Henrique: Winter in Sweden - there is no bad weather

Sweden is closer to one of the poles of the planet so yeah, it is colder than most places in the entire world. But I must tell you that I kinda enjoy it! 😌

During my first semester here, while I was still waiting for the snow to come, residents would normally try to scare me with tales about -25ºC and that I wouldn’t even possibly walk outside because of the volume of snow. It actually never got to that point.

Some friends told me that the way before was more unkind and that they experienced huge volumes of snow, but due to global warmth the coldness has been becoming more mild. Last year the lowest I ever noticed was -15º, which is still freaking cold, but it was still manageable if you consider their best advice: “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.”

So here we go in the search for the most useful clothing! 🔎

First things first. If you plan to arrive during autumn you’ll have a few months to find clothes here before things get serious.

I looked for winter jackets in Brazil, but they were too expensive. Later I realized it is far more affordable to buy clothes in second-hand stores. You can easily find some in the city center, but here in Örebro I would suggest Erikshjälpen or Myrorna. Both are very close to each other and have huge storages to look for.

Now talking about clothing, I bring with me 2 winter jackets; one I thought would be sufficient for biking and one more to walk around. When I first came it was mostly still sunny and warm (around 15~20ºC) so it wasn’t much of a problem, and I was actually overdressed.

The only thing I really needed was a raincoat. It registered around 12~14 days of rain per month during that time. It is not like a rainstorm, and coming from São Paulo, I normally say their rain here is more like a drizzle for me, but it is not less annoying. ☔

And here it is my first purchase (80kr):

Between November and December I realized I started to get worried about ice and snow, so early I started looking for winter boots. For those not used to ice and snow it is important to consider that it is impossible to walk around with regular sneakers. It can be kinda hard to find a proper fit in second-hand stores so I needed to look for a proper new one. The cheapest new pair I found on a shop was this pair for 800kr (still pricey, but very useful):

Last thing I got was a new heavier winter jacket, actually during this year’s summer when a friend was leaving. Now I don’t need to wear a sweater underneath so it is more handy:

Therefore, the best tip is not to fear winter, but to embrace it… with the right clothes. 🥶