Ok, so it's Venice, Florence & Rome....and my first trip. I've read thru many "shoe" posts and would like to get an opinion on my proposed shoe choices. Sounds quite silly actually, however I leave next weekend and am tired of shopping. With the advice found here, I've purchased.....

Merrell Jungle Mocs in the brownish shade & also Ecco X-treme Mary Janes in the black/grey. I also have several other pairs of shoes that will probably be returned as these seem the most comfortable. I thought these 2 pairs would offer some flexibility.

Comments?

You must try out you shoe purchases before going. It is really critical, since you know how it works: you try the shoes on in the store, they fit great, you walk for half-hour and they kill your feet. Hence, do the half-hour and lots more ahead of time, break the shoes in and see whether your feet can be happy wearing them for 10-12 hours a day touring Italy.

Anna Roz

I have a pair of the Merrills and they are fairly comfortable. I looked up the Mary Jane's on zappos and they look a little hideous in my opinion.

I was in Rome a couple of weeks ago and wore a pair of Liz Claiborne Sport black loafers (that I bought at Macy's). They were perfect even on the cobblestones.

Good morning tamtravels,

I've just returned from my Italy trip of almost 6 weeks, wearing nothing on my feet except my Merrell Primo Patch shoes with a pair of socks. They were extremely comfortable, had good arch support, were lightweight, and the soles were thick enough so there was absolutely no problem with all the cobblestoned streets.

Money well spent.

Happy travels!

Look - the best advice I can give you is never, never, ever, travel with a pair of new shoes. Not unless, that is, you want to spend precious time finding an alternative in a strange city.

Take the most comfy shoes you have if you are going to be pavement tramping. You don't know anyone there, so what does it matter if they are not the latest fashion? Hmm?

If you don't have a pair of shoes like that already - then what sort of lifestyle do you live?

Absolutely, never travel with untested shooes. Try them first at home, on different terrains and with different socks/stockings/whatever.
On the other hand I would disagree about not caring what they look like. Hey! we are talking of Rome, the city of "la figura" (promise me that you will leave the Mary Janes at home, unless you are less than sixteen years old)., and where (most) people wear the most beautiful shoes on the planet. My choice would be good looking loafers with a slightly thick sole. Suggest you briing two pairs, each of a slighly different hight; This will give you some slack for your feet and legs..

Fit and comfort are essential. As for style, you can't please everyone so I wouldn't worry too much about what anyone thinks about your shoes. You'll be walking miles over cobblestones so get the best fit and comfort that you can find. Good shoes should not require much "breaking in."

I looked at the Ecco Xtreme Janes on Zappos.com First of all,this shoe is not leather, but synthetic and I would be wary of that. Some customers love it but others have problems.

Two customer comments from Z's:

"Style trumps comfort - These shoes are not as comfortable as they look, but they're so attractive that I'm working with them instead of sending them back. ... They rubbed lots of places in the beginning. Now I wear them looser. Not much cushion in the footbed, so not comfortable for long walks. Fine for everyday activity. The mesh inserts are NOT soft material. Probably very durable, but irritating if my toes rub against it. Still, I'm thinking about buying another pair. Wish they had more neutral color choices."

<<I am breaking them in and I find that this shoe makes my foot sweat and I had to buy the small peds so I wouldn't be uncomfortable. This has never happened with any other shoe, so I am assuming it is particular to this brand. My physical therapist told me that she had the same problem with this shoe as well.>>

I think you can find something better for that price.

For each pair of shoes you are considering taking, I would wear them each for 8-hours straight this next week & do as much walking as possible.

How do you feel at the end of a full day in them?

I think the two shoes you mention sound like they are a reasonable choice for a trip, but I would also add a pair of sneakers. I know some people think this is dopey but for days where I walk a LOT they are by far the best for me personally.

I do have a pair of Merrell mocs that I use for travel and they are pretty good too.

