To sneaker or not to sneaker - that is my question.

[Susnyk]

Everyone says take good walking shoes - my best walking shoes are my athletic shoes. The kind you see every day here in the US, mostly white with colored stripes and markings on them. Would I look goofy in these shoes? Will the rubber soles work well on the cobblestone streets?

 

Susan

[Jane110]

As long as you're asking..........

 

Yes, I think they look goofy and you'll stick out like a "typical" american tourist.

 

On cool days I wore rubber soled loafers. On rainy days I wore rubber soled microfiber shoes that dry quickly and aren't ruined by rain.(mine are by Stewart Weitzman. Donald Pliner also makes good ones) And on the warm days I wore flat sandals - rubber soles when I knew I'd be on cobblestone streets and leather soles when I knew I wouldn't.

 

I walked for hours and hours everyday with no problems.

 

My sneakers are for the gym only.

 

Jane

[Al_Frescoe]

Everyone says take good walking shoes - my best walking shoes are my athletic shoes. The kind you see every day here in the US, mostly white with colored stripes and markings on them. Would I look goofy in these shoes? Will the rubber soles work well on the cobblestone streets?

 

Susan

 

Here in Stockholm, the "sneakers" you speak of are as common as they are in the States. They would not be out of place at all. And they are fantastic for cobblestones.

 

Enjoy your trip

 

Al

[Host CMLA]

Everyone says take good walking shoes - my best walking shoes are my athletic shoes. The kind you see every day here in the US, mostly white with colored stripes and markings on them. Would I look goofy in these shoes? Will the rubber soles work well on the cobblestone streets?

 

Susan

Hi Susan. During my Baltic cruise I wore rubber soled loafers and I regretted it. By the end of the days my feet were hot and sticky because I wore no socks. Meanwhile, all around me were locals and tourists in Nikes and Reeboks. I appreciate Jane110's opinion however I don't think it's a negative thing to look like a typical American tourist. That's what you are. :) And when you travel, comfort is key. On our last trip to Paris over New Years we wore nothing but our Nikes and we looked just like all the French kids we saw.

[Mapu]

Hi Susan,

Atheletic shoes (sneakers) are fine as far as my experience goes. Having said that you don't want only one pair of reliable walking shoes. It is definitely nice to have a pair or two to switch between. Merrill as well as some other companies make affordable, comfortable walking shoes. In Europe as well as in the states ECCO shoes and atheletic sandals are also good bet. If you go to any "walking" shoe store in a mall you'll find many choices.

[gopackgo]

I will be wearing typical "American" sneakers - Horrors!! Someone from Europe might think I am an American tourist! How awful would that be?? :^)

 

I have bad feet and must wear orthotics in my shoes and my most comfortable walking shoes are my white sneakers with blue and gray stripes on them. I will be wearing these every day!

 

I don't think people need to fret so much about fitting in with the locals on their vacation. Yes, people should make an effort to look decent - clean, ironed clothes, etc. But wear the shoes that are the most comfortable for you. If that is an attractive pair of dark walking shoes, great. If it is a bright white brand new pair of sneakers, so be it. If I had normal feet, I probably would wear more attractive walking shoes, but I can't.

 

Mapu, thanks for the suggestion to bring more than one pair along, in case one gets wet on a rainy day. Off to the shoe store, again!!

 

Ginny

[dbh62ark]

We've traveled fairly extensively in Europe and see lots of sneakers on locals and on tourists. I think the most important thing is your comfort on your vacation. I know we work hard to earn ours, so I want to be comfortable. I've also seen quite a few turned ankles and foot injuries on ladies who feel that they must wear cute shoes. I see less of the sneakers in Italy than the other European countries, but sneakers are definitely okay in Italy.

 

I always get a little amused at the suggestion that we not look like tourists because very few Americans can look like anything but tourists. We were on a train once and were advised by a lovely French girl that even little things like a Fed Ex envelope that we had received our tickets in sticks out. Fortunately, we've always been very warmly received by Europeans, so being an American tourist has been a good thing. I know the comments warning about not looking like a tourist are well intended for safety reasons and to show respect for the host country, so I think more along the lines of suggesting that American tourists act graciously (not being loud or pushy, being appreciate of the beauty of the sites, etc.) and not asking for trouble by wearing several thousands of dollars of cameras around your neck, etc.

 

Having said that, one of my dear friends is a podiatrist, and she recommends changing shoes every other day or during the day, if possible, for trips with a lot of walking. The New Balance sneakers and Mephisto walking shoes are the ones she recommends for most of her patients. I use both these brands and love them. The Mephistos can be expensive, but they are a good investment and can be refurbished after a few years. As with all shoe brands, some styles will work better for your foot than others, and good fit is the key. I hope to pick up a couple of pairs of Mephistos in Helsinki this year at the store that I hope is still next to the Stockman's Department store (I can't get current info on this). They're about 1/2 of the U.S. price. There is an Eccos store in Copenhagen.

