3 day trip from London to Edinburgh, Dublin, Stockholm or Helsinki+Tallin
 

Will be in London for work in mid April and looking to do a 3 day side trip before work to a place I have not been to. The 4 options I came up with are:

Edinburgh, Dublin/North Ireland, Stockholm or Helsinki+Tallinn.

I realize that Edinburgh and Stockholm probably have more to offer from a historical/sightseeing perspective but the big plus of going to Helsinki+Tallinn is that I can fly direct (preferred airline) while all others will require me to make a connection from NYC. It also allows me to experience 2 countries with 2 different cultures in a short period of time because they are a quick 2hr boat ride from each other. On the other hand, Edinburgh is probably warmer and so much more majestic. I am torn. Dublin sounds fun and fairly close to the beautiful North Ireland countryside with the Giant Causway. Thoughts?

Any would be a nice 3-day break.

But me personally -- I'd choose Edinburgh.

For Edinburgh you could fly directly to GLA or MAN w/o connecting and take an easy train ride to central Edinburgh

I have to fly One World because of work..so my options are limited to British Airways, American Airlines, Air Berlin and Finnair. Which means that I would need to connect in London to get to Edinburgh

Well if you have to stick w/ One World -- the transfer at LHR is easy and there are frequent flights to EDI.

yes you are right.
I am probably narrowing it down to between Edinburgh or Hels/Tallinn..the latter just sounds more exotic :) but I am sure there is a ton more to see in Edinburgh.

I've not been to Helsinki, so can't comment on that but there is lots to do and see in Tallinn. We spent a week there and throughly enjoyed the place.
The old town is unspoilt by tourism and has a lot of old buildings. It had a stong Hanseatic influence and this is reflected in the architecture around the square. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Russian Orthodox Cathedral) was built in the late 1890s as a symbol of Russian power. Easily reached by bus or tram is Kadriorg, the summer palace of Peter the Great.

If you like folk museums, the Open Air Museum at Rocca al Mare is a short bus trip and is a fascinating place to visit. We spent two days there.

My trip report is here:
http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/triprepor...d=1983&index=0
And our pictures are here:
http://wasleys.org.uk/estonia_mw/index.html

I don't think you'd go wrong with any of these options, but my choice would be Edinburgh. Wait for Helsinki & Talllinn until you can give them a bit more time.