StephenG

My wife has been to europe with me every year for the last five. She does not seem to find shoes that don't hurt her feet. Keep in mind we go to europe between october and january.
Must be somewhat water repellent and sturdy.
Any suggestions?
Thanks

tuscanlifeedit

I have the hurtingest (?) feet on earth, and Merrells work well for me, as do Wolkys, but Wolkys have an open heel. I still wear them in bad weather, with warm socks, because they are incredibly comfortable.

I now have a pair of black Merrell clogs that have a faux fur lining. They are heaven.

If it is really wet out, since both these shoes are backless, I wear a waterproofed pair of New Balance shoes, with soft sole liners and really comfy and expensive socks.

None of these are great in deep snow or torrential downpours, but I wear these shoes in Europe every winter, and they work out fine for me.

Tell your wife that she has my sympathies. I have rotten feet. Oh, I've been power walking a really tough walk in an old pair of Merrell pull-on sneakers, and they feel good. Well, my feet feel good; I don't think the shoes feel anything. ;-)

emtravel

I like Mephisto but my shoes are not for winter. Check their selection maybe they have winter shoes as well.

tuscanlifeedit

I forgot to add that you should do a search here for this subject. It has been discussed a lot.

NurseLRT

I have also heard good things about Merrells. I also would check out the following brands: Ecco, Sofft, Softwalk, and Hushpuppies. All of these brands can be found on Zappos.com, except Merrell. I love Zappos because of reader reviews. Good luck.

jandaan

I've had the same kind of foot problems walking in Europe (or anywhere else for that matter). I have discovered that sometimes a really great pair of SOCKS can make a big difference, in addition to good shoes. I like Thorlo socks. I also have several pairs of diabetic socks...I am NOT a diabetic, but the socks do not have those big seams in them that tend to bore into my feet. I get a lot of stuff from footsmart.com because they have a pretty good selection of socks. Note: thicker socks are not always better...to me the most important part of the sock is the seam.

jody

Thanks, Jandann..the seams just kill me too. I'm going to google Thorlo and see what I can come up with! I've tried Ecco, Mephisto,Merrell,Tods and just about every other brand and there is no one brand that really works in every style. And sandles or slides just do not do it for me for fall or winter travel! The flatter they are the worse they hurt! Off to look for socks!

yk

I have become a Cole Haan convert. Their new styles combine the softness of Cole Haan leather, and the weightlessness and comfort of Nike Air soles.

I wore them on a trip to Manhattan and walked nonstop for 4 days. They were so comfortable. Will be wearing them to Venice next month. Not sure if they are that water resistant though.

Here's a link to what they look like:
http://tinyurl.com/atf4s

tuscanlifeedit

I will repeat Wolkys because they aren't flat. They have a thickish rubber sole that has a lot of shape to it, and good support.

I too am going to find out about Thorlo and check out footsmart.com

Thanks.

faredolce

I have walked miles and miles, all over Italy, in my Born shoes. I love them. There are many different styles to choose from, they are attractive as well as comfortable.

Oh, I am usually there in November...the boots keep my feet really warm!

elaine

here are just some of the previous threads on this subject

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1312188

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34590355

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34572878

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1380990


Keep in mind that one person's comfortable shoe is another person's nightmare; they have to be tried on, and properly fitted, and even a great comfortable shoe will, on a bad feet day, occasionally cause a blister.
Which is one reason to travel with bandaids handy.

tuscanlifeedit

And those luscious blister-gel-pad things. I keep a couple with me at all times when traveling. As soon as I feel a little rub or see a sore spot, I slap one of those blister treatments on and it helps so much.

Scarlett

Munroes are pretty good too..soft soft leather . I wore a new pair in March, every day without any pain or blisters.

StephenG

WOW!!!I have not been on the board for a while because of change of job, old job had lots of time to surf. But the good news is the new job pays better and that means more taxis instead of buses this year in Spain. Really amazed how much great response to my question. Thanks , My wife is excited to use the info. Steve

shanart

My new favorite shoe is MBT. It is sold in the Birkenstock stores and changes your entire posture and stride. I have been wearing them a month and am headed to Italy with them on Friday. They are supposed to be a mini gym by working your legs and core back muscles. I have bad feet as well as a pretty bad back. My back hasn't bothered me in about three weeks. I have also tried and sent back many to Zappos. Hopefully these shoes will do the trick. If not, I have thrown a boat load of money down the toilet.

shanart

p.s. Please don't think I am going without back-up shoes. Merrells and new balance (sorry, they are white) are in the bag.

travelphile

Dansko... researched this same thing for my 2002 honeymoon in Italy - and for three years I've been wearing the same pair I bought for that trip.

kris4n6

My last two trips to Europe I've worn a brown suede lace-up walking shoe from Easy Spirit. They've been pretty comfortable and go with most everything.

L84SKY

As you can see StephenG, everyone has an idea of a different shoe. Personally, I have always loved Eccos. Recently, I've become a Clarks convert, because a Clarks shoe store finally opened up in my area. They have some cute shoes, imho.
Socks do make a huge difference. If her feet are hurting that much maybe she needs a trip to the podiatrist (somehow the spelling doesn't look right).
Do you start walking before you go and get in practice?

Has she gone to a really good shoe store and had her feet measured properly?

SAS has some very padded, sturdy looking shoes made specifically for walking.
good luck.

schnauzer

I too have wonky feet (see my report) I just returned from Paris and Rome, I bought here is OZ two pairs of Munros. My specialist shoe shop here said they were the best with the softess leather, she couldn't do better than these. I found the closed in shoes excellent but still struggled with the sandles, only because my feet had swollen a bit with the journey and then the heat in Paris was tremendous so they never really settled down until I got to Rome. They are from the US. At $300A each pair they should have been good!!