Visiting Madame Tussauds and Planet Hollywood

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Located in the heart of London, Madame Tussauds and Planet Hollywood are among the most popular tourist attractions in the English capital, attracting millions of visitors between them each year.

Traditionally, these kinds of attractions can be rather costly to visit, especially when travelling as a family or as part of a large group. When you book via Discount London, however, you can gain access to exclusive savings on standard ticket prices.

Discount London’s Madame Tussauds and Planet Hollywood deal

Take Discount London’s Madame Tussauds and Planet Hollywood deal, for example. Normally, an adult ticket for Madame Tussauds would set you back around £30. When you book via Discount London, though, you pay just £35.95 for entry to Madame Tussauds and a two-course meal at nearby Planet Hollywood, saving almost 30% on standard prices. I hopped on a train to London to experience it for myself.

Getting from Cardiff to London

Travelling from Cardiff to London needn’t be tedious or time consuming, as you can catch a high-speed train from Cardiff Central to London Paddington in just over two hours, compared to a journey time of around three to four hours when travelling by car or coach.

I booked Anytime Tickets via the Southern Rail website at a cost of £93.80 for a return journey with different outbound and return dates. Anytime tickets are particularly cost-effective if you don’t plan on returning on the same day or if you’re not sure of exactly what date or what time you’ll need to travel home, so they were ideal for my trip. You can make your outbound journey within five days of the date of your outgoing ticket, and return at any point during the following month.

Although I wasn’t able to reserve a seat as I opted for an e-ticket, if you opt to collect your tickets at the station in-advance, reservations can usually be arranged dependent on availability. In any case, the train was relatively quiet and I managed to bag a table seat next to the window and two power points, so I could get some blogging down while on board (the complimentary WiFi came in handy here!) and ensure I had a full phone battery upon arrival in London.

It’s relieving to discover that the coffee served on-board has improved greatly since I last travelled to London by train. A strong cup of freshly brewed Lavazza did a stellar job of perking me up before pulling into London Paddington station.

Madame Tussauds

Opened in 1970, the London branch of Madame Tussauds sees 2.5 million visitors stepping foot through its doors every year.

From party, film and sport to culture, music, world leaders and the Royals, the 250+ lifelike wax figures span a variety of interests and professions. You can even go ‘behind the scenes’ and see for yourself how the wax figures are made.

Here are some of the most notable wax figures at Madame Tussauds London:

• The Royals

• Theresa May and Donald Trump

• Rihanna

• Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s

• Jessica Ennis and Usain Bolt

• Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet

The Spirit of London ride is a real highlight of any trip to Madame Tussauds. Take a seat inside a traditional London black cab and step back in time to discover the historical and cultural events that have defined the character of London.

The Marvel Superheroes Command Centre movie is another treat. Don a pair of 3D glasses and lose yourself in this 4D sensory movie, featuring realistic special effects including puffs of air and squirts of water.

Located on Marylebone Road, Madame Tussauds London is ideally situated for access via Baker Street underground station, which is just a two to three-minute walk away.

If you’re thinking of visiting Madame Tussauds, I recommend visiting during early morning and avoiding half-term, as the queues can get rather long and taking clear photos of the wax figures can be challenging when the museum is busy.

Access to Madame Tussauds normally costs £30 on the door for adults, but Discount London’s deal costs just £35.95 for entrance into Madame Tussauds and a two-course meal at Planet Hollywood.

Planet Hollywood

Said to be the only restaurant in the world offering a Hollywood-inspired dining experience, Planet Hollywood was launched in New York in 1991, backed by Hollywood superstars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Demi Moore.

The London branch opened just a couple of years later, originally in the former Trocadero Centre on Coventry Street. In 2009, the restaurant moved to its current spot on Haymarket, less than a five-minute walk away from Piccadilly Circus underground station. This central West End location makes Planet Hollywood London the perfect spot for pre- or post-theatre dining.

Inside, the restaurant is styled as a traditional American diner and the walls are adorned with over 85 items of authentic movie memorabilia. A raised mezzanine area provides extra dining space, as well as playing host to the Wall of Celebrity Handprints. Meanwhile, music from the movies blasts out from wall-mounted TVs as you dine; think High School Musical, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift.

In the evening, the restaurant is transformed from a chirpy, casual diner to a buzzing, vivacious venue as the tables fill up and the resident DJ keeps the tunes pumping all night.

With a reputation for the kind of grease-loaded junk food that makes McDonald’s look like mere diet fodder, Planet Hollywood is the perfect place to go when you fancy overindulging in carbs and calories.

Staring at the supersized burger stacked up on the table next to me, I can practically feel the cholesterol clogging up my arteries. When I see the two-course ‘For Your Eyes Only’ set menu that’s included in Discount London’s deal, I’m not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. Faced with a choice of a classic burger, cheeseburger or veggie burger; a couple of salads; a tomato-based pasta dish and mac n’cheese with chicken, I opt for the burger.

Although it doesn’t tower over the plate like a skyscraper, this is a deceptively weighty burger. A thick, handmade beef patty is topped with melted Emmental cheese in a squishy, golden brioche bun, paired with a side salad of iceberg lettuce, red onion and gherkin.

The burger is teamed with a carb-on-carb combo of crispy, well-seasoned French fries and criss-cross fries so crunchy, I can feel the quiet, elegant couple sitting opposite casting daggers at me with every mouthful.

My meal ends on a sweet note with a well-sized slab of velvety vanilla cheesecake topped with sliced strawberries and sticky strawberry sauce, finished with a dollop of squirty cream.

Planet Hollywood London’s ‘For Your Eyes Only’ set menu is also available for groups of 10 or more at a cost of just £19.75 (including a soft drink), although when combined with entrance to Madame Tussauds as part of this nifty deal from Discount London, it offers exceptional value for money.

Book a package with Discount London here

Have you been to Madame Tussauds and Planet Hollywood? What are your top tips for cutting the cost of a trip to London? Share your ideas with fellow readers by commenting below.

If you enjoyed this post, take a look at my other posts about London:

• 5 Unmissable Things to Do in London
• London Notting Hill Carnival
• Riding the Arcelormittal Orbit Slide, Stratford
• Hotel Review: BLOC Hotel, Gatwick Airport
• West End Wishlist

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