Madrid & Barcelona - Clothing / Shoes

I searched and found some info on this stupid question I have. But, wanted to be clear.

I know I will stand out as a tourist just due to my American (New York/New Jersey) accent and by the fact that I will be walking around with my mouth wide open and taking lots of pictures. So, I'm not worried about my shoes making me look like a tourist. But, are sneakers just in bad taste? I mean I don't want to offend anyone or really look bad or bummy. There is a Campers shoe store right by me here in Los Angeles. I was thinking of picking up a pair. Is that a better idea - wear those instead?

And what about clothing in general. Jeans and T-Shirts ok? I mean I'd dress up more for a nice dinner, but I mean just walking around or hitting a museum or out for Tapas, would I be ok with just jeans and a t-shirt? I've also read baseball caps don't really fit in over there too. True?

Any other clothing tips? Sorry, I'm a first time visitor and I think I have OCD - lol.

I think there are so many US tourists in Madrid or Barcelona, you don't need to worry about standing out. It may be sensible to be careful about money and valuables though. As a tourist you may be a target for the infamous cartelistas! There are plenty of locals who would wear a T shirt in summer too.
On a slightly different note, the wearing of baseball caps in the UK is mainly done by kids known as chavs. They have a reputation for petty crimes fighting etc. Even there though, I doubt you would be mistaken for a Chav.

You'll see zillions of Spaniards (myself one of them) wearing sneakers, T-shirts, and jeans, so don't worry about that. As filbert mentions, the only "typical American thing" not so popular in Spain are baseball caps, except in beaches or places in countryside where people go for an excursion. Definitely not in cities.

Excellent, thanks. We both already bought a pair of Camper shoes but will still bring our sneakers.

if you have a pair of comfortable shoes (that aren't sneakers) you can take them for strolling around the cities. personally I never understood why people wear only sneakers on trips that don't involve heavy duty hiking. barcelona will leave you gaping at it's beauty and you'll be behooved to walk a bit slower to take it all in. the museums, while large, will not leave you out of breath and there are plenty of benches to sit down on everywhere. also, madrid can get very hot and it can be so much better to have open-toe shoes on hand in that heat.
I say nay to sneakers - but that's just me....

I always take two pairs of comfortable shoes on my trips. Especially when the city is a walking city.

The reason is I alternate each day the shoes I will wear, this reduces the risk of getting blisters. It works, because blisters are cause by the shoes rubbing the same area of the foot when you walk.

Bill

Filbert:

"Carteristas" (comes from "cartera") means pickpocketers
"Cartelistas" (comes from "cartel") means poster maker

The two words are almost the same written, aren't they? And they also sound very similar when spoken

Fernando

I would say no to baseball caps-- no one wears them. T-shirts and jeans are totally common, provided they don't say "Planet Hollywood" or "God Bless America" or something along those lines. A dark t-shirt and nice jeans is fine though.

I have a Planet Hollywood T-shirt and another with United States of America on it. Wear whatever you want in that sense.

Noonw is going to say nothing to you for what you wear (and it they say something, shame on them).

Fernando