Dress Like a Local: What To Wear in Germany

Germany gets all four seasons—and in April, you might even experience all of them in a single day. This is a country where the mantra is to dress appropriately for the weather, rather than letting the weather dictate your plans, within reason. Come prepared, and don’t let rain or snow ruin your itinerary. Bring a warm coat and a hat, gloves, and a scarf for visiting the country’s famous Christmas markets—plus a good rain jacket, waterproof shoes, and an umbrella, if it looks like you’re going to get a string of drizzly days during your trip.

Air conditioning is uncommon in Germany’s stores, restaurants, and private homes, and June through August can get hot in most parts of the country. Longer shorts and well-fitting T-shirts are alright for the daytime, but try to stay away from cut-offs and workout shorts, particularly for city travel. Leave flip-flops at home, or save them solely for the lake/beach/sauna part of your itinerary. If you do want to wear sandals, this is the country that invented Birkenstocks. During high summer, it’s fine to opt for this style of more substantial open footwear.

While a sense of practicality guides much of German dressing, that doesn’t mean you can be sloppy or overly casual. The fashion may be less varied and outré in Germany’s major cities besides Berlin (Munich, in particular, leans toward understated chic), but street clothes and workout wear are still considered two different things. For daytime walking around, aim for practical, close-toed footwear and seasonally appropriate separates. If you’re planning to go to a nice restaurant, the opera, or the theater, turn it up a notch, with leather shoes, slacks, a collared shirt, a nice dress, or, even, if you really want to, heels.

Berlin is where you can wear what you want. For every Berliner who only wears black, there are two more walking around in a riot of color, or dressed up in a blazer and silk scarf, or wearing timelessly stylish high-waisted, loose trousers and a long, slim wool coat. You’ll fit right in in a pair of white sneakers, well-fitting loose slacks, and a collared shirt or a nice blouse. But if you’ve always wanted to try pairing a leather kilt and a crop-top, this is also your moment.

Germany is an excellent hiking destination. Whether you’re summiting the Bavarian Alps or seeing the sandstone cliffs of the Saxon Switzerland National Park, don’t hold back. Germans gear up appropriately for outdoor adventure. If you’re planning to hike, even if you’re sticking with easy routes, pack your hiking boots, weather-appropriate outdoor clothing, and if you’re really feeling it, your Nordic walking poles.

Once you’re outside the country’s major metropolitan areas, fashion gets turned down a notch. In the countryside, combine the rules of city and outdoor travel to look pulled together in a functional way. Think jeans and a zip-up fleece, paired with hiking boots or sturdy sneakers. Again, abide by the idea that your clothing should suit the weather and terrain where you’ll be exploring, while not entirely devolving to sweats, and you should fit right in.

Wearing a bathing suit in the sauna is considered unhygienic here and, as such, German saunas are enjoyed in the nude, albeit with a clean towel to sit on. These spaces are also almost always co-ed. However, you’ll often find saunas as well as steam rooms integrated into public pools or thermal baths where a bathing suit is required for swimming, so don’t leave yours at home entirely. If you’re confused as to where to wear your suit and where to bare it all, ask an attendant or double-check the facility’s signage. In addition, bring a pair of clean, indoors-only flip-flops or shower slides for walking around.

The German concept of Freikörperkultur (free body culture), or FKK for short, embraces the idea of non-sexual nudity enjoyed in nature. Many public lakes and beaches welcome FKK, but unlike the sauna, nudity in these environments isn’t compulsory. It’s okay to wear your bathing suit if you’re more comfortable, and simply not make a big deal out of what anyone of any age around you is or isn’t wearing. They certainly won’t be!

Every region of the country has its own history of Trachtenmode, or traditional garb, but Bavaria is where Germans actually wear their lederhosen and dirndl. Foreigners and locals alike don these historical togs for Munich’s Oktoberfest, but you don’t have to limit your lederhosen to the festivities—over the past few years, it’s become more common to see Bavarians, say, grocery shopping in a dirndl. Just keep in mind that this is still quite specific to Bavaria, and you may feel like quite the odd one out touring the rest of the country in Trachtenmode.

Sure, Berlin’s enduringly beloved techno club Berghain is famous for attracting partiers in nearly uniform, somber black, but that’s hardly the rule for clubs throughout the country. What’s most important at most German techno clubs is to keep it simple, so forgo heels, slinky dresses, suits, or blazers. Leave the sports team–affiliated gear at home, avoid prominent logos, and just generally present a hip if not particularly fancy version of yourself. You’re there for the music, not for Instagram (and many clubs don’t allow photos inside, anyway).

Returning to the idea that there’s no bad weather, only bad clothing, this applies to Germany’s kid-friendly activities, too. It’s common to see younger children on playgrounds here in inclement weather, splashing away in so-called matschhose—mud pants, which look like waders—rain boots, and a raincoat or waterproof jacket. Once it gets cold, you’ll see toddlers outside in full snowsuits, even in cities. Whatever you’d consider practical for your itinerary, that goes double for children.