Do you want to Get Back with The Beatles or is Grieg more your gig? Would you enjoy the magic of Harry Potter or be enchanted by a medieval town?
These are just some of the city break options available this summer, flying from Aberdeen International Airport.
Amsterdam
There are 12 Hilton-owned hotels in and around Amsterdam but only one has a rock and roll story to rival all others.
Hilton Amsterdam is where John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged their famous ‘bed-in’ protest, with posters on the windows saying “Hair Peace” and “Bed Peace”.
The John and Yoko Suite is available for guests to book for around £1,500 a night.
A stay in a regular guest room will still bring you close to music history without the high price tag.
The hotel is a quiet neighbourhood alongside the canal, and has Roberto’s Italian restaurant, the Half Moon cocktail lounge and bike rentals.
KLM prides itself on “favourable flight schedules” with up to five flights a day from Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ) to Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS).
These start from £95 one-way over the summer.
Flights from Aberdeen to Amsterdam for summer
If you prefer not to book hotel and flights separately, there are plenty of options, including a five-night stay including flights for £917.05 per person with Tui.
This is for two people sharing at the WestCord Fashion Hotel.
This hotel is in the Fair and Green category for sustainable practices and boasts an indoor freshwater pool, heated pool and spa centre.
Can’t get there quick enough? There’s a flight out on Sunday July 7, returning Friday July 12.
Dublin
Loganair has flights from Aberdeen to Dublin (DUB) every day (except one) over the summer.
They range from around £40 to £240 one way.
You could leave Aberdeen at 9:45 and be enjoying fish and chips and Guinness by the Liffey at lunchtime.
Then you could pop to the Guinness Storehouse, the National Museum of Ireland, Phoenix Park and head to Temple Bar for teatime.
At time of checking, leaving Aberdeen International Airport on Friday, July 12, and returning on Monday, July 15 at 12.05 pm was £194 return.
Esbjerg
Loganair flies to Esbjerg five days a week from about £150 each way.
As Denmark’s oil industry base, Esbjerg has an obvious link with Aberdeen.
However, it has much to offer in its own right. The main street, the Skolegade, is packed with pubs while the pedestrianised Kongensgade has 150 shops and restaurants.
Nearby Ribe is Denmark’s oldest town with a preserved medieval centre. Visitors can wander along cobblestoned streets between half-timbered houses.
Ribe is 33 minutes by train and 54 minutes by bus. A taxi will set you back £65-£85.
Storkesoen Holiday Cottages offers an apartment with bedroom, bathroom and kitchen at £314 for three nights based on two adults on Booking.com.
A popular thing to do in Ribe is the Night Watchman Tour which gets rave reviews on TripAdvisor.
At time of checking, Loganair has a £287 return leaving Aberdeen International Airport on Monday, August 12, and returning Thursday, August 15.
Bergen
Bergen, Norway, is a short hop of one hour and 20 minutes with Wideroe Airlines.
It’s a pretty UNESCO World Heritage City, on the fjords, and children could mistake it for Disney’s Frozen.
Stepping back in time, the Det Hanseatiske Hotel dates back to the 16th Century and its rustic rooms feature timber walls.
Three nights in August for two people was £711 on Booking.com.
Edvard Grieg composed many of his works in a garden hut in nearby Troldhaugen.
His home is now a living museum and there’s a shuttle bus from Bergen town centre.
Summer music recitals are held, and some concerts are in the living room on Grieg’s Steinway grand piano.
A ticket including bus, recital and museum is roughly £40 for adults, £18 for children.
At time of checking, Wideroe offered a flight from Aberdeen International Airport to Bergen on Tuesday, August 13, return on Friday, August 16, for £252.
This is for the Smart fare which includes a checked bag for all those souvenirs.
London
People used to go to London for reasons other than to see Taylor Swift, who returns to Wembley on August 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20.
Harry Potter and The Cursed Child and Legoland Windsor are two other reasons to visit over the school holidays.
Tickets for the “most awarded play in history” at the Palace Theatre are still available for July and August, from £15 to £130.
The performance is in two parts with a matinee and evening show.
Each week 40 tickets are released at £40 as part of the Friday Forty deal.
Legoland Windsor is about 12 miles from Heathrow.
According to travel website Rome2Rio, buses operated by Metroline, First Bus and RailAir take up to 90 minutes, changing in Slough. A taxi will cost £30 to £40.
For a long weekend in August, EasyJet from Aberdeen International Airport to Luton is as low as £58 round trip. British Airways starts at £103 return to Heathrow.
Okay, if you really do want a beach holiday…
But, if you really are in desperate need of some sunshine, sea and sand and an escape from our wet and wild Aberdeen summer… there’s always Spain.
If you want everything tied up neatly in a package, Tui has Aberdeen flights to Spain.
Free child places are available to resorts such as Majorca and Costa Dorada.
A seven-night holiday starts at £527 per person for a self-catering apartment in Cala Mesquida, Majorca.
All-inclusive starts at £744 for Palma Nova.
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