 

And yes, rubber soled shoes work well on cobblestone streets. :)

 

Happy travels to all,

Donna

[gopackgo]

Donna,

 

Very good post with lots of good info on shoes. Thanks for the shoe store information.

 

Does anyone know where I can find Finn Comfort shoes in London, Helsinki, Stockholm or Tallin? This brand has a very good arch support in all it styles, from closed toed to open sandals.

 

Maybe we should start a thread sharing information on where to buy shoes in the Baltics!! If anyone has names and locations of good shoe stores, please pass it on.

 

Thanks!

 

Ginny

[dbh62ark]

Yes, the Europeans know how to make shoes because most of them walk a lot more than most of us. :)

 

I hope you get some suggestions because I'd love to have some too. The Mephistos have the arch supports (I have on a pair of their sandals right now), but obviously New Balance sneakers don't. Your comments are very interesting to me because my podiatrist friend says that a majority of foot pain and discomfort is due to arch issues and that most people don't realize this because the pain takes different forms in different people. But for everyone, I think stability is the key in Europe because the ground is frequently uneven, and it's very easy to misstep and cause injury, which definitely puts a damper on sightseeing. So she recommends shoes with arch supports even for those who don't need custom orthotics and/or don't have arch issues.

 

I do have one suggestion for you for sandals in addition to the Mephisto sandals. The Doc Martens (sp??) sandals have great arch support and will be cheaper in Europe than in the U.S. The big advantage to going to a store over there is that you can try them on. If you're going to London, you can buy them in the Covent Garden area. If you exit the tube station there, you go downhill to the Covent Garden shops. If you take a right at the bottom of the hill, you'll see a store that looks like a souvenir store. On the right side of that store, you'll find the Doc Martins shoes (sandals and loafers). They're casual shoes but are great, and I even wear them sometimes on my 3-mile walks around my neighborhood in the summer.

 

When I sailed the Baltics in 2003, I also saw the women from my ship very excited and buying tons of shoes right at a store at the ship's dock in Copenhagen. I wish I had paid more attention to the brand (we were tired after a long day of sightseeing but still managed to hit the Hard Rock Cafe store there!!), but they were VERY excited about the prices and the selection. I know it was a name-brand Dutch shoe, but I don't know which one. It wasn't Wolky (I have a pair of their sandals but think the Doc Martin and Mephisto sandals are better).

 

:)

Donna

[JeannyCT]

If you like your sneakers and they're comfortable – wear them. Locals will notice that you're a tourist, it doesn't matter what shoes you wear.

 

Other comfortable shoes: Birkenstock (http://www.birkenstock.de), you can get them in nearly any shoe store in Germany and they're cheaper than in the US.

[Susnyk]

Thanks everyone, for the great comments on walking shoes. I especially want to find my way to the Ecco store in Copenhagen, the Mephisto store in Helsinki, and possibly the Finn Comfort store, whereever it may be. If anyone else has any information about good shoe brands and where to buy them in any of the Baltic port cities, it would be wonderful to hear it.

 

Ginny, I, too, have "bad feet", so just because a brand of shoe is well known for comfort, it doesn't mean it will work for me. What a pain!!! ;)

 

Susan

[sultan_sfo]

Macys carry Ecco and while the range of designs may not be as large as the local Ecco stores, the prices at Macys will be MUCH lower than in CPH! /Sultan

 

Partial Quote:

I especially want to find my way to the Ecco store in Copenhagen, ... ;)

 

Susan

[NancyIL]

I'm glad you asked the question, Susan, because none of my non-gym shoes are good for walking long distances. I've also read that one shouldn't dress like a typical American when in Europe, but even so - people will know we're tourists as soon as we open our mouths!

[crazy4cruisn]

Thanks everyone for the questions and answers on shoes! My white Easy Spirit tennies are so happy they can go too!:)

[Al_Frescoe]

Since I moved to Stockholm in 1997 I have become a big fan of ECCO, in fact I only wear ECCO shoes. They come in sandals and almost all other styles as well. There are ECCO stores all over Stockholm.

 

Al

[mare s.]

You know, the "shoe question" is one that I think about every time I take a trip. Women in Europe really do dress fashionably and I've always felt a bit frumpy (particularly in places like Paris)...but in the end, comfort takes precedence. If we were going on bus tours with minimal walking, I'd be happy wearing fashionable shoes...but we tend to walk in the cities, and walk, and walk. There's nothing worse than aching, sore feet for taking the joy out of sightseeing. So I'm taking my Saucony's for when I know we'll be hiking a lot, and a second pair of black walking shoes (somewhat more stylish than my sneakers) and a pair of Clark's sandals if the weather is nice. I may also look for a pair of Aerosoles...they make attractive shoes and I find them extremely comfortable (they have rubber soles and are really padded) As other posters have written...there's really no disguising the fact that we are tourists...as soon as we open our mouths. I'll make up for the shoes by wearing nice khaki or linen pants and attractive shirts/blouses (no T-shirts!).

