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Nice tennis shoes vs shoes at dinner
I am used to wearing nice tennis shoes when going out to dinner. I heard something about a recommendation for actual shoes at dinner. Any thoughts? I'm referring to the upcoming Switzerland, Crown Jewel trip. Thanks.
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I was just on this trip. No one cares what kind of shoes (or anything) you wear to dinner on the tour. "Smart casual" is the dressiest recommendation that we were given. If you want to book dinner at a fancy restaurant on a night that dinner is not included on the tour, that might be another question...but I think that nice tennis shoes are kind of "in" now. By the way, the farewell dinner is really casual.
inovik, Hi
Tennis shoes for dinner? unless you are eating at McDonalds, in Europe dinner time it's time to socialize and normally people like to dress up a little or wear business casual but not tennis shoes... even if they are Loubis. Also, it's a matter of respect & appreciation for others.
Now, you're a tourist so do what you feel comfortable with.
My husband usually wears a pair of Ecco walking shoes for 'Smart Casual' and any evening slightly dressier. They can be dressed up or down. On our recent Scottish Isles cruise, several of the men wore athletic type shoes with a jacket.
I wouldn't wear tennis shoes to dinner and I know some would. One can also think that who looks at your feet anyway. I like taking the extra 7 minutes to be presentable for a nice dinner at a restaurant. A pair of flats or loafers would be acceptable.
My husband and I don't even own tennis shoes (I am referring to the white, clunky athletic shoes.) There are so many choices now for walking shoes suitable for cobblestones that transition to evening wear. I agree with mil and OurTravels34.
You can scoff and call me old-fashioned, but I will always maintain that American tourists should be mindful of the customs and culture of other countries. You are a guest in their country. This is merely my opinion.
mil, OurTravels34, kfnknfzk: Quit being dinner attire snobs.
Any attire that is allowed by the restaurant is fine. If the restaurant allows sneakers and it makes the person comfortable then I think they should feel free to wear them without guilt.
The same goes for each of you desiring to dress up more.
Guilt free travel is what we should be going for.
Free world!
Smiling Sam - Is it really necessary to resort to name calling because our opinions differ from yours? My question is rhetorical. I might not agree with you, but I respect your right to express your opinion. I disagree with how you chose to express your opinion, however.
Have a nice weekend.
Not really.
I don’t think what Sam said approaches “name calling” per se. Just a polite comment.
I don't either. I take being called a dinner attire snob as a compliment.
Me neither. From a lot of PMs back and forth, I know Sam's sense of humor. The way he addressed several forums members was part of that.
When I travel in Europe, I tend to agree with kfnknfzk in reference to the fact Europeans and other cultures dress a bit nicer. I try not to stick out to much as an American tourist.
But that is just me. My new go to walking shoes are made by Allbirds. They are comfortable for daytime walking tours and on the Scottish Isles cruise I wore them to dinner half the time.
Most ships do not allow athletic shoes of any kind for the evening meal. I have seen people denied entry several times. That also goes for short shorts, shorts, bathing suits, jeans, tank tops, T-shirts, etc. etc. etc.
I think I’ll wear my swimsuit to dinner 😀
For me, the most important thing about shoes on a tour is them being safe and practical. Indeed, tennis shoes are in. I don’t play tennis so I don’t have any tennis shoes. I generally just wear sneakers or what the Brits call Trainers for all my everyday walking…they are my most expensive shoes anyway. I take other walking shoes on Tauck tours, currently a brand new pair of Merrill’s since my old pair were done. So I learned going through security this morning that they must have metal in the soles and I had to take them off and put them back through the scanner. I take as few pairs of shoes as I can and the lightest. Few people dress up in Europe these days especially in the touristy places.
I’m all about comfort, but still following each establishment’s dress code whether on a ship, in a casual restaurant on land, or a fine dining restaurant. On tour, there have been instances when the full range of attire has been the proper attire for me, but in each case my attire has met the establishments attire requirements.
