Madame Tussauds is one of London's most visited tourist attractions. Tourists from all round the world flock to this world renowned wax museum as its impressive exhibits offers visitors the chance to mingle with wax model imitations of the rich and famous both past and present.

Madame Tussauds first opened its doors over 200 years ago and originated from the works of Marie Tussaud - a skilled practitioner of wax modelling. The original home of this iconic attraction is in London's Baker Street, however rising costs and limited space forced a relocation to Marleybone Road in 1884. The attraction is currently operated by the Merlin Entertainments Group which also operates many other famous London area attractions including Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland, The London Dungeon and The London Eye.

The museum itself features unbelievable lifelike models of movie stars, sporting legends, pop and music idols, royalty, political leaders, cultural figures, fashion icons and characters. The museum is segmented into zones. The zones feature the following:

A-List Party
Here you will find famous stars including Brad Pitt, Will Smith, J-Lo, George Clooney, Leonardo Di Caprio and Keira Knightley. It's a paparazzi dream.

Premiere Night
Set up like a glittering film premiere, here you'll mingle with the stars of Hollywood and Bollywood from old screen favourites like Charlie Chaplain all the way through to present day icons like Jim Carrey.

Sports Zone
This zone is currently sponsored by Samsung and features an array of sports champions like boxing's Muhammed Ali, Formula 1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton and footballing legends like David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.

A Royal Appointment
Since you're in London, it's the natural choice to visit the Queen, as the poem goes....well maybe the next best opportunity anyhow! As well as the reigning monarchy, this zone features royalty of days passed - including Henry VIII.

Music Megastars
Here you'll get to experience the amazing lifelike models of some of the finest icons of the Rock and Pop world. Stars including Amy Winehouse, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and many more are waiting for you to join their stage. The new Lady Gaga figure, unveiled late 2010 is not to be missed.

Scream
You'll need nerves of steel to make it through this Chamber of Horrors zone. Set up as a maximum security prison that has been taken over by psycho inmates, you'll need to keep your fear and sanity in check in order not to end up having nightmares.

Behind the Scenes
This really is the beating heart of this London attraction and essentially where the magic happens. Discover how these talented sculptors go through over 800 hours of measuring, moulding, sculpting and painting in order to recreate these amazing exhibits. It really is a labour of love.

Spirit of London
Take a historical virtual tour of London in a world famous London black cab. You'll see how this outstanding city has morphed over the years and experience London's key points in history such as The Great Fire, the Swinging Sixties and London during the Blitz.

Warhol's Women
This interactive exhibition delves into the works of the famous artist, Andy Warhol and the pop art women he immortalised in a myriad of colour, including Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland and more.

Booking tickets in advance gives you priority access via doors 2, 3 or 4 and you can save 10% by pre-booking online. You can also combine attraction tickets together for extra discounts on other London attractions.

There is a good selection of hotels in the nearby area from the luxurious Landmark London Hotel for those that want to splurge. For those on a stricter budget that are looking for cheap hotels in London, the Winrose Hotel offers quality budget accommodation in the Marleybone Mayfair area.

Madame Tussauds is easily accessible by tube – the nearest underground station is Baker Street and is just 2 minutes walk away. Alternatively, Marleybone Station is the closest train station and is 10 minutes walk away.  If you are travelling by car then there are NCP car parks and City of Westminster  car parks close by, although parking in central London can be quite expensive and you must also consider the congestion charge. The usual opening time for Madame Tussauds is from 9am until 6pm (or 5:30pm off-peak) – this is extended to 7pm during the summer peak times.