Walking shoe for fall trip to France-good with dresses and pants

I have purchased this Clarks shoe three times. It comes in wide. It looks super cute with skirts, dresses and capris. I am not a hiker so I’m not sure what light hiking entails but I wear this shoe on days that I walk long distances on cobblestone, granite, and it’s done simple trails - I wore them for a mile long stations of the cross trail walk in France and they were perfect. I did trail walking down to various caves in France and they were great there as well.

https://www.zappos.com/p/clarks-ashland-spin-q-black/product/8717159/color/3?zlfid=191&ref=pd_search_1_sp_1

Have you ever looked at Jambu? I have pairs of Mary Jane type in tan and in Black. They are sturdy and cute. I know some come in wide. I don't know if mine were in wide width or not, but the regular shoes run a little wide, too. I find them at DSW often. There are many styles besides this one

https://jambu.com/creek-wide/

I just purchased a pair of Charix shoes. I have been wearing them around town in anticipation of our October trip to Spain. So far so good.

Bernie Mev Comfi

These are good for casual walking, probably not what you have in mind for hiking. They are made of elastic fabric and are washable. Often on sale at this time of year, some sizes may not be available, but it is possible you could score a pair for $35. I usually purchase from Zappos.

PS, fall is a long time, so maybe these are not for November.

I’m a big fan of Skechers, especially for travel. They’re so lightweight and comfy. They have some Mary Jane and ballet flat styles. I have serval if the boat shoe style that I wear with everything: shorts, pants, dresses. They’re more comfy than slippers!

Skechers Women's Seager - Power Hitter https://a.co/d/giaeZ42

I love Hokas too and also wear a Wide - I love to travel with BZee's - they offer a wide in most all their shoes and are super light.

I wear my Hokas on the plane and around town, but change into BZee's for dinners, etc - they are light and don't take up much room at all. Amazing Arch support.

I also like Clarks, SAS, Oofos, Ecco, Keen - all great support too.

Thank you all for these suggestions! I've had some of these brands, but others are new to me. I'll be checking them out! I appreciate the tried and true recommendations - and the links!

Laurie

I have searched and searched for a nice pair of comfortable walking boots and finally went back to the only pair of boots I ever stood in all day comfortably: riding boots. I bought a pair of paddock boots from Ariat as well as two pair of country boots/riding boots. The more comfortable of the two are the Trestep Parkland II. Both require some breaking in but have grippy, cushioned soles good for walking and light hiking.

Ladies,

With these Mary Jane-style flats, do you tend to wear any sock-type things with them? Not normal thick socks but like those little slip-on things that go just over your feet and are fairly thin?

Or do you use anything else?

Check out Jambu or, their sister brand J41

Keen, Teva, and Merrell might have a group of contemporary styles that's inspired from their hiking styles, just more sophisticated in look. Also consider comfort brands like Ecco, Born and Clark's, there's a French brand Veja that's sporty but not as brand-graphic heavy like US brands.

So many great suggestions! I really appreciate you sharing your recommendations and experiences. I think I wore out some of the support in my Hoka shoes with all the cobblestone walking and trail hiking we did, but they held up well. I’ll be looking at some of those other brands for our next trip…which I hope will be soon.

Thanks again!
Laurie😊

I will second the recommendation for Jambus - I have a pair of Jambu sandals that are dressy enough for a night out but sturdy enough for light hiking and walking. They have many other styles, too. And they are very comfortable on my wide feet.

ebennett - I think anything that is not too thick. Depending on the weather, I'd wear panty hose sox, or for a bit more warmth, knee hi's that are just a tad thicker than panty hose, I think they're called trouser sox. Or light weight tights.

I had good luck with an earlier Taos Mary Jane style shoe similar to these, worn with trouser socks.

https://taosfootwear.com/collections/casuals/products/ta-dah?color=Black

Since I broke my foot on a 2018 bike trip, I’ve had many issues with comfortable shoes. I purchased a pair of Hokas prior to the Best of Poland tour this past May, and developed blisters despite have broken them in before travel. I decided to check out the Skechers Slip-Ins and absolutely love them! My daughter and I took a 3 week trip, and I wore them every day walking all over and on different surfaces and had no problem. They are great for going through security because they slip on without having to bend over to put them back on. I just ordered a second pair, in a different color, to take on the South England tour this coming May.