.
Wool socks, and a spare pair in your day bag for when your feet get wet.

For the day

A compact umbrella for Paris; in Amsterdam’s wind, the hood does better.
A power bank: batteries drain faster in the cold, and your tickets and maps are on your phone.
Lip balm and hand cream: heated air is dry.

Bags

One suitcase you can lift by yourself, no longer than 75 cm: the Eurostar has no weight limit, but you load your own bag.
A small cross-body bag that closes, for the metro and the crowded markets.

Documents, money and tech

Passport, or a national ID card if you’re an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen. Keep it on you on the trains too.
A card that pays contactless, and a little cash in euros.
A plug adapter if you come from outside continental Europe: a Europlug (type C) fits the sockets in all three countries, at 230 V.
An eSIM for Europe, so one data plan works in all three countries.

Good to know

Weather: December runs from about 4 to 8 °C (39 to 46 °F) in Paris and 2 to 7 °C (36 to 45 °F) in Brussels and Amsterdam, by the 1991–2020 averages of Météo-France (Paris-Montsouris station), Belgium’s Royal Meteorological Institute (Uccle), and the Dutch KNMI (Schiphol airport). Brussels and Amsterdam get at least a little rain or drizzle on about 19 days of the month and snow on about four, and the wind at Schiphol averages about 20 km/h (12 mph).

Stop	Temperature	Rain in December	What changes in the bag
Paris	4–8 °C (39–46 °F)	62 mm (2.4 in)	A compact umbrella for the walks between museums
Brussels	2–7 °C (36–45 °F)	87 mm (3.4 in)	Thermal leggings for the Christmas market nights
Amsterdam	2–7 °C (36–45 °F)	82 mm (3.2 in)	A hood instead of an umbrella, for the wind

Daylight: the sun sets around 5 pm in Paris, 4:40 pm in Brussels, and 4:30 pm in Amsterdam, and shines less than two hours a day on average.
Getting around: the Eurostar (formerly Thalys) runs from Paris Gare du Nord to Brussels-Midi in 1 hour 22 minutes, and on to Amsterdam Centraal in 1 hour 52; a Standard ticket includes two bags up to 75 cm long and a small one. Direct trains to Bruges take about an hour. There’s no passport control between the three countries, but officers do spot checks.
Christmas: Brussels’ Winter Wonders, with more than 200 stalls, an ice rink, and a light show on the Grand-Place, runs from November 27, 2026, to January 3, 2027. Bruges’ Christmas markets run from November 20 to January 3, and the Amsterdam Light Festival from November 26 to January 17. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, December 25, and January 1.
Plugs: types C and E in France and Belgium, C and F in the Netherlands, all 230 V. A Europlug (type C) adapter fits all three.
Money: euro (EUR) in all three countries. Cards and phones are accepted almost everywhere, and some places in Amsterdam take no cash at all.
Entry: France, Belgium, and the Netherlands are in the Schengen area. If you’re not an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, check whether you need a visa before you go. The EU’s Entry/Exit System has been fully running since April 10, 2026: on your first entry, officers take a photo of your face and, usually, your fingerprints, and your passport isn’t stamped. ETIAS, the travel authorization for visitors who don’t need a visa, isn’t running yet; the EU will announce its start date several months ahead (checked September 30, 2026).
Going on: heading to London? The Eurostar leaves from Paris and Brussels too: see what to pack for London in December. For Germany’s Christmas markets, see what to pack for Berlin in December.

Questions

Is it cold in Europe in December?

Yes, though in Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam it’s cold and wet rather than frozen: about 2 to 8 °C (36 to 46 °F), the temperature inside a fridge. Museums, cafés, and trains are heated, so pack layers under a warm hooded coat.

Does it snow in Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam in December?

Sometimes, but rain is far more likely: Brussels and Amsterdam get snow on about four days of the month, and rain or drizzle on about 19. Paris is the mildest of the three, at about 4 to 8 °C (39 to 46 °F).

What should I wear in Europe in December?

Layers under a warm coat with a hood that covers your hips: a thermal top and leggings for evenings outdoors, and sweaters that look fine on their own for heated museums. Add a hat that covers your ears, a scarf, and touchscreen gloves.

What shoes should I wear in Europe in December?

Waterproof boots or shoes with grippy rubber soles, broken in before the trip: wet cobblestones are slippery, and you’ll walk all day. Pack wool socks, and a spare pair in your day bag.

How long is the train from Paris to Brussels and Amsterdam?

An hour and 22 minutes from Paris to Brussels on the Eurostar, and 1 hour 52 minutes from Brussels to Amsterdam. Bruges is about an hour from Brussels by direct train.