Madame Tussauds Amsterdam

The scenerama of Madam Tussauds in Amsterdam is a wax museum opened in 1970 in the Dutch capital.

This museum is in fact a replica of the one founded in 1835 in London by Marie Tussaud, creator of wax statues. Madame Tussauds Museum also exist in Berlin, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Shanghai, New York and Washington, D.C.. The Museum of Amsterdam was the first built by the Tussauds Group outside London.

Situation

The Museum is located on the Dam square, one of the most beautiful in the city and also where the former royal palace can be found. In the city center, it is very easy to reach on foot, by bike or tram. The Museum is located 10 minutes’ walk from the train station.

Visits

The visit to the Museum is divided into several phases. First, one can discover statues, animated paintings and objects that quickly retraces the history of Amsterdam and its famous golden age. Then we go in a dark passage that "joins life to death", forbidden to the most sensitive souls. Finally, we can see wax models of world-famous stars such as Michael Jackson, George W. Bush, Lenin or Charlot. In addition, the round window on the top floor offers a magnificent view of the Dam square.

The collections

The Museum contains a large collection of wax models that can be divided into several categories:

• The Royal personalities: Lady Diana, Guillaume of Orange, Queen Béatrix, Queen Wilhelmina, Juliana of the Netherlands...

• The political leaders of the world: Barack Obama, the Dalai Lama, Hu Jintao, Nelson Mandela, Jan Peter Balkenende, George W. Bush, Mahatma Gandhi, Jacques Chirac, Lenin...
• The American actors: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Lopez, Doutzen Kroes, George Clooney, Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Anthony Hopkins...
• Singers: Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue, Beyonce and Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake, Bono, Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, James Brown, Lenny Kravitz, Prince, Dire Straits...
• The people of world culture: Albert Einstein, Madame Tussaud, Pablo Picasso, the Mona Lisa, El Salvador Dali, Vincent van Gogh, Rembrandt, Anne Frank, Piet Mondrian...
• The Athletes: Ronaldinho, Lance Armstrong, David Beckham

Tickets

Especially in high season the waiting line can go up to 1,5 hours. Be clever and enjoy Madame Tussaud's buying your tickets online.

An amusement gallery

Peek & Clopenburg building which houses Tussauds, corresponds in its architecture with the nearby Royal Palace. An enormous roof has been added on the top of the building, to accommodate Claas Janszoon - the world’s largest animatronics’ wax figure, 5 meters (18 feet) tall, greeting you at the very beginning of your visit. While the Madame Tussauds cashiers are located on the street level, two big elevators bring visitors to upper floors of the building. During your visit, you will slowly walk down, ending for the last two floors on a small, grey staircase.

The show tries to shake off the morbid feeling of a traditional wax figure cabinet, using multimedia and animatronics. Most of the wax figures at Madame Tussauds were made taller and prettier than people they were supposed to represent. Hence you will see very tall Elisabeth Taylor, while she was a petite woman of 1.57 m, slim Albert Einstein looking like a pop singer and other celebrities - all thinner and taller, probably to make them stand out from the visiting crowd. Time and again you will have to check their names to learn, whom you are supposed to see. Celebrities will impress most of teenagers, especially so called Pop Idols Experience and Models Zone. There is even a possibility to dress like Michael Jackson and have your photo taken. Nevertheless - the grown up visitors of Tussauds might feel let down.

The feel

The Dutch Golden Age attraction is impressive, but further you move into the Madame Tussauds Scenerama, it gets less appealing and rather tacky. The feel is mixed, but if you liked Disneyland or another amusement park of this kind - do not miss it, especially if you travel with children. A spectacular view from the round window at the top of the building on Dam, direction Central Station. Overall a visit to Madame Tussauds is also a great photo opportunity.

Open

How to get there

Walking: for 10 minutes from Central Station.
By tram: 4,9,14, 16, 24, 25; tram stop: Dam.
By car: The closest parking garage is the Bijenkorf department store car park open 24h/7 days a week, accessible when driving from the Munt tower. If the Bijenkorf car park is full, continue driving to P1 Parking Amsterdam Centre (Prins Hendrikkade 20), located left from the Central Station.