What to Wear Barcelona/Spain in June

[SD1]

My wife and I are taking our first trip, sans kids, to Barcelona/Ibiza/Motril/Lisbon next month. Living in Florida I have a decent selection of linen pants, shirts and know how to dress for warm weather, but had a few other questions:

I assume no one save for us slovenly Floridians wear shorts and flip flops to walk around town. Am I correct on that?

So I have canvas boat-shoe types for the day and black shoes for the evening. Ok? Or buy a pair of shoes in Barcelona?

Are nice jeans (not old Levi's) widely worn?

 

[mjphillips]

Barcelona's really not that hot, at least in June (think low 80s/mid humidity). Florida is hotter & more humid. That said, you'll want to dress up a bit (compared to Florida) and that will make it effectively more hot. Think cotton twill pants, linen pants, slim khakis by day, dark jeans at night. Desert boot or loafers make a good walking shoe. (I find boat shoes/topsiders don't give much arch support, and are uncomfortable to walk in after an hour or so.) Barca is a great place to shop as well. Pick up some espadrilles for the beach.

 

[stevent]

I'm studying in Barca now. They are actually trying to get laws to ban people from walking shirtless on the streets.

As for clothing stay more conservative and without that many bright colors. Lots of pickpockets around so you don't want to stand out. Canvas boat shoes are good for the day and the black shoes are fine for the night.

Nice jeans are not that popular. The 25+ crowd rarely wear jeans around and the younger people wear a lot of the more Euro styles ie. rips and stuff like that. Darker jeans are fine you won't stand out but may get a bit warm. As for weather if you are from Florida you should be fine, it won't be that hot in June.

I would say Massimo Dutti is pretty representative of Spanish style http://massimodutti.com/index.php?s=man

If you want to buy clothes, wait until the end of June when the sales start.

 

[SD1]

Thanks for the tips stevent/mj

stevent- I never carry a wallet and only carry money and ID in my front pocket (always have) and try to be aware of my surroundings.

I read about the pickpockets and scamsters in Barca. I have spoken to a few friends who spend time in Barca and got some tips on what to avoid scam-wise. However, we will be bringing a camera with. I doubled up the strap (to avoid ease of cutting through), and we won't be taking it off.

Any other things we need to be aware of? We're staying at the Hespera Ramblas. I mean at the end of the day we are tourists, so I'm not going to pass for a native no matter what. But I am not going to wear a loud Hawaiian shirt, baseball cap and a fanny pack either.

 

[mjphillips]

Honestly I think the pickpocket thing is overblown in Europe. I've spent plenty of time there and the only time i've seen/heard of it happening the victim was too hosed to tell what was going on. Same thing here in NYC, my friends from elsewhere seem to think it's "dangerous" but i've never had a problem. Just don't wear flashy (uninsured) jewelry, carry cash in one front pocket & ID/CC in other and you'll be fine.

 

[lasbar]

Don't wear a Real Madrid football shirt...

 

[Uncle Ernie]

Originally Posted by lasbar

Don't wear a Real Madrid football shirt...

That's probably the best advice for survival...

 

[Galix]

I'm currently living in Barcelona. I agree with the previous replies: just wear normal clothes (normal in SF standards

) Though I'd really be aware of pickpocketing. Probably it won't happen to you, but better be safe than sorry. My advice is to avoid Las Ramblas area specially during nighttime, but since you're staying there... The big problem there is that (you'll see it) it gets incredibly packed with people. And it's impossible to have everything 100% under control. But actually the best think to do is what you already do: put just the essentials in your front pocket. And don't worry about the camera, thieves don't go that far (in general). In case your wife wears a purse, tell her to keep it on her whenever you two are at a bar or similar. If she leaves it unattended (let's say hanging on the back of the chair) the chances of getting it stolen are high. Addendum: in Barcelona you'll find a Carmina boutique in case you want to get some very nice shoes. And for that matter you'll find boutiques of the best brands (Brioni, Hermes, Loewe... you name it!)

 

[Daseinflaw]

Originally Posted by lasbar

Don't wear a Real Madrid football shirt...

 

[JayJay]

Timely thread, I'll be in Barcelona next month. My questions have benen answered. Yeah.

 

[hugh51271]

One thing I noticed when I first/last went to Barcelona and Madrid for that matter, was the locals made more effort to dress well (oir in their case normal).
There were no shorts, T-shirts or flip-flops in sight. It definitely rubbed off on me. I leave them at the beach unless I am throwing out rubbish, doing work around the house or painting.

That was 13 years ago mind.

 

[greger]

Part of enjoying the culture is wearing their clothes. Fly over there, look over what the locals are wearing and buy accordingly. Saves taking luggage one way. And when you leave you can save on less luggage by giving the clothes you don't need, for the trip back, to charity. Makes traveling easier. After all, you don't pack lunches to take over there, so why pack clothes?