Perthshire was known as the "big county" and had a wide variety of landscapes, from the rich agricultural straths in the east, to the high mountains of the southern Highlands.

Aberfeldy is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the River Tay. The Aberfeldy Footbridge over the River Tay was the world's first bridge constructed entirely of composite materials. It connects two holes of a golf course on either side of the river.

Auchterarder is a small town located in Perth and Kinross, Scotland and home to the famous Gleneagles Hotel. The mile and a half long High Street of Auchterarder gave the town its popular name of the "Lang Toon". It lies to the north of the Ochil Hills.

Blairgowrie and Rattray is a burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Amongst locals, the town is colloquially known simply as "Blair". The second largest town in Perth & Kinross this twin burgh lies in the Strathmore valley and straddles the River Ericht, which flows into the River Isla and then the River Tay. Rattray is on the east bank and Blairgowrie is on the west.

Bridge of Earn is a small town (till recently a village) in Perthshire, Scotland. Often referred to simply as 'The Brig' (Scots for 'bridge') by its inhabitants. As the name suggests, the village grew up on the south bank of an important crossing of the river Earn.

Crieff is principally a market town in Scotland but in recent years has developed into a hub for tourism, trading mainly on its whisky and cattle droving history.

Dunkeld is a small town in Strathtay, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, approximately 15 miles north of Perth on the eastern side of the A9 road into the Scottish Highlands and on the opposite (north) side of the Tay from the Victorian village of Birnam. Dunkeld and Birnam share a railway station, (Dunkeld and Birnam railway station) on the Highland Main Line. Population 1,170 (2004). On the western side of the A9 is The Hermitage, a National Trust for Scotland site. Dunkeld Cathedral is on the north bank of the River Tay.

Pitlochry, estimated population 2,564, is a burgh in the council area of Perth and Kinross, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel. It is largely a Victorian town, whose success as a tourist resort was due to Queen Victoria visiting the area in 1842 and the arrival of the railway in 1863. It remains a popular tourist resort today and is particularly known as a centre for hill walking, surrounded by mountains such as Ben Vrackie. The town has retained many stone-built Victorian buildings.

Kinross-shire, officially the County of Kinross, was a county of Scotland. Its county town was Kinross. To the north it bordered Perthshire, to the east and south Fife, and to the west Clackmannanshire. Abolished in 1975, it became part of the former Tayside Region. Since 1996 it has been part of Perth and Kinross council area.

The county was dominated by Loch Leven, a large inland loch, with 2 islands and home to an internationally important nature reserve. One of the islands contains a castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was once held prisoner.