Women and yoga leggings in Europe

Athletic wear is everywhere in Europe now. No one will think twice about you wearing leggings.

Ancient history regarding leggings.

No one anywhere in Europe will bat an eye if you wear them.

Leggings are everywhere in Europe.

I’m past the age of caring what others think about my style or lack of it. Don’t worry about the locals; they don’t care what you wear. They will care if you are rude and demanding so be polite.

I wear leggings at home and traveling. My packing list is made for my fourth trip to Europe since 2019 (Italy this year.) I always pack and wear leggings and tunics or longer shirts. They pack light, handwash well and usually dry overnight.

Wear what you want. Skirts should work fine but just be sure they are not so long that you trip over the hem when going up stairs. (My legs have become old lady ugly legs; away from home, they don’t see daylight.)

Thanks so much sistas! I figured I’d get this kind of reply but was startled by how much is out there cautioning women about leggibgs. At my age is wasn’t making sense! And who wants to be a slave to “fashion “-not me! It was more of a propriety concern.

Leggings plus tunic is a completely different animal than just leggings--you are all set!

I'm glad you asked this! I've been living in my lands end serious sweats leggings this winter and was wondering if I could get away with taking a pair on my Christmas Market trip in December. Sounds like I'll be fine:)

At the Frankfurt area Christmas Markets in 2022, I saw tons of gals wearing warm leggings with their winter coats and boots. And hats. And gloves. And lots of warm headbands to cover their ears.

I don't wear leggings or skirts. The former because they're too tight and restrictive and because they lack pockets and the latter because I look frumpy in skirts -- and my legs also never see the light of day.

I do wear/take 3 pairs of lightweight slender cut pants with pockets, some zip some not, some pull up some not. They kinda look like leggings even up close because I never tuck a top in them.

The rest of the "travel uniform" includes a total of 6-8 tops. They always include a long-sleeved button up shirt that I wear over 5-7 different tees of different sleeve lengths and fabrics depending on the anticipated weather.

The final main uniform garment is a scarf that pulls everything together. I should say that I actually start with the scarf as an inspiration piece and coordinate the tops and bottoms with it. Scarves are the primary garment I've seen European women wear in every country and every season I've been there, including Spain in the summer.

The other advice bandied about is to pack 2 neutral colors with an accent color. If that works for you, that's great, but I find it boring and depressing. Even my footwear isn't a traditional neutral. My thought is that I don't wear neutrals at home so it would be totally out of character to wear them on a trip.

My inspiration scarves lead to non-typical "neutrals" like the orange
blue, yellow and rust I Iived in last trip. When colors are coordinated with a scarf, they automatically work together, even if I don't wear the scarf.

By the way, at 78, I'm also an "older" woman.

Another vote for leggings. Just got back from a trip to Andalucia with a 'smart' pair which look like jeans, a cosy pair for wearing in the apartment in the evenings, and a below the knee pair for walks along the promenades in the sun during the day. A lot of Spanish women were wearing them. In Italy women dress more smartly in the cities and then you're back to leggings as soon as you're anywhere smaller.
However, it depends when you're going. I find them far too hot when the temperatures get up to the mid20s. A skirt or dress would be your best bet in that case.

I've worn my leggings all over Europe and never had a backward glance from anyone. Some of the Lululemon brand have pockets, which is definitely a bonus!

For those going to Christmas markets, when I went in 2023 I wore fleece lined leggings. I bought a size larger than my normal size so they weren’t quite as tight and I could put thermals under them if I needed more warmth. They have side pockets to slip your phone or whatever in. I saw many people wearing leggings and I personally would bring them on any cold weather trip.

https://www.amazon.com/BALEAF-Leggings-Thermal-Waisted-Pocketed/dp/B07WYCL3D8/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?crid=R5NNDQON3DQR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EGiIA7Q9Q4rKfXwwJ68vm5EDNadMNhycKNUHQIQQBgfirh8vHzEje8xx3qzMl6ciCPj33ehlDsZtBJCHV5Byj-J5o73cxGgILZg8LVZCDPNnYFhL5B2O5PaPKDeV1N4_zsHa5LnaYGIMXp-e3FBK5QLpV83t-FRRSiEnCCqfE5SpBPUk0w1KGgj8dJJDDT5SYrS9GHAo8aGLed5rwrBAmC3C_fmmPMdHVkRMIYvJJNJ9h-tbwC3psL--nIDVG2x3d3ikteCc83jtNhXJTBVVeEN7mU-tk96oEYx3Z1bXNzQ.ezDdPTRQ9lJtlwLqXTHRNdN3bY5kRf_VtOFYpNZgEs0&dib_tag=se&keywords=baelef+store&qid=1710002749&sprefix=Bae%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-4-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

I've seen lots of leggings in Europe. I've also seen signs indicating "no leggings" at some churches, so I think there's a bit of risk there. I don't know how an individual cathedral staff person or volunteer would react to the combination of leggings and a tunic, because the tunic wouldn't cover the knees.

My priority is to be able to pop into any sight of interest as I'm walking by without having to wonder whether I'm properly dressed, so I wear slacks and tops (not low-cut or bare-midriff) with at least 3/4 sleeves. When my trip includes countries with orthodox churches I expect to see, I carry a scarf around with me. That get-up works everywhere that doesn't require women to wear skirts (such as some religious buildings in Greece).