3-4 days in what city?

For a long weekend from Ireland I would opt for Edinburgh. It's close enough and easy to get to so you don't waste a lot of that precious time in travel to and from. Plenty to see and do for a few days.

1 Berlin
2 Madrid
3 Edinburgh

4 days in Berlin or Vienna would give you a nice taste of those cities. Madrid might be getting rather hot by that time; but with a day trip to Toledo, it would also fit the bill. I don't think Ljubljana offers enough to keep you busy for 4 days. One thing you should research, which may narrow the field, is that some cities are surprisingly expensive and/or cumbersome to get to from some others. Skyscanner.com is a site that will show you flight possibilities and prices.

Hi,

Strong votes go to Gdansk, Warsaw, Berlin, Vienna, and Milan, esp the last 4 for cultural reasons.

Vienna with a possible day trip to Bratislava (because it's on your list) or Melk. It's a beautiful city, lovely parks, good affordable food and one of the top palaces in Europe, the Schoenbrun.

You will lose half a day each way in transit, so I would keep the flight as short as possible. If you have 4 days, Berlin. There is at least a week's worth of activities here and it's so affordable. With 3 days, Edinburgh with a day trip by train to Glasgow an hour away or into the countryside.

Hey, great ideas, thanks to all of you! Still will be a hard decision, but I have more clarity now. Much appreciated.

I see people write that traveling within Europe burns a half day on either side. While this can be true, I think the concern is overstated if you are comfortable with long days. For example, you can fly to Barcelona from Dublin and arrive at 9:50 a.m., and on your way back, leave Barcelona very late and arrive back in Dublin around midnight. You can do this for Berlin, Brussels, etc., the list goes on.

We loved Lisbon and Vienna for different reasons. Lyon and Bordeaux are awesome. If you are looking for affordable, Lisbon or Porto should be high on your list, as well as anywhere in Poland or Slovenia. If you are considering Poland, I'd prioritize Krakow over Gdansk or Warsaw.

Your criteria is too broad to differentiate between any of these very different places, so I'll offer up more criteria instead of voting for a specific place. I would pick a place where 3-4 days is adequate to do it justice (smallish or medium-sized, not a large city like Berlin which frankly deserves a lot more time) and whichever has shortest connections (preferably direct flight that gets you in early and out late). For a short trip, it's best to minimize travel time to get there so you really have a full 3-4 days. I'm Polish and I wouldn't indiscriminately prioritize Krakow over Gdansk or Warsaw without first knowing what your interests are - each city has a lot to offer and each has a distinct feel to it. At the end of the day, you need to feel strongly or interested enough about one place over another - asking strangers to pick one just reflects their own preferences (although I'm sure you can't lose with any of these).

From that list, my top choices would be:

• Lisbon
• Berlin
• Vienna

I believe somebody else mentioned that you could do a day trip to Bratislava if you visit Vienna.