12 destinations you can fly to for free with Avios points

Amazing places to spend your Avios points on.

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Want free flights? Then you need to sign up for an Avios account. There are a number of ways to accrue points, all of which can be converted into all manner of exciting perks, including free flights. 

Want to know where your monthly spending could take you? Using the British Airways American Express and British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit cards rates, we've calculated how much money you'd have to spend to escape to some of these brilliant places. The standard card offers one Avios for every pound spent, and the Premium Plus offers 1.5 Avios for every pound, plus there's a welcome bonus of 5,000 Avios when spending £1,000 in first three months on the former, and 25,000 Avios when spending £3,000 in first three months on the latter.

1. Vienna, Austria

Build up 15,000 Avios and you'll be able to treat yourself to flights to Austria's beautiful capital. Notable buildings include the Hofburg palace complex and the neo-Gothic Rathaus (City Hall). 

You can learn about Vienna's lesser-known architectural gems (including the anti-aircraft towers built during WWII) on the popular Vienna Ugly tours, or for something a little off-piste, visit the Funeral Museum in Vienna’s Central Cemetery. Head here to learn about the Austrians' unique approach to death.

Finally, when it comes to transport, ditch the traditional horse-drawn carriage and take to the streets in a 14-horsepower, motorised soapbox with Hot Rod Tour Vien.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £9,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months 

2. Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden's beautiful capital is actually a series of islands connected by bridges, although it's still compact and therefore wonderfully easy to explore. Highlights include ABBA: The Museum, where you can strut your stuff alongside holograms of the band, and the nearby Vasa Museum, where you'll find a meticulously-restored Swedish warship. When she set sail in 1628, the Vasa was the world's most heavily-armed warship, but sadly this was her downfall – the weight of the cannons caused her to sink moments after leaving the harbour.

Don't forget to check out the city's metro stations, which have been given spectacular makeovers by Swedish artists. 15,000 Avios is all you'll need to book a flight to this wonderful city. Read our guide to Stockholm here.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £9,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

3. Istanbul, Turkey

What's not to love about Turkey's ancient capital, with its Ottoman architecture and fantastic food scene? Equally loveable is the fact that you can get there for free once you've built up 20,000 Avios. As the final stage of the legendary Silk Road, Istanbul is one of the world's most diverse cities – many of the traders who arrived here liked it so much that they simply decided to stay.

Must-sees include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (otherwise known as the Blue Mosque) and the Hagia Sophia. But don't just focus on the main sites: one of our favourite neighbourhoods is Kadıköy-Moda, an up-and-coming liberal area filled with colourful kahvehans (coffeehouses). Discover more of we love about Istanbul here.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £14,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

4. Hamburg, Germany

Germany's second-largest city has had a new lease of life and you'll need just 9,000 Avios to get there. In 2015 its oldest districts were given UNESCO World Heritage status in recognition of their rich history – businessmen and women have been flocking to Hamburg since the Hanseatic League set up shop here in the Middle Ages.

The harbourside HafenCity district is a striking reminder of Hamburg's ability to reinvent itself. This is where you'll find the new, ultra-modern Elbphilharmonie Hamburg – said to be the most acoustically advanced concert hall in the world.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £3,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

5. Amsterdam, the Netherlands

You'll need 9,000 Avios to get to hop across the water to Amsterdam. It's the ideal destination for a weekend away, although we suggest taking a little longer. Once you've checked out its most popular stop-offs, such as the masterpiece-filled Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House, head to the Jordaan neighbourhood, where you'll find some fantastic Surinamese restaurants and the city's so-called brown pubs – named because of their vast expanses of wooden panelling.

Consider paying a visit to the beautiful nearby city of Utrecht, too – it takes just 26 minutes to get there by train.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £3,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

6. Paris, France

Sacré bleu! Collect just 9,000 Avios and you'll have enough for a trip to Paris. The French capital is a wonderful break in any season, though winter is particularly beautiful and not half as crowded. 

