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

[SoEasyToFallInLove]

I had a week of annual leave to use before April. I did some research and booked a week to be split between Oslo and Copenhagen at the end of February/beginning of March. Everything I had found said that temperatures at this time were around -5° to 2°C. I figured I could cope with that.

I’ve now found a lot of discussion online that says that last year it was regularly -30° in Oslo in February. It’s a bit luck of the draw but apparently it can stay below freezing until the end of March.

What do I do? I’ve paid for everything and it’s non refundable but if it’s that cold I’ll literally just be sat in a hotel room all day. Do I go and hope for the best or just cancel and use my leave another way?

Honestly, buying appropriate cloths should be part of your holiday budget
Im guessing OP has clothes that she wears in winter. They will do.
She is going to a city which admittedly gets cold but she's not on a polar expedition.
Oslo is quite a compact city and she will be going from building to building. Ive not spent long in Helsinki but that too is a capital which will be places of interest to go in and visit.
Too many clothes and she is in danger of over heating at the rate she is talking.
Seriously OP, calm down.

To be honest, id be more bothered about my budget than my clothes!

It is not going to be -30C in Oslo during the daytime in March. I don’t know where you read that, but it is wrong.

I had a holiday in Canada. At that time of the year it should have been around 0°. In reality they had a nasty cold snap and it was -40°.

We all wrapped up in layers with scarves and gloves and had some great skiing regardless.

I went to Iceland in February, it was three foot deep in snow and cold but I never once felt overly cold.

I wore fleecy/thermal leggings under cheap Aldi ski pants, I bought a large fleecy hoody and wore a vest too and either a thin thermal layer or thin wool jumper then the hoody and my normal waterproof, windproof winter parka coat with wool hat, wool scarf, ear muffs and ski gloves. I bought cheap ski/snow boots from Aldi too. I still get the ski stuff out to wear as an outer layer in the snow here so it wasn’t wasted, and was quite cheap (less than £30 for the boots, glove and pants).

Why are you on here asking for advice when you’re ignoring everyone that’s trying to help you?

A raincoat will not suffice. Even with layers. If it genuinely goes down to -30 you NEED a ski coat. Simple as that.

As I’ve already said, and so have others, google mountain warehouse. It’s cheap. It usually has a sale. You can absolutely still use the coat in the UK in winter. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Same thought. I mentioned the raincoat not being sufficient but it seems op disagreed with me. I don’t get complaining about cold weather and then wearing a raincoat. Raincoats are just waterproof nothings.

Because it’s not decent advice? “Spend minimum £900 on a jacket and trousers you’ll wear once and look ugly in”

In your OP you asked “what do I do?” People on here are giving you advice and suggestions and you’re just hitting back with “I can’t afford to buy a second hand coat and sell it in for a loss” and “they look ugly and bulky.”
Just cancel the holiday if it’s this complicated for you.

I went to Copenhagen in February and it was lovely. Cold but I just wrapped up. And Tivoli was open!

Why £900? I checked out this mountain warehouse and found for £50 or £100. Or buy elsewhere. I don’t think people are suggesting you spend that amount!

any good quality ski gear is incredibly expensive.

Why are you also ignoring the nu.ber of posters saying -30 is highly unlikely. The -5 you were anticipating is far more likely and you'll likely be in and out of museums and cafes etc so you don't need to be dressed for an Arctic hike.

This is ridiculous. You don't like any of the suggestions. You are prone to overexaggerating. The "ugly" coat and trousers won't cost 900 quid and Oslo was not -30 at any point in winter 2025, or at any point since temperatures have been recorded for that matter and it won't be next year either.

You could look at this:
https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/oslo/lowest-temperatures

The lowest ever recorded temperature in Oslo was -26 on January 19th 1941. And on that list I've linked to you can see that with the exception of -23.1 °C on
January 6, 2024, the rest of the lowest recorded temperatures are decades ago.

It won’t be minus 30, you need a really good warm waterproof coat and good footwear.

Because it’s not decent advice? “Spend minimum £900 on a jacket and trousers you’ll wear once and look ugly in”

any good quality ski gear is incredibly expensive.

