From Aberdeen, take a ScotRail train south to Perth and change there for Pitlochry. The first leg takes 1h35 with seven stops, the second half an hour, and on the weekday we checked the connecting departures left Aberdeen at 05:30, 07:24, 08:35, 09:44, 10:44, 12:45, 14:35, 15:35, 16:32 and 18:33.
The two rides come to 2h05, but how long the whole trip takes depends on the wait at Perth. A typical journey took 2h52, which means about 45 minutes between trains there, while the best connection took 2h15, with about ten minutes to spare. With journey times varying that much from one departure to the next, choose your Aberdeen train by the time it reaches Pitlochry, not the time it leaves. The 18:33 was the last of the ten and the latest connecting train we found.
A stop of 45 minutes or so at Perth also gives you some protection if the train from Aberdeen runs late, since the Pitlochry trains from Perth can be close to two hours apart at some points in the day.
Some trains change at Dundee as well as Perth. These left Aberdeen at 07:52, 09:05, 11:01 and 16:04 and took between 2h40 and 2h50, so they fill gaps in the list above rather than save time. The 06:39 and the 17:45 went by train to Perth and bus from there, at about 2h40, and so did the 20:37 and the 22:24 after the 18:33.
Routes through Inverness or Stirling also turned up, but they took about four hours or more, far longer than the best Perth connection, so they are not worth considering.
The A90 drive is 96 miles and takes about 2h10, roughly forty minutes less than a typical rail journey and close to the quickest one.
Pitlochry station leaves you about five minutes’ walk, 357 metres, from Atholl Road.
Journey times and changes below come from the rail and bus timetables for Tuesday 1 December 2026. Weekend and holiday timetables differ, so check the day you travel.
From Aberdeen on the weekday we checked: every 60 to 120 minutes or so between 05:30 and 18:33.
By road it is about 96 miles from Aberdeen to Pitlochry, mostly via the A90 — roughly 2h 11m with clear roads. Car parks in Pitlochry are listed on the Getting Here page.