I’ve messed up with the holiday I’ve booked

lots of layers, bobble hat and a really good coat & gloves.

Theme parks aren't my thing either but Tivoli is quite different from the average theme park - it's much more compact and much more attractive to wander around than a 'modern' theme park. It's honestly a lovely place to visit, especially at night when it's all lit up.

This out of the ordinary weather can happen anywhere- floods in spain, 40 plus degrees in italy, you just have to adapt and tailor the activities. I was in Niagara in April and it was minus 17. I have been in Finland at minus 28. Its cold, bloody cold but with the right kit, and planning its doable.

Hahaha! I didn't say I enjoyed it. These days an e-bike makes it MUCH less painful. 😂

You are one of the people I admire cycling to work in February whilst I walk to the trusty warm M3 line because I’m too delicate for that😁

I've been to Norway in December and it was snow covered but once you have your thermals on and are walking about, you don't feel cold. You can always duck into a cafe to warm up.

I think it sounds like an amazing holiday!

I live in Copenhagen. There's no doubt that the weather in February can be challenging but it's not that different from e.g. Edinburgh (similar latitude). Because it's beside the sea it's often very windy and that can be the biggest challenge. Snow is relatively uncommon but not unknown, rain is much more likely.

Travelling with a down coat isn't fun but everyone else on the plane will have one. Alternatively layers can work. I have a long fleece-lined rain jacket that I wear a thin padded coat under. Hat, gloves, and scarf are a must. Everywhere is geared up for hanging up or storing coats, rain jackets etc and you'll be very cosy when indoors (probably too warm!).

You certainly won't need to be stuck in your hotel room, unless there's some freak weather. I'll still be cycling to work in February along with half of Copenhagen!

I live in Copenhagen, we do get snow in February (and I’ve experienced it in March) but as long as you wear sensible clothes, and I don’t mean Eskimo gear, you’ll be fine.

I generally wear

• Jeans (sometimes with tights under if cold)
• wool socks (delightfully toasty…I’ll lend you a pair if you want!)
• boots (walking, Chelsea, timberlands…whatever I fancy that day - just be aware that if it’s snowed and the streets are slushy, if they’re cobbled (eg in town) they get v slippery)
• vest top or long sleeve thin top
• jumper
• Jacket (I have an M&S parka and it’s absolutely fine)
• Gloves (important!)
• Hat (I rarely wear hats but sensible)

Honestly it’s fine, we’ll have been through the worst of winter and things are looking up! Places are warm (I find going to museums annoying winter because I have to carry my jacket!), plenty to see and do and lots of central heating!

Get you big coat on and go and have a walk around Vigeland Sculpture park!
As others have said the museums are good but my favourite is the Fram museum about the North Pole expedition. Its a bus ride from the city. It is really worth while going. I thought it would be a bit boring but dh wanted to go.
Oslo is brilliant.
I need to explore Helsinki more though!

You can check out AccuWeather monthly forecast.

For Oslo the average temp at the end of February is around 0°C. There was a cold spell this year so it was around -9°C. You have to also consider the wind and humidity, so real feel is more likely -5 to -10.

Copenhagen is normally +5°C.

There is always a possibility that you can get quite cold weather but the odds are small and no need to panic just yet. If in Oslo you are mainly focused on food and museums, you will be indoors for quite a while.

I'm from one of the northern countries and although it used to be pretty cold and indeed February is usually the coldest month, last 5-10 years we have seen warmer winters. And it usually is more mild by the sea where Oslo and Copenhagen happens to be.

I’ve been to Norway and Denmark a number of times in winter. Every single time I’ve been too hot, and not needed all the layers and thickness I brought. In fact last year in Norway in December I was overheating so much in my regular winter coat (that I’ve been using through winters at home in Sussex for years) that I ended up buying something more lightweight while I was there.

They are great cities and you’ll have a lovely time. Just be prepared for eye watering prices for food and drink in Oslo.

I've been to Oslo in December and was cold but the city has lots of museums and restaurants and shops and things to see up the ski slopes etc. so if you dress well you'll be fine!

I think you'll definitely need to take the big coat - it's Scandinavia in deep winter - but you'll be wearing it all the time (even on the UK travel side) so other than on the plane it's no stress. Reddit will be an anecdote - neither an official reading nor anything more than a one off. It won't be that cold.

I’ve now found a lot of discussion online that says that last year it was regularly -30° in Oslo in February.

This simply isn't true, though. According to extremeweatherwatch.com, "The coldest temperature in Oslo, Norway history is -26.0 °C which has happened twice, most recently on Sunday January 19, 1941." You can check day by day here for 2024 and here for 2025. (You may get a day where the low hits around -13 to -15 but that's typically going to be sometime after midnight and before dawn.)

I grew up in a place where -30 is not uncommon. I didn't own a pair of thermals, just normal (ideally wool or similar) tights under trousers. -30 is unlikely to last for more than a couple of days, chances are it will be a lot warmer than that. If it does drop that low, you wouldn't want to spend the entire day outdoors- it's far too uncomfortable, you basically just move from place to place where it's warm indoors - so you wouldn't get too cold. If you want to invest into anything - warm boots, gloves, scarf and a hat are a good idea. The rest - just layers up your normal clothes. Wool, fleece, down work the best for layering.

Why will you be sat in a hotel room?! Just get appropriate clothing and enjoy the holiday.
saying this as someone who went to Finland in January, it was -26 when I arrived. I stayed for 6 months. The country doesn’t stop during the winter months, everything is still as completely normal.

Make sure you have good clothes (wool and down), good shoes, and even spikes in case of ice And you will be fine.
I lived in Oslo for more than a decade and now lives in the UK, and I’m usually colder here.
The buildings are better insulated in Oslo and the heat will be on inside. I’ve never had to wear a coat inside in Norway. Hopefully it won’t be -30.

https://www.predictwind.com/weather/norway/oslo/oslo/february

Reddit pages are rubbish for weather. The above is the weather in Oslo for February of this year and it was not as cold as reddit says it was.

I’m not overly keen on travelling with it because it’s so big! I’m looking at the Uniqlo Parker’s
I had a thigh length puffer from primark and I looked like Mr Blobby. It had to go!
Uniqlo have some really nice stuff but have a look for 'parkas" on Vinted. Theres some good deals to be had.

Very unlikely that it will be -30 and as many others have said, the cold in Scandinavia is very different from here, it's a more drier kind of cold so it is actually quite easy to dress for the weather. Another factor is that anywhere indoors is WARM, they know how to heat properly and you don't have drafty horribly cold places. Hope you have a great stay. I am off to Scandinavia in November, absolutely the worst time to go but no choice

I’ve got a big puffer jacket but it’s not overly warm. Good for a walk to work for ten minutes but not really good for a day in a proper winter!
It probably will be with a couple of thin layers on, espionage you are going from building to building.
I made the mistake one year if going to Sweden in January and thinking the same a you and got thermal tights, 3 in 1 coat, hat, gloves , everything and I struggled to walk round as I was over heating.
I soon learned to par it down!

You’d be very unlucky to get temperatures well below -5. Anyway, just wrap up warm. I loved the Viking museum at Oslo (requires a lovely ferry ride - or at least it used to). I didn’t like the food there but if you love seafood and meat you will love it. It’s a very expensive city so take your credit card!