The brainchild of former Louis XVI court sculptor Marie Tussaud, Madame Tussauds came into being in 1835 as a sideshow featuring waxworks of famous historical and contemporary personages (plus a helping of grisly French Revolution curios). Today it's such a hot attraction that tourists and kids queue up for hundreds of metres along Marylebone Road to come hang out with Kylie, Posh, Becks, Brad Pitt and the rest of their favourite stars.
Apart from admiring the remarkably true-to-life sculptures you can get in on the action at interactive exhibits where you can deliver a speech to world leaders at the UN, imagine you're on the field with David Beckham as you score a goal for the team or perform alongside Beyonce, Britney and Kylie. And then, to satisfy your macabre side, you can head over to the undyingly popular Chamber of Horrors with its gruesome sights and frights.
One of the museum's most sensational new attractions is the Stardome, a newfangled version of the former London Planetarium unveiled in 2006. Here you'll be bedazzled by a 360-degree celebrity presentation called The Wonderful World Of Stars produced by Aardman, the Oscar-winning animators behind Wallace & Gromit.
You'll have a blast at Madame Tussauds, but booking online is recommended to avoid waiting in line for over two hours during the busiest times.
