Shorts in Europe (female)

You don't say where you are going or how old you are. The backpack set I've traveled with often wears hiking shorts (knee length and not to tight) in much of western Europe, male and female. As I beleive it has been said repeatedly, everyone will know you are a tourist; just try to be a good ambassador. Many churches require knees to be covered to enter if that is of concern. "before the knee" I'm unclear longer or shorter, but they sound like you look nice, so I would probably do it. Linda

Bottom line on the shorts, tee shirts, jeans thing for Europe - all of these are acceptable under certain circumstances - of course you would go hiking, biking in shorts and jeans are the perfect cool weather clothes as they don't show dirt. But what you should think about (besides the church issue which I've really only seen in Italy) is that often you will be out all day long in the same clothes without a chance to change for dinner. You might not always want to do the picnic thing or the VERY casual restaurant thing. You might want to sit down in a moderately priced bistro, enjoy a nice glass of wine and a nice meal. Do you really want to look as if you have been gardening all day? Yes, posters will tell you "just be comfortable" but I would feel very uncomfortable if I was not dressed neatly and as nicely as I can under the circumstances. It isn't being a tourist that is a problem, it is being inappropriately dressed no matter what your status!

Jen, stylish shorts for women are accepted here. I have been wearing longer shorts this last week in Italy, and I see lots of other women in shorts (longer versions, a bit more dressy) and capri pants.

As long as you are presentable, be comfortable. The Europeans have become much more casual in their dress, and the kids look like American kids, baggy jeans, butts sticking out for boys. Girls in t-shirts with cartoons on them. The women in Italy even aren't as dressy as they have been in the past. Only a few are really dressed to the 9's.

I'd say, take the shorts, you will fit right in!

Thank you all so much for your response!! I did forget to mention my age (28) and places I'll be visiting (Italy, Switzerland and France). "Just before the knees" - actually I put them on this morning and they come to the center of my knee. I think Express sells some that are very similar - the "editor" or something like that?
I'll definitely be mindful of the days when I'll be going to the churches and cathedrals and wear some slacks or a skirt, but I think the shorts will still be coming with me! Again, thanks!

Along this topic...I've heard much talk about not wearing tank tops/shorts etc into the churches etc...

It okay to wear these around the city and then just bring a skirt & shirt to cover up with or change in a bathroom before going into churches etc? Do many women do this? We are traveling in peak heat and feel like I would be sweating in a t-shirt.

I am 24 and traveling to Spain & Portugal.

And is it okay for a 24 year old male to wear cargo khaki shorts or should there not be pockets on the sides?

Thanks!

It's perfectly OK to wear tank tops all over Europe. And cargo khakis are perfectly fine as well, I wear them as well (32 y/o male). When you want to visit a church in a very religious country like Portugal, Spain, Italy or Poland, just bring along some kind of more decent top e.g. a thin blouse or polo shirt. The only thing I find Americans wearing in Europe that we would never wear: white sox with sandals. We do wear white sox with sneakers, but never wear sox with sandals.

Anreas, the comment about white socks and sandals is interesting. Whenever I see tourists in Europe wearing that combo they usually turn out to be German tourists :)

Michael, I'm fully aware of the fact that one big and prominent part of tourists from Germany look and behave just like... I was gonna say Americans but won't ;-). It seems like traveling to another country to Germans means digging out those old and really tasteless cheap C&A clothes. We're talking about the same group of people that wears Bart Simpson or Snoopy ties at work by the way ;-)

While in Italy this past Christmas, I was surprised at how many extremely fashionable Italian women were wearing (almost)knee length shorts. In fact, my daughter's luggage was lost for 8 days and she tried to shop for jeans. She mainly found winter shorts in the shops and boutiques! The shorts were very dressy, worn with high heels and boots, but they were SHORTS! They seemed to be the big fashion trend of the season. Also, in Spain in August, we saw many Spanish people (more men than women) in shorts. Your dressy, comfy, easy to dry, longer black shorts would be an excellent, versatile choice for Europe.

I will be traveling for 6 weeks in Spain, Italy, France and Greece with my husband and 10 y/o son. I was thinking of using the convertable shorts/pants for the boy's and a convertable skirt for me. The skirt is available at REI, and has a zipper around the knee to attach a longer portion when going into a church. It is also made of quick-dry material so I can wash it in our hotel room sink. Will this be too casual?