Shoes Recommendations for Cobblestone Streets

[Mimiya11]

Heading to the Baltic in the summer and understand some ports of call have cobblestones and hilly streets.   As we will be doing tons of walking, am looking for some suggestions for women's footwear which is sturdy, comfy and slip free in case it is wet.   Stylish would help but practicality comes first.

 

Thanks!      

[Quebec_cruiser]

Hi! I just bought those Ecco sandals. Not the sturdiest but a  good compromise between style and comfort. This article was helpful too: https://amp.travelandleisure.com/style/shoes/comfortable-walking-sandals-womens

Hope that helps!

[Quebec_cruiser]

Hi! I just bought those Ecco sandals. Not the sturdiest but a  good compromise between style and comfort. This article was helpful too: https://amp.travelandleisure.com/style/shoes/comfortable-walking-sandals-womens

Hope that helps!

[Quebec_cruiser]

Hi! I just bought those Ecco sandals. Not the sturdiest but a  good compromise between style and comfort. https://ca.ecco.com/en/ecco-flash-t-strap-sandal-240873.html?dwvar_240873_color=57462#q=T%2Bstrap&lang=en_CA&start=1

This article was helpful too: https://amp.travelandleisure.com/style/shoes/comfortable-walking-sandals-womens

Hope that helps!

Edited March 8, 2019 by Quebec_cruiser
Forgot to include link

[Quebec_cruiser]

Sorry for the double post!!

[awhfy]

I find my Keen closed toe sandals (Rose) work great (& they’re waterproof)

[vickykay]

Love the Keene Rose Sandals.  Walked everywhere in Europe and my feet never hurt.  Great for uneven and cobblestone streets.

[slidergirl]

My favorite multi-purpose footwear comes from Jambu and JBU (a part of jambu).  The flats are amazing.  I still have a pair I bought for a trip to Spain/Italy/France in 2010 and they are going strong,  I just bought a new pair of JBU Granada for work.  I wore them for 9 hours straight at work right out of the box.  Memory foam insole.  A good all terrain traction sole.  I actually have 6 different pairs of Jambu/JBU shoes and love them all.  

[Hoyaheel]

A shoe that is comfortable to YOUR foot and has a thick sole with support (whatever you need - some people can walk in flipflops all day - it makes me cringe! I have photos of me climbing around ruins in Turkey in wedge heel slides when I was 23. Eek - hurts me to think of now! But they were comfortable and I could walk all day in them.)

 

Now, brands that work for me for vacation walking in cities (as opposed to trips where I bring hiking shoes) are Ecco, Dansko, some merrell, some keen (only boots - the sandals don't work at all for me - but I love the boots if I go up a half size), birkenstock. I have some german goretex walking shoes from Haglofs that are great for winter travel - too heavy/hot for summer, even in the Baltic. My older pair of goretex hiking shoes are Asolo.   Some people like skechers but I can't wear them at all - I don't find them supportive. 

 

Order a bunch online or if it's easy for you, go to a mall or town with a lot of different shoe options and start trying them on. Try to walk on different surfaces if possible. Whatever you buy, break them in before your trip!

[Bizmark'sMom]

Dansko and Naot are my go-to brands for my long, narrow canoe feet. (11A - try to find that in the store!)  Taos does a great job with their sandals, and I wore a pair of their boots all over Austria and Germany last December. Chacos are also fantastic. For just a walking around lace-up shoe, I like Merrel hiking shoes in the most neutral color I can find

 

Whatever brands you look at, you want a sturdy sole and some decent arch support.

[Lois R]

I agree with Hoya...….everyone has different feet which makes the answer to your question different for all of us.

The last 2 cruises I took were to the Med and I wore a closed walking shoe. Simply black.....no colors/trademarks/etc. 

They are from "The Walking Company" their own brand and after walking all day on long tours, my feet felt awesome!

The brand is ABEO.  They are listed under their "Athletic Section" so I guess you could consider them that but in my

opinion, they are definitely made for walking. Great support, cushion and probably the best pair I have ever purchased.

 

[OCruisers]

Consider wearing shoes that work well for you walking around at home on uneven surfaces rather than trying something new.  

[Hoyaheel]

Lois - I have ABEO sneakers but they also have tons of shoes that are not at all athletic - I get their emails now and have been browsing, haven't bought any of the other loafer or ballerina styles yet. They even have styles with heels 😉 

[Lois R]

43 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

Lois - I have ABEO sneakers but they also have tons of shoes that are not at all athletic - I get their emails now and have been browsing, haven't bought any of the other loafer or ballerina styles yet. They even have styles with heels 😉 

 

Good morning, I was in the store yesterday. I had a credit from them and bought a new pair of sandals. ABEO brand, they are SO COMFY!  And yes, I saw quite a few new spring styles....some flats, some heels, etc.....These are the ones I got and they will work well with almost everything! (oh, that arch support they have is FANSTASTIC)……..(these are not my walking sandals).

[Lois R]

Sorry I got off topic from the original poster's question.   I would suggest looking at the Walking Company's website and check out some of the many choices they offer. 

[Hoyaheel]

I'm good with sandals I think - have a great pair of Taos, 2 birkenstocks, an ecco - all good for work and for travel - but have definitely been looking at the Abeo as an option should any of my current faves fail/need replacing this year....

 

Also, I know the temps vary quite a bit in the Baltics depending on month and exact location. I would probably be ok in sandals for quite a bit of a summer trip, but I'm warm blooded. Just consider your personal temp preferences as to what kind of shoe you need....

