If sandals would work for you, try the Italian brand Sensi ones. Incredibly comfortable, at least on my feet, inexpensive, and some are engineered so that if you walk through puddles, the water is drained out immediately so your soles never get wet. Kind of ingenious design.

Every brand and every shoe is different. I can't wear Clarks at all - not Privos, not Indigo, not any!

Naots and Eccos fit me well.

I try to pack a pair of sandals or slip-ons to wear to a restaurant. Most of the shoes I wear all day are too clunky.

It doesn't help that I don't like lace-up shoes and I don't like straps....limits my choices considerably.

polly--I bought these in black at The Walking Co. last summer. Wore them all over Paris and Amsterdam last year, and again in Paris this past June. They are super comfy for walking, as well as looking feminine and dressy for an evening out.

Other have recommended ecco--based on my experience with this pair, I have to agree. Since they are "last year's," though, this particular style may not be that easy to find. The following link shows a size 41 (10) available. (Mine are 10's though I typically take 9.5.)

http://www.thewalkingcompany.com/ecc...oon-rock/12057

Good luck in your search !

I love naots, aravons, wolky,el naturalista, and spring step. I order many many pairs from zappos, walk around in them for an hour or so, send back most. I wear a 9 or 9.5 and do well.
If they are not immediately comfortable, they will not be.

I am not a duck, but my feet are wider since pregnancy and believe me, it is not so easy to find wide shoes either.

I love Clarks and some Eccos, but you need to find a manufacturer's last that works for your feet. As others have pointed out, a brand that is comfortable for one person may not feel good to the next.

A last is the blueprint for heel width, instep height, forefoot width and length, and toebox depth. These dimensions can vary hugely between manufacturers.

I, too, am a 9-1/2 with a narrow heel. I have several styles of Ecco which fit me very well. The first pair I bought at Nordstrom; the others I ordered online from (I think) Zappos.
They are European sized and I take 40 or 41. At least one pair goes on every month-long trip and I walk a lot with absolutely no rubbing, pinching, blisters, etc.

I like Boern but no one can tell you what is good for your feet.
We are all different. I tried many suggested over the years
that was a drain of money. Go into a store, try them on , walk around and see if they are comfortable.

After a trip to Greece, where I developed, or noticed for the first time, a neuroma, I had to go to a podiatrist. He was able to tell me after just that one visit the kind of shape and structure of shoes that would work best for me. He told me things to avoid to prevent it from getting to the point of having surgery. I have not had to go back since, and that was 5 years ago. Maybe it would be a good idea to give that a try rather than trying all sorts of different shoes.

I have not read all posts but would recommend checking Rieker shoes.. Zappos has nice variety and you can Google for other sites. I can't say they are beautiful but mine do not look like athletic shoes. I have several pairs but have worn Celia 66 the last two trips to Europe and wearing them for another vacation in September. I often wear them around the house if I plan to be on my feet a lot that day. May not be made for your foot shape but worth a try. They have many Mary Jane types with strap across feet to help with slipping The Celia 66 appears to be in black also. I also have some Keen Mary Jane type that I can wear for walking all day. Hope you find the perfect ones. BTW, Rieker is a German company and I believe started in the Black Forest.

Naot and Paul Green. I have resoled the Paul Green walking shoes twice already. Fabulous.

I wore these Naots to walk 12 miles in Rome one day (and many more walking days)

http://www.zappos.com/naot-footwear-...madras-leather

I bought the same style in a second pair. You can walk in them all day and they are cute enough to wear to most restaurants with the punky little sparkles.

I'm getting ready to head to the UK/Belgium/Northern France and am taking a Naot pair with a slightly higher arch and heel and several straps across the top along with the Paul Green closed toe walking shoes and a pair of blue flats.

Good luck! I've never gone wrong with Naot and Paul Green, though Ecco, Merrel, SAS, etc. have also worked ok.

This is very useful. People are mentioning some shoe brands I have never heard of. (Naot, for instance.) I knew I was in for some searching but at least I can direct the searches. It is possible that I should try some former failures like Clarks again because I have learned that your feet change your whole life. I wore 8 1/2 narrow until I had kids and gradually crept into 9 1/2; and then the ball of my foot widened and sometimes I took a narrow, sometimes a medium. The "baby" is 36 now and the balls of my feet are wider still, so I need a medium width, but my heel is still narrow. Haven't found that a Mary Jane strap helps much with the heel slippage unless it's so tight it cuts into my foot.

