Crieff

Crieff's accommodation ranges from the grand to the simple. Crieff Hydro anchors the town's hotel scene, a Victorian hydropathic resort turned family-friendly hotel with extensive grounds and leisure facilities, and it remains many visitors' first choice for a stay that combines comfort with easy access to the town centre. Away from the Hydro, Crieff has a good selection of smaller hotels, inns, and guesthouses along and around the high street, many housed in the town's characterful sandstone Georgian and Victorian buildings, offering a quieter and more personal alternative.

Because Crieff sits right on the edge of Highland Perthshire, it works well both as a short-break destination in its own right and as a base for a longer touring holiday, with Loch Earn, Comrie, and the Sma' Glen all within easy striking distance. Booking ahead is worth doing during the summer months and around the Glenturret and Drummond Castle Gardens' busier periods, as the town's central hotels and guesthouses are limited in number and popular with both leisure visitors and those attending events at Crieff Hydro. Self-catering cottages in the surrounding countryside offer another option for families or groups wanting more space, typically within a short drive of the town centre.

Crieff punches well above its size for things to see and do, with several genuinely nationally significant attractions on its doorstep.

• The Glenturret Distillery — Founded in 1763, Glenturret claims to be Scotland's oldest working distillery. Tours take in the copper stills and traditional production methods, and the site is also home to The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, a Michelin-starred restaurant unusual for being based at a working distillery.
• Drummond Castle Gardens — A short drive from town, these formal terraced gardens were laid out from 1630 and later embellished by the Victorians, with elaborate parterres, topiary, and a sundial at their centre. The gardens have been used as a filming location, though the castle itself is not open to visitors.
• Crieff Hydro — Opened in 1868 as a hydropathic spa, this hillside resort remains a major feature of the town, with extensive grounds and a long list of outdoor and family activities open to day visitors as well as guests.
• Innerpeffray Library — A few miles outside Crieff, this is reputed to be Scotland's oldest free public lending library, founded in 1680, with a fascinating collection of early printed books.
• Crieff Visitor Centre — Home to Caithness Glass, where visitors can watch glassmaking demonstrations, alongside shops selling Scottish crafts and a garden centre.
• Strathearn and the surrounding hills — Crieff is a good base for walking, with routes up the Knock behind the town giving views over Strathearn to the mountains beyond, and longer trails heading into Glen Turret and the Sma' Glen.

The high street has a good concentration of independent places to eat. Campbell's Bakery is a popular stop for breakfast pastries and fresh bread, while Café Rhubarb serves homemade bakes and light lunches. The Crieff Food Co combines a food hall stocking produce from more than 70 Scottish suppliers with a café serving breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea. For something more substantial, The Meadow Inn and The Tower are both family-run pubs known for hearty, locally sourced food, and Craobh Restaurant on the high street serves open sandwiches and other dishes built around Scottish ingredients. At the top end, The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant at the distillery offers Michelin-starred fine dining, while Crieff Hydro's East restaurant serves Asian-inspired sharing plates using Perthshire produce.

Crieff sits at the gateway to Highland Perthshire, and the hills and glens around the town offer some of the most accessible wild camping in Scotland. Under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, wild camping is generally permitted on most unenclosed land, including the moorland and hillside above the town and further out towards Loch Earn and the Sma' Glen, provided campers follow the code's guidance on camping well away from roads and buildings, keeping groups small, and leaving no trace. As with the rest of Scotland, this right does not extend to certain byelaw areas nearer Loch Lomond, so it is worth checking local restrictions before heading further west.

The terrain around Crieff is gentler than the high mountains further north, with rolling hills, farmland, and river valleys rather than serious mountain camping, which makes it a good introduction to wild camping in Scotland for those not ready for a full Highland expedition. The River Earn and its tributaries offer scenic spots for a riverside pitch, while the slopes of the Knock and the hills towards Glen Turret give walkers the chance to combine a day's hike with a night under canvas and views back down over Strathearn.

Late spring through early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping here, with May and June often giving the best combination of long daylight hours and lower midge activity. As anywhere in Highland Perthshire, midges can be a serious nuisance from June through August, particularly in still, damp conditions near water and woodland, so it is worth packing repellent and a head net for peace of mind. For those who prefer a fixed roof without giving up the outdoor feel, the area around Crieff and Comrie has a growing number of glamping pods, shepherd's huts, and camping pods, offering an easier way to enjoy the same scenery with rather more comfort.