Compare Aberdeen car hire

You'll find several big-name car hire firms at Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ), including Avis, Hertz, Enterprise and Sixt. Hiring a car is a great option for onward travel – the city centre is just 20 minutes away by road, and you can be in the Cairngorms in about an hour.

The drive to Aberdeen city centre is easy – just follow the A96 eastbound. It'll bring you into the city via the Woodside and Kittybrewster neighbourhoods. The A96 also has exits onto the A90, the main artery running up and down the Aberdeenshire coast. Follow it south to reach Dundee and Perth.

If you're picking up your car at Aberdeen International Airport, you'll find the desks in a separate car hire centre a short walk away. Turn left at the top of the arrivals concourse and follow the signs. The walkway to the centre is covered, so don't worry about sudden downpours – though you'll want a warm jacket if you're coming in winter. This is Aberdeen, after all.

Compare cheap Aberdeen car rental prices before you travel to get a great deal and to save time at the airport.

Car rental companies that have desks at Aberdeen Airport include:

• Alamo (Tel: +441224 774466)
• Avis (Tel: +44344 544 6010)
• Hertz (Tel: +44843 309 3001)
• National (Tel: +441224 774466)
• Europcar (Tel: +44371 384 0295)
• Enterprise (Tel: +441224 774466)
• Sixt (Tel: +44844 499 3399)

Aberdeen doesn't have a ring road, but it is sandwiched between the coast and the A90, and most major roads will eventually bring you to one or the other. So it's difficult to get hopelessly lost. That said, the city centre is still a city centre, so it's worth bringing a satnav or GPS-enabled smartphone if you need to find your way to specific attractions or addresses.

Parking is better than in many large cities, with plenty of multi-storey car parks and on-street parking spaces, and even a couple of free car parks (though these are, inevitably, a little further out – the nearest, in Torry, is around a 20 minute-walk from the heart of the city).

Outside Aberdeen, don’t expect fast-moving motorways – the A90 and A96 are as major as the roads get this side of the Cairngorms. And when you push out into the country, you'll frequently encounter narrow roads and single-track roads. Be ready to pull in to let other drivers by.

Victorian Heritage Trail

Driving time: 90 minutes

Queen Victoria visited Deeside in 1848 and fell in love with the wild landscape. Since then, generations of royals have escaped to the peace and quiet of Scotland’s northeast. Start at Balmoral Castle, take in views of Glen Tanar’s pine forests and stop by the genteel Victorian community of Ballater. Nip into a local distillery to pick up a warming dram for later and pause to admire Loch Muick, unchanged since well before Victoria’s days.

Cairngorms National Park

Driving Time: Two hours

From windsurfing to snowboarding and from mountain-bike trails to pony-trekking, the Cairngorms is a massive natural playground that you’ll need a hire car to explore. Throw your golf clubs in the boot – the National Park boasts 12 courses. Bring your boots too, and you can hike up a mountain and get to know ospreys and Highland cattle. Or relax on the sandy beach at Loch Morlich, in the shadow of the ski slopes.

The Castle Trail

Driving time: 35 minutes

There are more than 300 castles dotted around Aberdeenshire, hence it being known as Scotland’s Castle Country. Take your hire car south to explore Dunnottar Castle, which rises majestically from the craggy cliff face overlooking the North Sea, then follow a winding route that takes in fairytale turrets, rugged ruins and royal residences.