[cruise kitty]

I'm going to throw my two cents in here & also recommend that you look into getting good socks for days that you'll be doing a lot of walking.   At home I'll do 4 to 5 mile walks/hikes about 6 days a week up and down big hills...never get blisters, but I think that's because it's only an hour or 2 of walking..  when I travel I'm walking anywhere from 6 to 12 hours depending on how long we're in port.  I've always put those special blister bandaids on my heels & used stick deodorant  or vaseline on my toes so they don't rub & get hot spots, but recently my daughter introduced me to wright socks, they're two thin layers are pretty much guarantee that you won't get blisters.   I know a lot of people also like the smart wool socks, but I don't know if they are anti-blister in the same way.  

[Lois R]

37 minutes ago, cruise kitty said:

I'm going to throw my two cents in here & also recommend that you look into getting good socks for days that you'll be doing a lot of walking.   At home I'll do 4 to 5 mile walks/hikes about 6 days a week up and down big hills...never get blisters, but I think that's because it's only an hour or 2 of walking..  when I travel I'm walking anywhere from 6 to 12 hours depending on how long we're in port.  I've always put those special blister bandaids on my heels & used stick deodorant  or vaseline on my toes so they don't rub & get hot spots, but recently my daughter introduced me to wright socks, they're two thin layers are pretty much guarantee that you won't get blisters.   I know a lot of people also like the smart wool socks, but I don't know if they are anti-blister in the same way.  

 

Oh yes, I guess I was assuming (and we know what happens when a person does that LOL) but anyway, I totally agree with you, shoes AND SOCKS for sure!!!!!!!!! I was assuming she knows when wearing a walking shoe to put on socks

[cruise kitty]

11 minutes ago, Lois R said:

 

Oh yes, I guess I was assuming (and we know what happens when a person does that LOL) but anyway, I totally agree with you, shoes AND SOCKS for sure!!!!!!!!! I was assuming she knows when wearing a walking shoe to put on socks

 

lol, I meant look into some anti blister socks   I know some people aren't prone to blisters, but they can so ruin your day.

 

Nice seeing you Lois, & hope all is well with you :)

[Lois R]

6 minutes ago, cruise kitty said:

 

lol, I meant look into some anti blister socks   I know some people aren't prone to blisters, but they can so ruin your day.

 

Nice seeing you Lois, & hope all is well with you :)

Nice to see you as well.   And hope things in California are ok......are you near any of the fires from earlier in the year?

[cruise kitty]

5 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Nice to see you as well.   And hope things in California are ok......are you near any of the fires from earlier in the year?

 

No, we were lucky, we do live in the hills with a big nature preserve & hiking hills behind us, so it's always a concern.  The nice thing is the draught ended, at least for now :)  It's pretty much been raining since Christmas.  

[Cancun01]

I wear Joseph Siebel walking sandals with covered toes  in the Med and they certainly work well for me.  I have 3 pairs....two which I actually picked up at Costco believe it or not.  I don’t normally buy my shoes at Costco but these have worked out very well for me.  Costco carry them twice a year at a little more than half the cost at major department stores. 

 

I found the comments about socks interesting.  I never wear socks with my walking sandals and I have never had any issues.   Of course, socks would keep the shoe cleaner inside! 

[Hoyaheel]

When I wear walking sandals, I don't wear socks either. But I always make sure I have 2 pairs of shoes that are good for walking so I can trade off, just in case 😉

 

Just know your shoes. Don't travel with something new! (I apply this to more than shoes, having once had a bra issue during a work trip 😉

[cruisemom42]

I am a fan of the Smartwool socks. And also the ABEO brand. I just recently bought my third pair of walking shoes for this year's travels (on sale!!!). I started wearing them about 5 years ago and haven't looked back. 

 

The particular ones I like have a Vibram sole (also often found on hiking shoes/boots) -- it has enough firmness so that the shoe does not "bend" around the cobblestone, which can lead to painful stone bruises if you are doing a lot of walking on them, and one reason why Skechers aren't so great for that kind of walking. 

 

The Smartwool socks do help keep you from developing blisters and I also take a lot of the same precautions as cruise kitty listed above. 

[slidergirl]

On 3/10/2019 at 3:56 PM, cruise kitty said:

I'm going to throw my two cents in here & also recommend that you look into getting good socks for days that you'll be doing a lot of walking.   At home I'll do 4 to 5 mile walks/hikes about 6 days a week up and down big hills...never get blisters, but I think that's because it's only an hour or 2 of walking..  when I travel I'm walking anywhere from 6 to 12 hours depending on how long we're in port.  I've always put those special blister bandaids on my heels & used stick deodorant  or vaseline on my toes so they don't rub & get hot spots, but recently my daughter introduced me to wright socks, they're two thin layers are pretty much guarantee that you won't get blisters.   I know a lot of people also like the smart wool socks, but I don't know if they are anti-blister in the same way.  

 

I live in Wright Socks in the summer!!  I like the Coolmesh quarter lo crew - they barely peek out of my trail runners.   I have used them for years.  I've got white, grey, black, neon pink, neon green, neon yellow...  

For my work socks, I use Smart Wool and Pistil.  Used Smart Wool for over a decade.  I am on my feet all day, and am walking around all day at the hotel (and when I worked at the ski resort, running around the lifts).   The socks are my rebellious streak when I have to wear conservative suits at work!!

 

I am not a sandal person.  Never have been.  But, the Jambu/JBU shoes are the closest thing I have to sandals and I don't need to wear sock with them.  Closed toe, some with just a strap back (open heel) or closed heel.  But, totally breathable and some are water-ready!

Edited March 12, 2019 by slidergirl