3 Days in London

Definitely see the Tower and Westminster Abbey. I am a detailed oriented person and fascinated by history so I would give each a half day. St. Paul's is spectacular and you can get a great view if you climb the dome, 2-3 hours depending on if you head up the dome or not. I would not do the Tower on a weekend so either Monday or maybe Tuesday morning before you leave? Have a great time!

First thing to do is use the google maps satellite view on your computer. Type in Big Ben London. I say this because you will see how close many of the iconic British sites are to one another. The walk from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace is 20 minutes at most. If you sleep in on Saturday as you've stated you might, then use the hop on and off bus to get your bearings. Crowds will be large everywhere you go on the weekend especially if the sun is shining. I'd opt for a nice pub meal or a London walk. Or maybe you'd enjoy a theatre performance that evening. If that option has crossed your mind then get to the 1/2 price ticket booth in Leicester Square and purchase a ticket for that night. If you want to experience some interesting pubs try the Art Deco gem, the Blackfriar across the road from the Blackfriar Underground station. If you want a pub untarnished by corporate take over or a gastropub makeover, visit the Princess of Prussia near Tower Hill. You could then enjoy the beauty of Tower Bridge at night. If you prefer to see bits of London not often on a tourist's itinerary, then take the tube to the Bermondsey station, exit, walk towards the Thames and then follow the walkway to the venerable Mayflower or The Ship Rotherhithe. Sunday morning up bright and early and head over to St. Paul's Cathedral. Pop into Paul's in the courtyard for a pastry and some coffee then enjoy the ringing of the cathedral bells before mass. Very powerful stuff. I'd then saunter over to the adjacent One New Change shopping center and take the interior glass elevator to the roof top. GREAT view of London and St Paul's. From there take a walk to the glass covered Leadenhall Market. From there to Petticoat Lane Market and onto to Spittafields Sunday market. IMHO would be a most enjoyable walking excursion as you get to see a typical Sunday in London. On Monday, be first in line when the Tower opens. 2hours at the Tower then I'd consider another non touristy option and visit Alexandra Palace. Closer than Windsor. Enjoy your travels and yes get an OYSTER card. The London Pass won't help u at all. Waste of money.

To be first in line when the Tower opens, which is the only way to avoid crowds, arrive when the gift shop opens. Purchase your entrance ticket in the gift shop. Then go stand in line at the entrance. First in!

You can buy tickets to the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament online, in the comfort of your home. I did this and probably saved an hour of waiting in line. Even though it isn't on your list of things to do, may I suggest Houses of Parliament? I like history and politics and learned so much about Great Britain listening to the audio tour. It is also right next door to Westminster. So you can see Parliament, then Westminster Abbey. Big Ben is also there but all you need to do is look up at it and hear the bells. Doesn't take too much time. Buckingham Palace will take 5 minutes. All you are able to do is look at the Palace between the bars of the gates. The guards are about 50 yards away. The Tower Bridge (1 hour - tops) is right next to the Tower of London (2 hours) The Hop On/Hop Off bus tour is good to do the first day as you are getting your bearings and wanting an overview of the city.

Blue Badge Guides!!
Do some research and pick a tour. For instance, we wanted to see St Paul's. We went to St Paul's tube station at the indicated time, and our Blue Badge Guide was waiting. With about 20 other people, we each paid £7 to the guide and walked to the cathedral. We passed to the front of the line and entered through our own door. She gave us a fascinating tour of about an hour, and then cut us loose to climb the dome. Blue Badge tours are available for every major site.

At Buckingham Palace you ca. Tour the Royal Mews and the Queens Gallery,
You can get to Windsor by train from Paddington Station, it's a 35 minute train ride. When you get off the train in Windsor turn to the right, walk up to the street and there is the castle across the street. If you do go to Windsor you should really walk down to Windsor Great Park, whe you exit the castle you will walk thru Henry VIII gate, turn left down to the street, turn right and just walk Dow. The side walk and it will take you to the park. As you go in you will see The Long Walk, which is the private road for the Royal Family to use you they come and leave the castle. Also, if you walk up to the gates you will get a wonderful of the Royal residents at the castle. Windsor is is wonderful. If you do go at the train station ask for a return ticket (round trip).

we used the Rick Steves walking tour app, of London, on our phone/ipod. we found it ideal for walking around and getting a simple but very effective tour. we have used them all over europe and they have been great. down load it and try it before you go , to see if would suit you.

London can be very expensive, luckily places like the British museum, library etc are free.