One of our planned stops in London was to Madame Tussaud's wax museum. It was something my sister really wanted to see but I wasn't real excited. We went on one of our days that wasn't already booked with tours. The line to get in was approx. 1 1/2 to 2hrs! And that is in May not even summer. So we decided we would come another day. We happened to stop in to the info office for the Big Bus Tour and behold they sell tickets for Madame Tussaud's. So we bought our tickets there and went back the next day. This time we could walk right in (past the line) and our tickets were actually cheaper than buying them right from the museum. If you plan on going I definitely recommend buying your tickets before hand! When we got inside I was quite impressed at the way it was set up. They even managed to make it very interactive. There are also some surprise figures that will make you take a second look to make sure they are wax. We sat at the little restaurant for 15min before we realized that the gentleman sitting a couple tables over was a wax figure! So in the end I enjoyed in much more than I expected and will probably visit others if I get the chance.

I've been to both Madame Tussaud's Wax Museums and I would have to say the one in London is the better one!

This place is so much fun and always a pleasure to visit. You start off in the main forum, where you get to mingle with many super stars, including Brad Pitt, Madonna, Hugh Grant, and many more. As you walk through this spacious museum, you will get a chance to get a nice little scare through the chamber of horror. But don't worry, after the chamber of horror, you are given a relaxing ride on a cute trolley that takes you through a brief history of England. End your experience by mingling with historical super stars like Neil Armstrong and Galileo and watch a nice little education film about space. Overall, this is a really fun and exciting place to visit!

Personally, I find looking into a lifelike replica of another human being a bit disconcerting, especially if it is a person I can identify with. Having seen many of the individuals represented in the museum in film and TV media, it is a bit bizarre to be standing there staring into their likeness. Despite the intricate level of details gone into making these wax figures, I still never felt like I was "hanging with the stars".

The Wax Museum itself is laid out pretty well. There are several floors with a number of rooms that separate the wax figures in categories. The first room we entered was for movie and music stars. There were other rooms as well, such as sports figures and famous historical men and women.

There are two areas in the wax museum where you can sit and eat. One of them is about half way through the exhibit, and then another one near the exit. They both offer basic sandwiches, drinks, salads, and other deli selections.

If you don't already have tickets for the museum, I'll warn you that the lines are pretty long. We got there about an hour after it opened, and the ticket line was almost an hour long. Since this is a pretty major sight, I would recommend getting tickets before hand or online.

Although this is not the only wax museum in the world, it is probably the most famous. There are other Madame Tussaud museums around the world in other major cities such as Hong Kong, New York City, Amsterdam, and Las Vegas.

In any case, it is a good museum to check out and spend about 2 to 3 hours at, including a quick show in the Planetarium.

There was a very long line to get into this museum, but it was worth the wait. This was absolutely the best wax museum I have ever visited. There were very detailed, life-sized wax figures of hundreds of famous people from Henry VIII to Nelson Mandela. We had a great time wandering through this museum and taking pictures of the wax figures. There are sections that feature famous film and television personalities, political figures, religious leaders, sports legends, and historical icons. Mel Gibson, Oprah Winfrey, Mohammad Ali, Galileo, The Beatles, and Chopin are just a small sample of who you will see in this museum. Theme music accompanies many of the exhibits to enhance the experience. I highly recommend bringing a camera. You will have a ball.

The Madame Tussaud museum has some historical significance. The museum was started by Joseph Randall Tussaud, the grandson of Madame Tussaud. Madame Tussaud lived in Paris where she was a wax worker. She was ordered to make head models of those who were decapitated during the French Revolution. She came to London in the early 19th century. Her death masks had become famous by the time of her own death in 1850. In 1891, her grandson, Joseph had the wax models moved to London. Today, there are Madame Tussaud museums in several cities around the world.

The Chamber of Horrors section of the museum depicts various forms of medieval torture and execution. These cruel scenes and agonizing sound effects drive home the point that life was sometimes brutal back then.

The museum tour ends with a Spirit Of London ride that takes you past animatronics and diorama exhibits that tell the history of London from the dark ages to modern times. You are let off at the souvenir shop.

 

There is a planetarium next to the museum. It was only a small fee to enter it so we did. Unfortunately, as soon as the lights went out and the stars and planets were shown on the domed ceiling, we, along with many other people, drifted off to sleep. From what I saw, the planetarium was not much different than the ones I visited on field trips in school. If stars and planets are not your thing then you won't miss much if you skip the planetarium; however, the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum is an absolute must see.

Finally, buying your tickets before you arrive at Madame Tussaud's will save you from having to stand in line to purchase tickets and then stand in another line to enter the museum. We bought our tickets from one of the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus employees. It still took us about 20 minutes before we were able to enter the museum, but I was sure glad we did not have to wait in that very long line at the ticket counter first.

You can't go to London without visiting Madame Tussaud's wax museum. It's cheesy, it's crowded, and it's overpriced, but that's why you're traveling, right?

Madame Tussaud's features a myriad of wax statues resembling celebrities and historical figures. You will find everyone from The Beatles to William Shakespeare to Madonna. They always have a featured statue, too, and when I was there, it was a giant Hulk - the movie had recently been released.

Expect to wait in line for a long time and pay quite a hefty entrance fee (around £20). There is no student discount.