MADAME TUSSAUD'S, MARYLEBONE ROAD, LONDON NW1 - (NEAREST TUBE IS BAKER STREET ON THE BAKERLOO LINE) - Madame Tussaud's has got to be one of the most amazing places I have ever visited! It isn't a museum as such, but more of an interactive exhibit. I was able to get right up close to my favourite celebrities. They are so life-like, it is trully uncanny.
They've recently unveilled Chris Tarrant, who most of you will recognise from ITV's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", and Alan Titchmarsh (from BBC's "Ground Force"). Other personalities include Shirley Bassey, Luciano Pavarotti, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant, Oprah Winfrey, David Jason, Barbara Windsor, Cybil Shepherd, Jesse Owens, Linford Christie, Torvil & Dean, Olga Korbut, Tim Henman, Muhammad Ali, James Dean, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, The Monarchy, Diana, Princes Of Wales, and so on! There's so many, I couldn't possibly list them all!
There's a special offer on at the moment with various supermarkets and Esso petrol stations, where you can get coupons that entitle one person to get in free with a full-paying adult. Usually, an adult ticket costs around £11.50 and a child ticket is about £8.75 (I think - it's probably less). But you save even more if you buy a combined ticket, which entitles you to entry to the London Planetarium and Madame Tussaud's. The adult combined ticket is around £14.45 and a child is around £10.50.
I forgot to mention that kids under 5, wheelchair users and their carer go in for free. The only draw-back is the queue, however this can be avoided. MT has introduced a 'Fast-Track' system and 'Timed-Ticket Entry'. Basically, the Fast Track system is when you buy your tickets in advance, either by phone, by internet (www.madame-tussauds.co.uk), or if you live locally then you can buy in advance at the door. The Timed-Ticket system allows you to buy tickets on the day to come back at a designated time. This more or less guarantees you entry without having to queue. I went there yesterday and I was queueing for about 20 minutes, but I turned up early (about 10am). MT opens at 10am on weekdays and 9.30am on weekends.
The Planetarium show, called Wonders of the Universe, lasts about 20 minutes and is show every half an hour on the hour starting from around 11am on weekdays and 10.30am on weekends. This show is spectacular! You sit back and relax and it looks as though the roof opens up and you're flying into outer space!! It's fantasitc!! On the whole, it's a great day out and well worth the money you pay to get in. I will give one word of warning and that is that I do not recommend the Chamber of Horrors (which is similar to the London Dungeons) to anyone with a nervous disposition or kids under 7.
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