If you’ve ever been to touristy Europeans destinations, you’d know that Europeans are often tourists in these cities—the way an American might be a tourist in NYC or DC.

And every tourist wears sneakers because you walk 20-30k steps a day. I did 35k steps a day in Rome in the summer heat.

You only wear sandals if you are doing a quick walk to dinner or heading to a beach or boat. Even then I would recommend a sneaker with rubber soles because many European cities have slippery tiled streets and sidewalks (I can’t tell you how many people I saw slip in Italy and Croatia last summer, and all of them were women in sandals).

Anonymous wrote:Why not just get some nice cushy Hokas or New Balance sneakers? You’ll be doing a lot of walking….along with all the other tourists who look like tourists.

OP here. I already have very cushy sneakers and will be bringing them for sure. I was just hoping to supplement with a comfortable sandal. If I can't find one, sneakers it is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people - hi, me - find closed toed shoes too hot. Give me sandals or give me boiling alive.

Gosh, no closed-toe shoes? What do you do in the winter?

Oh YOU GOT ME clever PP! You got me!!

Birkenstocks are very popular in Europe. Can’t go wrong with those and they provide a lot of support. Start wearing them in now though. My feet are always super sore the first few days I wear them. But I also agree that you will be shocked by how casual Europe is these days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those Naots are nice. I hadn't heard of that brand -- thanks for sharing!

Dp. I got my Naots about 6 years ago for a trip to London. Still going strong. Very comfortable and as stylish as a cork footbed can be.

Naots - in my experience - run more narrow than Birks, in case that matters to you. I love the styles of Naots but they are too narrow for my semi-wide feet, while Birks are great.

Anonymous wrote:Those Naots are nice. I hadn't heard of that brand -- thanks for sharing!

Dp. I got my Naots about 6 years ago for a trip to London. Still going strong. Very comfortable and as stylish as a cork footbed can be.

I have ancient flat leather Merrell with a few straps that are perfect for this. I have never found new versions so I baby the old ones I have

Oops. I said Sketchers toms but I meant Sketchers BOBS on Amazon

Anonymous wrote:Some people - hi, me - find closed toed shoes too hot. Give me sandals or give me boiling alive.

Gosh, no closed-toe shoes? What do you do in the winter?

It's not 30 years ago. Europeans wear sneakers. Brits and Irish tourists only wear sports gear. Any footwear (barring horrible giant sneakers) are fine. I go to France regularly and last summer wore my red Adidas sneakers and my brown/gold Birks the entire time and it was fine. Dh wears flip flops pretty exclusively.

I wear sketcher sandals and walking shoes all the time. They are comfortable and I can walk for miles in them.

I noticed that Amazon has a decent deal on sketchers TOMs sneakers. They aren’t a sandal but they would work with a lot of outfits.

You will have way more fun if your feet are comfy.

Some people - hi, me - find closed toed shoes too hot. Give me sandals or give me boiling alive.

I would just wear plain white Supergas. Most Europeans wear sneakers, not sandals.

In recent years, I have noticed that my fellow tourists in Europe who are EU citizens often wear athletic sneakers with dresses in the summer as they toodle around the city sight-seeing. All ages wear sneakers, especially sketchers and new balance.

I know. I can't quite believe it, either. But last summer, i got the most wear out of my athletic sneakers which I thought I was only going to wear on teh airplane. Nope. I wore them all over. My only regret was not getting all white sneakers or black and white sneakers which seemed to be the most fashionable among the younger set. I'm talking large dorky dad sneakers with nice sundresses.

The times, they are a-changing.

I think the shoes the OP posted are nice, as are the vionic espadrilles. I have had good luck with dolce vita sandals. They aren’t comfort sandals or geriatric in any way, but they never rub or give blisters or hurt. If you don’t have foot issues (plantar fasciitis, ankle injuries, etc.), they can work. I would also consider buying sandals while in Europe. I’ve found well-made affordable leather sandals in nice styles while traveling abroad.