The Toy Museum

The Toy Museum sits right in the town centre of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, a coastal town in the Baix Empordà region of Spain's Costa Brava.

What's actually in the collection?

The museum holds more than 6,500 pieces, all brought together by a single collector, Tomàs Pla. That's a considerable number for a museum of this kind — many comparable collections run into the hundreds rather than the thousands. The pieces span the years 1870 to 1980, a stretch of over a century that covers everything from late-19th-century craft-made toys, through the mass-production boom of the early and mid-20th century, to the point where plastic began replacing older materials. Most of the items were manufactured in Spain, which means the collection doubles as a record of the country's own toy-making industry over that period — an industry that mattered economically in Catalonia and the surrounding regions for decades.

Where exactly is the museum located?

The museum sits in the middle of Sant Feliu de Guíxols itself, within the municipality that gives the region its name — Baix Empordà. That central position matters in practice: visitors don't need to travel out to the edge of town to reach it, so it fits easily into a day already spent wandering the old town, walking the seafront, or heading to the beach. Sant Feliu de Guíxols is one of the better-known towns on the Costa Brava, so the museum ends up on the route of many people who are already in the area for a longer coastal holiday.

Who is this museum aimed at?

A collection this large and this broad in date range tends to appeal to several kinds of visitors at once. Families with children get a hands-on way to show younger generations how different toys looked, felt, and worked before their own time — and how much materials and manufacturing changed across a hundred years. Adults, particularly those who grew up in the second half of the 20th century, often find the visit carries a strong nostalgic pull, since a good share of the pieces date from decades many travellers can still remember firsthand. Collectors and anyone interested in industrial history tend to value the fact that a collection this size, sourced from one person, makes it possible to trace changes in toy production step by step rather than through a handful of scattered examples.

Is it worth combining with other things to see in town?

Sant Feliu de Guíxols has more than one attraction within easy walking distance of its centre, so the toy museum fits naturally into a day built around several short stops rather than one that revolves entirely around a single site. Because it sits centrally, there's no need to set aside a whole separate outing for it — an hour or two folded into a day of sightseeing is enough.

Frequently asked questions

How many pieces does The Toy Museum hold? More than 6,500 — one of the larger collections of its kind in the region.

Who assembled the collection on display? The entire collection was put together by collector Tomàs Pla.

What period do the toys come from? The pieces are dated between 1870 and 1980, covering more than a century of toy-making history.

Where were most of the toys made? Most of the exhibited pieces were manufactured in Spain, making the collection a useful record of the country's own toy industry.