Shoes ~ Seriously...

Amber - was in France in March, first time I had been to Europe in winter in a very long time. I took 2 pairs of shoes - one a very low heeled boot from Ecco that I have had for years and a pair of the newer Merrell black multi-sport shoes (like a black tennis shoe). I could wear the Merrells with jeans and though we did not exactly hike, we were on rough ground, even in some snow and I was fine. I saved the low boots to wear at night with my black pants. Even my daughter thought I looked stylish.

No matter what you find, I hope you will be bringing 2 pairs of shoes - it was nice to rotate off after a rainy day into something dry for night.

I have a pair of Ecco boots and have tramped around Britain in them all year round. I would get yourself some thermal socks as well incase it gets really cold (make sure you take the socks to the shop when you try the boots on as they can be bulkier than normal socks).

Mine are in a very dark brown leather so they kind of blend in with my outfit and don't look obviously like walking boots.

I thought it was totally out of the question to bring two pairs of shoes if one was packing light. We are only taking backpacks...ah! Wonderful time for packing light when it will be cold, eh?!?!?

I think 2 pairs is almost a necessity (the heavier pair on your feet on the plane.) If you walk a blister or close to a blister one day, it helps to switch out shoes. Same with if one pair gets wet one day (especially likely during the winter time.)

I wore "New Balance Country Walkers" from ~40F/raining to ~70F. They were great (no blisters)! We did lots of hiking, walking, and biking for three weeks. I would definitely wear them in colder weather with winter socks. And yes, bring another pair of shoes if you can. Your feet will thank you. If you do bring a second pair, remember that boots may be heavier than shoes to carry....

Definitely take two pairs of shoes. I've always worn New Balance and some grey running shoes worked great in the UK.

Amber,

During the fall of 2006, I travelled for two months using only one pair of Rockport walking shoes. They served me well for a multitude of uses, everything from cobblestone streets to the trails of the Cinque Terre and Gimmelwald (I was very careful on hikes though, as there's no ankle support). In September and October, there were no problems with being too cold, and I suspect that will be the case in March & April (especially in Spain and Italy!). I was in Germany and Austria in May, and had no footwear issues with the temperatures.

My venerable Rockports are starting to wear a bit now, so I've decided to try a more "heavy duty" weatherproof outdoor walking shoe to see how they compare. I chose the ECCO Track II Goretex model, so will see how that works out. I haven't travelled with the new shoes yet, but they sure are comfortable! I haven't checked to see if they have an equivalent model for ladies in the Track II series (they have both "high" & "low" versions in that series if you wanted "boots")?

In any case, in the interests of "packing light" I will continue to travel with just one pair of shoes. However, I do usually pack a cheap pair of rubber Flip-Flops for Hostel showers or whatever. They're small, light and easy to pack.

One other point to make is that I always use very good socks, so that chafing or other problems are minimized. My favourites (so far) are the Tilley Socks.

Good luck with the Shoes!

I love Tilley socks, too!

It seems like all of the travel shoes I've been checking out are rather bulky.

We just got back from Austria, Germany and Italy. It was quite cool, and some rain. I took three pairs of shoes, two in my convertible carryon and wore the heaviest. Now, you have to know that I am really picky and bought 11 pairs of shoes before we left, just looking for something very comfortable. I returned 10 pairs. I ended up with some Merrill clogs, higher back so they stay on easily, black leather, and took my crocks as a back up shoe, and tennis shoes for hiking the CT.(yes..locals are now wearing crocks!- even saw a crock store) I ended up wearing my Merrills 98% of the time. I was so tempted to leave my other shoes behind since they took up so much room in my suitcase! I had good smartwool socks, and the one pair did me fine, even in the cold and rain. I even hiked the CT in them. Next time, I'd probably bring just one really good pair of shoes, but not knowing that, I wanted to have a back up pair. I did see lots of people wearing more of a boot or hiking tennis shoe. I was happy with my choice.

Keens, Keens, Keens, Keens, Keens

Backpacked for 22 days straight with only these shoes. Temperatures were in the 90s in some places and in the low 50s in others. My feet love me for it. Never once complained about my feet hurting, the shoes still look brand new, and my feet never got sweaty and gross. I suggest Smart Wool, thin 'running' socks. I always thought Keens looked a little silly but I got a rather conservative pair that's all brown suede...man i'm glad I did.

