7 Best City Walking Shoes in 2025

How we test city walking shoes

All shoes have gone through meticulous field- and lab-testing to end up in this shortlist for city walking. Here is what our testing process involved:

• All shoes are bought with our own money to keep our reviews 100% objective and unbiased.
• During the field tests, we assess each shoe’s out-of-the-box fit, comfort, ankle support, cushioning, breathability, and durability, among other things.
• We literally take each shoe apart in our lab to measure over 30 parameters and get the necessary data points for the most objective and comprehensive assessments.

What makes a good city walking shoe

Be it for work or when travelling, you want to stay as comfortable as possible during your all-day city adventures.

That’s why we highly recommend looking for the following features in your next pair of walking shoes:

• Cushioning: The shoe’s midsole should be thick enough to provide consistent impact protection on hard surfaces.
• Support: Prolonged walking on concrete can really aggravate the pain and discomfort associated with conditions like flat feet, overpronation, plantar fasciitis, etc. If you have any of these, a more supportive shoe is a must.
• Size and fit: Any minor discomfort you experience during the first mile of walking can turn into major hot spots and blisters later on. A well-fitting shoe in non-negotiable.
• Durability: Concrete, asphalt, cobblestone - none of these city surfaces are easy on your shoes. Choose full-length rubber outsoles with solid abrasion resistance.
• Weather: Scorching summer heat and non-stop drizzles call for different types of shoe uppers.
• Style: Some walking shoes have a more athletic style (especially if they are running shoes) while others can be sleek and monochromatic and better suited for business casual outfits.

Well-cushioned shoes for city walking

By “cushioning” we imply the shoe’s sole thickness which is reflected in its stack height (insole, midsole, and rubber outsole).

You can find shoes with a stack height of less tham 10 mm (think barefoot shoes) as well as massive platformy shoes with a heel stack of 50+ mm. But most walking shoes will hover around 30-40 mm in the heel.

When it comes to walking on city streets, we highly recommend choosing shoes with at least 30 mm of heel stack. This amount of underfoot cushioning creates a sufficient buffer between your foot and the pavement even if you walk for hours on end.

Whether you want a more grounded experience or a sense of bottomless cushioning - the choice is yours. The table below features city walking shoes with the thicknest cushioning:

And how about cushioning softness? That’s a matter of personal preference too but most city walking shoes have either plush or balanced midsoles for increased comfort.

A softer shoe (less than 20 HA) will provide a more cloud-like experience whereas a balanced shoe (20-30 HA) offers better support and stability (especially if you have flat feet, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, etc.).

Example of a plush city walking shoe (8.6 HA)

Example of a balanced city walking shoe (21.9 HA)

Supportive city walking shoes for flat feet and other conditions

Long hours of walking on hard concrete can take a real toll on your feet and body, especially if you have any of the underlying conditions:

• flat feet and/or overpronation
• plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendonitis

Aside from experiencing pain in the foot itself, you can feel it in the knees, hips, or even lower back! To avoid such discomfort and its potential complications, we strongly recommend getting a supportive walking shoe for your long city walks.

Example of a stable and supportive city walking shoe.

But how can you tell a more supportive walking shoe apart from others?

Popular brands like HOKA, New Balance, ASICS, and Brooks have a separate category of supportive shoes which is often referred to as “stability shoes.”

These models are equipped with special stability elements, arch supports, dual-density foams, wide platforms, etc. to minimise any excessive rolling or wobbling of the foot. They keep the foot as steady as possible during the heel-to-toe transition and help to lower stress on its muscles and tendons.

But we don’t just take the brand’s word for it and test each walking shoe’s stability in our own lab. Our assessments and measurements include the following:

• Torsional rigidity: A solid amount of midfoot stiffness prevents the shoe from twisting. As a result, it resists your foot’s excessive side-to-side movements as well.

We assess torsional rigidity on a 1-5 scale by manually twisting the shoe.

• Heel counter stiffness: A stiffer and more structured heel counter will keep the heel and ankle more securely in place. It is often complemented by a generously padded heel collar which offers a better hug around the rearfoot.

We assess heel counter stiffness on a 1-5 scale by a manual push-squeeze test.

• Platform width: A wider base offers more landing area and prevents the foot from spilling over the sole edge.

As a result, we get an overview of each shoe’s stability characteristics which help us filter out the most supportive options for the city dwellers.

