Visit the Shoe Museum in Inca

If you have a fascination for footwear, you’ll find plenty of shoe shops in Palma for some retail therapy. Mallorca’s association with shoemaking goes back centuries and some of today’s brands from the island – such as Camper, Carmina, Lotusse, and Bestard – are known around the globe.

Although there’s not as much manufacturing done on the island today, some companies – such as Camper – still have their headquarters and designers here, and artisan businesses such as Carmina and Lotusse have been handmaking their fine shoes in Mallorca since the mid-19th century.

Inca was the town where the first shoemakers’ guild was set up in the 15th century, making it a good location for a museum dedicated to the craft of making shoes and boots.

The Footwear and Industry Museum is all about shoemaking and associated industries and won the European Museum of the Year 2022 Silletto Prize. The two-storey museum is housed in a part of what used to be Inca’s army infantry barracks.

Here you’ll find a permanent exhibition of machines and tools used in shoe manufacturing, along with examples of old and contemporary footwear, photographs, documents, and more.

The museum is free to enter but welcomes a donation.