Ultimate Guide To The Best Shoes for Europe Travel (Conquer Cobblestone While Looking Stylish) (2024)

As a professional travel writer, I adore helping people find new destinations and accessories to help their trips better — like finding the perfect anti-theft travel purse for Europe, or the best travel backpack to squeeze all their things in.

But by far the most common question people ask me is: ” Kara, what are the most comfortable walking shoes I can wear to Europe that aren’t ugly?”

Because I’m also a girlie who loves to look cute (I don’t pack cute clothes to Europe for nothing!) but I’m in my 30’s and I also need comfortable shoes that support my feet while I’m spending all day on those cobblestone streets.

These are the best shoes for Europe travel at each season with my personal favorite shoes you can shop.

WhatShoesTo Pack ForEurope Trips

Whether I’m living in Copenhagen for the summer, running around London visiting all the High Tea spots, or sipping Vinho Verde in Portugal, you can bet I’m packing slightly different shoes than I do for my regular weekend trips exploring my state of California.

When looking for styles and shoes to pack for Europe you need to be mindful of:

• Arch Support (for long days walking)
• Breathability (it gets HOT in the summer!)
• Flat soles vs heels for their old streets
• Versatility (pack fewer that do more)
• Style (you want to look cute, right?!)

And, avoid travel shoes that check these boxes:

• Shoes you don’t even wear at home (why would you on a trip?)
• Shoes you haven’t broken in yet
• High Heels (unless they are for a specific event like a wedding)
• Bulky or heavy shoes (suitcase space is valuable!)

When in doubt, always shop for comfort first! While studying abroad in college, I lived in Rome and thought it was a good idea to pack some fashionable winter boots with heels on them, only to trip the first day wearing them and twisting my ankle.

Even with sneakers, which are some of the best walking shoes for Europe, you can get injured just by walking. A couple of summers ago I lived in Denmark and packed a pair of white sneakers that didn’t have enough arch support. I ended up giving myselfplantar fasciitis after walking 11 miles all over Oslo and it took a couple of weeks to recover.

Thankfully, there are plenty of shoes with support that are also stylish you can pack for your trip! Here’s what to look for.

1. Cute Sporty Sandals

If you are traveling Europe during summer or the shoulder seasons, you’ll want to pack yourself a good pair of sporty sandals. Unless I’m traveling in the winter, travel sandals are always on my packing list for any trip.

I personally am a ride or die Teva fan, I think they make the best walking shoes for travel in Europe in the summer but they aren’t always the cutest. They LOOK like sporty sandals (and to be fair, I got my Universal Trail sandals since I can take them from cobblestone streets to a slippery waterfall hike).

But they aren’t the only sandals out there. I’ve been testing out Twoobs recently and have some other ideas for cuter sandals that let your feet breathe on hot summer days, give your feet support and look cute with all sorts of clothing!

Travel sandals are hands down one of the best women’s walking shoes for travel in Europe, so make sure to add one pair you like to your packing list! Pair them with pants, dresses, skirts, shorts. I personally love wearing travel sandals with long maxi dresses in the summer.

Paired with a good chaffing short, I find this type of outfit is breezy, comfy and helps me stay cool all day while also looking pretty chic. They’re also handy if you plan on doing active things like kayaking, hiking, or swimming. Whenever I’m in Copenhagen, you can find me pretty much living at one of the harbor swim spots and a sandal to quickly slip on and off is invaluable.

2. High Knee Boots

I love wearing high knee boots like these with long dresses, mini skirts with tights and long skirts in the winter. Pairing skirts and sweaters is my favorite cold weather combo, and honestly looks very chic while exploring Europe in the winter.

They’re also very practical, as they help keep your legs warmer and some spots in Norther Europe, like Berlin in the winter, can get chilly!

I posted about this new brand recently called Vivaia and I’m obsessed. They make sustainable, comfortable and cute flats and boots. Their high knee boots especially are the best shoes for Europe travel winter packing lists as they are a little waterproof on the fabric (for when the snow melts or it’s raining) but they pack down well.

When picking high knee boots for your traveling shoes, look for flat soles. It’s very tricky, actually, as most high knee boots come with a pretty large heel but that’s not going to help you as you explore a new city. Especailly if it’s icy out.