One of our favourite Parisian attractions is The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie. It's Europe's second-largest science museum and you'll find everything from space shuttles and planes to robots and talking Mona Lisas. Read our guide to Paris here.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £3,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

7. Rhodes, Greece

The largest of the Dodecanese Islands, Rhodes is a wooded, beach-fringed paradise famous for its historic old town and topaz waters. History buffs flock here for the ancient sites, world-renowned museums and painted churches. When it comes to the latter, one of the best examples is Panagía Katholikí, with its colourful frescoes of John the Baptist and other saints. You'll need just 20,000 Avios for this. 

We also love the food here. Meat and fresh fish dominate, and local dishes include chtapodokeftedes (small balls of minced octopus meat) and psaria marinata (fresh fish marinated in olive oil, salt, vinegar and pepper).

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £14,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

8. Helsinki, Finland

Finland's capital is a wonderful tangle of stunning architecture built around picturesque Baltic bays. The city's famous for its hi-tech, groundbreaking buildings and modern marvels include the sleek Musiikkitalo concert hall.

This is another destination where you'll never go hungry. The country's forests are filled with wild berries, fish-filled rivers and reindeer, elk and snow grouse, all of which are regarded as delicacies. Make sure you squeeze in a visit to one of the islands in Helsinki's archipelago, too – either by hopping on a ferry or signing up for one of the many boat tours. All this can be yours for just 15,000 Avios.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £9,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

9. Bordeaux, France

In 2017, Bordeaux celebrated its tenth anniversary as a UNESCO-listed city. A destination at the heart of the world's greatest wine region, Bordeaux offers something for every type of traveller. Ramblers come to hike through the pine forest which surrounds the city (it's Europe's largest), foodies come for the oysters (nearby Arcachon Bay has some of the best) and in winter, adrenaline junkies flock here to hit the slopes of the Pyrenees. You'll need just 9,000 Avios to get to this French city.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £3,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

10. Barcelona, Spain

For 15,000 Avios, you can visit Spain's second city. A true highlight in Barcelona is the medieval waterfront, packed with gothic buildings offering a nod to the city's seafaring past. One of the finest examples is the Reials Drassanes, home of the Museu Marítim de Barcelona.

Parc Güell, created by Antoni Gaudi, is a great place to get your bearings before heading further afield. Enjoy a coffee and a spot of people-watching in lively La Rambla, then wander over to the pretty neighbourhood of Gràcia, where you'll find some of Gaudi's other famous creations, including La Pedrera and Casa Batllo.

It's also close to our other favourite bit, the Gothic Quarter, where you'll find the famous gargoyle-adorned cathedral. Read our Barcelona guide here.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £9,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

11. Gibraltar

A huge, monkey-covered chunk of rock, Gibraltar was described by British writer Laurie Lee as a "piece of Portsmouth sliced off and towed 500 miles south."

And while it's true that you'll find red post boxes, British bobbies and sumptuous afternoon teas, dig a little deeper and you'll discover its wonderful Palladian architecture, some of the best-­preserved Moorish baths in Europe (in the basement of the Gibraltar Museum) and, on the famous rock, one of Europe's most diverse collections of plants. Over 530 species, including incredibly rare ones, grow on these alkaline-limestone soils. Flights to Gibraltar cost up to 15,000 Avios.

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £9,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months

12. Geneva, Switzerland

In this breathtaking lakeside city, fantastic Swiss chocolate isn't the only reason to visit. You might be surprised to learn that it's also part of Switzerland's largest wine region, and regarded as one of Europe's greenest cities. One of the best parks is La Grange, where a herd of hungry sheep keep the wildflower-filled meadows looking their best. Geneva costs just 9,000 Avios. 

Spend on standard card: £1,000 in first three months + £3,000
Spend on Premium Plus card: £3,000 in first three months