A city break asks a great deal of a small wardrobe. In two or three days, the same clothes must walk fifteen kilometres of pavement, sit through a long lunch, pass the door of a cathedral, sit in an air-conditioned gallery and arrive at a good restaurant in the evening. Linen for city breaks answers all of that with very little luggage, provided the pieces are chosen with the city, the season and the day in mind.

The warm-weather city season is longer than many people think. In October and again from late March, Seville, Lisbon, Valletta and Marrakech offer days warm enough for linen and evenings that call for a little more, and Muscat stays warm through the winter. In early autumn and late spring, the cities of Italy and southern France join them. In all of these places, the cloth that works hardest is linen, which still looks composed after a full day on foot.

Walking decides almost everything. A city is seen on foot, and the clothes must move with the body and let air pass on a long uphill street. For men, a Laos Long Sleeve Linen Shirt in Beige Cream with PP Casual Linen Trousers in Sapphire Blue is right for a full day: long sleeves for the sun, sleeves rolled when the shade comes, trousers that suit a museum as well as a café. For women, a HER Male Linen Shirt in White, worn loose over light trousers, is just as adaptable.

Churches and religious sites are part of almost every warm city, and most ask for covered shoulders and knees. Seville's cathedral, the churches of Valletta and the mosques of the Gulf that welcome visitors all expect it. Long linen trousers solve it for men. For women, the PP linen blouse in Sky Blue with a long skirt is respectful and cool, and the Amelia linen dress shirt waits for dinner.

Museums and galleries bring a different challenge: cool air inside, heat outside. Linen handles the transition well, cool in the street and comfortable in the gallery; a light knit or scarf in a bag covers the coldest galleries. Long sleeves help here too, and are worth considering even in a warm city.

Evening is where a city break becomes a pleasure. Dinner in Lisbon's Chiado, on a rooftop in Marrakech's medina or in a courtyard in Seville asks for something slightly more considered than the day. For men, changing the shirt is often enough: a Monte-Carlo Male in Vanille, with its walnut buttons, with the same trousers, makes the evening different. For women, the Amelia linen dress shirt in Dubarry, with sandals or a low heel, is easy and elegant.

Packing is where linen's lightness pays. A short city break can be done with hand luggage alone: two shirts, one pair of linen trousers, one pair of shorts or a second trouser, an evening piece and a light layer. Linen creases in a bag; a few minutes hanging in a steamy hotel bathroom relaxes most of it, and the note on steaming linen explains how. Rolling rather than folding helps, as set out in how to pack linen shirts for travel.

Shoes matter as much as anything. Cobbles in Lisbon, marble in Valletta and uneven lanes in a medina all call for flat, comfortable soles. Leather sandals, espadrilles or soft loafers suit linen and survive a long day; heels are for the taxi and the table.

Each city has its own guide, what to wear in Seville among them. What they share is a day spent on foot and a dinner at the end of it, and a shirt that was right at nine in the morning is still right at ten at night.

What to Wear in Lisbon  ·  What to Wear in Marrakech  ·  Linen for Long-Haul Flights