Quick london trip advice

Why are you staying at Heathrow? It will lose you AT LEAST two hours in transit every day.

Taking my 16yr daughter and want to see as many sights as possible.
We only have three days for sightseeing....On our list is Parliament
(Big Ben), Westminster Abby, Buckingham palace, Tower of London,
London Bridge, St Pauls, Borough Market, V&A, British Museum, National
Museum, London Eye, a Harry potter walking tour, House of MinaLima,
Kings Cross station ( 9 3/4 platform), changing of the guard and
afternoon tea.

3 days and all of that. Not really going to happen unless you just want literally to take the tube to each building, take a selfie to prove you were "there", and then leave to the next sight on your list.

Big Ben is under scaffolding. You'll see scaffolding. You mention the changing of the guard and Buckingham Palace as separate items. BP won't be open but there will be the changing of the guard there. Look up the schedule assuming it's published. As for the rest, you'll need to pare this list.

Why are you staying at Heathrow? It will lose you AT LEAST two hours
in transit every day.

She said her husband will be there on business and perhaps this is where his company is having him stay. So there is tube commute -- not a terrible inconvenience when she can enjoy London with her daughter while her husband is on business. What a great opportunity!

Parliament (Big Ben), Westminster Abby, Buckingham palace, Tower of London, London Bridge, St Pauls, Borough Market, V&A, British Museum, National Museum, London Eye, a Harry potter walking tour, House of MinaLima, Kings Cross station ( 9 3/4 platform), changing of the guard and afternoon tea.

Are you prepared to see Elizabeth Tower - the one with the bell Big Ben and the clock at the top - silent and wrapped in scaffolding?

Same thing with a fair amount of the Houses of Parliament which is undergoing repair.

Do you want to see the outside of Buckingham Palace or the inside?

London Bridge? The one with high towers, the walk way up in the air between the towers, and which opens? That's Tower Bridge. The low concrete one near London Bridge Station, Southwark Cathedral and Borough Market? Yes, that's London Bridge.

National Museum? Do you mean The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square?

The Eye? Because of the shape, or the location or the reputation? The reason I ask is that there are now several free roof gardens scattered around the town, and some are higher than the Eye. Do you know about those?

It is worth knowing which day you want to go to Borough Market. Different days give different results.

With a short amount of time it is worth knowing what you want to see at the V&A. The place is huge and if you spend time with the website you can be better prepared. Same with the British Museum.. Expect a queueing at the British Museum for security and heavy crowds most of the time. Knowing where you want to go will help so much.

Do you hope to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, or would you prefer much fewer crowds, shiny breastplates and high plumes on horseback at the Changing of the Queen's Life Guard at Horse Guards Parade? I much prefer that one personally. The one at the palace is too much of a scum for me.

These are packed days, but doable. Research and pay attention to opening and closing times for the various venues. For instance, V&A and British Museum are open from 10am-5:30pm (BM is open until 8:30 on Fridays), Tower of London is open from 9am-5:30pm, Westminster Abbey's hours are 9:30am-3:30pm on weekdays, but may have Wednesday late entry available from 4:30-6pm (and at a reduced cost!).

Day 1 - Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye are all near each other. The National Gallery and Trafalgar square are only a 10-15 minute walk away. Buckingham Palace is also about 10-15 walk from both Westminster and Trafalgar Square. Just time your visits to arrive at the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace before 11am. And make sure you pay attention to opening and closing times (Westminster closes at 3:30pm most weekdays). Victoria & Albert museum is about 30-minute walk from Buckingham Palace - or a fairly quick Tube ride on the Circle or District lines from Westminster or St. James's Park. Buckingham by 11am --> V&A--> afternoon at Westminster Abbey and Parliament, and finish with an evening ride on the London Eye. Start with a good breakfast and snack on-the-go until dinner.

Day 2 - The Harry Potter walking tour will take you to St. Paul's Cathedral and Borough Market. It also starts near Big Ben and Westminster tube stop. Right near London Bridge and close access to/from Tower of London. Consider to start the day early at the Tower of London. After, take the Circle or District Line from Tower Hill to Westminster by 2pm - where the Harry Potter walking tour begins. You could also consider to end with the Tower of London, but that will be cutting it close, as the Harry Potter walking tour takes 2 hours and the Tower of London closes at 5:30 (last admission at 5pm). Ending the walking tour at the Bank tube station gives you easy access to St. Paul's, London Bridge, and the Markets if you want to explore further.

