Dress code/etiquette for evenings?

I'm in Stuttgart right now, and it was so warm yesterday I had to borrow a pair of shorts from my niece, and buy an extra short sleeve tee shirt. People are wearing whatever they want and no one seems to care.

I can't speak for evening attire, but I wouldn't worry about what you wear during the day. We patronize nice but not fancy eateries.

Unless you are going to some very fancy venue, wear whatever you like (except maybe a swimsuit, or very old sweatpants, and I cannot speak for clubbing, too long ago for me.). And those places will likely tell you the dress code beforehand in some way, like some super fancy restaurant might have it on their website. I am German, and in my over forty years have never had that required except for weddings.

Specific note: German churches usually do NOT have a dress check for tourists, which is more common in Italy.

If you plan to visit cemeteries or memorials such as Holocaust memorials it would be recommended to wear decent and non-confronting clothing; often no dress code though. An exception is the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin which has explicitly no dress or behavioral restrictions.

From a certain very up quality or price level some evening venues and events have a dress code (casinos, theaters, restaurants, clubs), mostly communicated on the website or on invitations.

Would mid/low priced eating places be okay for men to wear non-collared shirts?

Low priced shall be OK. At mid-priced places which are not visited by tourists nobody will deny access but I guess that you might feel better with a collared shirt.

Well, up here in the northwest it hit 30C yesterday, and people were wearing just about anything. I went out to dinner at a local mid-range place last night and most people were in a slightly nicer version of that daytime 'anything', which for the vast majority of men (including my dining companions) simply meant a nicer pair of shorts [beige chino shorts abounded] and either a non-logo t-shirt, a polo shirt, or a short-sleeved collared shirt with a range of patterns from loud to tasteful].

So if in doubt, you could pack a slightly smarter t-shirt and a nicer pair of shorts (or dark jeans - that's what my friends would have been wearing if it hadn't been so hot) and you'd be covered unless you're going to places with Michelin stars. That being said, I've eaten at a place with a star when it was 34C and a well-above-zero percent of the men had shorts on then too. Only difference to the average day was that more of them had seen an ironing board recently. 😉

Mark, it might be a me or regional thing, but a standard restaurant (Pizzeria, gutbürgerlich etc.), there was never any perception of a problem with a pullover in the colder half of the year, or a good quality shirt when it is hot outside (though I prefer Poloshirts there tbh). In fact, wearing a genuinely collared shirt with some form of suit jacket in winter I would more likely feel overdressed (and uncomfortable because of this) than underdressed in a pullover. Similar in the heat of the summer: If I were there in a collared shirt not worn open over a Tshirt, I might rather feel that I stick out as being unusually fancy.

l-b_m, countries are large, also Germany, and even in the same region such as Hamburg you can feel over- or underdressed with the same clothing on. Especially in cities you will find nearly every level of places with very different people in, and sometimes these only blocks apart from each other.

Every once in a while people get concerned about a special European dress code.

Just wondering. Do Europeans ever discuss what to wear in cities and states when visiting the US?

In the US people do dress differently in the South versus the Northeast or the Northwest or the Southwest. If visiting Dallas or Austin in Texas would Europeans consider buying western wear for their trip or hiking apparel if visiting the Northwest? Is there a difference in visiting a cathedral in Boston versus one in Europe? What is the difference between a casual restaurant in Munich versus a casual restaurant in Milwaukee?

Just an early morning random thought. 😊

Threadbare, hahaha that was funny! Thought I'd add this in case you'd like a man's opinion on what's being worn these days in European cities - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/guys-stop-worrying-about-what-to-wear-in-europe,

The one place i try to dress as nicely as possible - on airplanes!

I like your question because it had more of an air of what the locals do (respect) rather than what can I get away with in an environment full of tourists (searching for validation of a bad idea). Well done. When this was discussed about a location I felt like I knew something about, I did the google AI thing with the question. The answer I got for that location was spot on with enough flexibility not to be perceived as unrealistic. You might do the same for Germany and for locations in Germany. It was a simple search: "How do Germans dress"

Just wondering. Do Europeans ever discuss what to wear in cities and states when visiting the US?

Not me or my family. We just wear what we wear at home or anywhere else we're visiting. I've always found it an odd obsession with many Americans around what clothes to wear in Europe.

