This small Scottish town in Perthshire sits between Edinburgh and the Highlands. Victorian buildings line the main street, while the Dam and Fish Ladder draw visitors to watch salmon migrate.
Pitlochry sits among the mountains of Perthshire, Scotland, with its Victorian stone buildings lining the main street. You can watch plays at the riverside Festival Theatre, see salmon leap through the dam's glass viewing windows, climb Ben Vrackie mountain, or taste whisky at Blair Athol Distillery. The town's location in the Scottish Highlands makes it an excellent base for exploring the surrounding peaks and glens.
Exploring the Festival Theatre
You can watch a different play each day during summer at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, thanks to its rotating repertoire system. What began in 1951 as performances in a tent has grown into a permanent riverside venue. The building, completed in 1981, includes a restaurant and connects to a riverside walking path.
Witnessing the Salmon Migration
At Pitlochry Dam's 310-meter salmon ladder, more than 5,000 salmon swim upstream each year. The underwater viewing windows let you watch these fish navigate the ladder's chambers. Visit the dam's center to learn how this 1951 structure generates power while helping salmon reach their spawning grounds. The dam forms part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme.
Discovering Local Whisky
Blair Athol Distillery has produced whisky since 1798, using water from the Allt Dour burn that flows from Ben Vrackie mountain. At Edradour, Scotland's smallest working distillery, you can see the copper stills and wooden washbacks used in whisky production. Both distilleries run daily tours explaining their specific production methods.
Hiking Ben Vrackie
The path to Ben Vrackie's 841-meter summit begins in Moulin village, just north of Pitlochry. This 3-hour round trip takes you up steep stone steps and across heather-covered slopes. At the top, look north to spot the Beinn a Ghlo mountains and south across the valleys of Strathtay and Strathtummel.
Seasonal Events and Traditions
Each September, athletes compete in caber tossing and hammer throwing at the Highland Games, accompanied by bagpipe music. In October, walk through Faskally Wood during the Enchanted Forest event, where light installations and music transform the forest paths. Every Monday evening in summer, the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band marches down the main street playing bagpipes and drums.
Getting Around
Regular trains connect Pitlochry to Edinburgh, Inverness, and London Kings Cross. You can walk between most town attractions within 20 minutes. Local buses stop at nearby villages and hiking trail starting points. If you're driving, the A9 highway runs past Pitlochry, linking to other Highland destinations.
