Would Sainte Chapelle be as good if one is wearing the wrong travel shoe?

Yes. London. 00:30 , Jan 1, 1975. Wore heels to the ballet then watched the New Year come in in Trafalgar Square. Didn't know tube stopped running in those days at Midnight, no matter what day it was. Walked from Trafalgar Sq to hotel in Bayswater Rd area. could barely walk the rest of the trip. Threw said shoes away.

I have actually gotten quite a few leads on the shoe thread and looked at several shoes that are not familiar to me as I live in a rural area with few shoe store options. To me it is interesting to read what brands others find work for them.

To address your statements on the Men's Travel shoe thread, I do have shoes I don't take when I travel so to me they are not travel shoes.

I can't think of many things worse then tired, blistered, achy feet because you brought the wrong shoes, or bought brand new shoes and didn't break them in first, except maybe food poisoning or the travelers trots (I sold shoes for 12 yrs - I can't tell you the number of people who would come in and get new shoes and say they were going away in a few days...sigh).

I have lots of shoes that are OK for wearing around town shopping for an hour or so, but I would never want to wear them for an 9-10 hour sightseeing day on cobbles or rough terrain...if my feet hurt, I get cranky; if my feet are too hot because I only brought ankle boots and no sandals (yes, I did that in Sept 2010 - dumb decision on my part)...I get cranky...and poor hubby suffers ;)

But I will say, my husband certainly doesn't agonize over shoe selection like I do...he doesn't care if the shoes are kinda dressy but still comfy enough and OH!, will they go with my dressy capris and my jeans...men are so easy...(BTW - I only travel with two pair - my Blundstone boots and a pair of comfy sandals).

Sounds like if you're going to walk long distances, you probably want to wear the shoes you use for the same purpose back home.
That's probably why Ed wears the shoes he has on when he walks out the door in Pensacola.
The good news: men, you can skip the shoe store before the Big European Sojourn.
The bad news: men, you can skip the shoe store.....

Can we all agree that it is not so much what you see in Europe, but rather what shoes you're wearing when you see it?

Gosh, did the title change?

And, of course that is not what I am implying. Viewing sights....anywhere....are enhanced if you are relatively comfortable.

It's a woman thing - that's why I have...um...(I'm thinking...I'm thinking) prob 20 pairs of sandals and shoes - and I may be (OK, I am)understating that, and I do have to take into account winter boots/summer sandals - and my husband has about 7 pair. BTW - is there a group for that? I honestly was happy with $5 canvas sneakers before I started selling shoes and was introduced to the wonders of Clarks, Naots and Blundstones!

On the flip side - my husband has some issues with his feet, which he finally seems to be getting figured out (pinched nerve in his knee causing tingling and loss of feeling) so he is a little more particular as well with what he wears on vacation. Some are better for walking as opposed to the sitting he does at work all day. He has bought more then a few pairs of shoes that he has only worn maybe a half dozen times but couldn't wear because they made his feet hurt (he can never seem to get past the 'you have to wear them more to break them in' part). I probably have about 5 pairs of lovely almost new men's shoes gathering dust (oh, but I have a yard sale coming up - time to clean em out!).

I wish i could find something that was as comfortable as a worn in pair of new hiking boots that was not as hot. Clark's nope, Ecco nope, Mephisto (yikes!!!!)

@jkc
If you are female, my favorite pair of casual sandals are FitFlops (if there are no uneven surfaces) and for uneven surfaces, Chacos. For a bit dressier sandals that I have worn for 16 hours at a time are Fly London Ylva style. I have 3 pair of different styles/colors currently (and have worn out a few pair as well as had my daughter take 2 pair of mine) in the FitFlops, 1 pair of Chacos with round the toe style, and 2 pairs of Ylvas in different colors. I also like Merrells (their barefoot style "glove" shoes are my favorite).

Not just fit. Please don't wear shoes that squeak on marble or stone. They can be very annoying to others.

I had a Bad Shoe Experience recently in Vienna--tried and true boots were somehow just making my feet hot and tired (they'd been on lots of epic walking journeys before, but this time they just weren't doing it for me), and my second pair of shoes turned on me. Within an hour of realizing about the boots I headed to a shoe store and bought some very comfy Legero sneaker-oxfords with good arch support that are just heavenly and saved the remaining 10 days of my trip, plus they are very attractive and a nice addition to my wardrobe.

I eye-balled what other women were wearing and the leather sneaker-oxford is very popular, as are Converse though they have no arch support so I'd avoid like the plague, plus a variety of other "comfort" lace-ups and sandals that looked both attractive and functional. Saw a few in basic athletic sneakers and Birkenstocks, only a couple of flip-flop wearers, not many in slides, either.

I've noticed that European men, in general, tend to wear very nice shoes, whether casual or more dressy they just look different than the Americans.

Yes Kent, absolutely. If you are in pain then you can't enjoy anything. I think men in general don't know what this is like because there are not very man men's shoes that are in style that wouldn't be comfy, or at least walkable.

The wrong shoes can also ruin your traveling companions' day. I know this because when traveling with another couple the husband wore ill-fitting shoes. We all heard the woe all day.

dear oh dear oh dear.

I always wear my pink winkle pickers with the 8 inch heels when I go to Ste Chapelle.

Is that wrong?

OMG, 3 new posts on this discussion topic; and they confirm what at least 50% of the forum already knew: the selection of the perfect travel shoe is essential to the enjoyment of the European travel experience.

And IMO (since I was asked), Nigel's choice of shoes is perfect for Ste Chapelle.

That's up to the individual...but don't you DARE wear shorts!!! That's totally unacceptable in Europe ;-)

Yes, Eileen! Some years ago, the "shorts in Europe--yes or no?" was a big topic on this forum. Hundreds of expert opinions were posted on this subject. This forum was probably the world's greatest repository of shorts in Europe, yes or no wisdom.
We must have moved on, nobody much asks about shorts anymore. I kinda miss the old days, when we could passionately argue our opinion about shorts.

OMG, Kent. If you wear your North American shoes anywhere in Europe, you will look like a tourist. How could you possibly enjoy yourself then?

Chani is so right. My European experience would be sadly tarnished, if others were even to suspect that I'm a tourist, and from America no less. And I know everyone will be looking at moi and what I'm wearing.

I nearly wore shorts today, but when I went outside and saw my breath and saw the low mist all around I decided not.

But some people may suggest that England isn't part of Europe anyway, so it may not count.

I did see quite a few people in shorts as I went about my business in the Cotswolds.

I've heard some people say England isn't really part of Europe.
It would probably be ok for you to wear shorts at home, it's what I do. That way I can be comfortable without inflicting upon others the sight of myself in shorts.

Hint: If you guys keep your pants on, no one will know (or care) if you're wearing shorts or not. Shoes, on the other hand . . .

Went to the top of a hill in the Cotswolds with a couple of Sacramento friends and saw at least a dozen men all at once all wearing shorts.

Temp 15 degrees C.

Wind, about 10 or 15 mph.

They was longish shorts.