Madame Tussauds

In 1835, Marie Tussaud - former sculptor to the court of Louis XVI - established a sideshow of waxworks of famous contemporary and historical figures (not to mention some gruesome relics of the French Revolution). Today, queues stretch hundreds of metres down Marylebone Road all summer long, as tourists and children rush to Madame Tussauds to rub shoulders with Kylie, Posh, Becks, and Brad Pitt. In addition to some astonishingly lifelike sculptures, there are also a number of interactive attractions: you can score a winning goal for England under the watchful eye of David Beckham, give a speech at the UN flanked by world leaders, or sing and dance on stage with Beyonce, Britney and Kylie. If that's not terrifying enough there's always the incredibly popular and gorgeously gory Chamber of Horrors. A visit to The Stardome (which replaced the London Planetarium in 2006) is now an exciting part of the Madame Tussauds experience. It's a dazzling, 360-degree show of The Wonderful World Of Stars - we're talking celebrities not astrological stars here - produced by Oscar-winning animators Aardman (creators of much-loved characters Wallace & Gromit). Madame Tussauds provides an extremely enjoyable outing, but be warned that the queue exceeds two hours at peak times. Booking online definitely improves your experience.