Sun’s out, toes…out? We’ve been doing a TON of sandal deep dives over the last few weeks, and we’ve definitely got toes on the brain. So before you fill your suitcase (or closet) with a zillion random sandals, we can dial things down to a very strategic six of the best summer sandals.
After much debate and testing (walking the city in 90+ temps, pool-side schlepping, navigating grassy lawns in heels, wandering over cobblestones, taking the subway, etc), we’ve boiled the entire sandal universe down to six essential styles. Grab one of each, and you’re covered for literally anything on your summer calendar: lazy beach days, city commutes, seaside hikes, rooftop cocktails, overseas travels, and even those back-to-office Mondays when your pedicure is…not for public viewing. 😉
The Only 6 Sandals You Need for Every Summer Plan
Based on our own wearing habits (and again, lots of debate), we’ve crowned these 6 types of sandals as the best, depending on what you’re up to over the summer. We’ve found that as long as we own one pair of each, we’re ready for any type of warm weather adventure. And, knowing which sandal to grab for any given situation always makes getting dressed easier.
NOTE: If you’re just looking for the best sandals for bunions, Laura covered that, here.
Below, we’ll break down why each style made the cut, link to our deep-dive reviews, and serve up the exact pairs that have survived our real-life stress tests.
Quick Nav – Jump to Your Sandal
For Vacation | For the Beach | For Dressing Up | For The Office | For Hiking | For When Your Feet Hurt/Can’t Even
Here’s our lineup: a flat, tan sandal that goes from daytime cobblestone wanders to evening dining (and are perfect for travel), a pair of sporty Teva-style sandals for adventuring, some trusty flip-flops or slides for sand, pool decks, or gross locker rooms, one pair of closed toe sandals to handle subways or boardrooms, a swoon-worthy date-night pair (whether a strappy hee, sexy flat sandals, or a leg-lengthening wedge), and one pair of Birkenstocks (because “I can’t even” is soooo valid). Individually, these sandals are all suuuuper useful, but together, they’re a foolproof summer shoe rotation!
Now, let’s get into our top picks in each category…
1. Birkenstocks: The ‘Can’t Even’ Sandal
Shop Our Favorite Birkenstocks
When your feet (or, frankly, your brain) are DONE, nothing saves the day like Birkenstocks. The contoured cork footbed keeps feet happy whether wearing them for marathon errand-running (like Linzi), or slipping them on after a long day on your feet (like me). Or, heck – just wear them to pad around the house, house-shoe style. No matter your Birkenstock personality, the whole team agrees: we all want a pair of Birks in rotation. There’s nothing quite like that supportive footbed (it only gets better with wear), and we think they look intentionally cool with everything from jeans to dresses.
We did the research: Read Our Big Guide To Birkenstock Sandals and The 9 New Birkenstocks for 2025, or watch: Your 5 Most-Asked Questions About Birkenstocks, Answered.
The Best Birkenstocks Cheat Sheet:
Most Feminine: Madrid
Easiest to Break-In: Soft Arizona (more colors here)
Most Chic: Big Buckle (in hammered gold)
New For 2025: Rivets
Versatile For Travel: Soley Wedge
2. Flat, Tan Sandals: European Vacation MVPs
Shop Our Favorite Flat, Tan Sandals
A neutral sandal is the secret to pulling off that effortless, away-on-holiday vibe. Tan, caramel, cognac tones read quietly lux, and they play nice with literally every outfit: breezy linen pants at breakfast, little sundresses at lunch, and silky slip dresses or even serious frocks at dinner. Look for sandals with soft leather uppers, straps that actually stay put when walking (I’ve worn these sandals up the zillions of steps to the Parthenon), a non-slippery sole, and a footbed that is comfortable enough for all day wandering.
