Perthshire
Cheap date ideas in Perth
Updated
Perth is made for a date that doesn’t cost much. Walk Tay Street past the riverside sculptures and on up the North Inch, or climb Kinnoull Hill through the woods to the folly tower above the Tay. Indoors, Perth Museum has the Stone of Destiny and costs nothing, and Perth Art Gallery’s rooms on J.D. Fergusson and Margaret Morris tell a love story of their own. For a little more, Branklyn Garden’s blue poppies flower in early summer, and the Black Watch Museum fills Balhousie Castle. On the first Saturday of the month, set a small budget at the farmers’ market and take a picnic down to the river, or drive out to the Hermitage near Dunkeld for the waterfall at Ossian’s Hall.
Our picks
Kinnoull Hill
Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park, on the east side of the river
Address: Jubilee car park, Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park, Perth PH2 7LN- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Active
Walk up through the woods to the cliff-top and the little folly tower, with the Tay winding below you towards the Highlands.
Why it's a good date: You'll have earned the view by the time you reach the top. Take a flask and something to eat, and keep well back from the cliff edge.
Photo: Colin Kinnear, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
A walk by the Tay
Tay Street to the North Inch, city centre
Address: Tay Street, Perth PH1 5LQ- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer
Stroll along Tay Street past the riverside sculptures, then carry on up the North Inch, the big park by the river at the north end of town.
Why it's a good date: It's flat, it's free and it's never far from a coffee, so it suits a first date. Go late on a summer evening, when the light comes low across the water.
Photo: habiloid, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Perth Museum
King Edward Street, city centre
Address: St John's Place, Perth PH1 5SZ- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
See the Stone of Destiny, the ancient coronation stone of Scottish kings, in the museum that opened in Perth's old City Hall in 2024.
Why it's a good date: It's free and dry, and you'll be a few feet from a stone that's been fought over for 700 years. Book your free timed slot for the Stone at the front desk when you arrive.
Photo: Seasider53, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Perth Art Gallery
George Street, city centre
Address: 78 George Street, Perth PH1 5LB- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Look round the domed gallery's Scottish paintings and the rooms given to J.D. Fergusson, the Scottish Colourist, and dancer Margaret Morris.
Why it's a good date: It's small enough to see properly in an hour, and Fergusson and Morris's story is a love story in its own right. Check which days it's open before you go.
Photo: John H Darch, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Branklyn Garden
Dundee Road, on the lower slopes of Kinnoull Hill
Address: 116 Dundee Road, Perth PH2 7BB- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer
Wander the winding paths of a small hillside garden full of rare plants, from rhododendrons to Himalayan blue poppies.
Why it's a good date: It's small and tucked away, so you may have the paths nearly to yourselves. It opens from spring to autumn, and early summer is when the blue poppies flower.
Photo: Shaun Ferguson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Black Watch Castle and Museum
Hay Street, at the edge of the North Inch
Address: Balhousie Castle, Hay Street, Perth PH1 5HR- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
Explore 300 years of Scotland's oldest Highland regiment inside Balhousie Castle, then have lunch in the castle café.
Why it's a good date: The stories are personal and well told, and there's a good rainy-day café when you're done. Your ticket works as a year's pass, so you can come back.
Photo: william, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Perth Farmers' Market
South Inch car park, by the city centre
Address: South Inch Car Park, Shore Road, Perth PH2 8BW- Activity
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Foodie
Graze the stalls of Perthshire soft fruit, cheese, bread and meat at the monthly farmers' market on the South Inch.
Why it's a good date: Set yourselves a small budget, buy a picnic between you and take it down to the river. It's on the first Saturday of the month, and the best stalls sell out, so go early.
The Hermitage
Near Dunkeld, about 25 minutes' drive north of Perth
Address: The Hermitage, Old Military Road, Dunkeld PH8 0JR- Trip
- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Out of town
Walk through tall Douglas firs to Ossian's Hall, a folly built over the Black Linn waterfall on the River Braan.
Why it's a good date: Step inside Ossian's Hall and the waterfall fills the view in front of you. It's a short, easy walk, and Dunkeld's cafés are just down the road afterwards.
Photo: Richard West, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Quick answers
Is it free to see the Stone of Destiny?
Yes. Perth Museum is free, and you book a free timed slot for the Stone at the front desk when you arrive.
When is the Perth Farmers' Market?
On the first Saturday of the month, on King Edward Street in the city centre. The best stalls sell out, so go early.
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