Cruises - Med cruise -what to wear on shore

The title pretty much says it - going to the Med - Italy, Greece, and Turkey. We have been to the Caribbean many times, but first Med trip. What is the best/proper/suggested attire while on shore. Some how I don't think it is flowery shirts and shorts. Long pants or shorts? long sleeves shirts or short sleeve? Any other suggestions welcome.

It really depends on the time of year.

In the summer, you will definitely want to wear cool clothing like shorts and short sleeves. Long pants are sometimes more appropriate if visiting churches or mosques.

In winter, it can be quite chilly.

We are going in early September.

I am going in September too. Good luck you:)

Me too!

I would imagine that wearing head to toe linen would be fine.

The only real restriction I would see is that in Turkey, if you plan on visiting a mosque, you should have long pants on. They very well may turn you away if you don't (although they may also allow you to take the head scarf they often provide for women and wrap it around as a skirt, I vaguely recall some people doing this). Otherwise, wear whatever's comfortable (within reason). The comments that you always see about how european's don't wear shorts, well, I don't really believe it based on my experience.

St Peters in the Vatican can also be pretty strict (although I watched them be incredibly inconsistent on that when I was there, turning away some people and letting others through).

If visiting religious sites, you should consider how much skin you are showing. In Italy for example, signs like this are not uncommon

http://travelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/churchclothesno.jpg

http://travelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/churchclothesyes.jpg

Short sleeves would probably be fine, and remember you will be walking on some cobblestone streets from thousands of years ago, so footwear with a bit of support

Reminds me of the signs I used to see in small markets and shops in Italian towns. Every sign in Italian except one in English: NO SELF SERVICE!

I wore capris and short sleeve shirt with a sweater tied around shoulders in case of cold. I also wore sleeveless but, again, had sweater if I needed it. In Turkey if you go in Hagia Sofia you will need a scarf - they'll give you one to use but it was not recommended by our guide as many people had used it. I bought a beautiful scarf^

Just returned from the eastern med on Navigator of the Seas and went to the ports you list. Capris and short sleeve shirts were very acceptable. Saw some in sleeveless without a problem but did what I thought was correct. Wore same to Vatican with no problems.

Only been to Italy on the list.
Short athletic shorts and bare shoulders are generally a no-no for churches/cathedrals. Knee length shorts and tshirts are ok.

There's always the debate of how much you want to stick out as a tourist also. eg. Men don't wear shorts in Europe except at the beach.
Meh, I don't think I can help standing out as a tourist so I just wear walking shorts during the day.

Only been to Italy on the list.
Short athletic shorts and bare shoulders are generally a no-no for churches/cathedrals. Knee length shorts and tshirts are ok.

There's always the debate of how much you want to stick out as a tourist also. eg. Men don't wear shorts in Europe except at the beach.
Meh, I don't think I can help standing out as a tourist so I just wear walking shorts during the day.

Italians tend not to like the flowery or bright-colored clothes. Stick with blacks, browns, neutral colors or you will get alot of stares, and never wear black dress socks with shorts!

We also just came back from the exact med cruise on Navigator. Those ports had lots and lots of tourists so most had shorts on. We were very lucky with the weather because it was first week of June, so not too hot yet. The only concern with shorts would be to the Vatican city. I had warned my family and we all had short sleeves and long pants on. However, we saw lots and lots of men, women, and children in shorts, tank tops and everything we were warned not to wear. Saw a woman in a short halter dress going through the check point but she got through. We had people in our tour group in shorts where you could see the knees, but again, no problem. Did not see anyone being turned away.

We stayed on in Rome for a few more days after the cruise and saw lots of people in shorts.

We did a Med cruise last year and are doing another one this year. You won't see locals wearing shorts. The strangest thing to me, however, was that European men wear Capri pants.

I wore khaki pants during city days (e.g., Rome) and shorts otherwise. We brought wind pants for our boys to pull on over their shorts for the Vatican. My wife wore Capris or a casual summer dress most places with a shirt that covered her shoulders. This year the boys and I have convertible pants/shorts to wear in ports where we will be in churches.