We did the research: Read The 10 Best Flat Tan Sandals For Travel (After Trying 30+ Pairs) and The Best Dansko Walking Sandals For Travel or watch: The 5 Best Tan Sandals (for people with feet problems)
The Best Flat Tan Sandals Cheat Sheet:
Most Versatile: Reformation Lake Sandals
Best Walking Sandals: Naot Kayla
Best Sandals With Arch Support: Vivaia Paloma Sandals
Prettiest Sandals: Margeaux The Flat Sandal
Sexiest Sandals: Ancient Greek Lito Flip Flop
3. Flip-Flops & Slides: Beach + Pool Essentials
Shop Our Favorite Flip-Flops & Slides
If you’re a 90’s girl like me (hiiii!) or even just a wannabe, you know we wear our flip-flops everywhere. That said, the best pairs, we think, are still the simplest, from brands *some* of us have been wearing for decades (Reef, Havaianas, etc.). That said, we did find a few more elevated options, too, as well as some slides if you REALLY hate anything between your toes!
We did the research: Read I Tried 30+ Pairs Of Flip-Flops: These Are The Best, and I Tried All The TKEES Sandals And Didn’t Like One Pair
The Best Flip-Flops & Slides Cheat Sheet
Most Classic Pair: Havaianas Slim Square Flip Flop
Most Comfortable Flip-Flops: REEF Sandy Flip Flop
Most Arch Support Flip-Flops: Beek Sunbeam Flip Flop
Most Comfortable Slides: Oofos Slides
Most Versatile Slides: Beek Gallito Slide Sandal
My Personal Summer Sandal Capsule Wardrobe
If interested, here are the exact pairs of sandals I personally swear by, in each category.
- On Vacation: Reformation in ‘walnut leather’
- To The Beach: REEF Ginger (I own them in black, navy, and cream/tan!)
- Dressing Up: these high heels in ‘sand calf’ + these sexy flats in black
- Closed Toe: these mesh ballet flats in ‘cream mesh’ (don’t worry, they’re washable)
- For Hiking & Adventuring: these slim Tevas in black
- When My Feet Hurt/ Can’t Even: these soft Arizonas in an old colorway – ‘sandcastle nubuck’ is close
4. Sports Sandals: For Hiking & Adventuring
Shop Our Favorite Sports Sandals
Think: sneaker tech with sandal breathability: grippy outsoles, shock-absorbing midsoles and secure straps. We especially like sports sandals that are durable enough to wade in a river, but cute enough for city walking, too.
We did the research: Read I Tried 25+ Sporty Sandals: These Are The Best, and Grandma Style: The 4 Best Sporty Sandals (Picked By My Mom)
The Best Sports Sandals Cheat Sheet
Top Pick Overall (warning: not for narrow feet): FitFlop F-MODE
The Other Top Pick: Teva Original
Most Comfortable: Vivaia (more colors here)
Most Versatile: Teva Slim
Most Durable: Danner
5. Closed-Toe Sandals: Office & Subway Safe
Shop Our Favorite Closed-Toe Sandals
Whether heading into the office, navigating the subway or walking down hot city sidewalks at night (the cockroaches, you guys), sometimes we need a little extra foot coverage. And while I’m using the term “sandal” loosely here, there are two sandal styles that solve it beautifully: fisherman sandals and mesh (or woven) ballet flats.
Fisherman sandals – especially the classic, non-chunky lug sole pairs – really are timeless. And mesh ballet flats, while we *initially* thought of them as a passing fad…have proven their staying power. We’ve been trying them on (pretty obsessively) for two years now, and while last year yielded zero positive results (the 20+ pairs I tried were either uncomfortable or completely sold out), some comfort shoe brands have taken a run at this style and nailed it. Now we’re wondering how we went so long without them – many of us are wearing some form of mesh ballet flat instead of sandals this summer – they’re that comfy and cool on the feet.
We did the research: Read I Tried 15 Pairs of Fisherman Sandals: These Are The Best, and Woven Flats: The Search For The Perfect Spring “It” Shoe, but our mesh flats article is still in progress, Gang! So consider this a sneak peek of what we’ve learned so far…
The Best Closed-Toe Sandals Cheat Sheet
Best Fisherman Sandal Overall: Sera Fisherman Sandal
Best Fisherman Sandal Under $100: Catherine Malandrino (our CMO and our Discord community is buzzing about this one)
Best Mesh Ballet Flats for Everyday: Vivaia Nelly Mary Jane (they’re washable!)
