Hot Days and shorts?

On a hot day in Scotland, not only can men wear shorts, "taps aff" is traditional if the temperature reaches more than 15°C (59°F).

https://www.taps-aff.co.uk/

edit: The threshold for taps aff has gone up since I last checked it seems. Global warming. It's 16°C in Glasgow today and taps oan according to the site linked.

Short answer - yes

Lol. My taxi driver from downtown Dublin to the ferry in June was wearing shorts. Definitely not a tourist….

Shorts are permissible for both sexes throughout Europe. Some Italian churches don't allow them, but otherwise no problem.

Not for every occasion but in general yes.

In Munich preferably Bavarian leather shorts.

Lederhosen are hot and uncomfortable until they are very broken in. German men, actually most European males, wear the most unattractive shorts.

Comical. I read this post yesterday before getting breakfast in our hotel here in Furth. This is a Mercure with parking, a buffet and a pool so it has attracted swarms of families on holiday. I did a quick count while I was eating. There was not one single adult male present who was wearing anything but shorts. Most woman were also wearing them. I was the only male in that very busy buffet with long pants on.... it was our laundry day. I changed back into shorts later. There was one highly inappropriate shirt being worn by one particular adult. It featured a common vulgar word and a rationalization of its use. This twit was there with a wife and two children. Poor taste is not the imminent domain of US nationals. He was speaking German.
Lederhosen...my wife and I were discussing these yesterday. You can always wear them if you own them, but to wear them, they need to be broken in. They are horrible to wear when they are new so therein lies the rub. You must torture yourself for several years to get them to the point where they are properly comfortable. In that time you should hope that they will continue to fit.
Mine are very well broken in, but too small.
Another observation that my wife made yesterday without solicitation. We were at a small beer garden in Rothenburg. Three guys walked in together. One was wearing lederhosen and since he was obviously very "cool" his sunglasses were parked on his head. My wife casually noted that you cannot look "cool" in new lederhosen. That prompted our conversation. I think she is right. I wonder if there is a market for used ones?

There was one highly inappropriate shirt being worn by one particular adult. It featured a common vulgar word and a rationalization of its use.

You have to remember that a German's first language isn't English. Many European people aren't as prudish about "vulgar" language as Americans too. I saw someone, who my "what nationality are they" radar that you develop in London, told me might be Italian or Spanish, who was wearing a tastefully designed t-shirt with "F*ck" and its dictionary definition printed on it just last week. It raised an eyebrow, but to me it was immediately obvious that they weren't a native English speaker. That would still be something most British people would shy away from.

As others have shared, shorts are worn everywhere in Europe by men and women. Men CAN wear shorts and they do. This “shorts” myth from the 80s needs to die. If it was over 80 degrees and you weren’t wearing shorts, people might question your judgement. My 84 year old dad is currently visiting me in Vienna where the temps have been in the 90s for days. He’s worn shorts every day (and this is a man who always wears a collared shirt and doesn’t own a pair of jeans).

Yesterday in our grocery store, there was a man with his young son. The man was wearing shorts and a tank top that said Hawk Tuah (if you know, you know). They were speaking German with a Viennese accent. Locals dress trashy too.

If you are visiting historic churches, don't wear shorts.

Also, I have been to those places in the Summer and the British Isles don't get that hot. I live in South Georgia and used to the heat and only wear shorts if the temp is over 85 degrees.

We were in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary and Romania in August and it was close to 90 degrees in the last two countries, but in Germany and Austria it was in the high 70s.

I will be in Munich and Southern Germany soon. I have been to Europe 6 times so far. You other replies gave the "right" answer, BUT, do you have to wear shorts, and what about sunburn?

I grew up in Michigan. When I was a kid I wore shorts when the weather was warm. Now when I travel I dress in closed toe shoes, lightweight long hiking pants (not the kind that half the legs can be zipped off of), long sleeved lightweight shirt with a collar, and sun hat with some sunscreen on my face and possibly the backs of my hands...

my grandmother on my dad's side had a piece of skin cancer cut off (her official cause of death was pancreatic cancer but she had multiple health problems), and a girl cousin only 2 months older than me, at some time after was too old to be a kid, had some kind of skin cancer cut off, although I also heard that she had used tanning beds. Also I got a sunburn on my lower back when I was 12 and my feet got tanned as an adult before I got wise about choice of shoes...

Yeah I know you were thinking of how little clothing natives can stand to see people wear in public instead of protecting yourself from the environment (sun, bugs, mosquitos...)

At present, Germany is blistering hot. It's hard to be out mid-day without some suffering. I have been forced into wearing a cap some days to prevent my male pattern bald spot from incinerating. We are finding ourselves trying to walk always in the shade of buildings....not easy to do mid-day.
These are good days to be here in the Black Forest with it's running streams and cool woods. These are not great days for visiting the cities.
You should wear whatever you feel like wearing. No one will stop you on the street and tell you to change your cloths, not even if you are styling a vulgar shirt. Socks and sandals also continue to be acceptable here.

Also, I have been to those places in the Summer and the British Isles don't get that hot. I live in South Georgia and used to the heat and only wear shorts if the temp is over 85 degrees.

Considering the UK has recently had temperatures of 35c (95f) I'd say that shorts are definitely a requirement in the summer.

If you are visiting historic churches, don't wear shorts.

Visited the St Mary Basilica in Gdansk today. Nearly everyone was in shorts.

The no-shorts rule holds in Italy, certainly. Not so much elsewhere.

The no-shorts rule holds in Italy, certainly. Not so much elsewhere.\

It's a matter of respect and common courtesy in all churches. It's just that not every church can afford bouncers or multi-lingual signage to thump the visitors for not knowing that. Yes, people get away with it. Try not taking your shoes off at a mosque and see what happens. They are houses of worship and people are still in there for that purpose, not just the gift shop.

It's a matter of respect and common courtesy in all churches.

Nah. It isn't. The most observant Catholics in Italy might care, maybe even Greek Orthodox, but certainly I can't imagine many care in northern Europe. I can't really speak for Germany, but certainly not in Ireland or Scotland. I would recommend taps oan, even if it's taps aff weather though.

Try not taking your shoes off at a mosque and see what happens

Totally false equivalence. Not even close to the same.

Gerry M, I respectfully disagree. I don't think it's a false equivalence at all. Visitors taking shoes off at a mosque is a sign of respect, as is wearing a yarmulke in a synagogue, not a municipal infraction. And just because someone who is in a catholic church for worship purposes doesnt confront you or thump you with their bible, doesn't mean it's right. There's a difference between getting away with it, and being OK.

Regardless of the opinions of anyone here or elsewhere, shorts are commonly seen in the summer of 2024 in churches throughout much, if not most, of Europe. Those who find that objectionable will need to come to terms with the fact. (Note that fewer shorts-wearers probably are seen during mass.)