MADAME TUSSAUDS ULTIMATE GUIDE
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Mon - Fri: 9:30AM to 5:30PM
Time Needed: 3 hours,
Sat - Sun: 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Price: £34
Often referred to as “London’s favourite tourist attraction,” Madame Tussauds in London has been visited by around 500 million people since it first opened, and attracts over 2.5 million visitors every year.
Madame Tussauds in London (which is one of a chain of wax museums located all over the world) features more than 400 life-like replicas of some of the most recognizable faces in the world, ranging from legends and superstars, historical icons and geniuses, and even religious figures and murderers.
The museum was founded and named after the famed wax sculptor Marie Tussaud, who was born in Strasbourg, France in 1761. During her lifetime Tussaud made a name for herself by sculpting realistic, life-like wax figures of famous people like Lord Nelson, Winston Churchill and Sir Walter Scott.
The first exhibition of Madame Tussauds in London opened in 1835 on Baker Street, but was later moved to its present location on Marylebone Road in 1894.
Madame Tussauds Highlights
Do you want to take a selfie with Adele or Barack Obama? Or maybe even lock lips with Prince Harry or a member of One Direction? Well luckily Madame Tussauds is the only place in London which allows you to do so.
All of the waxwork figures in Madame Tussauds London are separated into different categories, so you can strike a pose with The Beatles, Justin Bieber or Marilyn Monroe in the Hollywood section, before moving on to seeing Wills and Kate or Queen Elizabeth II up close and personal in the Royal Family section.
There’s also an entire section dedicated to religious leaders and political icons like Pope John Paul and Nelson Mandela, and other sections dedicated to movies and comic books like Spiderman, Shrek and James Bond.
If you have the guts to venture down into the Chamber of Horrors (one of the most popular exhibitions at London’s Madame Tussauds), you will see the likes of Guy Fawkes, Vlad the Impaler, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, the head of Stalin, and even the death masks of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette,
But Madame Tussauds in London isn’t just a celebrity wax figure museum. The attraction also offers taxi rides through London’s historic tales (called “The Spirit of London”), a Marvel Super Heroes 4D mini-movie experience for children, and even a full bar for adults to enjoy!
Special Tips
If you are a Star Wars or Marvel fan, it may be a good idea to purchase a Standard Ticket online beforehand to get into both the Star Wars Experience and the Marvel Super Heroes 4D Experience.
If you plan on visiting another London tourist attraction, you can buy the “See London Your Way” ticket (costing from £39 for adults), and visit other popular tourist attractions in London for up to 30 days after visiting Madame Tussauds. The ticket allows you to combine your visits to up to four different attractions in London, some of which include the London Eye, the London Dungeon, the SEA LIFE London Aquarium, and Shrek's Adventure.
There's also the option of purchasing a Merlin Pass (£169 for adults or £129 for each member of your family) which is valid for 12 months, and can be used at 32 of the most popular tourist attractions in London.
Getting There
Address
Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5LR, United Kingdom (See map).
By Tube
Baker Street underground station is a one minute walk away.
By Train
Marylebone Station is a 10 minute walk away
By Bus
You can reach Madame Tussauds via routes 13, 18, 27, 30, 74, 82, 113, 139, 189, 205, 274 and 453.
Visiting Madame Tussauds
Recommended visiting time for Madame Tussauds is around two to three hours, depending on when and what time you visit. If you visit during the peak tourist season or on a weekend, be aware that the museum can get incredibly busy and add extra time to your visit.
If you don’t buy a priority ticket online beforehand, then try to arrive extra early before the museum opens (9:30 a.m. on weekdays; 9 a.m. on weekends) as sometimes queues can last as long as two hours!
Also be aware that there are seven different entry doors to the museum which may cause confusion.
If you already have a ticket and/or promotional voucher, you can head directly to Door 1, or if you booked your ticket online and have a reserved time, Door 3. Door 5 is specifically for VIP Stage Door tickets holders and for visitors who require disabled access, while Door 7 is for groups of more than 15 people.
Ticket Costs
- Adults: £34 (at the door) or £22 (online)
- Children aged four to 15: £29.50 (at the door), or £18 (online)
It is highly recommended that you pre-book your tickets online beforehand, as you can save a ton of money on ticket prices and get faster entry into the museum as well.
There’s also a variety of different ticket options if you want to avoid the long queues both inside and outside of Madame Tussauds:
- The Priority Entrance Ticket (costing from £50) allows you to avoid any long queues to any attraction in the museum, and also gain entry into the Star Wars Experience exhibition.
- The Stage Door Fast Track Entry Ticket (available online for £70) allows you to arrive at any time that you want and avoid all the long queues during your visit. Also, you will be granted entry into the Star Wars Experience, VIP seating with free popcorn for the Marvel Super Heroes 4D movie experience, and entry via a special VIP door for the “Spirit of London” taxi ride
- Madame Tussauds Fashionably Lates (exclusively for adults and available online for £29) grants adults access to a bar (with a complimentary cocktail!), and to all the attractions inside the museum without waiting in a queue.
Here is another page where you can pre-book tickets.
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