Footwear for Israel in early November

You say you are bringing hiking shoes and light walking shoes (I'm not exactly sure what you mean by these; can you post a link to pictures?), so you don't need sandals as well. Something with good soles, and preferably ankle support. A twisted ankle will ruin your trip. For the Dead Sea, perhaps an old pair of sneakers/trainers that are on their way to the garbage anyway? Bring them and dump them afterwards. Flip-flops are not really suitable. And you are likely to lose your balance anyway on getting into the Dead Sea. It happens to most people. Don't take anything in the water that wouldn't survive a dunking (camera, etc. I ruined a camera that way).

From a religious point of view, sandals without socks are fine everywhere. But by November it's likely to be too cold for that anyway. It could rain in November, so that's something you need to take into account as well. (It looks like we are in for a downpour any minute now, and it's not even October yet!)

#1 - Thanks very much for your advice. Sorry I was a bit vague about my shoes. I have no pictures to show you right now, but for present purposes it should suffice to say my hiking shoes are Timberland (good soles, Gore-Tex, but they are not boots), which I have worn on some wilderness treks, and which I hope are sufficient for those hikes I will be doing in the West Bank (eg Wadi Qelt); my light walking shoes are Ecco (comfortable for exploring the city, go with my more feminine clothing, but aren't waterproof).

Flip-flops aren't suitable for the Dead Sea? Damn... And if November - even just early November - is too cold for sandals, that means I can't do away with my closed walking shoes. But if it's going to rain often, it might be better to wear sandals anyway, wouldn't it? Anyway, it seems that my best bet is to bring my hiking sandals and use them when I would otherwise be wearing my flip flops (eg inside my hotel room) for the whole trip - this would be a tad uncomfortable, but it's better than bringing 4 pairs of footwear!! And then wear my Ecco when it's too cold and when it is not pouring.

But, your advice that early November is too cold for sandals makes me wonder if I should bring a heavy fleece as well. I was going to just bring a light polyester jumper and a light merino top, and if it's windy, I can put on my heavy duty waterproof jacket as well. Would that do?

Oh, I forgot to mention that I have no old sneakers that are on their way to the garbage, unfortunately. Any clothing item I own that belongs to the garbage would usually be in the garbage already...

Wear what you feel comfortable in. Don't worry about looking fashionable; anything goes in Jerusalem. You can wear hiking boots with an evening gown for all anyone cares. Five minutes spent looking at Jerusalem women will convince you! Many women wear long skirts with socks and trainers. Not exactly high fashion, but they feel comfortable dressed like that and that's all that matters. Nobody will care if you do the same. And so what, you won't see those people again! The only "dress code" is modest at religious sites, and provided your evening gown covers your shoulders and knees, you can wear that with your hiking boots just about anywhere!

It won't be very cold, but it could be damp around the feet. If you like wearing sandals in the rain, go for it. It may not rain at all, and if it does it won't be for days on end.

#4 - Ha-ha, thanks. I'll consider wearing my Timberland with my grungy dress then (I'm not even going to Tel Aviv so I don't need to look chic), which would enable me to ditch the Ecco and bring back the flip flops!

Sounds good to me. You can wear a bunny suit if you like. Nobody will raise an eyebrow. And even in Tel Aviv you don't need to look chic unless you particularly want to. Plenty don't. So they will think you are a yokel from a kibbutz or something, or from Jerusalem, ha-ha.

Spend a few minutes watching the people in the Jerusalem central bus station. It will be an education!

Personally I would ditch the hiking boots. I do not own a pair and unless you are doing heavy duty off trail hiking, they are not, IMO necessary. The good walking shoes would be sufficient. In summer, I ONLY walk in good sandals. In November it may be too cold to wear them--and if it rains it will be a cold rain and you will be uncomfortable--especially in places like Jerusalem.

#6 - I don't think I'll go for the bunny suit look, or anything that is guaranteed to draw attention to myself. The only reason why I didn't even contemplate the pretty dress-hiking shoes combination before was that I thought such weird attire would make me a spectacle. But if this is exactly what I should wear in order to blend in in Jerusalem, then that's what I'll do! :)

#7 - I am afraid I can't ditch my hiking shoes because I would feel more comfortable psychologically having some proper hiking footwear with some ankle support and soles with good grip for the West Bank hikes as well as some desert hikes in Jordan (including Jebel Umm Adaami). This is so especially given your advice that the rain in November may be too cold for sandals - my Timberland hiking shoes are waterproof, and my walking shoes aren't. I think my references to 'walking shoes' above (as opposed to 'hiking shoes') has caused some confusion here. My Ecco 'walking shoes' are nothing but shoes that are comfortable enough for walking around town or maybe even archaeological sites for a few hours. The fact that they are nice enough to go with my pretty dress indicates they aren't any good for any kind of hiking, off trail or not! :) That means, if I can only choose 2 out of the 3 pairs of footwear to bring for this trip, the Ecco would be the ones that must go. The Timberland hiking shoes I am taking are not boots and are relatively light for proper footwear for hiking, so I don't mind them at all.

I am female and considered elderly. During our 2 weeks tour I wore Teva sandals with socks except for dinner at nights. We only had rain up on the Golan Heights. Socks and shoes do dry overnight.

Enjoy your trip!