Walking in Comfort and Style
 

My plan was to take my fancier Birkenstock sandals since I am packing mainly skirts to wear. I don't want to wear walking shoes, but now I am wondering if I will be sorry. We plan on doing a lot of walking. Am I going to be sorry? Any suggestions for a comfortable, stylish sandal or shoe????

Well, I love my Birkenstocks but I could never wear them for sightseeing (read: lots of walking). They're too flat and I always get leg cramps if I'm wearing them for too long. I need a bit of a lift to be really comfortable.

Clarks brand has some nice comfy but stylish walking shoes check out Zappos.com or Nordstroms

I am very uncomfortable in Birkenstocks.
I agree with seetheworld.
I find the ecco sandals very comfortale for walking.
I was in Milan last month and went into a health shoe store, and bought beautiful dressy extremely comfortable sandals.
I have never seen dressy sandals at home that were comfortable. They are usually a bunch of thin straps that cut into your foot eventually.
So, possibly leave a spot in your luggage for this purpose.
I bought three pairs, and didn't hesitate to wear one of the pairs to a 2* restaurant.

Bug--What kind of walking will you be doing?

enpleinair,
What Clark shoe do you find most comfortable?
Thanks

myvenezia
I tried looking for the model I like called 'Susan' online, maybe it is now discontinued? But on this site there are 2 very similar ones called 'Linden' & 'Birch'
http://www.shoes.com/category.asp?c=...&sc=WOMENS

I like them, because it will be very hot & I don't want to wear socks, so I looked for open toe, slip on open heel.

The strap goes down a bit farther to support ankle from possible twist on uneven cobblestone ground. Low heel 1 1/2".

Not glamourous, but great for all the walking :o)

I don't know if the previous link was good I'll try again:

http://www.shoes.com/product.asp?p=5...riant_id=86698

& I do love strappy thongs, I also don't want a strap between my big toe less places to irritate when wearing

OK here is another one I am traveling with, a tennis type shoe that doesn't need socks: (Clark's Privo)

http://www.isabellabird.com/jump.jsp...1&onePage=

Thanks for the ideas so far. We are travelling to Venice, the Tuscany area, Sorrento, and Rome. We will do a lot of walking on to get to places and just to wander. I have heard that walking on the cobblestone streets is so different from what we are used to in Canada. My husband is saying closed-toed shoes; I say no way! I really don't want a suitcase for just shoes/sandals, so I am trying to be practical and take a couple of vesatile sets. Any other suggestions for stylish, comfortable sandals is greatly appreciated.

We spent 16 days in Italy in May and I wore sandals the almost the whole time. I didn't exactly fit in, but I was comfortable and didn't care. I'm one of those people with TERRIBLE feet and I can't wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. Even with a small roll-aboard carry on bag only, I managed 4 pair of shoes. Two were Teva thong flip flops (ohh, I love those shoes), and two were Merrells: I could only find one of the pair online, but these were dear friends in Italy. These in black were plenty stylish and super comfortable. http://www.merrell.com/Shop/Detail.a...S&PID=9743

As long as you have a sturdy sole, the cobblestones aren't a problem. The biggest issue is if you do any sort of hiking - like at the Cinque Terre, or even Palatine hill in Rome, your feet will be NASTY dirty. Either pack a small package of baby wipes or deal with it!

Another consideration really is how thick and sturdy the sole is. My Birkenstocks have hard cork soles & I love them, but I NEVER take them as my walking shoe in Europe. I tend to take a walking shoe sturdy boot type with a heavy duty sole because they even out the lumps of the cobblestones. Anothert thing to think about is if you intend to visit any gardens or palaces with gardens. I can't tell you how many of these muddy places I have been in, so I'm always glad to have a real shoe.

I have found Naturalizer shoes and sandals to be quite comfortable. They are a brand that has some of their own stores but can also be found in other stores. Some of their shoes come in wide widths which are a blessing for me!