Shoes made for Walking?
 

Im going to East Anglia and London for a week, end of February.
I need shoes that are Comfortable, walkable and waterproof-do you have any favorite travel shoes that meet this criteria?
(Im willing to spend up to 80$ for a great pair of shoes)

Thanks!

Are you a male or a female?

All I know is what I've recently read about identifying yourself as a tourist to pickpockets; DON'T WEAR WHITE SHOES!! Might as well carry a placard that says, "I'm an American, or I'm a tourist." Good Luck, and enjoy!

Im a female-type. Im really looking for some comfy shoes to walk all week in, cause I broke some bones in my foot a few years ago, and reg. sneaks dont cut it for long treks anymore.

Ive heard good things about Keen and also Clarks. True?

and thanks for the tip, A-Aunt, although I dont prefer white shoes to begin with :)

I've loved every pair of Merrill's I've ever had. Great, comfortable walking shoes, and they make a variety of styles.

I also have some New Balance hiking shoes that are great -- they are sort of like running shoes, but look like hiking shoes.

I love my Keens. Try on some Munro's as well. I have taken those to Europe and they are so versatile and very comfy for me.

Oops - I meant "Merrell" shoes, not Merrill's.

I like Eccos.

SAS

SAS. I have 3 pairs,sandals,1 tie style and 1 slip on.I have walked all over Europe in them and my feet never hurt.They are the only kind I have found that I can walk all day and not have my heeels hurt.

What does "female-type" mean? Are you a drag queen? In that case, I would suggest Christian Louboutin or Jimmy Choo.

Balenciaga

After 10 days in Greece I developed a neuroma (inflamed nerves in toes). The podiatrist said to buy running shoes, not walking shoes. The best running shoes I've found are New Balance, but Eccos and Naots are also working out for me. Merrell's are also good. Try them on, walk around for 15 minutes, wearing the kind of socks you'll wear on the trip. Clark's Privo shoes are supposed to be great, but they don't fit me. I'd for sure buy them at least a month before the trip, make sure they're OK.

Some of LLBean's own-brand shoes are pretty good (and occasionally less costly than other brands).

Hi aquamarina,
I personally like Ecco's. I am on my 2nd pair and the first pair I wore out traveling Italy,Greece, Spain, Turkey, Ireland, England .....going to Germany in April and will be taking my 2nd pair. They are great!
nvmike

There are tons of threads on this, but the best advice I've seen or given is to go to a store and try on lots of pairs. The key is to find one that fits YOUR feet well.

That said, I bought a pair of Keens before my UK/Ireland trip last year and loved them. My brother's a med student and only wears Merrells to the hospital, where he stands or walks all day. So those are two brands I'd start with from semi-personal experience.

I used to wear Eccos but recently bought Clark Privo shoes. They are so, so comfortable and I've worn them on 2 European trips this fall/winter with great success! I bought mine at Macy's.

Interesting comment about the white shoes - first of all, the guys that tried to pickpocket my wife in Prague were wearing red and green shoes respectively. Secondly, when you're standing around at the Eifel Tower or trying to figure your way on the Tube, doesn't that also scream "tourist"? Thirdly, white shoes have been "out" for quite awhile with young Americans. It's mostly Europeans that I see wearing white sneakers these days.

Lastly, why is everyone so ashamed of being a tourist? Aren't we?

Just make sure whatever you get that you break them in a bit before the trip. New shoes always give me blisters.

As for recommendations -- I also like Clarks because they are comfy and come in some cute styles.

I wear my Nike Air or Brooks big ole white running shoes. As does my friend I visit, who lives in Europe.

My pockets have not been picked yet.

I like my Keens they have travelled Italy and France. My boyfriend calls them "those ugly shoes" but, he is a white shoe wearer!

Hi Aqua --

My husband likes his Eccos and Keens. I love my Dansko shoes. Whatever you purchase, just be sure to try to break them in a bit.

Enjoy!

I just went and bought some recommended shoes on zappos.com. I like this site because they have every style you can think of with rubber bottom soles.
The return policy is easy and selection is big-most of the shoes on these posts are there. Whatever you do get them and break them in before the trip! Bring some specific band-aids for blisters just in case. One of the pairs I bought seemed really comfortable and then one full day at the mall and I realized that they needed to be stretched!
I dont think people are ashamed of being tourists, but half the time we Americans dress like we are getting ready to clean out the garage ;)
Traveling tends to bring out the stylish cosmopolitan side in us!

I like Keens. I don't know what they cost in the US (assuming that is where you are from), but they are expensive in Australia and you wouldn't get them for $80, even adding on the exchange rate difference.

I've never heard of any of the makes mentioned by posters here except Clarke's. This trip I will take only two pairs of shoes:
my Hotters and a pair of Crocs.

Consider 'high tops'. European streets are often other than flat and unbroken. Ankle support or protction may be welcome.

I remember years ago reading the tip about not wearing typical athletic tennis shoes. So, I wore only black Merrills and some black t'shoes. EVERYTIME I've been to Europe I look around the the amount of white t-shoes worn by NON US tourists always cracks me up. So, my personal view is go with whatever gets your feet thru the day. That being said, I always wear lots of black when I travel because it goes with everthing and doens't show dirt. So, white t-shoes don't exactly look right with that. But, on a jeans day ( another topic others say not to wear, but you'll see plenty of them ) I'd wear t-shoes if my feet were killing me.

My faves: Merrills. :) Missy

I was amused too, Missy, when we had lunch beside Chartres Cathedral and our waitress who hardly spoke a word of English was dressed in jeans and white Reebocks.

certainly on our last trips to UK we were shocked by the number of people out in the regions (not so much London) who were wearing sneakers. I still think white sneakers scream provincial american in europe.

Im very satisfied with some Eccos Ive been wearing for the last year - they are very light and stable, black leather closed with three velco straps across the instep. Good support, some slight resemblance to a running shoe but not unless you look close - they do fine in dressy settings. They may be in your price range, and are walkable all day long (make sure you have the right socks on). Not for hiking but for streets and paved roads, very good. If I were going on unstable ground I would make sure to take a hiker with ankle support - there are some very good light hikers out there.

I love Privo shoes the best! They are made by Clarks, but have more of an atheleisure type shoes. Right now I am wearing Privo Arches...they are the best!! I also have Privo Hop. I ordered them from Zappos....do look into them you will love Privos.

I LOVE my Keens. I walked in the Presidio style ones for two weeks in Switzerland, hiking in the Alps and walking all over, and never had a problem. And I can get some pretty bad foot pain if my shoes don't fit right.

They're probably above the $80 range (unless you can find them on sale, which you can occasionally), but well worth the extra money.

I too love zappos.com. Great service, and free returns if the shoes don't fit.

I saw that the brand La Canadienne is a good brand for females to wear while traveling and walking a lot (esp in winter).

Well I found a pair of them- rubber-soled boots at TJ Maxx before our 16 night trip (London, Rome, Paris) for only $39.99!! (Similar to these, only olive green suede: http://tinyurl.com/ypl93o)

Compared to many other women (Roman women, Parisian women, etc.), I felt not so stylish, but hey, they weren't white trainers and they were VERY comfortable for the ~10 miles of walking we did every day!

Good luck! Shoe shopping prior to our winter trip gave me SOOO much anxiety. I got lucky.

Aquatalia(waterproof), Paul Green(very stylish and handsome), and any of the above-mentioned brands are dooable--Happy shopping, BMK