Perth
Perth City Guide
Introduction
Perfectly located in the food-producing heartland of Scotland and surrounded by rolling hills and glens and shimmering rivers and lochs, Perth is a beautiful small city in the south east highlands of Scotland with a charming country town feel. Once the capital of Scotland, it still retains a genteel and refined air. Its main industries are agriculture, whisky distilling and finance and it’s also a popular tourist destination, with many people using it as a base for fishing, golfing and walking in the surrounding countryside.
Attractions
City centre
The city centre is surrounded by the North and South Inch public parks and the River Tay to the east. It’s compact and pleasant to wander around, and the tourist information office on West Mill Street provides a very good Old Perth Trail guide to help you explore the city’s heritage on foot.
Eighteenth century romantic novelist Sir Walter Scott had great affection for the city and set his novel The Fair Maid of Perth in a cottage on Curfew Row, which is known today as Fair Maid’s House. It’s one of the oldest buildings in the city and has served many purposes over the centuries. Today it’s a craft shop.
Just along the road is the Perth Art Gallery and Museum, which provides an interesting social history of the city, with an good section on whisky production. The works of art are mainly local and range from paintings to glass and other applied art. A short walk south along the banks of the Tay leads to another of the city’s art collections, the J D Fergusson Gallery. Housed in a marvellous round building, it contains an extensive collection of the work of this prolific Scottish Colourist and gives an interesting overview of his life and times.
The historic Black Watch regiment has its origins in Perth and Balhousie Castle in a residential area to the north of the city centre is home to the Black Watch Museum, which traces the history of the regiment from the early 18th century in uniforms, swords, muskets, bagpipes, documents and paintings.
Shopping in Perth is a relaxing and refreshing experience. The main thoroughfare, the High Street, is pedestrianised and St John’s Shopping Centre provides comfortable indoor facilities. As well as the main countrywide chains, there are plenty of independent, family-run shops.
The North and South Inches are wonderful public spaces for recreation and there are plenty of facilities such as boating, putting and sports pitches.
Out of town
Perth is a great base for exploring rural Perthshire and it’s a paradise for lovers of the outdoors. Many people flock to the area for its wonderful fishing and golfing facilities and to go walking in the hills.
A good starting point for a walking holiday in Perthshire is Kinnoull Hill, which, after a gentle woodland climb, opens up to offer spectacular panoramic views of the city below.
For whisky lovers, a good way to explore the countryside is by doing a tour of the Perthshire distilleries, and there are plenty of them – Glenturret, Edradour, Dewars, Dalwhinnie and Blair Athol to name but a few.
Scone Palace is also a good place for a day trip away from Perth. It’s just three miles north of the city centre. It was the crowning place of the Kings of Scotland until James VI & I, and was the original home of the Stone of Destiny, upon which the Kings knelt at their coronations. The palace is a grand and lavish affair, fit for royalty. Many of the rooms are open to the public and there are some exquisite collections of porcelain and fine furniture. There’s always something happening in the grounds, from falconry displays to medieval fairs. The maze appeals to kids and there’s an adventure playground to keep them entertained too, so it makes an excellent day out for the whole family.
Eating Out
As the agricultural capital of Scotland, Perth is a city with a great culinary tradition and there are scores of restaurants offering fresh local produce from salmon to strawberries.
Sixty Three Tay Street has an excellent reputation nationwide for its perfectly cooked and presented Scottish dishes. Other exclusive establishments include The Library Restaurant in Kinfauns Castle, just out of town, where the dishes are just as sumptuous as the luxurious Scots Baronial surroundings. Kerracher’s Oyster Bar on South Street is a traditional, family-run fish and seafood restaurant with a relaxed, informal atmosphere and an ever-changing menu and good range of specials depending on what has been netted that day.
Set in a former theatre, Let’s Eat on Kinnoull Street is a grand yet cosy restaurant serving the most imaginative dishes in Perth, for which it quite rightly earned a double AA rosette. It’s run by a husband and wife team and always has a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Nightlife
Twa Tams on Scott Street is a good traditional Scottish pub with a wide selection of beers from the Belhaven Brewery. It has a beer garden regular live music. Alternatively, Ring O’ Bells on St John’s Place next to the kirk also serves a good pint.
Converted from a former warehouse, the Ice Factory club on Shore Road is an enormous complex with six bars, three dance floors and three DJ booths as well as an outdoor courtyard with barbeque area, and it attracts many big name DJs. The Loft on South Street is another big and airy club with a couple of lively bars and a more relaxed cocktail lounge.
Perth has a spectacular new concert and conference venue, Perth Concert Hall, where there’s a good year-round programme of events from classical and rock music to drama and comedy.