Day 3 - Start at House of MinaLima. Either take Tube to King's Cross Station (Picaddilly line from Leicester Square) or walk to the British Museum en route (open at 10am and closes at 5:30pm...until 8:30pm on Fridays)....and then visit King's Cross later. Consider to visit any of the Day 1 or Day 2 sights if the timing is too tight on Day 1 or Day 2. House of MinaLima is only about 1 mile (20-25 minute walk) from Westminster...or a tube ride, though you will have to transfer or walk along the Embankment (Thames - across rom the London Eye) from Westminster bridge to the Embankment tube station and take the Northern Line.

Great tips from everyone. My info is simply that House of MinaLima is only open from 12 noon to 7pm.

I really like the ideas given already to clump sights and maximize walk-ability. Think what you would really like to see - A Museum or something specific at one or more of the large ones. Check out in advance what is going on at the museums. List your most important must-sees and then look at what is near by via foot or easy bust trip.

It is easy to walk from Westminster along the south bank past the Eye and Globe to the Borough Market and over to the Tower if those things sound exciting. If it is Harry Potter, which other things on your list are close? Myself, I pretty quickly figure out my threshold for exhaustion (and grumpiness), so I while I love to overplan, I often scale back on the day.

Another consideration is taking a faster method into town and the tube back when you might be glad to sit for longer. For example, if you want to see Hyde Park and Kensington Palace (and then V&A and Harrods, etc.), consider the TFL train or the Heathrow Express from Heathrow to Paddington. You can easily map out a walking route to Hyde Park and beyond from there. Take the faster way into town and the tube back.

Become familiar with the Transport for London website. Google 36 hours (or 3 days, or 1 day) in London and look at what others have done. Often, websites come with walking maps you can copy. Also, the ubiquitous London Walks is useful to be aware of. They can bring some meaning to sites on the spot which you might not tap into on your own.

Consider a day in Windsor instead of right in London. First thing I would do is get a tour book or three from the library. Then buy your favorite. Also, Oyster is your friend (and buses and walking) - just my two cents.

Have a very good time.

The V&A and British Museum are huge. The National Gallery's not small, though it may be not quite as large as the other two. You can spend a good bit of time just getting to the part of the building you want to see, so I'd try to pick the one I most wanted to see and focus on it. Put the other two on your "if there's time" list. The museum websites have a great deal of information about their exhibits that will help you choose which one is your top priority and which exhibits are most appealing to you.

I would not have either the mental or physical energy to see all this in 3 days. Slow down and enjoy what you do see. If it were me, I would limit my museum-going to the British-It has so many amazing sights. On one trip I went there on 2 different days because I couldn't absorb everything in one visit, even though I had been there twice before. I haven't been but the Tea and Tattle(I think that's the name) sounds good for tea near the British Museum but I was not able to get a reservation. My own favorite for tea is Fortnum and Mason (and you don't have to dress up) and it's walking distance from the National Gallery. I think Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is more trouble than it's worth and agree with the poster who suggested you find time for Windsor-your daughter would probably enjoy seeing St. George's Chapel where Harry and Meghan were married.

I am doing the same sort of trip with my 18 yr. old daughter. Am curious if Borough Market is not worth visiting on a Monday or Tuesday and best saved for Wednesday when all stalls are open? Enjoyed reading the great advice from everyone and thank you.

If the stalls aren’t open, there isn’t inch to do or see.

Immediately as in now book tickets on the Heathrow Express. Will save some money ( no a lot but some) and you will then spend only 30 minutes total travel time into and out of London...thus obliterating the cheaper but longer tube ride.

Take into account some attractions don’t open till 10am but research each place you want to visit to be certain. Obviously I’m referring getting inside. Walking around Parliament Square where Parliament, Elizabeth’s Tower and Westminster Abbey are located is open 24/7. Can also see the London Eye from on the adjacent Westminster Bridge.

It’s Tower Bridge you want to see. London Bridge is in Arizona.

Lastly very precious time will be wasted on trying to see the Changing of the Guard. Crowds will be massive and it’s difficult to see anything unless you are up front which means arriving an hour so earlier. Instead If you are at Parliament Square around 10:30am follow signage toward the Churchill War Rooms and you’ll see the Horse Guards adjacent to its entrance. You can easily watch them leave and be escorted up the Mall for the ceremony. Something less crowded but no less traditional. And who doesn’t like horses?

As advised group your sites together.

Add to your Tower of London, Tower Bridge day a stroll up to Leadhall Market. A much more interesting Harry Potter Location than the fake 9 3/4 site at Kings Cross. See if your daughter can locate the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron at Leadenhall. It’s also the last glass covered market in London.

Safe travels. Have fun.

So glad they at least let the clock face be seen on the Elizabeth Tower!