I second JB! Keens are fabulous! They have a new she out for ladies called Winterport. It is cute and waterproof. I imagine it may be all you need. I am going next May and plan to take a pair of Keens and a pair of Birkenstocks (my two favorite brands) and both lightweight.

So far, I really like the "look" of these travel shoes. I assume because of the trustworthiness of these "name brands" that they are "great" for travel, and that I would be okay with any of these choices. Has anyone worn these?

~Keen Palermo MJs

~Ecco 2 N 1 Ladies Boot (with all the buttons...cute)

~Ecco Shine ankle-length ladies boot

~Ecco Casual Bouillion Mary Janes

~Merrell Women's Spire Peak Waterproof boot

~Merrell Women's Spire Moc

~Naturalizers Colby boot

~Naturalizers Anion

~Dansko Delilah boots

Of the boots...

My personal favorite brand is Asolo (pronounced, "Ah-SL-oh" ;))

I dreaded the whole "breaking in" time needed for boots, but I have 3 pairs of Asolo's (used it for light backpacking, a couple 3 day backpacking trips, local hiking and... caving ;)) and they never needed the break in period! Asolo's only make boots - not cross training/casual shoes.

Gore-Tex lining is always a plus, keeps the feet dry from snow/water.

Wool is your best friend. Wool will keep your feet warm, add a liner if must for that extra protection plus the liner may help reduce friction.

My two personal favorite websites for my outdoor needs:
www.rei.com

www.moosejaw.com <--- this website is ridiculously funny (highly recommend clicking the "returns" section, reading the"moosejaw guarantee")

and of course, it's always wise to try the shoes on yourself since everyone's feet are different.

I think I veered off a bit... oh well.

Good luck!

If you're getting a suede shoe, get some waterproof spray for those. I got some for my Merrills before a trip, and water and stains just roll off of 'em. It's also good if you run into the odd snowstorm.

Looking at your itinerary, you are unlikely to experience any weather conditions cold enough to justify lugging around a pair of heavy cold weather boots, unless you plan to spend long periods of time on the tops of Alpine peaks. For the absolute coldest temperatures you are realistically going to encounter, wool socks should be more than adequate. More important will be keeping your feet relatively dry, which any decent pair of hiking boots will do quite adequately.

Yeah, I was sort of worried about lugging around boots and then them being too warm in the long run. But all the mary jane styles I like just look awful with socks...but socks are a definite must...

Hi Amber,
I agree with the Keens, Keens, Keens. They're sturdy, great toe box, and are a good cross between stylish shoes and hiking boots (okay, that's a stretch, but I want you to be comfortable). :-)

Another thought are Dansko clogs....they can be a little more stylish, and you can't beat their solid footbed for comfort.

I've also worn Merril hiking shoes on my trips...and have enjoyed the results. Get the kind for warmer weather, and wear SmartWool socks.

Have a great time.

I am in Prague now and brought 2 pairs of Keen Presidio in 2 colors. They are supposed to be waterproof and seem to be since we have had some rain. I wear smartwool socks which are working great but then I usually wear those socks most of the time even in the summer.

Hi Amber:

I always take two pairs of shoes and here is why. I bought a new, comfortable pair of shoes for my last trip. I took care to break them in and make sure that there were no problems. However, when I wore them in Paris for a full day of walking I ended up with a huge blister. Don't know why, but thank goodness I had another pair that did not cause a problem.

Always take two pirs, if only to give your feet, and shoes a break. Shoes can get damaged or your feet may protest after a full day in one pair and a second pair is nice to have.

hi amber
my name is inge and i just thought i tell u usually im march and april in will rain and it's cold in germany.....u might wanna take more than one pair...sometimes a good pair of sneackers will do
got any ?? email me

I wear a size 10 shoe. There is not ONE store in all of Europe that sells shoes larger than an eight (8)....so I ended up having to wear men's sleek boots...they didn't look too bad.

I know this isn't an answer to your question, but a point I had to make. I lived in Europe over 2 years and wore alot of men't boots!