Madame Tussauds

Lonely Planet review

It's unbelievably kitsch and terribly overpriced, yet it draws over 3 million people every year and sits high on the 'must-do' list of any visitor to London. Different strokes for different folks, as they say, but if you like the idea of wax celebrities, movie stars and fantastically lifelike figures of the Windsors, you're in for a treat.

Madame Tussauds dates back more than two centuries when the eponymous Swiss model-maker started making death masks of the people killed during the French Revolution. She came to London in 1803 and exhibited around 30 wax models in Baker St, on a site not far from the building that has housed the waxworks since 1885. The waxworks were an enormous hit in Victorian times, when the models provided the only opportunity for visitors to glimpse the famous and infamous before photography was widespread and long before the advent of TV.

Madame T's are very keen on public surveys telling them who the punters would like to see most, resulting in such highlights as a photo op with the Kate Moss figure (of a very poor similitude), an eco Prince Charles statue, the Blush Room where A-listers stand listlessly and where the J-Lo figure blushes if you whisper in her ear. Bollywood fans are treated with a smiling Shahrukh Khan and 'Big Bruvva' lovers can get into the Diary Room and take the video home. There are tons of temporary exhibits, such as the Pirates of the Caribbean chamber, potting holes with Tiger Woods, and so on.

Permanent photo opportunities include the political leaders in World Stage and the array of celebrities in Premiere Room. The famous Chamber of Horrors details the horrors of Jack the Ripper and is usually a huge hit with children. Finally you can take a ride in the Spirit of London 'time taxi', where you sit in a mock-up of a London black cab and are whipped through a five-minute historical summary of London, a mercifully short time to endure the god-awful scripts and hackneyed commentary. The old Planetarium is now the Stardome that screens an entertaining and educational animation by Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit (it involves aliens and celebrities).

In case you were wondering what happens to the models of those people whose 15 minutes have passed, contrary to popular belief, they are never melted, but simply resting in storage.

If you want to avoid the queues (particularly in summer) book your tickets online and get a timed entry slot. They are cheaper this way too.