In this celebrity-obsessed age, it's hardly surprising that Madame Tussauds' hyperrealistic waxwork dummies are just as popular now as when the eponymous madame lugged her macabre haul of French Revolution death masks to London in 1803. Where else do mere mortals get to strike a pose with Hugh Jackman and cosy up to Kylie? There are various combination entrance deals with the adjacent zoo and aquarium; book online for best rates.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Sydney Sea Life Aquarium

0.01 MILES

As well as regular tanks, this impressive complex has large pools that you can walk through – safely enclosed in Perspex tunnels – as an intimidating…

2. Wild Life Sydney Zoo

0.01 MILES

Complementing its sister and neighbour, Sea Life, this surprisingly capacious complex houses an impressive collection of Australian native reptiles,…

3. Cockle Bay Wharf

0.14 MILES

The showpiece of the innovative redevelopment of the southeastern corner of Darling Harbour in the late 1990s, this bar and restaurant precinct occupies…

4. King Street Wharf

0.16 MILES

The central one of three major developments along the east side of Darling Harbour, this is a modern metallic affair in three sections. Below plush…

5. Australian National Maritime Museum

0.17 MILES

Beneath a soaring roof, the Maritime Museum sails through Australia’s inextricable relationship with the sea. Exhibitions range from Indigenous canoes to…

6. Harbourside

0.21 MILES

The first major Darling Harbour development, Harbourside shopping centre is like that nightclub guy still wearing a pirate shirt and an unreconstructed…

7. Ribbon

0.27 MILES

Due to open in 2020, this striking building will incorporate the current Western Distributor flyover and add office space, a sizeable business hotel and…

8. Queen Victoria Building

0.31 MILES

Unbelievably, this High Victorian Gothic masterpiece (1898) was repeatedly slated for demolition before it was restored in the mid-1980s. Occupying an…