Wedding guests
Gleneagles near Auchterarder, Crieff Hydro and lochside and castle venues across the county host weddings through much of the year. Guests staying in Perth hotels need a shuttle out and a late run back.
Wedding transport
Perth minibus hire with a driver for groups heading up the A9 into Highland Perthshire, racegoers bound for Scone, wedding guests at Gleneagles and country houses, St Johnstone supporters, golfers and travellers catching flights from Edinburgh, Dundee or Glasgow.
The Fair City sits on the river Tay, where the Lowland motorways end and the Highland road begins.
Perth is small enough to cross in ten minutes, yet more of Scotland is within an hour and a half of it than of almost anywhere else. That is why so much Perth minibus hire is about the journey out: north into the hills, south to the airports, east to the coast and west to the lochs.
The old town lies between two large riverside parks, the North Inch and the South Inch. High Street and South Street run up from the river, with St John's Kirk, the Concert Hall and Perth Museum close together. The main shopping streets are pedestrian, so groups meet on Tay Street or the roads around the edge.
The M90 arrives from Edinburgh and the Queensferry Crossing, the A9 heads north to Pitlochry and Inverness and south-west to Stirling, and the A90 follows the Carse of Gowrie east to Dundee. Most of them meet at the Broxden roundabout on the western edge of the city.
Twenty minutes up the A9 the land changes. Dunkeld, Pitlochry, Aberfeldy and Loch Tay are all easy day trips, and the roads beyond them narrow quickly, which is where a minibus earns its place over a full coach.
Jump racing at Perth Racecourse beside Scone Palace, St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, Highland games in the surrounding towns and a long wedding season at country hotels all bring groups into the city.
Dundee is closer on the map, but most Perth groups still fly from Edinburgh.
Dundee Airport is about 30 minutes east along the A90, on the edge of the Tay estuary. It is a small airport with a short list of routes, so it suits some domestic trips well and many others not at all. Check the timetable before you plan around it.
Edinburgh Airport is the usual choice. The drive is about 50 minutes to an hour down the M90 and over the Queensferry Crossing, and the airport sits on the west side of Edinburgh, so groups never need to go through the city. Early morning departures are quiet on the motorway, but the approach to the bridge can slow badly at rush hour.
Glasgow Airport is about 1 hour 15 minutes away via the A9 to Stirling and the M80. Groups use it when the flight or the fare suits, or when a holiday starts in the west. Aberdeen Airport, about 1 hour 45 minutes north-east, is a choice for oil and gas workers and for some charter flights.
For an arrivals pickup, we watch the flight and set the meeting point inside the airport's own rules. Drop-off and waiting arrangements at Scottish airports change from time to time, so check the current guidance before you travel.
An example for 16 friends going to a summer jump meeting. Your own timings will depend on the race card.
Perth Racecourse lies in the grounds of Scone Palace, about 10 minutes north-east of the city centre. It is Britain's most northerly jumps course, with meetings spread from spring to early autumn, and the big days fill both the car parks and the hotels. Check the official fixture list before you book anything.
Groups staying in the city usually want the same plan: a drop-off near the entrance in good time for the first race, and a fixed collection after the last. The roads around Scone are narrow and busy as the crowd leaves, so an agreed meeting point saves a long wait.
Check the fixture list, book race tickets and tell us the date, the group size and where everyone is staying.
Confirm the hotel pickups and whether the group wants a stop for lunch in town before racing.
Pickups on Tay Street and the Dunkeld Road, then the short run over the Tay and out to Scone.
Time for the group to settle in, find the parade ring and place the first bet.
Collection at the agreed point and a drop in the city centre for dinner on South Street or by the river.
Approximate road times from the city centre in normal traffic. Summer weekends on the A9 are slower.
The A9 north of Perth is the spine of Highland Perthshire. Dunkeld, Pitlochry and Blair Atholl all lie just off it, so a single day can take in a cathedral, a riverside walk, a distillery and a castle. Average speed cameras run the length of the road, and we plan journey times to match.
To the west, the A85 runs to Crieff and Comrie, and the road along Loch Tay to Kenmore is narrow and winding. A 16 or 24 seater is a better fit there than a large coach, especially where hotels and lochside car parks are small.
St Andrews, on the Fife coast, makes a good contrast to the hills. Golfers head for the Old Course, and everyone else walks the ruined cathedral, the castle and West Sands beach.
The cathedral by the Tay and the woodland walk to the Black Linn Falls.
The Festival Theatre, the dam and fish ladder and two distilleries close to town.
The white castle of the Dukes of Atholl, with grounds for walking.
West on the A85, with the distillery on the edge of town.
The Birks of Aberfeldy walk and the lochside road to Kenmore.
The Old Course, the cathedral ruins and the beach.
Perth sits in the middle of Scotland, so many tours pass through it.
A week in Scotland often runs from Edinburgh through Perth to the Highlands and back by Stirling. One vehicle and driver can carry the group and all its luggage the whole way, with hotel stops planned around the driver's hours.
The bookings that come up again and again in a Perthshire year.
Perthshire is known for big country house hotels, and many of them host conferences, weddings and golf breaks as well as holidays. Guests often arrive by air or train without a car and need moving between the hotel, the venue and the station.
Gleneagles near Auchterarder, Crieff Hydro and lochside and castle venues across the county host weddings through much of the year. Guests staying in Perth hotels need a shuttle out and a late run back.
Wedding transportGleneagles is about 25 minutes south-west, Blairgowrie's Rosemount course about 30 minutes north-east, and St Andrews and Carnoustie under an hour. A minibus with room for every bag keeps the group together.
