Re: Madame Tussauds
 

Go to the National Gallery for free and the paintings are well worth looking at, some even take your breath away.
If a member of your party gets bored and you decide to leave you won't feel as though you have wasted your money.

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

I wouldnt pay to go to Madame Tussauds, I lived in London for 26 years and only went the once as it was a free dinner/disco thing. It was good, but not worth all the £££, and tho the models are very impressive they just dont come across well in the photos your friends take of you hugging Lenin, Bill Clinton, Jean Luc Picard. So disappointing.

The Natural History Museum and Science Museums have great interactive stuff, kids really enjoy it there, and so do grown-ups. The Science Museum has an IMAX cinema too, not feature films but amazing short films showing of the IMAX effects.

The London Eye is said tobe very good, and worth the ££ and i have had very good reports of the London Dungeon but as I scare easily i havent been.

Whereabouts in England are you staying? perhaps we can suggest something local?

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

I always stay with my sister near Maidstone. I am trying to talk them into going to Leeds Castle. I was there a couple of years ago, but I would do it again. We also want to go to Dover Castle and see the stuff from the last war. We got there too late last time - at least I did - my son hasn't been to England since he was about 4 and my granddaughter was only 5 when I took her the last time and can't remember much.

It's not me that wants to see Madame Tussauds - its them. When I was there last year with my older son and his wife, we did the Big Bus tour and that was really good. Even though I lived in Purley and worked in London - that was 35 years ago and it was nice to do the tour. I went to places I had never been to when I lived there.

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

I think you are right there, you rarely do the touristy things when you live somewhere- unless you have people to show round so maybe thats why i didn't get to Tussauds. I've only been to Kent as a tourist and enjoyed Leeds castle very much- it shoud leb lovely in the Spring with the daffodils out. We went to Chatham dockyard and enjoyed that very much.

Anyone else with suggestions for Kent?? I hope you have a good holiday.

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

The thing about Madame Tussauds is two-fold - for starters if I had to see things in London, wandering around looking at lifesize statues of Brad Pitt would not be my idea of typical London. I don't know that Brad Pitt is there, but I wouldn't mind betting! Also, my granddaughter will be nearly 14 then. I know her. We will pay a bunch of money and within ten minutes she will be saying how boring it is and can we go and do something else. That is fine if it's free, but MT is pretty darn expensive.

I like walking around. Covent Garden always has really neat stores. And walking up Regent Street and around Soho in the evening - that is something you can't do anywhere else and besides which - its free!

I also like shopping in Cranbrook - it has some really neat stores but maybe nothing that would appeal to a 14 year old. Maybe she can stay at my sister's and chat to her friends on MSN Messenger!!!

I've heard that Whitstable is a neat place too. Never been there. And Rye is one of my favourite places and Camber Sands. We used to go to Camber Sands all the time and party on the beach all night!

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

I've heard of parties at Camber Sands! :eek: I see you in a new light!
We enjoyed Whitstable but I think a 14 yr old would be bored silly. Theres always Brighton, very trendy and buzzy lots of little shops and with the Pavilion for culture.

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

Get a day ticket for all-regions tube travel. Get to see some classic Victorian architecture and marvel at how a once-world class city has deteriorated to look like some eastern-European underworld Gulag complete with authentic gothic/zombie population strung out on various sedatives. Mind the rats though.

Rich.

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

"I've heard of parties at Camber Sands! I see you in a new light!"

Well those were a long time ago, but if you heard of a bunch of people who had had quite a bit to drink and then stole those red lights from the night watchman's shed - or around the hole in the roadworks and then demolished the fence to make a fire . . . it wasn't us!!!

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

As long as you're down there, Bodium is a lovely castle, four towers, a moat, what a kid would draw.

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

Coincidentally I am right now watching TV5, a French channel (from Europe which we get by cable in Montreal). They are now showing a program on another museum. I checked it out on google and admission price is quite reasonable.

(As I type I am watching Celine Dion in the flesh admiring Celine Dion in wax)

http://www.grevin.com/english/tarifs.asp

Re: Madame Tussauds
 

Yes, Bodiam Castle was one thing I suggested. Also, the train ride from Tenderden is really neat too - specially as we don't have any passenger trains here!

A couple of photos from last year. A view from the top of a turret - and my son - also on a turret.