Eight things you don’t expect to see and do at Madame Tussauds London

If you’re expecting a dusty gallery filled with static figures, then you’re about to have your mind blown (yes, really). In the sparkling A-list party room, things feel more like a buzzing red carpet event: you can buy a drink at the Tussauds Bar and rub shoulders with Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch or form a line at the Fashion Week experience before strutting your stuff on the catwalk alongside Cara Delevigne and Kendall Jenner. Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it!

You read that correctly. However you feel about the current PM, it’s a genuinely trippy experience being so close to such an incredibly realistic portrayal of someone who probably pops up on your newsfeed every ten seconds at the moment. He’s wearing the suit that he donated to Madame Tussauds London during his time as the Mayor of London – look out for the trouser leg, which includes a repair from a tear that he got on his bicycle. Want to have a few more close encounters with powerful people? Get a snap with Harry and Meghan, and then spend time getting to know the other 250-or-so figures, ranging from Audrey Hepburn to Zoella. Most visitors spend around two hours getting chummy with their new celeb pals. 

Got kids that are mad for all things Marvel? (Well, that’s your excuse for going to see all the films, anyway.) Live out both you and your children’s dreams on a visit to Madame Tussauds London, where you can become fully immersed in a 4D film, featuring all of your faves from the Marvel Universe. We don’t want to give too much away, but it really does transport you far away from Baker Street. You can hang out with loads of characters from the worlds of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Captain Marvel. One that’s hard to miss is the 4.5m-tall Incredible Hulk – the largest figure to ever be made by Madame Tussauds, with eyes the size of cricket balls.

Lightsabers at the ready... the attraction is also home to the Star Wars Experience – a collaboration with the attraction and Disney and Lucasfilm that has brought 18 iconic scenes from the film franchise to life. Prop yourself next to Han Solo in the Cantina tavern, make the jump to Hyperspace with Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon and don’t miss the chance to meet Rey and BB8 in the lawless frontier of Jakku.

Sitting in the back of a London taxi is something that has to be on everyone’s bucket list. And it’s actually possible to do it – and go on a journey – inside Madame Tussauds. The Spirit of London ride takes visitors on a whistle-stop tour of the capital’s history – from William Shakespeare through to the swinging sixties. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.

Although the attraction is only a stone’s throw from the fictional home of Sherlock Holmes, it’s possible to go on an immersive theatrical hunt for the man himself without leaving Madame Tussauds. Fun fact: the author Arthur Conan Doyle was a regular visitor to the attraction and it’s believed was inspired by the original Chamber of Horrors. Don your deerstalker and get ready to join Doctor Watson for an adventure like no other.

You may not have heard of Madame du Barry (French king Louis XV’s final mistress) but her figure is, in fact, the oldest one on display here. Created by the actual Madame Tussaud’s mentor Philippe Curtis in 1765, the portrait (which features a mechanism to create the illusion of ‘breathing’) was left to her on his death. The newest figure, meanwhile, is that of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, which was unveiled earlier this summer. We can imagine they had to up their wax quota to sculpt those guns...

All that adventure sounds like thirsty work. Fortunately, you can join the Queen (well, a new figure of her, anyway) in Buckingham Palace Gardens for an afternoon tea with a difference during your visit. Tuck into some delicious finger sandwiches, cakes and freshly baked scones alongside Liz II and the corgis and enjoy an immersive dining experience.