[dbh62ark]

Ditto Mare, and hi there. :)

 

For anyone interested in Mephisto in London, I forgot about the Mephisto shoes in London. There are two locations, and I went to the New Bond street location last year while I was shopping in London. The sandals I bought (Altina style) were about $112 after VAT refund, and that beat the lowest U.S. price by about $50. I forgot to mention that these have shock absorption and the other features that sneakers have, and they feel wonderful but sandals obviously have less stability than sneakers. The address is 100 New Bond Street, and this is just off Oxford—very close to a tube station and near Liberty’s and Regent Street--in the very popular shopping districts (popular for good reason!). If you're not familiar with that area, you can get a free map at your hotel, and they will mark it for you. The other address is 23 Denman, and I don't know where that is. http://www.multimap.com and http://www.map-vista.com/ are good for mapping addresses in London.

 

I think the Mephisto shoe prices were about 15-20% lower in Helsinki (I bought shoes in Helsinki in 2003 and London in 2004, so I'm trying to calculate in the difference in the exchange rates too), but I believe in the shopping rule of getting what you like where you can since the prices are so much lower than the U.S. prices.

 

Happy foot travels to all,

Donna

[gopackgo]

Donna,

 

Thanks for posting the info on Doc Martens and Mephisto shoe stores in London! We will be there for 3 days before we go over to Stockholm. I can't wait to look for shoes there. I have to find out more about the Mephistos and Doc Martens as far as the arch, etc. I will look at them online.

 

Anyone else that has good recommendations where to buy comfortable walking shoes in the Baltic ports?? This is really good info for lots of people!!

 

Ginny

 

Still would like to find a Finn Comfort store. I may email the company. If I find out anything, I will post it.

[crazy4cruisn]

Do you know how the price of the Ecco shoes compare to the US prices? You can see them online at www.zappos.com. Can you recommend a place to buy them in Stockholm?

Nan

[dbh62ark]

I have friends who live in Surrey near London, and she e-mailed me the following information for Finn Comfort shoes in London. There's a store at 4 Paddington Street in London. The e-mail address is post@taylormadeshoes.co.uk. I thought from the name that they were made in Finland, but she says they are German shoes and said you might check there if you are going into Rostock or Warnemunde. I hope that's correct since this is not first-hand knowledge on my part, but I haven't had any innacurate information from them yet.

 

:)

Donna

[gopackgo]

Donna,

 

That is great news! Yes, Finn Comforts are made in Germany! I don't get it either.

 

I will ask them about what styles they carry and then I can make my way over their store when I am there. I hope they have a wide selection. We are not going into Germany on this trip.

 

Thanks a lot! This is a great place to get help!

 

Ginny

 

I don't how big Surrey is, but my older brother and his wife, who live in Wisconsin, are great friends with a retired couple (from New Zealand) who now live in Surrey. Phyl and Les Buckmann, I think. (Phyl is the woman.)

[Al_Frescoe]

Do you know how the price of the Ecco shoes compare to the US prices? You can see them online at www.zappos.com. Can you recommend a place to buy them in Stockholm?

Nan

 

Oh my!! I have been away from home for a long time. I went to the Zappos site above and those prices seem very high to me. I seriously can't remember how much I paid for my last pair of casual walking shoes (ECCO shoes last a long time), but I can tell you this, they were more in the 75-80 US dollar range, I'm thinking 650-700 Swedish kronor, maybe less than that. I also have a good pair of walking sandals from ECCO and they too were a lot less than what Zappas seems to be offering. Must be the shipping costs and such, I don't know.

 

As I said, there are ECCO outlets all over town, and I can't imagine one being any better than the other, so just look for an ECCO sign as you stroll along.

 

NOTE: I am a lousy shopper, I admit that (would rather take a beating than shop), but as I said the prices seem very high from zappos, but I am the type that if I need a pair of shoes I buy them, hang the cost.

 

Happy walking

 

Al

[Danuta]

You will lok great Susan in Poland !!!

 

The only restriction we have are the men's caps while visiting the churches.

[crazy4cruisn]

Thanks for the commentary on shoe shopping. You did great considering that it is not your favorite thing to do . My DH wouldn't have a clue:)

[eileen & jay]

I love buying shoes just like most women. Through trial and error, have found my black, Easyspirit walking shoes to be the most comfortable, travelling shoes around. Have walked irregular, cobble stone paths in France, Italy, Spain and England on land vacations with no problems. Will be taking our first European cruise in 2 weeks and my black Easyspirits will be packed along with a new version in muted gold for evening walking in Copenhagen or on the ship.:)