Perth Museum & Art Gallery


This elegant neoclassical building, based on the Pantheon in Rome, houses one of the oldest purpose-built museums in Britain. There's a varied range of exhibits covering the city's history and natural environment, from portraits of dour lairds to carved Pictish stones and a plaster cast of Britain's record rod-caught salmon (29kg, hooked on the River Tay in 1922) along with an account of its capture by the angler, Georgina Ballantine.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. St John's Kirk

0.18 MILES

Imposing St John's Kirk was founded in 1126 and is still the centrepiece of the town. In 1559 John Knox preached a powerful sermon here that helped begin…

2. Fergusson Gallery

0.44 MILES

Beautifully set in a circular cast-iron building that was once a waterworks, this gallery exhibits an extensive collection of paintings by the Scottish…

3. Black Watch Museum

0.48 MILES

Housed in Balhousie Castle on the edge of North Inch park, this museum honours what was once Scotland’s foremost army regiment (it was subsumed into the…

4. Scone Palace

1.73 MILES

'So thanks to all at once and to each one, whom we invite to see us crowned at Scone.' This line from Macbeth indicates the importance of Scone …

5. Lindores Abbey Distillery

8.41 MILES

Of the many new distilleries popping up all over Scotland, this one – opened in 2017 – has a unique historical claim. It's a stunning modern building …

6. St Serfs Church & Dupplin Cross

8.53 MILES

The village of Dunning is dominated by the 12th-century Norman tower of St Serfs Church. The church's Romanesque architecture is interesting, but the main…

7. Beatrix Potter Exhibition & Garden

12.46 MILES

In the middle of Birnam village is the small, leafy Beatrix Potter Garden; the children’s author, who wrote the evergreen story of Peter Rabbit, spent her…

8. Dunkeld Cathedral

13.09 MILES

Situated on the grassy banks of the River Tay, Dunkeld Cathedral is one of the most beautifully sited churches in Scotland; don’t miss it on a sunny day,…