Traveling Light to Europe

Teva has a cute pair:

I have these, which I found really comfy for lots of walking.

Yes, pack a pair of flats. It will be warmer in London and Paris than in Ireland, Scotland. I would find boots too hot for London/Paris.

I think having 2 pairs of shoes is a good idea. The boots you mentioned are good, then a small/light pair of flats or slip ons. If you are just running downstairs for coffee or some other quick errand you may not want to pull on boots. Plus it’s good to give your feet a break from the same shoes. And if you hit a warm day then a heavier boot may not be the most comfortable.

I have the keen sienna Mary Jane for this, but there are plenty of options.

Definitely take a second pair of shoes and choose something that you can walk in all day - a good practice for keeping your feet happy. As a light packer, I generally wear a pair of low ankle boots on the plane and then pack a pair of loafer style shoes that I can also wear all day if the weather warms up. Just make sure you break in those boots really well before your trip!

My suggestion is to stay away from the stacked heel. Go for the rubber heel instead as it is way more comfortable.

A second pair of shoes gives a lot of relief after a long day of walking.

I’m a big fan of Merrill’s.

I have these Teva Delavina lace up boots in dark olive that I will wear to Scandinavia in June. Mine are greener than they look online. I need more ankle support for walking and standing and have been successfully testing them in hot Tucson totally laced up as well as folded down. I also have these Delavina suede ankle boots which are comfy and cute, but not enough support for long days on my feet.

My 2nd pair of shoes are these Abeo Mary Janes. They are very light at 8 oz per shoe. I have them in black and in silver. No matter how comfortable your major shoes are, it's always good to have a relief pair.

Keep the weather in mind for your trip. It will affect how you pack and especially what you choose for your major shoes. You can use Weather 2 Travel to look up where you will be. This is London in September as an example. Of course these are averages, but you can see more current info through the links in the "More about" section. Be sure to scroll down the page to thoroughly explore how to use the website.

For September two pairs of shoes should be just fine. My criteria for a shoe is cushion, arch support and comfort and a sole that will take me from cobblestone streets to the slick floors of museums and navigating lots of stairs. I usually take an ankle boot and a pair of sketchers, wearing the sketchers on the plane for quick on and off. I would suggest a sturdier shoe instead of the flats, especially for walking all day as flats do not have any arch support and no cushion.
Here is the usual brand of boots that I get:
https://www.zappos.com/p/aetrex-kailey-ankle-boot-black/product/8416086/color/3

I LOVE Aetrix brand for the quality of the shoe and they check off all my criteria. I purchase boots similar to these three years ago and they have been to Europe twice and are my winter shoes for work and they show no signs of needing to be replaced.

For Summer travel I take four pairs, the two I mentioned, a pair of open toe sandals and a pair of flip flops, which both can be jammed into any corner of the suitcase as they are thinner than closed toe shoes.

I took these 2 pair to Scandinavia this summer. I know people say they don't want to wear boots in warm weather, but I prefer ankle and arch support no matter the temperature. We had some 85 degree days and wearing boots was still comfortable for me.

Teva Boots

Keen Flats

Except for Paris, I have not been to any of these places but they are places that I tend to think of as having more rain. Would it make sense for at least one of the pairs of shoes to be waterproof? Or is that not really needed in September?

You may not need a wool skirt with tights in September even at the end of the month. I've spend parts of the last 4 Septembers in Paris and/or London. Mostly it was hotter than I thought it might be including 2016 when I think I hit the hottest day ever in London in mid-Sept. It was in the 90's. I've encountered rainy weather off and on so I'd makes sure to have a waterproof jacket (not water resistant).

I will also admit to not being very tolerant of heat so I know I would have roasted in wool. I DID have some merino wool short sleeve tees which were fine except on the hottest days.

Can you walk a distance in the flats?

