Churches and Museums - attire

[Paul]

Is is acceptable to just pack a pair of jeans for seeing churches in Rome and Florence?

I dont want to lug a pair of Dockers in my backpack to wear just a couple of times.

[Patrick]

When I went they said to wear pants, but most people wore shorts - the dress code wasn't strictly enforced.

the vatican however is another story... you'll need appropriate clothes, I can't remember if jeans are acceptable there but you will have to wear pants for sure. Anyone recall if you can wear jeans there?

[Kim]

Hmmm... can't recall if you can wear jeans but you can't have bare shoulders and if you are wearing a skirt, it has to be a decent length.

I was wearing a sundress the day we went and just put a sarong I had in my bag over my shoulder and that was fine.

They have people walking around checking though, it's fairly strict.

Same with the temples etc. in Bangkok, although they wre even more strict - no sandals without a backstrap etc.

Kim

[Cat]

If I remember correctly, jeans are allowed in the Vatican. As Kim said, you'll have to cover your shoulders.
Another thing: open-toed shoes are forbidden as well!

When I visited Istanbul, I had to cover my head when visiting mosks (only women had to). I took a sarong with me all the time, so I didn't have to wear some old dirty cloth they provide you with.

Cat

[karlhoh]

Yes, jeans are definitely accepted in churches - just avoid shorts and mini-skirts, cover your shoulders, and no flip-flops or sandals or anything like that. It's mostly in St Peter's in Rome it's enforced, but the rules are the same in all Italian churches.

[raool]

I think it's really important when one visits places of worship. Unfortunetaly, many tourists havfe no sense of it. I was aprticularly shocked in Paris wehre tourists woudl take pictures DURING a mass at Sacré-Coeur.

[Kena]

I just got back from Italy and was able to go everywhere with my basic "church attire" (scientist.dyndns.org/italie/Venise/pages/IMG_2992.html)

Rules were usually "knees and shoulders covered", but my sister was able to get by with a skirt that was just above the knee (except at the Vatican, where she didn't want to take a chance and wore a floor length one). They were stricter about the shoulders, but on the days I wore a tank-top, I carried a short-sleeved shirt in my daypack.

We both wore sandals everywhere without any problems (but they were "sensible sandals", not flip-flops or anything beach-like)

[Gemelli]

Yeah, when I went to the basilicas in Italy, our tour guide told us to wear long pants or shorts that covered the knees. Since I went in mid-summer, it was rather warm so I preferred to wear khaki shorts past the knees. This worked at every church in Italy EXCEPT St. Peters. I'm Catholic, so needless to say I was rather upset when myself and one other guy on our tour had to wait outside while our group went into St. Peters. Another piece of advice: This is probaly common knowledge but caps & hats are generally not allowed in the churches. I had horrible hat hair in every church.

[jennifer]

Kena, from your link I realized you're from Montreal too! Glad to know i'm not alone!
xoxo
Jen

[Kristine]

I just went to europe last summer and i know that you are allowed to wear jeans in the vatican, just as long as your knees and shoulders are covered.

[gamegrl1]

No open-toed shoes! Aghhh! Well, we'll have to double-check with maybe the hotel owners in the cities we visit, or the tourism offices on exactly what the rules are. I don't feel like showing up at a church and being told I can't go in.

I'm bringing a nice, just-past-the-knee-length skirt, but I have sandals with it. It's either that or jeans and tennies - whatever they say is OK & respectful.

Thanks for the tip on hats - I'll make sure and brush my hair before we go in!

[rchua]

jeans are allowed in the churches and vaticans but remember, NO SKIRTS OR BARE SHOULDERS!! they turned away a few tourists at the vatican because of this. in my opinion if you're going to visit a religious place try to dress appropriately. it's kind of rude to wear a mini skirt to a place of worship. just use common sense.

[mango]

Something tells me PAUL was not planning on wearing a skirt, mini or otherwise!

[madamtrashheap]

OK folks, to alleviate the debate on what is or isn't acceptable "church attire" in Italy, here are some points from one who has seen a lot of ABCs (another bloody church!):

Knees covered - women can wear skirts as long as they cover the knees, guys some places require full trousers/pants although long shorts seem to be OK in most places (no rhyme or reason, just because).
Jeans - are fine in every church...(the Diesel Shop in Rome is a temple of worship unto its own!); as are Cargo/Chino pants.
Consider taking a pair of track suit pants/trousers or a long sarong in your day bag to slip on just before you enter the venue - no-one minds if you do this outside, just don't take them off until you have exited the building. Those excellent zip on/off pants/trousers that you find in travel stores seem to be made for just such places.
Sholders covered - again, women can wear tops that cover the sholders (capped sleeves seem to be fine), men must wear T-shirts; basically no tank/singlet tops; consider taking a spare T-shirt or pashmina-type wrap in your day bag to throw over the top of your tank top before you enter the church. As an interesting point, it is not legal for guys (or woman before anyone points it out!) to walk in public (except at the beach) without a shirt on. The police will stop you and ask you to put a shirt on, regardless of how hot it is.
Hats - remove them just before entering and don't wear them inside
Shoes - sandals (Tevas,etc) are fine (Jesus wore sandals didn't he?!!), as are trainers/sneakers, hiking boots, etc. The only thing is flip flops/rubber thongs: some churches have issues with these, particularly the Vatican & St Peter's and the Duomo in Florence.
VATICAN - take it to the n'th degree; men and women should wear clothes that cover the legs completely and cover to the elbow. This will stop any debate at the entrance with guards (not Swiss!) who don't always follow the same rule for all and whilst the person in front of you walks through wearing a tank top and hot pants, the next might not. Notice that Italians only wear shorts when they are at the beach? It's a good rule of thumb as to what is considered "city wear" by the residents.

This also applies to places like Notre Dame in Paris, St Stefans/Stephen's in Vienna, Hofkirche in Innsbruck, most churches/cathedrals in Spain...basically Catholic churches. Although these churches are not as strict in enforcing dress codes as in Italy, they still expect "respectful" attire, as in any synagogue/mosque/temple.

It's odd, I know, that some churches are more lenient than others, and sometimes it just depends on who is checking people as they enter on the day, but if you take measures to wear clothes that cover all the bases, so to speak, you'll be able to see what you came to see. Of course Winter is a whole other ball game as all of this becomes a non-issue for a few months.

Yours in fashion! ;D