Originally Posted by
mtkeller
I tend to be the type of person who reads a lot in museums/historic sites, so that tends to make me move slower than some people. However, the friend who went to Bletchley Park with me is a faster museum mover and he still felt rushed with four hours.
I find lots of things at the Tower of London fascinating, and since I have a membership, I'm maximizing its value

The arms and armor bit wasn't terribly great, from my perspective, and that did eat up some time when I was there with some visitors. However, if you're interested in learning about some of the famous "residents" and seeing where they literally made their mark on some of the walls, you can spend a lot of time perusing areas with pretty good information provided. I'd definitely say see what you're interested in and then ask advice about how long it will take (and queuing times).
I agree that to appreciate the Tower of London, you really need more 3 hours. I took my mom there last fall for her first trip, my fourth, and we were there at least 5 hours and still didn't see everything. We arrived early when there was no line for the crown jewels, but later in the day, there was a VERY LONG line. So if you really can budget only a few hours, I would suggest getting there when they open so you don't waste your limited time waiting in line.