5 Cities in 15 days

If you have been to 2 of the cities before then I say 3 nights is fine. Remember to take in to account the time you arrive, and add 2 hours to your arrival time (ie: travel time from plane to terminal, airport to hotel, checking in, etc.) and also take away time of your trip as you have to be at the airport at least 1 to 2 hour before departure.

If you want to explore Budapest more, why not eliminate one of your cities and spend more time in Budapest? That way you get more breathing room??

This question gets asked all the time. And the response is nearly the same -- it is your travel preference, your travel style. I would not do it because when we change location I plan on losing a productive day. Now, that is not an absolute but if you consider packing/unpacking, checking in and out, finding the new hotel, getting to and from the terminals especially airports, traveling time on train or plane, getting oriented to new location, etc. you just loose a lot of productive time. If comfortable with the lost time, then do it but recognize that travel between location is not always quick and easy.

Personally, I would leave Dublin out this trip and concentrate on the your eastern cities. A trip to Cesky Krumlov would be worth seeing.

Today, Tuesday, my daughter left Budapest on her way to Prague, Dresden and Berlin. I asked her how she liked Budapest...she said she did not.

Why I don't know. Her response was by email.