Boots in Paris?
 

I will be visiting Paris for the first time in less than three weeks. I am excited, of course, however I am also stressing about the type of footwear to pack. Naturally, not athletic shoes, as I refuse to do anything remotely active on vacation. ;) Converse is an option, as I saw a lot of those while visiting Ireland last year (it was much warmer then and I opted for ballet flats). I worry about wearing Converse or similar "sneaker" type shoes as it will be cold and/or icy and that just doesn't seem practical. So, I turn to my boots. And therein lies the problem. My absolute most comfortable wear-all-day-and-feel-like-I'm-walking-on-a-cloud boots are my cowboy boots. They are authentic and I wear them for work and play. They dress up, they dress down. But I really don't want to be "that" American girl in Paris. Not that I delude myself into thinking I will blend in, as I am obviously a tourist and I'm ok with that. My husband thinks I'm insane and I should just wear the cowboy boots as they are the most comfortable footwear I own. Also, I plan to take a pair of much more chic black leather boots with a heel for evenings. I am just totally stumped on daytime footwear for January. Thoughts?

If your cowboy boots are comfortable for all day walking in weather that can at times be wet or snowy I would certainly bring them. If your feet are happy it makes for much better touring ;;) Deborah

Your cowboy boots should be fine, but if you're going to buy a new pair, try to find some with a bit of a platforn sole. It will insulate you from the icy cold of the pavements.

Hey tog,

[J]ust wear the cowboy boots as they are the most comfortable footwear [you] own.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

I think you should be ok wearing your cowboy boots as long as they keep your feet warm and dry in rain or snow. It's all about comfort and not being cold.

I never felt cowboy boots to be that comfortable for all day walking, but if you do, that will be fine. I don't think I'd have that as my only pair of shoes, of course, even for day time. Have you really walked all day, day after day, in those boots? If so, fine.

If you can manage it, I would pack another pair of slip-on walking shoes, perhaps a suede upper with thick rubber sole -- something like Merrell might make. Your feet might want a change. Something like this http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Prod...h?dimensions=0

Thin sneakers, converse, etc would be very cold and would get wet in winter. Wouldn't do that.

Plenty of young Parisian women wear cowboy boots. Wear what's comfortable for you.

Comfort is key...the pavers, etc...are often uneven and unforgiving. To me, ballet flats don't work for site seeing. I just returned from Paris and wore weather resistant North Face Janey boots for most days and nicer patform boots for nights out. Icy conditions will demand more traction and warmth...check the weather right before you go! The North Face boots have made 3 winter Paris trips and are also cute.

I just returned from 10 days in Paris and wore Boots every day.
A new pair of Gentle Souls flat heeled,tall boots-which I wore for miles with no blisters and a dressier pair of high heeled ankle boots which I found to be cold at times.
My recommendation is some sort of walking boot rather than your cowboy boots-unless of course you have walked over cobblestones and long distances in your cowboy boots.
I agree with denisea forget the ballet flats for this time of year.
Have a grand time.

And, don't forget a warm hat, scarf, and gloves !!

I just retrned from Paris and spent hours trying to figure out which boots to wear. I knew they had to be water resistant and above all, compfortable. I bought both of these. I ended up wearing the shorter boots more. But both were verrry compfortable.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Have a great time.

I wouldn't worry about how the cowboy boots look. I would just make sure they are truly comfortable walking on cobblestones/uneven pavement in wet conditions for quite a few miles per day.

Wear the cowboy boots.

Thank you for all the wonderful feedback, you have made my decision a little easier. To clarify, I have no doubts in the comfort or warmth of my cowboy boots. I was born and raised on a farm and they have been tried and true. ;) I was just worried about the "look" of them. As long as I'm not making a major fashion faux pas, then I'm happy. We leave in two weeks and that's not really enough time to break in a new pair of walking boots anyway... and as much as I'd love some new footwear, I'd rather spend my money IN Paris rather than BEFORE Paris. Looks like I'll be the bundled up American girl in the western boots! Thank you all!

<i>My husband thinks I'm insane and I should just wear the cowboy boots</i>

I think you should listen to your husband.

As long as you have the other pair of dress boots for nicer occasions, it doesn't really matter. No one really cares what tourists wear during the day, to be honest, traipsing around.