julesville

I am clueless. Do I bring strappy sandles? sturdy shoes without a heel? sneakers? What do you recommend for footwear?

Also, What do men and women generally wear around Venice or Greece. I have heard women need to cover up their arms and have kneee length skirts...Are jeans and t-shirts screaming tourist! Help! Thanks!!! I'm trying to not pack too much

ira

Hi JV,

The first thing to keep in mind is that no matter what you wear you will be recognized as a tourist, and probably as an American.

The second thing is that Europeans dress less casually than Americans.

Third, you should have your shoulders and knees covered in places of worship.

Otherwise, wear what you would wear for the same kind of place in NYC, SF or DC.

RachelG

Shoes that you can walk in on uneven surfaces and not get blisters!
And yes, you have to have shoulders and knees covered in some of the churches (this seems to be a Italy/Greece sort of thing as I have worn sleeveless shirts in churches in France with no problem).

KathrynT

Depending on what time of year you plan on going, jeans may be just too hot to wear (and take too long to dry if you are doing hand-washing).

Statia

With regards to footwear, keep in mind that you will mostly be walking on cobblestone and climbing a lot of stairs at some places.

Therefore, I would leave out the strappy sandals and heels, or anything else that you could twist an ankle in. Sturdy shoes are a must. Keep in mind that you will be walking for hours and hours, so be sure your shoes are well broken in before you arrive.

On our recent trip, my hubby wore tennis shoes and I wore Clark's sandals, which were sturdy, yet still stylish. It's also a good idea to bring more than one pair (we each brought two) so that you can switch out if one pair starts hurting your feet too much.

lucky03

Find the most attractive, comfortable, thick-soled ( rubber) shoes you can find...and you will have one less thing to worry about.
the shoes that got me through, felt like I was walking on clouds wereexter Walkmocs and Mootsies Tootsies. Looked better with pants, but okay with skirts...

Lina

Venice was the least dressy of all the Italian cities we visited. I suppose it had the highest number of tourists. Lots of people were wearing shorts and athletic shorts (not seen much elsewhere). Generally, women in Italy wore casual skirts & comfortable sandals. I carried a large scarf in my bag to put over my shoulders when visiting churches. As it was over 100 degrees, that was easier than carrying a sweater.

suze

The problem with jeans and travel is they are bulky and heavy to pack, and slow to dry if you do laundry. So I suggest chinos, drawstring rayon print, or slacks instead of jeans. If you want to take a pair of jeans, wear them on the plane.

Skip the strappy sandals. You will most likely be walking more than you ever thought possible and on cobblestones, stairs, bridges, etc. Even just to go out to dinner.

Since you asked... I take a rubber sole moccasion style slip on (by Merrell) in brown suede. And a good looking pair of sandals, (black suede rubber sole) chunky heel is fine as long as it's comfortable! Plus one other walking shoe or 2nd sandal. (We don't know what months you're trip is re weather.)

Don't worry about looking like a tourist, you will. But concentrate on packing light, as you already mentioned.

Personally I never wear skirts so wouldn't on a trip. Yes you need to cover up for cathedrals but a knit top and slacks would be fine.

ira

>Personally I never wear skirts so wouldn't on a trip. Yes you need to cover up for cathedrals but a knit top and slacks would be fine.<

Me too.

Linda0515

I wore flat, good-quality leather sandals (Rockport). They were super-comfy and worked well with whatever I was wearing (I packed two pairs in different neutral colors). Unless you're traveling when it's cold, I'd suggest considering this.

suze

very funny, Ira!

;-)

julesville

Thanks to all. I should have mentioned that we are going in 2 weeks..Which is Sept 14-26th.

Any further recommendations-other than skipping the skirts ...????

crazymina

Definitely shoes with a good grip...especially if you are going to Santorini. Some of those footpaths in Fira can be treacherous.

gard

Hi

My wife and I went to Venice in June...it is quite a small town but we did a lot of walking so I would recommend that you bring some good shoes for walking.

About what to wear...as mentioned already: dress decent in a place of worship. Apart from that wear what you want

If you want more details about our trip you can check out my homepage. I have posted a trip report with pictures there.

Regards
gard
www.gardkarlsen.com