Shoes of Justin Timberlake and Elton John in Bata Shoe Museum.

Bata Shoe Museum

Toronto


It's important in life to be well shod, a stance the Bata Shoe Museum takes seriously. Impressively designed by Raymond Moriyama to resemble a stylized shoebox, the museum houses a collection of 13,000 'pedi-artifacts' from around the globe, spanning 4500 years; only 3% to 4% are on view at any given time. Peruse 19th-century French chestnut-crushing clogs, Canadian indigenous polar boots or famous modern pairs worn by Elton John, Indira Gandhi and Pablo Picasso. Come along for something truly different.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Toronto attractions

1. Royal Ontario Museum

0.27 MILES

Opened in 1914, the multidisciplinary ROM is Canada's biggest natural-history museum and one of the largest museums in North America. You'll either love…

2. Gardiner Museum

0.35 MILES

Opposite the Royal Ontario Museum, the Gardiner was founded by philanthropists to house their ceramics. Spread over three floors, the collections cover…

3. Provincial Legislature

0.54 MILES

The seat of Ontario's Provincial Legislature occupies an ornate 1893 sandstone building north of College St. For some homegrown entertainment, head for…

4. Casa Loma

0.89 MILES

Toronto's only castle may never have housed royalty, but it certainly has grandeur, lording over the Annex from a cliff that was once the shoreline of the…

5. Spadina Museum

0.91 MILES

Atop the Baldwin Steps, this gracious home and its Victorian-Edwardian gardens were built in 1866 as a country estate for financier James Austin and his…

6. Art Gallery of Ontario

1.01 MILES

The AGO houses collections both excellent and extensive (bring your stamina). Renovations of the facade, designed by the revered Frank Gehry and completed…

7. Maple Leaf Gardens

1.07 MILES

This hallowed hockey arena was built in an astounding five months during the Great Depression, and was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs for over 50 years…

8. Textile Museum of Canada

1.1 MILES

Tucked into a condo tower, this small museum has exhibits drawing on its permanent collection of more than 13,000 items from Latin America, Africa, Europe…