We are in Rothenberg right now and it’s 29 C, tomorrow 31 C and everyone is in shorts, even last night at dinner. Also, people are mainly sitting outside because it’s too hot inside the restaurants.

Thank you one and all for taking the time to respond. Very informative not only what is considered okay but to get an idea of how warm it is. Ironically we chose to visit Germany in June thinking it might be pleasant weather but it sounds like a heatwave is around. We will be there for a month and visiting many places so I’ll take your advice and pack a couple of short sleeved collared shirts, just in case, otherwise stick to tshirts mostly with a mix of khaki pants and shorts.

Perhaps I grew up in an age that expected at least a minimum of style, I am 78 and never wear T-shirts when traveling overseas, even in warm places. I live in South Georgia on an island that draws lots of tourists that dress more casual. Still, when dining in a nice restaurant (not fast food) people tend to wear collared shirts. Of course, this is true more of older persons.

We lived in Germany from 1987-91 and didn't see much of the T-shirt in a nice restaurant back then, but yes, it is more common now.

I prefer collared shirts with long sleeves when temperatures drop below 22 degrees C. I like having a pocket for more reading glasses.
In warmer climates, I usually wear a lighter weight shirt with a collar. It takes up very little more room in a suitcase than a T-shirt.

Different countries, different dress. I have found that people tend to dress better in countries like Italy or Spain than in Germany.

Since I am older, I have found that if I wear shorts and a light shirt in some restaurants (even in the Summer) that keep the air conditioning way too chilly, so I even carry a light windbreaker. I haven't found that so much in Germany.

geovagriffith, you arent alone in that and I'm 10 years younger than you. Someone asked why an American would care how to dress in Europe. Maybe to want to demonstrate respect for their host? Maybe that's a novel idea?

The other observation I have is that the discussion doesnt consider age? I'm not Germsn, havent spent more than a few weeks in Germany, and I didn't notice if the 25 year old dressed like the 65 year olds. Maybe they do. Here they don't, but Europe is rarely uniform.

Its a warm evening here and I'm sitting at a busy pedestrian corner ... more than half Hungarian judging by language and less than 10% American (statistically). Quite a few middle eastern, UK, Spanish and Asian tourists.

I haven't seen/heard a Hungarian gentleman obviously over the age of 40 not in trousers and a shirt with a collar. Among the obvious under 30 Hungarians the ones wearing shorts are dressed very well and most have collared shirts.

Among the tourists obviiusly over 40 maybe a third in shorts and T-shirts. The Asians get the best dressed award, the Spanish a close second.

But I dont expect Germans to be the same.

Thank you, Mr. Griffith. I appreciate your perspective. I was looking more for what’s the norm these days vs what it might have been in the past.

Also, we are not all from the same place/weather and not cut from the same cloth (pun intended).

It’s a coolish, rainy spring day here in Massachusetts with about 55F (13c). 65F (18c) and sunshine would be very pleasant, specially for walking around. 75F (24C) would be warm and somewhat manageable. Anything higher would be too hot for touristy stuff for us.

We travel extensively. What works best for us is to be comfortable - in our clothes and in our skin. We are fairly thick skinned. We are not gourmet foodies. As long as the food is reasonably healthy, tasty, we are fine with eateries.

I asked to know what’s typical. We could always choose to be outliers if the answers came back differently. Now I know we wouldn’t stand out any more on this account, than we would as foreigners.

I thank you all again. When people take time to respond, they offer human perspectives and are way more informative then Gemini - which is quite helpful in many other ways.

Mark, sure thing - and I must confess, I have not been to Schwerin yet, only Rostock when it comes to MV. As I mentioned, it might be a regional thing, as I have largely lived in either the south or west (exception is Halle/Saale some 20 years ago), and in particular when going to a restaurant in rural areas, which I associated with you mentioning non-touristy areas, I usually encounter anybody from the 75yo gentleman in a collared shirt to the 30yo car mechanic that wears a collared shirt only when held at gunpoint by their girlfriend. It also is a bit of an age thing in general, and being significantly below pension age, I tend to try to blend in with the younger folks more than the older - although I never wear shorts (except at the beach).