Best Mesh Ballet Flats for Dressing Up: Freda Salvador (almost sold out, but a restock should be coming)
Best Woven Leather Flats: Vince
Best Woven Leather Flats Under $100: Cushionaire
Best Woven Jelly Flats: Vince
Best Woven Jelly Flats Under $100: Old Navy (Abby’s been wearing these through all the NSale craziness – walking everywhere, and swears the gel almost feels…cooling).
6. Date Night Sandals: Minimalist Heels, Wedges, Or Sexy Flats
Shop Our Favorite Date Night Sandals
While I could argue that a flat, tan sandal (I’m calling them vacation sandals) work for my summer dress-up situations 99% of the time, there are occasions where something a liiiiittle sexier is in order. And the type of “something a little sexier” really depends on your lifestyle, the event itself, and your style. The most helpful summer sandal styles that all work for dressing up are:
- Minimalist or “Nude” Heels – I swear by these for maximum versatility year-round. I wear mine to the dressiest (even black-tie) events, and they’re great with the widest range of outfits. Whether you go with stiletto or block heels doesn’t really matter (although stiletto tends to be dressier), but the key is to find something close-ish to your skin tone so the sandal essentially disappears.
- Wedges – If you have summer soirees that involve walking on a lawn, a wedge sandal is tough to beat.
- Sexy Flats – If you’re not into heels (and in summer, I do try to avoid them as much as possible, haha) there are some jaw-droppingly sexy flat sandals that feel like an especially fresh & modern take on dressing up.
We did the research: Read I Tried 17 Pairs of Comfortable Heeled Sandals: These Are The Best
The Best Sandals For Summer Events Cheat Sheet
The Best Minimalist Designer Heels: Stuart Weitzman
The Best Minimalist Heels With Arch Support: Sarah Flint
The Best Minimalist Heels Under $100: Nordstrom
The Best “Nude” Heels For All Skin Tones: Kelly & Katie
The Best Wedges: UGG
The Best Low Wedges (can walk all day): Naot Pixie
The Best Metallic Wedges: Shilo Platform Wedge Sandal
The Best Block Heels: Aerosoles Cork
The Best Sexy Flat Sandals: Reformation Ludo
The Best Sexy Flat Sandals Under $100: Crocs
The Best Sexy Flat Sandals (with extra cushion): Ancient Greek Lito
Summer Sandal FAQ
Yes! Not only are the classic Birks classic for a reason, but the new buckle, rivet and platform updates keep them fresh (and that cork footbed remains timeless).
A flat tan leather sandal with secure straps and cushioned footbed (e.g., Naot Kayla, Naot Pixie if you prefer a little wedge, and Reformation Lake).
Try a sexy, strappy flat like Reformation Ludo or Croc Miami!
To cover every summer situation, you really need six: Birks, flat tan, sport, flip-flop/slide, closed-toe, and a dressy pair. That said, if you go with a slightly dressier flat, tan sandal, you could get this list down to just 5. (And I will sometimes ONLY bring a flat, tan sandal on vacation.)
Wear them around the house for short intervals, keep feet dry, and soften straps with a dab of leather conditioner. Moleskin on hot spots helps, too. If there’s nothing that goes between your toes, wearing them for a few hours with socks will also help.
Look for molded footbeds with defined arch support — Birkenstocks, Naot Kayla, and FitFlop F-MODE rank highest in our tests.
Soft-leather uppers, wide toe boxes and adjustable straps are key. Jenni Kayne’s Hutton Sandal, Beek’s, and Sam Edelman’s Darla Slides are great.
Happy summer!
xo,
Shana
Can you give us any links to date night sandals like the two pairs of slides you show in the pictures? Nude slides with kitten heel would be especially helpful!