Sports team travelDelegates at country house hotels and events in the city, collected from Perth station or an airport and moved between sessions and dinners.
Corporate travelPupils and UHI Perth students heading to the Black Watch Museum, the Scottish Parliament, outdoor centres in the hills or sports fixtures across Scotland.
School trip minibusesApproximate road times from Perth city centre in normal traffic.
Perth's central position means short runs in every direction, but the roads differ. The M90 to Edinburgh is fast until the Forth, the A90 to Dundee is dual carriageway along the Carse of Gowrie, and the A9 north is a mix of dual and single carriageway with long, steady climbs over Drumochter.
In winter, snow can close the A9 at Drumochter and slow the hill roads. From November to March we check the forecast before long trips north and agree a fallback plan with you if conditions look doubtful.
East along the A90 beside the Tay.
M90 and the Queensferry Crossing, slower at peak times.
South-west on the A9 past Dunblane.
Via Stirling and the M80, then the M8 west.
North-east on the A90 through Dundee.
North on the A9 through the Cairngorms.
The 16 seater minibus is the size most often asked for around Perth. It is nimble enough for the lane up to the Hermitage car park, the road along Loch Tay and the hotel drives around Crieff, but still carries a wedding party, a golf four-ball times three or a family reunion with room to spare.
Couples and small families flying from Edinburgh often only need an 8 seater MPV, and a 12 seater suits a group of golfers once the clubs are counted. For bigger wedding shuttles and race days, the 24 seater minibus or a 33 seater coach moves everyone at once, as long as the venue's access road can take it.
Tell us the luggage as well as the head count. Walking boots, golf bags and a week's cases for a Highland tour take far more space than the seats suggest.
Good for: Highland Perthshire day trips, Gleneagles golf days, race meetings at Scone and wedding guest shuttles.
Dates move each year, so check the official dates before you book.
Perthshire's summer is crowded with events, and many fall on the same weekends. Hotels in Perth, Pitlochry and Crieff fill early, and so do vehicles and drivers. If your group has a fixed date, book the transport as soon as the tickets are confirmed.
Jump racing beside Scone Palace, about 10 minutes from the city. Ladies' days and summer evening meetings are especially popular with groups.
Pitlochry, Crieff, Blairgowrie and Birnam all hold games, with pipe bands, heavy events and dancing. Parking is usually in fields, so a drop-off and pickup is easier.
Home games on the western edge of the city by the A9, and supporters' trips to away grounds across Scotland.
About an hour south. Perth groups often go for a day of shows and come back late, so the return pickup is agreed before the first show.
The pickup points Perth groups ask for most. Send the exact address and we will confirm the stop.
| Place | Type | What to tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Perth railway station | Railway station | South-west of the centre off Leonard Street. We agree a meeting point nearby that a vehicle can reach. |
| Perth bus station | Bus station | On Leonard Street, close to the railway station. Coach bays are for scheduled services, so we stop on a nearby street. |
| Tay Street | Riverside and hotels | Along the river below the old town. The easiest place for a group to gather near the centre. |
| High Street and South Street | Shopping streets | Partly pedestrian and busy with buses. We stop on a side street within a short walk. |
| Dunkeld Road and Inveralmond | Hotels and retail parks | North of the centre near the A9. Wide roads and large car parks. |
| Broxden | Park and ride and roadside hotels | At the junction of the M90 and A9 on the western edge, handy for groups coming from outside Perth. |
Parking and loading rules in central Perth change from time to time; check the latest local guidance before you travel, and we will confirm the stop with your booking.
The places in and close to the city that fill a Perth itinerary.
Most of Perth's sights are spread along the Tay, from Balhousie Castle at the North Inch to the South Inch, with Scone on the opposite bank. A morning in the city and an afternoon at Scone Palace makes an easy first day for a group arriving on the early train or from the airport.
Kinnoull Hill, on the east side of the river, has a folly on its cliff edge and views over the Tay and the Carse of Gowrie. The car park on the hill is small and the lane is narrow, so a minibus suits it far better than a coach.
Where Scottish kings were crowned on Moot Hill, with gardens and peacocks in the grounds.
In the former City Hall, home to the Stone of Destiny, with group drop-offs on nearby streets.
The regimental museum in Balhousie Castle, a favourite for history groups.
St Johnstone's stadium, close to the A9 and busy on match days.
Evening shows with late finishes. We agree a pickup point a short walk away.
Send the date, the group size, where you are staying and where you want to go: Scone, the hills, a wedding venue or an airport. We will reply with a vehicle and a realistic Perthshire plan.
Journey times planned with the average speed cameras and summer traffic in mind.
Drop-offs and collections agreed in advance around the race card or the evening reception.
From an MPV to a coach, matched to the venue's access.
Usually about 50 minutes to an hour down the M90 and over the Queensferry Crossing. Allow more at rush hour. See Edinburgh Airport transfers.
Yes. The course is about 10 minutes away at Scone. We drop near the entrance before the first race and collect at an agreed point after the last.
We agree a meeting point close to the station that a vehicle can reach, and send directions with the booking.
Yes. Gleneagles is about 25 minutes south-west. We plan the runs around the ceremony and a late return. See wedding transport.
Yes. Pitlochry is about 35 minutes north and Blair Castle about 45, so both fit in a day with a stop at Dunkeld on the way.
Yes. Tell us the ground and kick-off time, and we will plan the trip around the home club's arrangements for supporters' vehicles.
Yes. The road is narrow and winding, which is why a 12 or 16 seater is a better choice there than a large coach.
Yes. Both are under an hour away. Tell us how many golf bags you have so we choose a vehicle with enough room.