What to pack for a winter trip to Quebec.

The whole time we were in Quebec a couple weeks ago, I kept thinking to myself how I couldn’t wait to write a post about what to pack for a winter trip to Quebec, because I had so much trouble knowing what to pack for a snowy city trip like that, and it turns out, what you need is SUPER SIMPLE!  It was very apparent by the first morning in the city, exactly what you need for a trip like that, and thank goodness I actually packed what we needed, but I also brought a lot of extra stuff that we didn’t need, because I just didn’t know what it would be like to do a trip like this. So I’m going to share that info here today, and hopefully you’ll find this helpful if you’re planning to do a trip like this in the future or this season, you can pin it and use it for reference.

So, no great surprise, since we went for a winter festival, but Quebec is COLD!  It’s cold and very snowy.  Like, snow piled several feet high on the side of the rode snowy.  Like we were walking through a park and noticed something sticking out of the top of the snow and realized it was the TOP of a bench, snowy.  The snow is legit in Quebec and so is the cold.  Which is so fun because it’s  a city designed around that cold and snow and there are tons of fun things to do in it. (See last weeks post).  It also makes packing relatively easy, because all you really need are snow clothes, and the stuff you wear under them.  Seriously.  I brought all these jeans and fancy snow boots, and all I wore were my leggings under my snow pants and my best Sorel boots.  You’ll be sitting in a nice restaurant and everyone is in snow pants.  Seriously.  Everyone.

Here’s what I would recommend packing for a winter trip to Quebec:

1. A really great parka.  I’ve had a laundry by Shelli Segal one for years and it’s amazing.  You need a cold-tested winter parka that can really keep you warm.

2. Ski/snow pants.  I seriously wasn’t planning on wearing my snow pants much on the trip, but I wore them all day everyday, even in the middle of the city.  Necessity.  And everyone is wearing them for a reason.

3. Fleece lined leggings.  These are perfect under snow pants. Not bulky but still super warm, and so comfortable. I recommend bringing 2-3 pairs.

4. Wool turtleneck sweater.  Good layers are key in this kind of cold weather and wool is magical.  Opt for a turtleneck as it will keep your neck a lot warmer.  Which matters, it turns out, quite a bit when it’s -11°.

5. Thermal tops.  Another great layer. I stuck these under my sweaters everyday and it kept me so much warmer.  Plus if you pop into a restaurant and are starting to get hot with all the layers, it’s nice to be able to peel down to just a long sleeve shirt.

6. Beanie.  You need a warm hat.  Period.  It’s so cold on your head and ears and face.  I wouldn’t have been upset if someone offered me a ski-mask.  Not joking.  But a beanie is a minimum.

7. Sorel snow boots.  I brought 2 pairs of snow boots, my cute Sorel snow wedges and these Caribou boots.  The caribous are my heavy duty snow boots, and they’re the only ones I needed.  I love them because they’re super comfortable, not too heavy, easy to walk in, and so warm.

8. Gloves or mittens.  My kids wore their snow gloves the whole time, and I was fine in mittens with hand warmers.  But you need something to cover your fingers.  These snow gloves work with touch screens which is extra convenient, cause you don’t need to take them off to use your phone.

9. Wool socks.  Your feet are going to be the first thing to get cold.  You need good wool socks.  Period.

10. Scarf.  Extra help for your cold neck. Bonus, you can tuck your cold nose into it while you walk around.

11. Hand and Toe warmers.  We stuck these in our boots and gloves all day and holy cow they made a huge difference.  There is no way my kids could have gone as long as they did without these.  Our feet and fingers were toasty warm all day.

There you go!  Hopefully you find this helpful when packing for your next winter trip!