Going to Europe what shoes to bring?

[SirWilliam]

I am going to Europe this summer and I am wonder what shoes I should bring. I already have a couple of suits and dress shoes at my grandfathers place in England so I have the formal part covered. After I leave the UK though I will be traveling very lightly and I need help with casual daytime stuff that I can do a lot of walking in.

I am mostly going to be wearing khakis and darker jeans but I have no idea what shoes I should wear. Would a pair of black Converse All-Stars and these Johnston and Murphy shoes be adequate? I also have dark brown Clarks Desert Boots but I am going to be in Germany for a few weeks and every time I have gone to Germany it has rained.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[DrPat]

Bring 2 pairs of shoes. The first should be non-white running shoes. They may not look cool but if you are walking all day long or wander outside the cities your feet will thank you. Also, if they get wet from rain they will dry overnight if stuffed with newspaper. I don't think the Chucks would be a very comfortable or supportive walking shoe. The second pair should be leather shoes suitable for evening wear in restaurants and bars. The ones you pictured are fine. Make sure you put a coat of wax on them to protect them from the rain.

Also, I would forget the khakis. Wearing them screams "I'm American", especially if they are pleated and are paired with boat shoes. Dark jeans will be suitable for all occasions. If you will be traveling hard, especially in the warmer countries, I would suggest wearing synthetic traveling trousers during the day and save the jeans for the evening. When I am traveling in hot and dusty countries, I wash my traveling trousers every few days in the sink and the water is black. These are also good if you get caught in the rain, which is very common in the northern countries, since they won't soak up water like jeans.

 

[Kjelon]

It probably really depends on your definitions of "very light traveling" and "a lot of walking." I live in southern Germany and do a decent amount of traveling around the countryside. I've never really had a problem with what I'm wearing, clothing or shoe wise. I normally work with jeans and button downs or polos and a decent pair of loafers or lace-ups. I don't think you'd be terribly out of place with khakis, though their wear is a bit less than you'll normally see in the states. More than anything else I think it really depends on how your feet handle walking. Depending on where you're going you'll probably see a bunch of cobblestone streets, which can be quite a bit tougher on the feet over time. I normally walk at least four to five miles a day when walking around the city or castles and never have much of a problem other than the normal sore feet at the end of an especially long day. Weather wise, most of Germany is pretty similar to what you'd expect in Seattle, i.e. during the summer it's pretty mild without much rain.

 

[gshen]

I made do with my pair of clarks sand suede DB when I spent a month backpacking there..don't sweat it. Just bring a pair, then go to Northampton and snag a few bargains!

 

[cheessus]

 

[tonio028]

Originally Posted by cheessus

If this was a legitimate suggestion, the end is definately near.

My Clarks DB's are coming with me on my trip to Europe in a few weeks to both accomodate significant walking/sight seeing and to accomodate pairing with either jeans or khaki's for regular days and/or nights without having to wear "sneakers".

 

[wildcard]

Originally Posted by gshen

I made do with my pair of clarks sand suede DB when I spent a month backpacking there..don't sweat it. Just bring a pair, then go to Northampton and snag a few bargains!

Originally Posted by tonio028

My Clarks DB's are coming with me on my trip to Europe in a few weeks to both accomodate significant walking/sight seeing and to accomodate pairing with either jeans or khaki's for regular days and/or nights without having to wear "sneakers".

I really wouldn't suggest Desert Boots for walking/sight seeing. I brought Clarks DB to DC and had to purchase a pair of shoes while I was there because after the first day I had 5 blisters from them. The rest of the week I was still limping with my new shoes because of the first day.

Maybe your backpacking wasn't on concrete or you had insoles gshen?

 

[tonio028]

Originally Posted by wildcard

I really wouldn't suggest Desert Boots for walking/sight seeing. I brought Clarks DB to DC and had to purchase a pair of shoes while I was there because after the first day I had 5 blisters from them. The rest of the week I was still limping with my new shoes because of the first day.

Maybe your backpacking wasn't on concrete or you had insoles gshen?

I have insoles in mine and wear thicker socks and I haven't had that much issue, but I also sized mine initially with the right fit as opposed to sizing them tight to break in as I know some on the forum do. Sneakers are fine for sightseeing long/walk days of course, but for f***'s sake, please don't make them the high-top-triple air-bubble-max-shox clunky ass training shoes that dude's wear with jeans all the time out there in the world, specifically here in the US of A. I'm tired of American's ****** fashion reputation overseas. Thanks.

 

[gshen]

I had insoles, but they were pretty new and not broken into at the start of my trip. Took them hiking, walking on tarmac, cobblestone etc with no problems! The crepe soles make them quite comfy to walk around, imo.

 

[HUUUD]

I too have this same question. I am going to be backpacking and traveling very light, I thought i would wear chucks but maybe thats not such a good idea. Any suggestions besides just "running shoes" I cant really do that one.

 

[SirWilliam]

Originally Posted by DrPat

Bring 2 pairs of shoes. The first should be non-white running shoes. They may not look cool but if you are walking all day long or wander outside the cities your feet will thank you. Also, if they get wet from rain they will dry overnight if stuffed with newspaper. I don't think the Chucks would be a very comfortable or supportive walking shoe. The second pair should be leather shoes suitable for evening wear in restaurants and bars. The ones you pictured are fine. Make sure you put a coat of wax on them to protect them from the rain.

Also, I would forget the khakis. Wearing them screams "I'm American", especially if they are pleated and are paired with boat shoes. Dark jeans will be suitable for all occasions. If you will be traveling hard, especially in the warmer countries, I would suggest wearing synthetic traveling trousers during the day and save the jeans for the evening. When I am traveling in hot and dusty countries, I wash my traveling trousers every few days in the sink and the water is black. These are also good if you get caught in the rain, which is very common in the northern countries, since they won't soak up water like jeans.

The J&M are actually waterproof which is why I would bring them.

Forgive my ignorance but what are travel trousers?

 

[youngScholar]

My Doc Martens have been my go-to walking shoes since I've been here. Of course, my other pair are Allen Edmonds (not made for long walks). Polish the Docs up and they'll look fine.

 

[whodini]

LOL @ trying not to look like an American overseas. What, do you think Europeans come to the States and dress like covert ninjas? Or do they just dress so much better than we do that they try not to fit in?

The term "Eurotrash" exists for a reason.

 

[Superb0bo]

^^ i can usually spot american exchange students a mile away here though.. Definitly a look that isnt common among the natives.

 

[SirWilliam]

Originally Posted by SuperBobo

^^ i can usually spot american exchange students a mile away here though.. Definitly a look that isnt common among the natives.

Yeah they are usually the ones speaking English. I can always spot the German students when I am in England. They always have the mullets (and other weird hair cuts for that matter), 3/4 length pants. ...I am not that concerned about wearing khaki colored pants there.