Yesterday I made the mistake of wearing some new Dansko--excellent walking shoes--into Boston on the T. I had been wearing them for an hour or so before getting on the train and then I walked about 1 mile to the Public Garden. Lo and behold I began to notice a strange pain. The shoes were rubbing blisters on the backs of both feet!! This was even through trouser socks. They were extremely comfortable Mary Janes and the pain and blisters seemed to appear from one minute to the next. If I had been in Europe, I would have been seriously up a creek. Listen to the posters above, and to my sad experience.

Tam

I cant stress enough that comfort should be your priority over fashion, you will be so so sorry if you take new shoes that havent been broken in.

O.K. One more little point re Mary Janes or other less than attractive shoes. While I would not consider wearing totally unattractive shoes with a skirt or one of those capri-style pants, it is o.k. if your pants are long enough to cover the top of for comfort-only shoe. I own a pair of wide, black, lace up, nun-style Mephisto shoes, a very well-made and comfortable walking shoe, but I would not be caught dead wearing them in full view anywhere in LA, let alone in Europe. Only with sufficiently long jeans or pants. Someone mentioned taking a pair of sneakers along and I would strongly second it, again, with pants of an appropriate length.

Anna Roz

Well, I was not going to address the "style" issue, but here in (stodgy, some might say) Boston, shoes like these are not considered to be only for 16 year-olds. In fact, no 16 year-old would probably buy them. They are more appropriate to the post-35 crowd and are not considered unstylish. The last time I went to the American Repertory Theater, it seemed that every other woman in line for the ladies' room was wearing some approximation of them. These are the attractive (IMO) shoes that gave me blisters yesterday, but that were it not for the blisters, I would not hesitate to wear them in Europe w/pants or skirts.


http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/23804318.html

Thank you everyone for your comments, I really appreciate it!

Ok, probably will return the x-treme mary janes. Still love the mocs, but will start wearing them daily and see what happens. Now I have my sights on a Merrell Overdrive athletic shoe in brown. I usually wear tennies although I've been saying for years that I want to start wearing something else. But most of my current ones are pretty worn and not that comfortable right now.

I thought athletic shoes were a no-no in Europe, but perhaps it's just the blinding white ones.

"were it not for the blisters"

says it all!

Nike has sleek looking "sneakers".

Actually suze, I was making the point, not that the shoes were necessarily bad, but rather, that they were not broken in when I wore them for a long walk, i.e. it was my very first wearing of them under those conditoins that was the blunder. They may turn out to be fine in time.....It was just a cautionary tale against wearing non-broken in shoes.

I bought the Merrell Jungle Mocs and the Polar Tech Mocs about 2 months ago. I've been wearing the Polar Techs everyday for this entire time and they are extremely comfortable. They are very cushy and don't rub on my feet at all. The Jungle Mocs are very similar - I will begin wearing them in July as I plan on taking them with me on my August vacation.

As my second pair of shoes for travel, I wear the Cobbie Cuddler lace up sandal (Kmart carries them). They are a bit dressier than most comfort sandals, but are extremely comfortable. I've gone through about 3 pairs so far. I am able to walk all day in them without any problem and they look nice with casual skirts, shorts and pants.

you didnt say when you are going - if its in summer, sandals are definitely a good thing. There are lots of fine (mostly european) sandals that are great for walking on those cobblestones, sufficiently protective and cool. whatever shoes you take you may wind up with blisters since you will probably be walking much more than normal. Do carry some bandaids or moleskin along with you and put it on as soon as the blister becomes evident - that way you avoid some of the unpleasantness.

I never travel with shoes I haven't had and worn for about 6 months to a year; otherwise, there's no guarantee they'll be broken in enough to be comfortable for the sometimes 10+ miles a day I walk when in Europe. Your mileage may vary.

I also assume that I'll be buying at least one pair of shoes on every trip (would that I could always limit it to one pair - Imelda marcos redux here!),so I almost never take more than one or two pairs with me. That said, I like to be able to get dressed up and wear heels for a night out, so I've got a closet full of Unisa sexy but unbelievably comfortable shoes to choose from for travels abroad these days.

Your feet will vary...