I think it’s great if people choose to exceed the requirements of any eatery because it pleases them and provides added enjoyment for them. That said, I don’t think people just meeting an establishments requirements should think negatively about people choosing to exceed the requirements. The same goes in the opposite direction, those exceeding the establishment’s dress requirements shouldn’t think negatively about those just meeting the requirement.
The key is to at least meet the establishments and enjoy your meal and have a great experience.
The next time I disagree with BSP51 and BKMD, I'll remember that they won't mind perjorative words used to describe them. They will, of course, know I am merely being humorous and polite.
Or they were simply politely disagreeing with your opinion about the nature of my comment.
They would want to wish you a nice weekend like you did me.
kfnknfzk - 😄
this are excellent choice for hot weather. I might wear them for Bali
If you do please take pictures. 😂
I think one should be free to make their own choices in clothing and shoes. Some people suffer from bunions and other ailments and should wear shoes that are comfortable. I think Europeans are changing as when I grew up in Ireland it was far dressier than it is today. I think people are more relaxed and certainly the younger crowd are not dressing up. Mil, I would like to borrow your shoes for my next trip.
Go for it Mil !!! and like Sam said, please take pictures.
Thanks for the smorgasbord of comments. I hope the food is this varied!
We, too, have noticed a trend in Europe that it is not as 'dressy' as it used to be when we first started going over there in the late 90s.
We were in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy in Sept. 2022 for a Tauck trip and NO where we went for 3 weeks was dressy and we would have been OK in Keen/Merrill type 'sneakers' the entire time.
While I wear Keen Targhee 3 waterproof sneakers as my 'touring' and walk about town shoe, I LOVE the BZees shoes as my 2nd pair. They are so supportive, comfy, light, they weigh nothing, they look nice for dinners - it's what I take on both land and RiverCruises as my 2nd pair.
I agree that a 2nd pair of shoes adds space and weight to luggage, esp if you go over for 2-4 weeks like we do, but you won't notice a difference with BZees.
My husband wears Keen Targhee 3 all day and sometimes at dinners too, but if we are going on a trip that takes us to a nice place, he will bring a 2nd pair.
Honestly, we 'fit' in, we don't 'stand out' as underdressed, we try to go with the saying - 'WHEN IN ROME . . . " -- but we do see a more 'relaxed, less dress up' trend there now.
In December, we were in Munich and we went to a nice Italian restaurant which was mostly for locals and most everyone in there had on Keens, Merrills, Hokas, boots.
Your E-Book will have recommendations for you. The biggest thing is - wear supportive, safe, comfortable shoes for YOU. If there is a visit to a 'fancy' place for dinner, they will let you know.
We just got home late last night from the Week in Scotland tour (review coming soon). On Friday we took a 3 1/2 hr train ride from Oban to Glasgow and were seated next to a lovely couple who live near Glasgow. I mentioned this view that some Americans have about the need to dress up like the Europeans and they both found it hilarious and said no that wasn't true.
As Sam said, if the venue has a dress code then yes you should follow it otherwise it's no one else's business.
Our group has reservations at the rooftop restaurant at the Grand Bretagne hotel in Athens. The reservation response defined their strict dress code, but it did not mention shoes other than no flip flops. The require ‘smart casual’ dress, with lots of no no’s.
Claudia
Thinking of booking the week in Scotland
Look forward to your review!!
Inovik - TRUST me. I'm on the Switzerland tour right now - first hotel. Nobody here is dressing up much. Not the locals, not the tourists. It's hot here in Lausanne. I hope it gets cooler, since I didn't bring many short sleeved tops.
Last night we people watched at the outdoor bar at the hotel - they were having a big, annual summer event. The clothing (or lack of) was pretty shocking. Everyone had some body parts exposed. Even the people who should have covered up. Ick!
So I think it's perfectly acceptable to wear tennis shoes to dinner. Unless you get a great pedicure and prefer to wear flip flops!
People who pay $800 for designer sneakers are wearing them wherever they want and it’s a real trend now to wear sneakers with dresses, skirts. dressy pants and suits. I wouldn’t have a negative opinion at all about someone wearing sneakers in a fine-dining venue.