I wear boots year 'round and have had great luck with Fly London on a wedge sole--incredibly comfy and sturdy, cute with jeans and skirts alike. TEVA and Blundstone are also highly regarded as providing excellent support and comfort, but my experience with Doc Martens over the years has been painful, blisters no matter how broken in they are. My upcoming trip in May will include Fluevog Babette ankle boots and a pair of either black Ecco leather sneaker/oxfords or Finn Comfort Soho sneakers in navy.

You know the importance of breaking in any footwear--I wear them when I walk a solid mile to my local theatre--if there's going to be discomfort I'll find out straight away. Socks are important, too--I prefer Smartwool and dual-layer Wrightsocks.

I have narrowed down my choices to....

Unless you already have the choices on your shoe rack, buy early and train with the boots of choice using the socks that intend to use in your trekking. Boot fit is more than size (length) and width. The shape and volume of the shoe last may or may not match your feet. The thickness of your socks and insoles can make a big difference and thicker is not necessarily better. You will want to find out what works and especially what doesn't work before your walking holiday.

Be sure to give whatever new footwear you get a good 'breaking in' before the trip.

I took the same Teva de la Vina lace up boots that @Lo listed above - they are waterproof, have great arch support and got me through the Beast from the East in London last week.
They would be too warm for me in temps above 60oF.

For Ireland in October, I’m wearing well-broken-in Blundstones for daily walking and on the plane, and taking a pair of Camper Right Nina flats to change into. Much of the trip will be in smaller cities and in the countryside so the Blunnies should work well. I’ve walked all day in the Campers in London and wear them regularly at home, so if it’s not wet they’ll be good for the Dublin days at the end of our trip.

I pretty much wear Crocs everywhere and they may be my footwear of travel this next trip (26 days) They don't provide very good arch support, but they weigh next to nothing. As for boots, I also own a pair of 5.11 tactical boots (side zipper) - you can buy them on Amazon. They're much easier than Doc Martins, etc 5.11 The 5.11 come as waterproof, also offer a 6" version (mine are 8") http://www.511tactical.com/footwear.html

Last September, I wore an Ecco athletic style shoe (with Goretex) throughout Europe on a 21 BOE tour. The shoes worked well in all climates including heavy rain and snow. They were so comfortable, I could where them all day, regardless of the type of activity. I also had a pair of Teva leather sandals for the warmer days and Born flats for the evenings out.

Wow so many places to travel huh? Just pack the most needed or most important things for you. When I'm travelling I usually bring a pair of shoes and slippers, some clothes ,phone and a tracking device to keep me on track all the time.

Whatever shoes you decide to get, make sure they are broken in very well before you go. I bought a pair of shoes that I thought would be perfect....they were sooooo comfortable. I wore them around the house and on the treadmil, not wanting to wear them outdoors and get them all dirty before my trip. Then, yesterday I was going for a 6 mile walk and decided I should wear the shoes to make sure they felt good on a long walk, not just around the house, and also to make sure the socks I plan on taking felt good with the shoe. Oh my!!! These shoes are NOT going to work. The seam on the "pinky" toe rubbed my toes raw after 3 miles. That last 3 miles back home were awful!
I won't say what brand they were, let's just say I should have spent more money. If your feet hurt, your trip won't be as enjoyable.
You get what you pay for!!!

I found a very difficult to find brand and style that I had been searching the internet for. Due to chemo-induced neuropathy I was looking for and found the Propet's I wanted. Heel Since it had been decades since I had walked in anything but a flat I can't wait to get my new Propet's. I will be back for more at the "Orthofeet"!”

Why boots? Are you going to hike in difficult terrain?

Since I stopped walking in hilly terrain and confined myself to paths I have started using trekking shoes. They work fine for a 30 km hike and fine for 10 km city-wander-around - and I also wear them on the plane, but maybe I would rethink that if I was flying 10 hours.

But I would ALWAYS take an extra pair of shoes to ease my feet after a long day.