





London: Madame Tussauds
Operating Hours:Monday - Friday: 10:00 - 16:00. Saturday - Sunday: 09:00 - 17:00. Extended hours in school holidays and summer
The Vibe:Two centuries of wax celebrities frozen in time.
Marie Tussaud first exhibited wax portraits in London in 1835 after fleeing revolutionary France. Her Marylebone museum has since expanded through film stars, politicians, musicians and sports heroes to become one of the world's most visited paid attractions.
Uncanny wax faces stare from every corner; camera flashes fire continuously as tourists pose. Music from the Spirit of London ride drifts between floors; queues snake through the Marvel superheroes zone.
- • Founded in 1835 by Marie Tussaud, who learned wax modelling in revolutionary France
- • Among the ten most visited tourist attractions in London annually
- • Features over 150 wax figures across historical and contemporary zones
- • Source of many of the world's most-photographed tourist selfies
Persona Fit
- 👨👩👧 Families: Universal appeal across ages — every kid knows at least one face
- 💕 Couples: Quick fun between other central London sights
- 👵 Seniors: Step-free throughout; historical figures resonate with older visitors
- 📸 Photographers: Lighting is designed for flattering selfies with the figures
Highlights
- Royal Family section — Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, Princess Catherine
- Marvel Superheroes zone — Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America and more
- Star Wars experience — Darth Vader, Yoda, Princess Leia
- Spirit of London ride — 4-minute journey through London's history in a mini-cab
- Chamber of Horrors — historical figures and infamous criminals
- World leaders zone — Obama, Trump, Churchill in the same gallery — Hidden Gem
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Sarah Riches
Our London Local Expert
Table of Contents
Things To Do Nearby
Regent's Park — royal park three minutes north, with London Zoo
Sherlock Holmes Museum — 221B Baker Street, around the corner
Baker Street — shopping and dining on the historic road
Planetarium — adjacent to Tussauds for combined tickets
Regent's Park — royal park three minutes north, with London Zoo
Sherlock Holmes Museum — 221B Baker Street, around the corner
Baker Street — shopping and dining on the historic road
Planetarium — adjacent to Tussauds for combined tickets
TJ's Guide - Madame Tussauds
Know Before You Go
Insider Tips
Best Time: Arrive at 10:00 opening for fewest queues at popular figures
Hack: Book online combo tickets with London Eye or SEA LIFE for significant savings
Hidden Gem: The Marie Tussaud self-portrait is the oldest figure in the museum
Skip-the-line tickets are worth the extra cost in peak season
Weekends and school holidays see long queues at Marvel and Star Wars zones
Best Time: Arrive at 10:00 opening for fewest queues at popular figures
Hack: Book online combo tickets with London Eye or SEA LIFE for significant savings
Hidden Gem: The Marie Tussaud self-portrait is the oldest figure in the museum
Skip-the-line tickets are worth the extra cost in peak season
Weekends and school holidays see long queues at Marvel and Star Wars zones
Know Your Facts
- Closest Tube: Baker Street (Bakerloo, Circle, District, Hammersmith, Jubilee, Metropolitan), one-minute walk
- Main entrance on Marylebone Road; separate queues for skip-the-line tickets
- From central London: 10-minute walk from Regent's Park or Marble Arch
- First-time tip: The entrance gets crowded — look for staff directing queues
Once You Reach
Internal Navigation
Multi-zone layout: A-Listers, Royals, Marvel, Star Wars, Sports, Chamber of Horrors
Spirit of London ride: Separate queue, around 4-minute journey
Venue map: Printed guide at entry
Accessibility: Step-free throughout; lifts between floors
Efficient route: Marvel first (longest queues), then chronological A-Listers, finish with Spirit of London
Food & Coffee Shops
On-site café: Standard museum fare for quick refreshment
Baker Street cafés: Many options within three minutes' walk
Regent's Park Open Air Café: Seasonal, a 10-minute walk away
On-site café: Standard museum fare for quick refreshment
Baker Street cafés: Many options within three minutes' walk
Regent's Park Open Air Café: Seasonal, a 10-minute walk away
Photography Tips
Photography encouraged; flash helps bring out wax detail
Avoid front-of-face lighting — figures look waxy; three-quarter angles look more lifelike
Crouch to figure height for natural-seeming selfies
Background crowds are unavoidable; embrace them or use portrait-mode blur
Photography encouraged; flash helps bring out wax detail
Avoid front-of-face lighting — figures look waxy; three-quarter angles look more lifelike
Crouch to figure height for natural-seeming selfies
Background crowds are unavoidable; embrace them or use portrait-mode blur
Explore Deeper
Marie Grosholtz (later Tussaud) learned wax modelling from her mother's employer in revolutionary Paris. Forced to make death masks of guillotine victims, she emigrated to London in 1802 and opened her permanent museum in 1835. The Baker Street building opened in 1884.
Marie Tussaud made death masks of Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI and Robespierre among others — all recreated in her early London exhibitions
The original building was destroyed in a 1925 fire; the current 1928 building survived the Blitz largely intact
Each wax figure takes around three to four months to create, with real human hair (sometimes donated by the subject) and glass eyes
Tussauds maintains archives of plaster casts from celebrities past and present, enabling new figures to be made from existing moulds
Marie Tussaud made death masks of Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI and Robespierre among others — all recreated in her early London exhibitions
The original building was destroyed in a 1925 fire; the current 1928 building survived the Blitz largely intact
Each wax figure takes around three to four months to create, with real human hair (sometimes donated by the subject) and glass eyes
Tussauds maintains archives of plaster casts from celebrities past and present, enabling new figures to be made from existing moulds
Did You Know?
Oldest figure — Marie Tussaud's self-portrait from 1842 is the museum's oldest continuous exhibit
Figure cost — Each wax figure takes over £150,000 and 800+ hours to produce
Hair donations — Some celebrities (including the late Princess Diana) donated their own hair for figures
Global reach — Madame Tussauds now operates in over 20 cities worldwide, all tracing back to the Baker Street original









