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Women's Shoes that double for day-hiking and sightseeing?

We are traveling to Austria, Switzerland and Italy in July for 16 days. I want to bring only two pair of shoes, as all I take is my Rick Steves' rolling carry-on bag. I will take a pair of nice sandals that I can wear with a dress for dinners, Montreaux Jazz Festival, etc. I need a pair of shoes (for women) that can be worn on the trail (day hikes) and also in the city (sightseeing, walking). We'll be hiking in Gran Paradiso National Park and Switzerland (not sure where exactly). I need help trying to find shoes that will serve both purposes but don't look too clunky or masculine. Tennis shoes don't seem like the right answer. I have a pair of Merrill light-trail hiking boots, but I don't think that is my best choice for the only "shoes" I bring. Last time we went to Europe I only brought Clark's slides (my "nice" shoes) and Keen Women's Rose sandals (my everyday shoes), but I don't think that will work with the hiking the men want to incorporate on this trip. HELP!!

Posted by
2613 posts

Not sure how strenuous your hiking is but I use these for every trip. http://www.zappos.com/merrell-circuit-mj-breeze-taupe?ef_id=SvHXT9BbricAAF7Rg7kAAACA:20160511233530:s. They do 16 - 20 miles per day around cities in Europe and the US, they've done 3 - 4 mile hikes in Costa Rica. They're light weight, they're reasonably cute, and they're great on hot summer days.

I've been using the same two pairs since 2008 and they're still going strong!

Posted by
92 posts

Of course you have to find a brand and style that fit you well, and I would do it soon, so you have time to break them in well. I wear a low-cut style Lowa "hiking" shoe, with Smartwool socks. I find they are good on pavement, natural surfaces, and cobblestones. They have good traction and support and I wear them all day, every day (and they were fine to wear every day for my last two Europe trips, which were each 21 days).

These: http://www.zappos.com/lowa-renegade-iii-gtx-lo-ws-grey-mint

But mine are a few years old, and are brown.

There are lots of similar shoes available. It may seem like overkill for mostly city trips, but my feet hurt if I do athletic shoes all day, every day; these are what keep my feet and back from hurting, so they are what I wear.

There are lots of older threads here about footwear, to give you ideas, but if you live somewhere where you have a big outdoor store where you can try things on (like REI or EMS or similar) I would go there and try on every brand and see what fits you. Then you can always buy shoes online, once you know what size you need from what brand. If you don't have a store nearby, I'd go online to Zappos and order everything you think is possible, knowing you will return most of them. I would do this ASAP so you will have time to find something and break them in.

Hope you find something that works!

Posted by
1194 posts

I just bought a pair of Arcopedico Leta shoes. I've been hiking several miles in them (4-5 mile hikes)!and have even gotten them muddy. They've cleaned up well as they have a non-leather top.
I'm thinking of adding in a thicker insole as the outer sole is a bit in the hard side. That said, I've been pleased with them.
Note that they have elastic laces. Some people replaced them with real laces but I've found that they stay on my feet just fine with wool socks.
http://zappos.com/arcopedico-leta-red

@Valerie - I've hiked miles in the MJ Breeze too. A great summer shoe!