Hi all,
I'm heading for Zurich in a couple of months time from Singapore. Never had to use any winter clothing ever here. Sunny weather all year through. I checked the forum, didnt find anything specific in regards to winter clothing.
Anything i need to pack from here? How cold does it really get? I plan to some fair bit of trekking as well. Any tips to be prepared?

Thanks.

Coming from Singapore you'll likely feel the cold a lot more than those who are used to it. Especially during the first winter. Prepare for some cold, wind and snow. If you are coming in the winter months, you'll need some warm sweaters, hat, gloves, carf, and a good winter coat. Also some warm shoes or boots. I always find that dressing in layers helps keep me warm. So I'll wear an undershirt or a t-shirt under my sweater.

What is also shocking is how hot you'll feel once you step inside buildings so the layers also help so you can get comfortable indoors.

I've lived in Malta for the past 3.5 years and in New Zealand and Florida before that so I'm really not looking forward to the winter but I'm in Ticino so it shouldn't be as bad as in Zurich. Best of luck to you! I'm sure you'll miss Singapore. It's a great place. I've spent a lot of time there.

A useful thread is Winter Clothing Question. Many more may be found by doing a forum search for "winter clothing" (no quotes in actual search).

Hi and welcome to Switzerland!

Winter can be very nice as well here, in Zurich and everywhere....I wouldn't miss it and, yes, I'm looking forward to this special time of the year. Could'nt imagine living in a country with only one season....

Expect a big change from Singapore, but that's why you come over here eh ...

One final tip, shopping is much cheaper in Singapore than in Switzerland, from what I recall, so you might want to stock up on a few things.

For generally hanging around town, you need layers: Houses, shops and offices are heated to around 45 degrees throughout the winter, in a nice contrast to the fog, rain and occasional snow outside. It's not really that cold in the most heavily populated parts of Switzerland, and public transport within the cities is so good that you might spend no more than ten minutes outside in a whole day.

For tramping around hillsides, however, you'll need to wear something a little more serious: Again, layers are the answer. You'll need decent waterproof boots (snowboots if you want to go up the mountains), warm trousers, long johns, a fleecy jacket with a waterproof windcheater over the top, and some nice woolly jumpers. And a hat and gloves. And sunglasses.

But don't worry too much - when it gets too cold, just go inside. There's always sausages and hot chocolate, whatever the weather...

I'd definitely recommend some kind of raincoat and also rain footwear just for wandering round town - crepe or rubber soled boots for example that will keep your feet dry are really useful. Trainers or leather shoes often aren't that waterproof.

As you mentioned, since Singapore is always warm, you might not find winter cloths to buy. That is not true. If you go to Mustafa center, you will fine tons of winter cloths. A lot of Singaporians travel during winter time to cold countries and so they are able to buy warm cloths there.
As someone mentioned, try to buy them there...much cheaper in Singapore.

Zurich as a city doesn't get as cold as you think. You might have a spell where the temperature drops below zero but mainly it hovers around 8-10C and has this perma-grey overcastness to the city.

If you get a period of high pressure over the country you can get some really nice cold, crisp but extremely sunny days where you can see the mountains and the air is zingy fresh.

I picked up a few Winter clothes bargains from Konstanz in Germany which is around an hour from Zurich. Sometimes you can find cheaper bargains over the border and their seasonal sales seem to incorporate a larger selection of cut price clothes than the Swiss equivalents.

Thanks a lot useful information, so i get lots of clothes from here then. If only the airlines are more understanding with the baggage limits.

Hello,

The winter is comming!!!

Some advice?

Who can help me how its possible to be warm? cloths? how dress? in the street? food?...

Im from LatinoAmerica, Was living in Summer all year so.. will be a first time for me.

oh for f' sakes.

deal with it. you're cold put on a sweater and aj acket, still cold put on a warmer sweater and jacket. you eat like you normally do. stop throwing stupid shit questions on here. you made it here by yourself now learn how to live life.

F' sakes

Take advice from Daniel Craig ..... layers and cake.

Wear several layers: one or two shirts, a sweater, a coat. If that still isn't enough, buy thermalwear (Odlo is expensive but a good brand) and wear it underneath your regular clothes.

Keep your extremities warm: hat, big scarf, gloves, warm socks and shoes. Even if you are a man, buy some warm tights and wear them under your trousers... you won't believe what a difference it makes.

Swiss people tend to keep indoor spaces (shops, houses, offices) quite warmly heated. Always take off your outer layers when you come indoors. If you keep them on you'll start to feel too warm indoors and then too cold when you go back out.

Food: grab some hot roasted chestnuts ("Heissi Marroni") from a street vendor. Carry the bag around in your hands for a few minutes to enjoy the warmth, then peel them and eat them before they get too cold to peel nicely. The other half of the bag is for your shells, so that there is no need to litter the ground with them.

__________________
Need help? Contact a mod.

God forbid that someone ask questions on how to adjust to a different life.

OP, just learn to wear layers as the previous poster suggested. You don't need expensive clothes, but wear multiple layers of whatever you do get. You always have the option to take something off, but more importantly, multiple layers keep in the heat much better than one single, thicker layer.

When it gets below freezing (probably end of the month or early December this year), don't be afraid to put on a hat (most heat is lost through your head), scarf (dual purpose: protects the lower part of your head and keeps heat from leaving your jacket at the top) and mittens (warmer than gloves, preferably with removable liners - again, layering).

Don't skip meals, either - your body needs the fuel to keep warm.

__________________
I'm likely typing from an iPad. Please disregard odd word usage.

While I admire the patience and dedication of some people, do we really need to state the obvious?
What to wear when you are cold?? Seriously? Warm clothes, FFS. The shops are full of them.
What to eat? Food, I'd say. You're welcome.

If you need advice on how to breathe, do not use your brain. I repeat, do not use your brain. Log in on EF and ask away.
I'm sure someone will hold your hand.

God forbid that that someone use the search function.

Preparing for winter

I wonder if @FabiAlex is @e.kazemi's Venezuelan cousin?

Coming from a warm country where snow never happens...I still struggle to make the right choices (especially when the temperature variation is up to 20 degrees C in a single day!)...

Layering is essential. Checking the weather forecast becomes an obsession (as is talking about the weather)...

I work indoors mostly at a constant 24 degrees. So not only do I get cold, I get hot... if I don't dress correctly. I also have a medical /circulation problem that means I get cold very fast...

We added thermometers indoors and outdoors this year. That was more to limit the family arguments about whether the window needs to be open or closed... and how cold it really is...because just a couple of degrees and I freak out because I'm cold and two other family members have no problem with a 10 or 12 degree drop...

Put your layers on right before you leave the house, and back off soon as you arrive. In my home culture this is absolutely not necessary...the houses are usually only a few degrees different to the outdoor temperature... here it's completely different... we don't even take our shoes off from outdoors to indoors except in rural areas...

I have my gloves and hat in my bag from september through to March...

And don't be surprised if you buy a warm coat, then a warmer one, then a really really really warm one, then a super-expensive one. My husband's winter coat cost us 300chf the first year and it lasted 5 years of all-winter use... plus the full range of shoes 'for all weather' - I cannot wear my winter shoes in summer...or summer shoes in winter... which is a totally foreign experience for me... back home my mum would change from 'summer to winter' clothing and back, twice a year, but it involved removing the short-sleeve t-shirts, cotton sundresses and swimming costumes, and pulling out the tracksuits, long sleeve t-shirts and a couple of jackets...

The OP has been in the country for 10 months, since January then.
They've already survived a winter here.
The best advice would be to do what they did last winter, no?