Frig me! Youv'e got be trolling us !
You are not going skiing. You are going to a few museums!
I ski and ive never paid any where near that for trousers+jacket+ gloves etc!

Im out!

Ive tried to give you good advice but i think you're taking the piss out of everyone that's tried to help.

Op you sound incredibly stupid. Should you be left unsupervised?

How on earth was a week in Oslo and Copenhagen cheaper than a one person holiday somewhere warm?

Your walking shoes will be absolutely fine. Yes, lots of layers, a down jacket, and carry your raincoat in case it rains. The only thing is that you'll then go indoors and have to peel off several layers, inconvenient. If you can possibly afford a good ski jacket it will be an investment. You can then dress lightly under it and just take off jacket each time you go inside. As for legs, I recommend Patra silk and cotton mix longjohns, available online. They'll make jeans warm enough. As others have said, best not to get jeans wet, but you can simply buy the cheapest waterproof trousers you can find, and carry them with you. As alternative to longjohns, you could get outdoor trousers. More expensive. Some might be cheaper, but you would then need longjohns. I have Rohan Winterbags. No longer available but worth looking for secondhand pair. Above all, relax and enjoy looking forward to your holiday. Immediately after booking, I've frequently had heebie geebies about wrong choice and have always had a good time. Your doubts might just be down to having been bounced into a decision. If it hadn't been weather it might have been sonething else. Good Luck.

Oh, that's very helpful!

In your shoes I would go to TK Max and buy a ski jacket and nice boots, n both could be used again.,I went to Canada and it was -20. Cold countries - unlike UK are really set up for the cold. Also buy a fleece balaclava and decent gloves. Enjoy! I’m envious
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/sports/hiking/womens-walking-boots?pdt-highlight=82472bac-bc04-44d4-afb4-e2f5e4884f3a&utm_term=8cc78f23-cde6-4852-ba36-e8890cd983a4%2C_n-mp-generic_ts-pro_spd-msp_spu-msp_sp-msp_pt-mkp_l-en_ZZ%3A+Boost+Products&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=gb_t-partbra_ct-shopp_n-mp-generic_ts-pro_f-cv_o-roas_spd-msp_spu-msp_sp-msp_pt-mkp_pnl-mkp_l-en_pp-gads_bm-roa_pr-cpc_&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=15105506866&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjL3HBhCgARIsAPUg7a6CevEl5dOi-asZIBVGkBTP8a2DyBM-mahZLq1CwnfUBgAUreraWO0aAryhEALw_wcB

You maybe didn't have much choice about when to go, but you had pretty much the entire world to choose from in terms of where to go!

Anyway, I would just make sure you have very, very warm clothes. Presumably some things you're interested in seeing (museums, galleries, restaurants) won't involve being outside too much.

I used to work in Oslo and Stockholm. It was very cold, provided you layer up you’ll be ok.

Uniqlo heat tec is a great range, cami vest under long sleeve tee under jumper and a good coat, lined hat and gloves.

Primarni do furry lined tights that go on under jeans.

I wore all these as base layers in Lapland and was bug snug.

Scandi is a dry cold IME. If I have to be cold I’d rather do it there than here when it’s warmer but damp.

Very nice.

because flights are £60 each way, I had avoid to use and hotels were about £420 all in. I’ve ended up paying less than £500.

Look at Vinted, I'm sure you can find ski jacket/clothing for cheap to layer up.

I found decathlon to be good value when I went to Iceland in February, it was definitely in the minus range and we were travelling in a van.

Yes, that's a stupid idea as a raincoat has barely any warmth, so a "thin light" coat underneath won't be warm enough. You need something really, really thick - look at North Face.

I would wear tights or leggings under trousers (possibly even both) and a pair of walking socks on top. On my top half I'd wear a vest, a thermal layer, a wool jumper, a fleece and then a coat. Plus hat, scarf, gloves. I'm listing this as I don't ski so it's just a combination of everyday clothes I'd wear in the UK, not specialist stuff.

I've been to Copenhagen in December and it was pretty chilly.