diff --git a/news/550.bugfix b/news/550.bugfix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..34a5d69c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/550.bugfix
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Fix "replace link variable by path" indexer to return an url and not a path.
+[bsuttor]
diff --git a/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_indexes.py b/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_indexes.py
index e10eef5df..77b7218db 100644
--- a/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_indexes.py
+++ b/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_indexes.py
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ def test_get_remote_url_in_metadata_variables_replaced(self):
         ))
         self.assertEqual(
             brains[0].getRemoteUrl,
-            '/plone/my-item'
+            'http://nohost/plone/my-item'
         )
 
     def test_getobjsize_image(self):
diff --git a/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_link.py b/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_link.py
index 5f729ba21..57a182d8f 100644
--- a/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_link.py
+++ b/plone/app/contenttypes/tests/test_link.py
@@ -373,9 +373,9 @@ def test_var_replacement_in_view(self):
         )
 
         self.link.remoteUrl = '${portal_url}'
-        self.assertEqual(view.url(), '/plone')
+        self.assertEqual(view.url(), 'http://nohost/plone')
         self.assertEqual(view.absolute_target_url(), 'http://nohost/plone')
 
         self.link.remoteUrl = '${navigation_root_url}'
-        self.assertEqual(view.url(), '/plone')
+        self.assertEqual(view.url(), 'http://nohost/plone')
         self.assertEqual(view.absolute_target_url(), 'http://nohost/plone')
diff --git a/plone/app/contenttypes/utils.py b/plone/app/contenttypes/utils.py
index 262fac814..b18e8f64f 100644
--- a/plone/app/contenttypes/utils.py
+++ b/plone/app/contenttypes/utils.py
@@ -40,5 +40,5 @@ def replace_link_variables_by_paths(context, url):
 
 
 def _replace_variable_by_path(url, variable, obj):
-    path = '/'.join(obj.getPhysicalPath())
+    path = obj.absolute_url()
     return url.replace(variable, path)