Bata Shoe Museum

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  • Address
    327 Bloor St W, Yorkville, M5S 1W7
  • Show map Close map
  • Phone
    416 979 7799
  • Website
  • Transport
    underground rail: St George
  • Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat 10:00 - 17:00 , Thu 10:00 - 20:00 , Sun 12:00 - 17:00

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Lonely Planet review

It's important in life to be well shod, a stance this museum obsesses over. Designed by famed architect Raymond Moriyama to resemble a stylized shoebox, the museum displays over 10,000 'pedi-artifacts' from around the globe, collated by Sonja Bata of Canada's famous Bata shoe family. Peruse some 19th-century French chestnut-crushing clogs, Aboriginal Canadian polar boots or famous modern pairs worn by Elton John, Indira Gandhi and Pablo Picasso.

Permanent exhibits cover the evolution of shoemaking, as well as human footwear, both gruesome or gorgeous, with a focus on how shoes have signified social status throughout human history. Rotating exhibitions on special topics are thoughtfully curated. Guided group tours can also be reserved.