Americans tend to dress casually when walking around outside, even when we visit foreign countries. Most of the time, that's fine. We may be recognized by our white tennis shoes and tee shirts as being Americans, but we aren't offending anyone.
However, what is acceptable strolling through ruins on a hot summer day doesn't always work when visiting more formal environs. This is obvious when we consider dining at a fancy restaurant, but what about religious sites?
Some of the most spectacular and historically significant places to visit around the world are cathedrals and mosques. A certain amount of reverence for the traditions may be understood, but are you aware that you may be refused admission due to clothing? As a general rule, skimpy clothes are at a minimum frowned upon and frequently outright prohibited. This includes shorts or sleeveless shirts for both men and women. It also means covering shoulders, stomachs and cleavage.
Actual enforcement varies by venue. If you're visiting the Blue Mosque in Turkey, or any mosque for that matter, don't bother trying to gain admission unless you have on long pants and sufficient upper body coverage. In addition, women are required to wear a headscarf. Since you will be required to take off your shoes to enter a mosque, you may want to bring a plastic bag in which to carry your shoes with you rather than leaving them by the door.
Cathedrals and churches are generally less strict than mosques, but you should still be respectful of their traditions and dress codes. If you're at St. Peter's Basilica or touring the Vatican, enforcement of conservative attire will be more strict than in someplace like France, which has a somewhat more secular approach to religious sites these days. However, the people in charge of each particular location decide how they will enforce dress codes, so making a nuisance of yourself by refusing to accept their rulings should be avoided.
If they won't let you in, politely accept that you will not be permitted entrance, or get proper attire to return. Packing some extra clothes in a backpack to cover such situations is the best policy if you need cooler clothes for most of the day.By the way, you may be surprised that amusement parks also have dress codes designed to protect public decency, and recently there have been increased incidents of guests being refused admission to theme parks due to exposed tattoos which could be considered offensive to others.
