Hi all,
Looking for advice on the type of shoe to bring to Austria in September. We are doing the Best of Munich, Salzburg and Vienna tour but then planning to visit some other areas of Austria for some hiking. Looking at the weather, we were thinking it might be warm to bring our hiking boots. We are trying to pack lightly so would probably only bring one or two pairs for the trip. Has anyone visiting in this time of year and could say whether hiking boots would be overkill? Any other suggestions?
Thank you!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8145 posts
I'd just take a good pair of walking shoes or tennis shoes. Chances are hiking boots would bog you down.
Last time I did any hiking in Austria, we took a bus up to a ski resort where we caught a ski lift to the top of the mountain. Not much hiking was done as the air was so thin up there. I don't know the elevation of where they'll be taking you.
The only thing about going to Austria's Alps in September is that you've got to be ready for any weather conditions. We saw it snow the third week of August once.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16278 posts
Hiking boots would be overkill. We travel to hike, as in fairly strenuous, rocky hikes, and I do not take my hiking boots in summer. I have hiked in the Dolomites, Swiss Alps, and the whole Tour du Mont Blanc in a low-cut trail shoe, like this one:
But I would never go to Europe, or anywhere else, with just one pair of shoes. My second paid would be either casual walking shoes like sneakers or this pull-on sneaker by Ecco, or a nice sandal.
https://us.ecco.com/ecco-womens-soft-7-woven-slip-on-2.0-470113.html?dwvar_470113_color=01118
You can find thisEcco shoe on sale in various colors on sites like Amazon or maybe Zappos.
Posted by
San Francisco, CA (USA)
488 posts
If you're looking to pack light, then stop considering hiking BOOTS...unless you plan on doing a hut-to-hut trip or backpacking, boots would be overkill.
My first trip I wore a pair of Lowa Tempest Lo, ideal for being on my feet all day, many miles on paths and at the end of the day, I was presentable and didn't look like a slob going out to eat. I also had a pair of Salomon XA Pro in my bag as part of my footwear rotation.
September will be warm during the day, with a handful of balmy days; evenings are quite pleasant getting into low-50's, high-40's bring a cover-up or, light sweater.
Posted by
Port Ludlow, WA
38 posts
We took this tour last September 10th. The night we were in Salzburg it was pouring rain. Several tour members were going to concerts, some at the top of the funicular. We walked to a concert at the Mirabell Palace and we were glad to have our Keen Targhee, low hiking shoes. I wore them on the plane as they are very comfortable. I also took a pair of flats to wear for local dinners and a pair of tennis shoes. The mistake was to not have a pair of sandals since it did get warm on parts of the trip, especially in Munich and Vienna. Be sure to take some short sleeve shirts, I had packed too many sweaters and had to shop in Munich.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2320 posts
I would bring waterproof hiking shoes, not boots.
Posted by
Vermont, USA
206 posts
We always wear low hiking shoes, not boots. Sometimes I wished I had poles, but you have to check those, can’t do carry-on and we don’t check bags. But if your balance is excellent and you are in good shape, you don’t need poles, except on the more difficult hikes. Our trips are never just hiking trips, though. We don’t bring a second pair of shoes, but you might want to. Our trips are in spring, cooler weather. In Rome, I think many people would like sandals, though we would not.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you all for the responses - very helpful :)