comfy cute shoes for female with high arch for Italy in summer

i just got back from Italy, wore my Birkenstock sandals......they do make some cuter styles.....I also love haflinger. there is a whole thread on shoes under "" tips and trip reports" you probably need to choose soon so you can get them broken in at home.......and personally I like 2 different shoes and alternate them by day.....I swear it helps with foot leg fatigue.

Thanks doric! Interesting thought on switching out the shoes---definitely something I could do depending on the schedule. I'll look into haflinger for sure! I will look again at other shoe threads (I looked at two on this site) but it got quite overwhelming. Thought I'd try to get a little more specific. Anyway--thanks again!

The Walking Company sells orthotic inserts that make a huge difference. I use them in Ecco leather maryjanes that I use to walk over 2 miles each way to/from work, and also in my athletic shoes, hiking boots, etc. I highly recommend 3 pair of shoes too. I usually travel (in summer) with an athletic walking shoe OR a maryjane in leather, AND a sandal that I can wear for 2-3 miles. Ecco, Dansko and SoftWalk are all favorites. Be sure to buy them soon so you can break them in! Also, I like to carry moleskin to put on any blisters you may get either from new shoes or walking more than you are used to.

Changing up shoes does work. My MIL had a friend who wore the same size and on big shopping/travel days they would just swap shoes in the middle.

Also Born usually don't have a lot of arch support in my opinion unless they have changed recently. May work with your own inserts.

I would check out Merrell Proterra Vim Sport (found on Zappos). They are sturdy and comfy, I have a high arch as well, and they've been good to me so far.

Danskos have some cute sandals as well, though they are hard to find.

Good luck in your quest!

Mephisto are great for high arches too, check out Zappos free shipping both ways

Thanks Everyone. I'm going to check out what styles of these brands I can find in stores and see what works. A few of these I've never heard of so I appreciate the feedback. :)

Vionic (formerly Orthaheel) - best shoes ever. I especially love their Tide flip flop and for Europe I got these too:

http://www.vionicshoes.com/women/sandals/muir-vioinc-sandals.html

Try Taos "trophy " - they can be adjusted for high arches with no break in required. I bought them in embossed pewter and they go with almost any color or style of clothing. Once I wore them, I became a believer and bought 3 other styles - depending on your size, you can pick them up for less on Amazon etc. They are incredibly comfortable.

I love the look of the Taos Trophy sandal. Would it be good for someone with flat feet who has to wear orthotics with closed shoes? I am going to Italy in a few weeks and struggling with the choice of footwear. I am not a sneaker person and I will not wear the ugly orthopedic type walking shoes that are out there. I usually wear ballet flats, loafers and low profile Sperry Top Siders. I can't find a store that carries the sandal to actually try it on so I would have to order it online. I did buy a pair of Taos sandals recently that are quite comfy but since they don't have a back strap, I do not think they would be the best choice for a lot of heavy duty walking.

Mariana I am totally with you. There were definitely other styles of Taos at DSW. There was a pair of leather flats that felt awesome. Otherwise I know Amazon has several. I found a pair of hideous dansko sandals at dsw to try on just for fit and the arch was pretty perfect. I have looked up retailors in my area to see if there are others, or I'll use my husband's amazon prime to order with free 2 day shipping.
Meanwhile I found, at dsw, a pair of Earth Origins wedges that seem like they were made for my feet. I'll try to update with pix of my final choices.

Sorry---Mariaria! Doing this on my phone is hard. :-)

My current favorite Dansko, the Dana sandal:

http://www.zappos.com/dansko-dana-black-full-grain-leather

Very good for a high arch. I walked all over London in mine last May.

If you would like something higher, with a wedge, do not discount Fly London until you have tried them. The Yala sandal is very soft leather and should accommodate a wider forefoot.