I mostly wear slacks now, seldom dresses, so I can get by with somewhat less attractive shoes; long pants hide a multitude of sins or at least make your not-beautiful shoes less obvious. As I get older, comfort is the utmost. Back pain is the first consideration but foot discomfort runs a close second. I will always take a second pair of shoes on a trip and they will be a trusted athletic pair. But also as you get older, it's also harder to manage luggage, so if I can manage with one to wear and one to pack, it's a big help.

About '04 I was in London and somewhere around day 4 one of my second toes turned into a blister - literally the whole toe except the nail. (I was so impressed I took a picture of it.) Hurt the rest of the trip. But that wasn't a shoe problem since I'd been wearing athletic walkers up to that point. Saw a podiatrist when I got back and he said your toes don't flex as much as you get older, told me to use gel sleeves on the problem toes. So now I always carry them (along with moleskin, blister bandaids, and other foot first aid) and apparently just having the stuff in my purse helps. ;) I have only once since then had the inside of my toe start to blister. (If only carrying an umbrella were as effective as keeping away the rain!) Never thought to ask the guy what kind/shape shoes I should wear. Actually, I have okay-looking shoes that are comfortable to walk in as far as my feet go, but they don't provide sufficient cushioning to stave off the back pain.

We walk a lot in cities, especially European ones, and some days love wandering 3 or 4 or 5 miles at a stretch through London, Paris, Amsterdam, etc., just looking at nothing - and everything. I hope not to have to resort to taxis, buses, etc., any time soon. So tomorrow I'll start scouring online and maybe head down to the SAS, Nordstrom part of town.

I had a pair of Memphistos but I thought they ran wide. I replaced them with Keen's. The Keen's are not as dressy but just as comfy for half the price. I especially like Keen sandals because I can adjust them to fit my feet. When the weather gets colder I will try Keen Mary Janes.

I have two pairs of Dansko Mary Janes that I love. Merrell works well for laced walking shoes worn with socks.

Most of my live I have had to "doctor" my shoes to make them fit. I have a drawer full of ankle and ball of foot inserts. Sometimes I need to add them on one foot. Sometimes both feet need help other times I go without.

palmetto, I tried the Dankko clogs and while my feet were fine my knees were not. Not something I noticed in the store at all, but the first time I wore them for any length of time my knees ached and my legs felt tired. Just another concern when buying shoes.

I canNOT wear clogs of any sort either, Challiman.

Polly, thanks for the thread!! I also spotted a couple new brands or ones that I'd wondered about. Naot sandals are the only thing besides sneakers that I can truly "walk all day" in.

Do you have a independent shoe store near you? One that has salespeople who know how to properly fit your foot? IMO - a knowledgable salesperson makes all the difference. One style from a manufacturer might be better for you than another and they should be able to guide you to styles that work with your foot.

I wear 9.5, have really high arches, narrow above the heels (can't wear slingbacks) and long long toes, I understand difficult to fit :P

There is really no 'right" answer...some of the sandals posted here would kill my feet.

I try on different makes, find the one that fits( and looks nice enough so I can wear more often than just on the trip ), and pay whatever the price!

Go into an Aerosoles store and try on what you like. I travel all over with the brand. Comfortable short boots under pants look great and so comfy. Also some dressier flats for night time are great too for cobblestones. I can't believe Americans wearing big white athletic all over. Don't need to look ugly to be comfortable!
Have a great trip

I love threads like this because you always learn something new!

I am with nytraveler, my Mary Jane Sketchers are THE most comfortable shoes I have ever walked in for extended periods of time. I walked all over Italy in them and every trip since. I would spend just about anything for comfortable walking shoes, but at $49, I still shake my head and am so happy about this price point. (Allows me to splurge on other things!!!)

I love them so much I even have new "back up pairs" in the box ready to wear in case they stop making them. I have them in both black and brown.

Reading the 356 positive reviews should make your feet smile, Polly229. :) Click here:
http://www.skechers.com/style/21571/bikers-step-up/bbk