Yes these old shoe threads have good info....there are lots of low boot sales at the moment too, easy spirit etc.

bookmarking

Since this thread has been revived, I'll throw in the fruits of my recent shoe hunt.

I've been blessed with pretty sturdy feet, no arch problems, maybe just a bit of heel fatigue after a long day of site-seeing. But I'm short, with short wide feet (5W), which can make finding shoes that don't pinch my toes difficult.

For my upcoming first trip to Paris, I knew I wanted classic, comfortable, nice-looking flats. I looked at Mephistos, Clarks, Merrells, Cole Hanns, Sketchers, Borns, Berkenstocks, and a lot of others mentioned in this thread already, and found that every single one of them fell into one of a couple of categories on my small feet: too man-ish, too granny-ish, too athletic, too chunky, or "looks like it was made by stoned elves". Not a sleek, understated, classic *womens* shoe among them -- and I hadn't even gotten to addressing my size issues.

So I took a step back and stopped looking for anything with "comfort" or "sneaker" in the description, and figured out what things I actually wanted: closed-toe, wide enough for my feet, stays on my foot, and looks cute with long pants/jeans, capris, or skirts.

I ended up getting a pair of Gabriella Rocha Neves in black leather from here: http://www.zappos.com/gabriella-rocha-neve-black. They're pretty typical ballet flat, but they come in a wide width and have an ankle strap, so they stay on my foot very well and my toes don't bang into the end while I'm walking. The reviews said they run about a size small, so I got a size and a half bigger than my actual size, so I would have room for an insole. Drug store memory foam insole and a bit of breaking in time, and they're now really great. They've held up well to a full day in Disneyland (I live nearby and it's one of the few places where I'm on my feet all day long) while still looking cute, so I'm hopeful they'll do well in Paris.

I like Arche. I believe they are French. Pricey but worth every cent.

For a fall trip to Paris I selected a Cole Haan "Air Reena" shoe in black patent...
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/cole-haa...esultback=4002
These were VERY comfortable even on long days and looked great after a quick wipe with a paper towel to remove dust, etc. I see that they're now on sale for considerably less than I paid, and I felt they were worth every penny. I wear them to work regularly and they still look new.

Just got back from NYC.
I had a problem in that my casual walking shoe just did not offer enough support and cushion for NYC sightseeing & walking. I ended up with very sore feet and blisters.

I ended up buying these Easy Spirits and it was indeed a soft welcome relief...Very soft almost slipperlike.

http://www.easyspirit.com/Olinda/514...tColor=BLKMUFB

Oh I should mention I have wide feet and these come in wide. That really narrows down my options.

Trusted shoes for travel are the same ones I wear to work in a health care setting. Ovbiously, this mary jane style is comfortable enough for a full day on the job so can easily handle a day of touring. They come in several colors - I have the black, but am considering the lime green (for the clinic).

They are fine with a skirt and have a hard rubber sole that is quiet enough to tiptoe through West Minister Abbey and will protect you from a rainy sidewalk.

http://www.elnaturalista.com/index.p...gdrasil?force=

Mine are the ones shown in bright green the the yggdrasil collection above

http://www.elnaturalista.com/index.p...ngkor?force=31
This mary jane style might be a lighter style, for packing.

I still always bring Birks for back at the hotel and agree with the the posters above that Gizehs are a nice looking Birk, but that hard plastic between the toes is hard to get used to.

I just bought the Munro "Tess" shoe for my April trip, and so far it's very comfortable during the last few days here at home. I find it to be one of the more stylish shoes for a comfortable everyday-tromping-around-Paris during the day. It is definitely a casual shoe but not too chunky, and it is less granny-ish than many others I looked at.

Now if I could just find a nice flat that is both comfortable and stylish for evenings.

I'll be walking around Paris in late April a few weeks after having been out of a cast for a broken foot, so I'm also looking for stylish comfort that will give the support I need. Grandmere, love the Tess. I just ordered Anne Klein's black zip, slip on sneakers to wear with my black jeans. Haven't received them yet; in the meantime, I have some reading to do on this thread!

I love my Seibel's, good & comfortable for walking and nice with pants. I tried Naot sandals & Clarks Artisan sandals and they just couldn't hold up to that rough terrain in the cities. Finally found the perfect ones for those cobblestones, Teva. The Teva has enough velcro to stay on and in place as you have adjusted them. They aren't half bad with a skirt. It isn't worth it for me to ruin my vacation with sore feet. The Seibel's & Teva's take care of that. Since the Teva's are sandals they don't take up much space, actually I just slide them in one of the pockets of my carryon bag.

Ellen, I hope you do very well walking around Paris; nice, new Ann Kleins should help!

LuvToRoam, I am missing "sandal weather" by a few weeks; it seems easier to find comfy, good-looking sandals, IMO, than cooler weather shoes!

Just got these Clarks Wave "Cruise" a couple weeks ago for my upcoming trip to NYC. I love, love, love them - they are one of the first pairs of shoes I've ever owned with zero break-in time. Comfy from the first step and I've been pounding the pavement here trying to get my walking muscles back in shape before my trip. And I really like the metallic finish - a definite step up from the usual.

http://www.zappos.com/clarks-wave-cruise

I had to look up Ann Klein sneakers with zippers. They look comfortable. I wish fodors would post some sort of informal rating or suggestions for best travel shoes, because this topic comes up so often. From my own travel experience, only sturdy trekking shoes come close to providing enough support for full days of walking on cobblestone. I like my Merrell Moab Ventilator, but for style I switch to black boots by Geox. They are not supportive enough for my ankles though.

Mephisto's with cork soles. Heaven!

The shoe salesman brought out these Romikas for me to try today. I was surprised at the unbelievable comfort and they looked much more attractive on than off. They are very lightweight and flexible and will fit well in my small carry-on. http://www.zappos.com/romika-citylig...productReviews
I also chose a pair of SAS - definitely not particularly stylish, but the comfort level was actually better than my old Mephistos. I also was impressed with the style and comfort of some Wolkys and some athletic-looking Mephisto All-Rounders. And the Keen Toyahs were very comfortable as well, but not a good fit for me.
The salesman at The Walk Shop said that the SAS and the Romika Citylight are the number-one selling travel/walking shoes sold in the store.

Just back from Paris where my Munro 'Tess" served me well-- very comfortable. But my earlier post was mistaken: i did not miss "sandal weather" (just my sandals!). It was unseasonably warm, nearly 80 some days, and people were wearing sandals. I wished very much that I had mine with me.

Holy smokes - I started this thread over 4 years ago & it's still going strong. I have found my ideal walking shoes, (and they're stylish!) so I'll answer my own original question & hope that someone benefits. I'm just back from 10 days in Paris where I wore a pair of brand new, smashing mules that were fabulously comfortable & looked terrific. Zappos delivered them 2 days prior to my departure, and after testing them out in the house for an hour or so (total) I knew these were the ones to beat. (http://www.zappos.com/ariat-sport-mule-black) They are by Ariat & called the Sport Mule.

They look marvelous with black pants & dark jeans, and they required absolutely no break-in time at all. I wore them almost every day & walked for miles & miles. I'd highly recommend them, as I am delighted to have finally found shoes that I think are stunning, AND are kind to my feet.

Sorry. Let's try that URL again.
http://www.zappos.com/ariat-sport-mule