More about: Madame Tussauds in New York Tickets
Is Madame Tussauds as spectacular as they say? Yes, it is! Since opening in 2000, this New York museum has become one of the most visited attractions in Times Square and has earned its fame with its hyper-realistic wax figures.
At first glance, Madame Tussauds may not be the first museum you want to visit on your list of museums in New York, but I assure you that it will be one of the places where you will have the most fun. It happened to me!
I'll tell you all about Madame Tussauds in this article!
New York Madame Tussauds Tickets
Secure your skip-the-line tickets to Madame Tussauds
Take a selfie with celebrities at this incredible wax museum and rub shoulders with Marvel characters.
With tickets to Madame Tussauds New York, you'll have full access to more than five floors of exhibits with all kinds of settings where you can take pictures with your favourite actors, musicians and athletes.
The most striking thing about the wax museum in New York is that you'll find wax figures that are exclusive to this location, meaning they're not repeated at other Madame Tussauds locations around the world.
Why I like this option: if you buy your ticket to Madame Tussauds in advance online, you'll save time, as you won't have to wait in the long queues that form at the door.
Recommended if... whether you're visiting New York as a couple, with family or with friends, this museum guarantees a fun time and hyper-realistic photos with the world's most famous people!
What to see with your ticket to Madame Tussauds New York
With your ticket to Madame Tussauds, you will have access to 5 floors, which are divided as follows:
- Second floor: Sports stars, musicians and models.
- Third floor: Politicians and historical figures.
- Fourth floor: Broadway film and theatre directors and actors.
- Fifth floor: Celebrities.
The museum welcomes you with the Opening Night Party room, set up like a big party where you can rub shoulders with different celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Cage and Woody Allen. The tour continues through other themed rooms such as Pop Culture and the Sports Zone, where you will meet musicians, athletes and other popular figures such as Muhammad Ali, Alicia Keys and Madonna.
The tour then continues to the room where some of the leading figures from the world of culture and politics are located, such as Albert Einstein, the Dalai Lama and US presidents. Here you can take a photo in the Oval Office of the White House! Here is a guide to what you need to see at Madame Tussauds in New York.
Practical information for your visit to Madame Tussauds
Where is it?
The wax museum in New York is located at 232 West 42nd Street (in Times Square).
Opening
Madame Tussauds is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 AM to 8 PM. On Fridays and Saturdays, you can visit from 10 AM to 10 PM.
How to get there
To get to Madame Tussauds in New York by public transport, you can take:
- Bus: lines M6, M7, M10, M20, M27, M42 and M104.
- Subway: 42nd Street & 8th Avenue (lines A, C and E), 42nd Street & 6th Avenue (lines B, D, F and V) or 42nd Street-Times Square (lines 1, 2, 3, 7, N, Q, R, W and S). Check here for the New York subway guide.
What are the opening hours of Madame Tussauds?
The wax museum in New York is open Sunday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Madame Tussauds has long opening hours, so you can visit whenever it suits you best. However, if you want to avoid the crowds , we recommend going in the morning on a weekday.
How long does it take to see Madame Tussauds?
90 minutes is enough to see the highlights of Madame Tussauds, although it all depends on how long you want to spend taking photos.
Is Madame Tussauds suitable for children?
If you are travelling to New York with children or even teenagers, buying tickets to Madame Tussauds is one of the best things you can do, as it is one of the best museums in New York to visit with the family. They'll have a great time exploring the museum from top to bottom, taking photos without fear of damaging the wax figures (after all, they're celebrities who are used to flashbulbs) and posing with King Kong, E.T. or the Ghostbusters, among many other characters.
Tourist cards that include admission to Madame Tussauds
Entrance to Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York is also included in the New York Pass and New York Explorer Pass tourist cards.
These tourist cards give you access to the city's main museums, monuments and points of interest. Getting one of these passes has several advantages, but the main one is that if you use it well, you'll save money and time by not having to buy individual tickets for each place you visit. In some cases, with a New York Pass, you won't have to wait in boring queues to get in, and it's also very convenient to have all your tickets in one place. Don't you think?
If you want to know more about tourist cards in New York, I recommend you take a look at the article on the best tourist card in New York, where you'll find out about the best options, how they work and their respective prices.
What I liked most about the ticket to Madame Tussauds
One of the areas I was most excited about at the wax museum in New York was the Star On Broadway exhibition, an interactive experience that you can enjoy with your ticket and where you step into the shoes of a real Broadway star. I remember it was great fun to play a tune on a giant floor piano, just like in the film Big! And singing one of the songs from The Phantom of the Opera at the top of my lungs alongside the stars. Sounds fun, doesn't it?
If you like superheroes, the Marvel 4-D Cinema Experience is also highly recommended, especially if you're visiting Madame Tussauds with children. It's a 4D film that incorporates 3D film technology with special effects including wind, water and even smell. It's as if the film puts you right in the middle of the battle between good and evil. Truly a fantastic experience.
Isabel's Traveller Tip
The wax figures at Madame Tussauds change from time to time, so there are always interesting new things to see. Come and see the latest addition to the collection. There are over 200!
Other interactive experiences
- Ghostbusters Experience: Can you imagine stepping into the shoes of a ghost hunter to catch spectres? In this experience, you'll have to save New York from a fearsome villain, moving through different scenes inspired by the film. With electronic devices, sets and the use of new technologies, the Ghostbusters Experience will make you believe you're really part of the story.
- The Newsroom: If you've always wondered how a news programme works, at Madame Tussauds you can step into the shoes of a journalist in a real television studio.
- Skull Island: Are you ready to face King Kong? Hear the roar of the legendary and terrifying giant ape in this experience where a robot over five metres tall will cross your path. Be warned... he's not in a good mood.
- History Gallery: If you like history, you'll really enjoy this room, as it has a very special exhibition of wax figures. You'll see personalities such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Do you know the sinister origins of Madame Tussauds?
There is no doubt that Madame Tussauds is the most famous wax museum in the world and that the story of its origins is both chilling and fascinating. Its creator was French artist Marie Grosholtz, who learned from German doctor Philippe Curtius how to use wax to model busts of the most popular figures of the 18th century, such as Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
With the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, the lives of the artist and her teacher were in danger as they were monarchists, but to escape the guillotine they adapted to the new times by making busts of the new rulers and the people they ordered to be executed.
During the Reign of Terror in Paris (1793-1794), freshly severed heads were sent to Marie Grosholtz's workshop to be quickly moulded. Thus, personalities who were executed by guillotine, such as King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre, joined her collection.
Madame Tussauds, the first exhibition
When the artist married, she moved to London, where she exhibited her repertoire on Baker Street, combining busts of victims of the French Revolution with figures of famous murderers, which attracted curious crowds. Madame Tussauds' popularity skyrocketed when Queen Victoria agreed to have her figure modelled in wax and dressed in an exact replica of her coronation gown in 1837.
Fun facts: How is a wax figure made?
Did you know that between six and eight kilos of wax are used to recreate each sculpture? Eighty kilos for a full-body figure!
Normally, when the first mould is made, the character's anthropometric measurements are taken and a photo and video session is carried out from all angles. The figure is then shown to the person and, if they approve, the second phase begins. If this is not possible, measurements and other data are collected from different sources.
In the second phase, chemical wax is poured into the mould and the sculptors wait around six hours for it to cool completely. Then the eyes are placed, and the hair, eyebrows and eyelashes are implanted one by one, always using natural hair. Finally, the costume and make-up team does the rest. The cost of a wax figure can range from £35,000 to £50,000.