If you want to learn more about choosing the right shoes for different foot conditions, see our comprehensive guides on:

• best walking shoes for flat feet and overpronation
• best walking shoes for plantar fasciitis

Getting the right size and fit in city walking shoes

It’s impossible to reap the benefits of a comfortable walking shoe if it doesn’t fit you well.

Having tested hundreds of shoes, we can confirm that getting the exact same size across different brands does not guarantee the exact same fit! Even if you are getting shoes from the same brand, the differences in their upper designs can result in a tighter or roomier fit.

In this study, as much as 60-70% of the participants were wearing ill-fitting shoes! But here is what you can do to increase your chances of getting a proper size and fit in your future city waling shoe:

1. Measure your current foot length: Grab a piece of paper, a pen, and a friend (if possible), and follow steps in this simple gudie to get your measurements. Alternatively, if you have a chance, go to a shoe store where your foot can be measured with a special Brannock device for an even more accurate result.

Believe it or not but the size and shape of our feet continue to change in the adulthood, especially during pregnancy or when gaining weight. It’s much easier to navigate any brand’s shoe size chart when you know your exact foot parameters.

2. Consider the shoe’s width: If you experience any of the following symptoms, you need to look for a roomier shoe or even a wide or extra wide alternative:

• burning sensations, hot spots, or blisters caused by shoe tightness
• rubbing and pain in the ball of foot area (especially if you have bunions)
• instep pressure even when the laces aren’t tightly cinched
• sizing up doesn’t help as the shoe only gets longer

But how do you know which walking shoes have more internal space?

We pour gel moulds of every single shoe in our lab to find that out.

Once the replica is solid, we measure its widest part (between the ball of foot and the pinkie) with a digital calliper to see how it stacks up against the average. Walking shoes with the widest moulds make it to our list of wide foot friendly options:

Check out our guide on the best walking shoes for wide feet for more information and recommendations.

3. Consider the shoe’s toebox shape: On the other hand, your foot can feel just fine inside the shoe but its pointy toebox is causing the problem - your toes feel cramped, your big toe is pushed to the middle, and your pinkie goes numb. In this case, you need a shoe with a wide toebox (aka rounded or foot-shaped toebox).

Look at the two moulds below. They both returned the same measurement in the widest part (98 mm) but their toebox widths are drastically different! In fact, the difference is 7.3 mm in the big toe area.

Durable walking shoes for concrete city pavements

The concrete jungle can very tough on your shoes so it only makes sense to choose a durable pair to begin with.

First and foremost, choose shoes with a full-length rubber outsole because exposed foam gets chewed up very quickly. The two shoes below were exposed to the exact same durability test but the damage is vastly different. You need that hard-wearing rubber to keep the shoe intact for regular city use.

In our lab, we use a Dremel with a sandpaper tip to test the limits of each city walking shoe. The drilling lasts 18 seconds at consistent speed (10K RPM) and pressure (2N).

After that, we measure the dent with a tread gauge. Most durable outsoles will show only a milimeter (or even less) of damage.

We also measure the hardness and thickness of each outsole as they contribute to its longevity too.

With all this data, we can filter out the most durable walking shoe outsoles that are ready to conquer the city streets.

Even though the shoe’s upper doesn’t come in direct contact with concrete and asphalt, it’s nice to have a shoe with wear-resistant materials overall.

That’s why we also test each shoe’s upper material on top of the toebox and inside the heel collar. You don’t want to walk around with holes in your shoes after all.

City walking shoes for different weather

You obviously have to consider local weather and temperature before choosing the right pair of city walking shoes. The spectrum can go from highly breathable open mesh options all teh way to airtight and waterproof ones. It might as well be something in the middle.

To give you an idea of each shoe’s breathability, we put it through a series of tests which allow us to rate its ventilation capacity on a 1-5 scale. The most breathable shoes get 5/5.

For the coldest weather with lost of precipitation, you might as well explore waterproof walking shoes. Most of these options are equipped with a Gore-Tex (GTX) membrane which is the leading waterproofing technology in the world.

Stylish and versatile city walking shoes

Most of the shoes presented in this guide have an athletic vibe because they are specifically designed for long-distance walking or running.

However, you might be looking for a more formal silhouette to complete your business casual outfit. If flashy colorways and thick-foamed soles don’t fit into your city agenda, you might as well consider the following options:

• leather trainers
• suede trainers
• tennis-inspired kicks
• classic Adidas silhouettes

But please keep in mind that these options may not be as well-cushioned, supportive, or overall comfortable as our suggested top picks. They are perfect for a night out in the city but may not be the best companions for long hours of walking on concrete.