Europe Packing Lists

Europe covers an enormous range of climates and travel styles in a surprisingly small footprint. You can be standing in a snow-dusted Christmas market in Vienna one morning and on a warm Lisbon cafe terrace the next. That variety is exactly what makes packing hard. The right bag for a rainy Edinburgh weekend is not the one for a late-summer week on the Amalfi Coast.

Climate at a glance

Expect four real seasons almost everywhere. Northern Europe is cool and wet year-round with short, bright summers. Mediterranean Europe has hot dry summers and mild damp winters. Central Europe swings hardest between cold winters and warm summers. Always check a forecast in the week before you fly, not just the monthly average.

What to pack for Europe

• Comfortable walking shoes — European cities are walking cities, and cobblestones eat cheap sneakers.
• Layers over one heavy coat — a light rain shell plus a fleece beats a single bulky jacket almost everywhere.
• A universal Type C or Type F plug adapter — almost the entire continent uses one of these two shapes.
• A day bag that looks urban, not touristy — slash-resistant straps help in the obvious pickpocket cities.
• Modest clothing options if you plan to visit churches, mosques, or formal restaurants.