Fodor's Expert Review Bata Shoe Museum

Created by Sonja Bata, wife of the founder of the Bata Shoe Company, this museum holds a permanent collection of more than 14,000 foot coverings and, through the changing fashions, highlights the craft and sociology of making shoes. Some items date back more than 4,000 years. Among the items that may pop up in the rotating exhibits are delicate 16th-century velvet platforms, iron-spiked shoes used for crushing chestnuts, 8-inch lime green Vivienne Westwood heels, Elton John's boots, and Elvis Presley's blue (patent leather, not suede) shoes.