Shoes for touring Europe (merged discussion)

[bxny]

I love my Dansko. Wore these on a 16 day tour of Italy and never had a problem. I had fractured my ankle the year before and wanted a sandal with a strap. Salesman recommended a slight heel elevation, no flats.

[crusana]

We like Ecco or SAS and both have served us well. We prefer comfort over looks although they are both certainly stylish.

I agree with ECCOS. My husband and I have taken ours all over the world and they still look and feel fabulous!! When we travel we do a lot of walking, and mo blisters or sore feet (arch is just the right height!). They look dressy enough for slacks, but also great with jeans.

Zappos carries them, check them out!

[nocjck]

Thank you all soo.........much for the input. Coming from experienced travelors, the info is much better than shoe ads. I definitely will try out some of them. I would avoid sandles with no protection for the ankles. I sprained an ankle on day one of my 10-day trip to China last year. The swelling was horrible. The hotel managed to get me a wheelchair. I did not feel like going anywhere because I was holding up the entire group. End up eating a lot of Peking Duck....delicious.

Thanks again.

[bigsteve5]

My husband and I recently returned from a whirlwind Mediterranean cruise. We both only wore our Crocs onshore and NEVER had tired or painful feet.

[joan24]

I love Eccos. I have a pair of laced, black walking shoes and a pair of sandals with adjustable straps. I have a really bad back and the arch support in my Eccos is great. I also wear a pair of Saucony walkings shoes. If your feet hurt, nothing feels good. Have a wonderful trip.

Joan

[taxatty]

Depending upon the desired fashion statement--last summer I wore either my Rockports or Propet Surf Walker sandals on lots of cobblestone streets--both VERY comfortable.

Lers

[winewanderer]

On an earlier post I mentioned I had a sketcher's type tennies shoe that I hated in Europe.

 

I have another pair, although they are white. A different brand, very comfortable and the velcro close strap really stays put. I think the other ones are much heavier, maybe that's why they were flopping on my feet giving me blisters.

 

Think I'll road test these (take long walks, etc.) and see if these will work for Europe in April.

 

I really like these shoes because I can wear them with capris and they are so much cuter than a regular tennis shoe.

[berryhappy24]

I like to wear a dressier shoe when city sightseeing. If you're looking for anything along those lines I can recommend the Cole Haan shoes with Nike air as very comfortable and supportive for a full day of walking. I also have a pair of ecco loafers that have been very comfortable, but not all ecco shoes that I've tried on have felt as good as these.

 

Love the Cole Haan sneakers. I bought the mary jane style in black. They looked great with capris and were very comfortable all over Europe.

[sealover155]

About 5 years ago I tried on a pair of Prada Mary Janes's at the recommendation of a sales woman at Neiman's. Had no interest in Mary Jane's even though I knew they were the current fashion rage. Well, never, never, had shoes been so comfortable. But I was not comfortable with the price so I decided to pass. 3 weeks later, we were in Venice on a land trip and I found the shoes there at a very substantial savings so I bought them. This was at the beginning of the Euro and I remember it was .87 to the dollar. Those were the days. Combined with the VAT refund, they were less than $200. Well the shoes are still going strong and I always wear them on vacation as they are seriously more comfortable than any other comfort shoe I've ever owned. What I like about them also is that they are more versatile than most of the others that were mentioned in this thread, except for the Cole Hahns which unfortunately do not fit my skinny feet.

 

As these shoes have been discontinued, I go into serious depression thinking about their eventual demise, which luckily is still a ways off. By the way, they were in the Prada Sport group. I've subsequently purchased other Prada Sport shoes, but nothing comes close to my Mary Janes for comfort, style and versatility. And, on our recent Millennium cruise I was finally able to convince my husband to try a pair for himself. But not at .87 to the dollar!

[JnDCruisers]

Just returned today from a 14 night Med cruise. As others have said, shoes are a personal decision. However, I figured I'd share my success!

 

I found a pair of Clarks that were closed toe that I could wear with medium-thick socks. We walked the walls in Croatia, climbed to the top of the Acropolis, walked all over Venice, etc....much more walking than I ever do! This cruise was a working cruise.

 

I must report that my feet felt great! Much better than I've ever felt in sneakers. I had no blisters and it was nice having a slip on pair of shoes for the airport.

 

I found my Clarks at JCPenney for around $50 and they are nice enough to wear on a regular basis to work. They looked great with jeans and khakis.

 

Good luck in your search!

[dancing]

Yes I know we call them sneakers, but every web sites says that they are the best shoes to wear for lots of walking when touring. But most books and articles say Ameircans should not wear them while touring in Europe as they are not used by the Europeans and you will stick out as a tourist. IS this true? how many people have or are going to wear "sneakers" on their tours?

Many thanks

[High C's]

Yes I know we call them sneakers, but every web sites says that they are the best shoes to wear for lots of walking when touring. But most books and articles say Ameircans should not wear them while touring in Europe as they are not used by the Europeans and you will stick out as a tourist. IS this true? how many people have or are going to wear "sneakers" on their tours?

Many thanks

 

Well, I for one wear them. But then again, I could care less what "they" say. If they are the most comfortable, and offer the best support, its a "no brainer". Besides, I think tourists stand out for NUMEROUS reasons (like cameras around our neck, snapping photos every 10 seconds; little dots on our clothing with our tour number, the fact that most of us do not speak the local language, maps in our hands looking for how to get to the next attraction. Yes, I think we're a dead giveaway long before the sophisticated Europeans look at our feet!!:rolleyes:

[texancruzer]

I did not pack any.