Also look for a boot that is a little bendy so you can pack it easily in your suitcase. Opt for a black boot or a brown one depending on your personal color palette and travel outfits you’re bring to Europe. I’m an autumn warm tones girlie so I have a pair of brown over the knee boots that I adore.

3. Colorful Flats

Flats are THE MOST versatile shoe you can pack for a Europe trip. They don’t take up much suitcase room, go with pretty much any outfit and can be dressed up or down.

Some of my favorite travel shoes are Rothys. Their ballet flats come in rounded and pointy toes, the latter I’m partial to as I think it makes the ballet flat look elevated. But the real neat part about Rothys is the fact you can toss them in the washing machine if they get dirty (and trust me, European city streets are DIRTY AF!)

No matter what brand you go with, a good pair of flats are the best stylish walking shoes for Europe that can transition into cute shoes to wear at night or fancier events. I recommend a colorful pair as your other shoes (boots, sneakers, etc) will probably be neutral. A colorful pair of red flats, for example, can add a big punch of visual interest to your outfit without having to pack extra accessories.

Note: flats generally aren’t the best shoes for walking on cobblestones in Europe all day, so I usually wear my flats for light walking days or at night when I’m out to dinner and don’t want to bust out my Tevas at a fancy co*cktail hour place.

4. Ankle Booties

Ankle boots are my go-to at home in San Francisco, so of course I think the make great walking shoes for Europe! They’re great option to pack for winter trips, as ankle boots pair well with jeans, pants and even skirts with tights.

While in Berlin in the winter, I packed a pair of black Chelsea boots that I wore pretty much every day. I sprayed them with waterproofing spray before our trip to help fight against the rain, it’s a little trick I learned while growing up in Wisconsin. All our shoes got this spray in the winter and spring time!! Helps turn anything into a rainboot if you didn’t want to pack a separate pair.

I really do think these are the best boots for traveling Europe in winter. Just again, make sure you buy flat boots, not ankle boots with heels!

5. Tennis Shoes

If you love packing running shoes and sneakers for your trips, our Whimsy Writer Margaret has a whole guide on her favorite sneakers to get the job done.

Personally I don’t own a single pair of running shoes, even for use at home. I don’t jog, and I find sneakers in Europe in the summertime to be insufferable. I honestly do not know how you can wear those all day when it’s 90+ degrees out and nobody has air conditioning. My feet turn into swamps!

BUT, I get asked all the time for sneaker recommendations for travel, so I know it’s a thing. The rubber sole is great for support with all day walking.I had to tap Margaret for her tips on the best travel sneakers, like New Balance! They make some of the best sneakers for walking.

Pair them with jeans or pants for all day exploring. A good white sneaker will also look adorable with a dress, especially shorter dresses like this one.

The key is to wear sneakers with pants, dresses or street shorts — anything but leggings and activewear. I find Europeans don’t really wear activewear as outfits like we do here in the United States. Especially San Francisco, everyone just runs around all day in leggings, yoga tops and sneakers. You’ll stick out as a tourist if you do that in most European countries.

6. Tall Rain Boots

I just finished a quest to find the perfect pair of tall rainboots, or as I love to say “Wellies”! Hunter makes classic boots, but I find the calf area to be too narrow for my legs (and I don’t even normally buy plus size shoes so the shaft runs very narrow!) After a lot of digging, I finally found a pair of green rainboots I love!

Ankle rain boots are fine, I had a pair for a while and I do like how they usually look just like Chelsea Boots so you can double up on one pair of boots if you wanted to. But if it’s really raining out, like it does in the winter and spring in Europe, it’s nice to have taller boots that protect more of your legs and socks. Trust me – soaking wet socks while exploring Scotland is NOT fun!

I love to pair tall rain boots with so many things, they are oddly very versatile and give more of that “old money chic” vibe than a “boot for function” vibe. Dresses and skirts with tall rain boots if my go-to combo, but they look fantastic with jeans and well, and a striped shirt or cable knit sweater. Plus, most rain boots have thick rubber soles that are pretty comfy to wear all day long while walking.

I hope this helps you find the best travel shoes for your Europe trip!! Europe specifically is a tricky on to pack for.

You have very old cobblestone streets that you can trip all over, but also plenty of upscale dining options and museums you may want to dress up for. Depending on where you are visiting or time of year, you could be encountering snow, cold rain, or long hot days.