Madrid Wax Museum: Horror Figures, Terror Train, And More
We don’t have to introduce Madrid to you. It is Spain’s capital city, the most populated city, and one of Europe’s significant touristic, cultural, and economic centers. It has a rich and varied heritage, with many museums, monuments, parks, and attractions to explore. In our context, it is certainly possible to find a “scary” side to Madrid, primarily connected to the city’s dark past. For example, the Spanish Inquisition and its horrific torture methods are reflected in museums and well-preserved ancient buildings, or ghost stories that have been part of the Spanish folklore for years.
In Madrid, you will find several contemporary attractions that speak (also) to horror fans. One of them is the wax museum, which offers the 300,000 tourists who visit here every year a unique experience of meeting famous figures from fields such as history, art, entertainment, sports… and, of course, horror.
Suppose you’ve read our reviews of other major wax museums worldwide, such as Madame Tussauds in London or the Barcelona Wax Museum, or movies centered around murderous wax dolls (or madmen who make them). In that case, you might know what to expect. The Madrid Wax Museum will allow you to face your fears and encounter some of the scariest characters and scenes from film and literature, and there are also some very endearing attractions, such as a ride on The Terror Train.
What Is The Madrid Wax Museum?
The Wax Museum in Madrid (Museu de Cera de Madrid) is located in Plaza de Colon, in the city’s heart. It opened its doors on February 14, 1972; since then, it has surprised its visitors with wax figures. The museum, which spreads over 2000 square meters, has over 450 wax figures covering different periods and aspects of Spanish and international history and culture. The museum offers, according to its official website, “a voyage through history and culture.”
We can divide the wax figures in the museum into several main groups:
- Political and historical figures, including former US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, Spanish kings such as Felipe IV and others
- Celebrities and people in the entertainment industry, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Antonio Banderas, Marilyn Monroe and Taylor Swift
- The “Library” has wax figures of poets, writers, and other artists. Mostly Spaniards
- Sports stars, including footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta, Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal and more. Note that here, too, most of the figures are of Spanish sportsmen and women
- Children’s section, with wax figures of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Simpsons, Captain Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” comic characters such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and Captain America, Draculaura from “Monster High” and more.
The figures of The Wax Museum in Madrid are placed in rooms with a relevant design, such as a prison or a party room. From our impressions and the reviews we read, there needs to be more uniformity regarding the quality of the figures. Unlike famous museums like Madame Tussauds in London, where almost every figure is a work of art, in this case, we saw some wax figures that are very similar to the original, but also some that are less successful. Some argue that the emphasis here is more on recreating scenes and a suitable setting and less on the accuracy of the characters.
Besides wandering among the characters, you can enjoy some other exciting attractions. The museum has a simulator that takes you through frozen tunnels, the earth’s center, and space. On the second floor, you can find the “Multivision,” a cinema that offers a vision of the history of Spain through 27 projectors.
The Scary Side Of Madrid Wax Museum
Finally, we come to the bread and butter of this article: the scary sides of the wax museum in Madrid, which gives it a place on our website. On a general level, the museum offers a wide variety of horror characters and realistic scenes from films such as “Psycho,” “The Shining,” “Saw,” the cinematic universe of “The Conjuring” (eg The Nun, a.k.a Valak), Pennywise, Freddy Krueger, Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Hannibal Lecter and historical figures of serial killers, such as Jack the Ripper.
Sometimes, these characters are in a setting that recreates the film. For example, the lovable twins from “The Shining” stand at the end of a corridor with a carpet identical to the one in the movie. There are also some exhibits related to torture, which, unfortunately, is an integral part of Spanish history.
Hitch A Ride On The Horror Train
In the eyes of quite a few people, the main highlight of the wax museum in Madrid for horror fans is the Train of Terror, which opened in 2022. It is a slow ride on a demon train, where you will go through scary and sometimes frightening scenes. During the trip, you will pass between dangerous creatures – including dinosaurs, monstrous giant rats, or sharks – and villains like Dracula or Pennywise.
Some characters move, and there are also lighting, sound, smoke, and other effects. Not everything here is pure horror – for example, there is an area dedicated to “Star Wars” or even one that shows some of the horrors of the Vietnam War – but it is an enjoyable experience for those who connect to these worlds.
The trip is about 5 minutes, and it is included in the entrance ticket to the museum. While the kids can happily visit the museum, this attraction is probably not for them.
Here is a short video showing the horror train ride experience. For those who visit the museum, we recommend not watching the video in its entirety so that your visit experience is not damaged.
General Information About Madrid Wax Museum
Opening Hours:
The opening times of the wax museum vary throughout the year, divided between “summer time” and “winter time.” In the summer months (April to September), the museum is open daily from 20:00 to 11:00, while the ticket office is open until 19:00.
In the winter months, from October to March, the opening hours are more limited: the museum is open from 11:00 to 19:00, with the ticket office closing at 18:00.
Madrid Wax Museum Tickets And Prices
As of 2023, the entrance ticket prices to the museum are:
- Adults: 19 euros
- Children (4-14): 14 euros. Children up to the age of 4 enter for free
- Seniors (+65 years): 14€
- People with disabilities: €10
- Groups (minimum 20 people): €12 per person
- Schools (minimum 20 students): €9 per student
You can add an audio guide in English, Spanish, or Italian.
How To Buy Tickets To The Wax Museum In Madrid?
Similar to other museums and other horror attractions around the world, in the Madrid Wax Museum case, we recommend that you consider purchasing tickets in advance. The first reason is that your price may be cheaper than at the office. For example, the gap is 20% through the museum’s official website. Also, on other ticket sites we checked, purchasing tickets in advance can give you a discount compared to the price at the box office.
Another advantage is that ordering the tickets in advance can save a lot of time and headaches. Even if it is not the Prado Museum in terms of the number of visitors, it may be busy at certain times of the year – a reservation will prevent you from standing in line at the entrance and guarantee your place. The sites that provide tickets do offer room for flexibility.
How Do You Get To The Madrid Wax Museum?
The Wax Museum is located near Colón Square (also known as “Columbus Square” or “Discoverers Square”) at Paseo de Recoletos, 41. This location is not random, as it is at the beginning of the “Golden Mile” of museums in Madrid.
You can get there quickly by metro, bus or train. The nearest metro station is Colon (line 4), and the good news is that there is direct access to the museum from the tunnel.
The bus lines that stop near the museum are 27, 14, 5, 45, 53 and 150. The nearest train station is Recoletos.
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