 

But then we went in late fall...... I wore Naturalizers and Skeechers which I find to be waaaay more comfortable than "sneakers" or "athletic shoes" or whatever. AND they have a little more style.

 

And it is true...... we could spot the American tourists from a mile away. The white sneakers stood out just like the books said they would :D

 

We found the Europeans to dress extremely chic. Did not see a single young person with their rear end hanging out the whole trip. I am no prude but it was refreshing. If jeans were worn - they paired them with a nice blouse, boots and a jacket with a scarf tied around their neck. I bought a few really pretty ones while there myself.

 

You know - it is your vacation - and yes you can wear "WHATEVER YOU WANT" but I for one did not care to stand out any more than I already did. I took some care in choosing what I was to wear bearing in mind that I would be visiting monastaries, churches, chapels, nice restaurants, a couple of upscale hotels and shopping in some really nice stores. While in Monte Carlo we actually had to laugh watching our fellow tourists interact with the extremely wealthy people coming out of the casino. They would gawk, point and some even went over to have their picture made standing next to the Bentleys and Rolls Royces.

 

Anyway. My point is you can be comfortable and stylish.

 

OK: I just quickly put on my flameproof suit :cool:

[rebeccalouise]

you are going to look American if you wear bright colors, shorts and tennis shoes.

 

Depending where you go, the styles are different and they are different depending on the season.

 

If you don't want to stand out- young people wear jeans and black tennis shoes- not white ones.

 

Middle age and older women wear dresses and skirts- not pants.

 

But I am 42 and wear white capri pants and polo shirts- orange, fushia and yellow- with white deck shoes. I scream America! Can't help it- I just don't like jeans in summer or black tennis shoes very much.

[cberge]

This subject has been covered a lot on this board,and inspite of differing opinions it comes down to what YOU are comfortable wearing,what is comfortable for YOU..trust me no one is going to point you out as a tourist as there will be to many of you there:D .

[Cruise Junky]

It's funny DH and I had this conversation before our land trip last year. I told him no white runners!!! and shockingly he paid attention. He did get some "runner" type of shoe but in a nice brown suede. He actually told me I was right at the end of the trip...you won't find a pair of "Sneakers" on the feet of Europeans. Puma's are everywhere which is what I took and my metallic Guess Runners. I did find the most comfortable shoes for tours to be my Naot Sandals. But in saying that, they're your feet, there's 10s of thousands of tourists so it's not like you're going to stand out because they're all wearing them too.

[ljrfrm]

My husband's family are all European (Spanish) and we visit them every summer. His brothers all wear running shoes all of the time! His sister does sometimes - and she dresses nicer at other times - but we fit in well with our comfortable Nikes. My feeling is that most people will know you are American anyhow, so you might as well be comfortable! It's more important how you behave, not what you wear.

[whale-watcher]

We swear by Birkenstocks, and we wore these last summer when we were visiting family in Europe for 3 weeks. Of course, all of our European relatives were wearing athletic/running shoes, so we still had "tourist" written all over us!

[Cruise Junky]

We swear by Birkenstocks, and we wore these last summer when we were visiting family in Europe for 3 weeks. Of course, all of our European relatives were wearing athletic/running shoes, so we still had "tourist" written all over us!

 

Quick question..we're they white? the only reason I asked was I was really dreading being proven wrong by DH so I kept an eye out ;) lots of athletic shoes, but not the white big Nike's that you see in North America. They all seemed a lot more stylish.

[JSR]

My daughter has some issues and a lot of walking tends to result in a lot of pain at the end of the day. This is despite dance classes and all the activities she participates in. We will be doing a lot of walking in Europe, I would appreciate any recommendations on brand or style of shoe that is comfortable and has a lot of support. If it is nice looking that would be a bonus. We live in the South West so we drive every where so she can get by with stylish but non supportive shoes here. DD is a tween/teen and wears women's size shoes. Thank you for your help.

[blambition]

I bought Ecco shoes for my upcoming trip as my sister swears by them. So far my biggest problem has been that I want to wear them everyday they are so comfortable and my podiatrist told me I would have to buy another pair if I continued to wear them for several months. They are expensive at around $120.00 with tax but worth it to me. I am not saying they are the height of style but they are not too bad. The pair I bought look a lot like a black pair of tennis shoes. They also have loafer styles.

They can be ordered online. Hope this helps.

Vicki

[JSR]

Dear Vicki,

Thank you. This is a helpful. We do have a store that sells Ecco out here. I think I will take my daughter there. The price is not a problem if I can keep her pain down. Here sneakers cost $100. At least she is not on a jump rope team any more. We went through a lot of sneakers when she was.

[tomko2]

As well as good shoes with appropriate support, I always take Lamb's Wool with me. For some reason, Lamb's wool works incredibly to reduce pressure and protect painful areas of my feet.

Kathy:)

[JSR]

Thank you Kathy. I will take Lambs wool. Where is the best place to buy lambs wool? DO you have a shoe you particularly like?

[tomko2]

I buy lamb's wool at the drugstore (CVS carries it); I usually buy a few bags because it is hard to find sometimes. I have orthodics which I wear in Finn Sandals and I wear a good running shoe (K-Swiss, Nike). I was careful to take the time each day on the cruise to place the lambs wool in my sock where needed (plus I always carried some with me) and I was able to walk all day long in Rome and on the various excursions. It doesn't take much lambs wool but wow does it make a difference.

Best of luck in finding shoes your daughter is happy with. I wear Finn sandals in "patent" leather for evening shoes plus I have one pair of high heel shoes which I can wear for about two hours other than that I pack my runners and crocs for short walks on the ship.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy:)