Shoes for Europe in January

The possibilities are endless -- best might be to find your local walking-shoe store and see what feels good on her feet. I have Ahnu, Ecco, Keen, SAS, Sketchers.

There's no substitute for trying on a bunch of walking or hiking shoes in a good store and walking around in them. If she just tries on fashionable shoes, she may think they are fine and have a rude awakening when she's doing 8 miles of cobblestones a day and standing on marble floors in museums. You don't know how much difference really supportive (yes, usually not very stylish) shoes feel unless you try some on!

17 year olds often have better feet than those of us who are...not 17 ;) and can get away with less than fully orthopedic shoes

I would not focus on specific brands because it is all dependent on individual foot shapes etc. What will she be doing - serious hiking or walking around towns/cities? For the latter, I'd suggest going to a big shoe store and trying on a ton of pairs of whatever style she likes. January is colder so something with socks would be necessary (in the summer ballet flats or sandals are nice). I wore a pair of leather ankle boots, with smart wool socks around Italy in early November - fashionable and comfortable, and warm. Mine were by Born, but there are tons of brands. Also nice for younger people are lower profile fashionable sneakers. Very stylish right now, and if you get a pair that works for your feet then very practical too.

Walking company, DSW, Nordstrom all have good selections. For more serious hiking type shoes, try REI. Nothing beats trying the shoes on(with the right socks and, if she cares about the look, the same pants she will wear while there)

Whatever the shoe chosen, make sure that she breaks them in beforehand. I once made the mistake of taking an untried pair of Skechers on weekend trip. There was something incompatible between my feet and the shoes. After wearing them and walking in them for fifteen minutes, I was crippled by cramping and pain. Perhaps there was a manufacturing fault in the footbed, but I have never purchase Skechers again.

For a trip in January, she should ensure that the walking shoes are waterproof. In addition to some of the brands already mentioned, Merrell and Clark's work for me. Some styles of Skechers are more supportive than others - I would go with something else for a winter trip.

I'd get insoles for whatever shoes she wears. I'm traveling now wearing only Bogs waterproof boots.

I have slightly high arches. My most recent pair of travel shoes was nice and cushy (actually bouncy), but I still felt a noticeable improvement when I added a good pair of non-custom orthotics. The brand is Aetrex, but that's just what works for my feet. I'm 65, and my feet have felt far better in those shoes than they did in the various sometimes-foolish things I wore on trips between 1972 and 1996.

That level of comfort is probably always a trade-off with style (of which I have none). The shoes I wear would look pretty doggone odd with a skirt or dress, so I'm stuck wearing pants even on the hottest days. It's worth it to me, because my feet, legs and lower back do not hurt even after 10-12 miles of walking.

Not previously mentioned in this thread is that one still sometimes encounters hole-in-the-floor toilets in southern Italy and the Balkans. It can happen in a small-town bus station, train station, or occasionally in an out-of-the-way cafe. The floors in such places are sometimes really vile (not in a café). I would not want to enter one of those in non-enclosed shoes. The floors of airplane and train toilets can also be problematic because people sometime lose their balance and don't aim properly. Again, I'd be uncomfortable in sandals.

Fully "waterproof" boots have disadvantages. Read: http://bestwalkingshoereviews.com/waterproof-vs-water-resistant-whats-the-difference/

As far as waterproof materials go, they do tend to lack breathability.
They hold in moisture from perspiration. In hot weather they can get
stuffy, and in cold weather, if your feet sweat, they might make your
toes more chilly. This is why finding the best waterproof attire is
so important.

Not only that, but the nonporous materials can harbor bacteria that
can lead to doors, or foot-health problems. A breathable lining, or
socks that wick away moisture, can help with these issues.

My preference is for boots with Gore-tex or similar waterproof but breathable booty liners built into the boot.

I love my keens. I bought the Targhee. They are waterproof, but have a breathable membrane in them. My feet were nice and toasty when we went to Germany for the Christmas Markets.