An ancient town in Perth and Kinross, Alyth sits on the Alyth Burn 5 miles (8 km) east of Blairgowrie and lies at the foot of the Braes of Angus in the valley of Strathmore close to Perthshire's eastern boundary with Angus. Created a burgh with a marketing function in 1488, Alyth developed in association with cattle droving and the wool, jute and linen trades. Its Market Cross dates from 1670 and the Pack Bridge from c.1500. In the Norman-style Parish Church (1839) there is a Pictish Stone and the Alyth Arches stand on the site of the 6th Century church of St. Moluag.
A folk museum features displays on local agrarian history and the Alyth Hotel was the home of the inventor James Sandy (b.1766) who created the invisible hinge. Near the town is Bamff House, incorporating a 16th-century tower house, and to the northeast on Barry Hill stands an Iron Age fort that also has traditional associations with the King Arthur legend.
There is an 18-hole golf course and walks through the Den o' Alyth and along the Drovers' Road that skirts the Hill of Alyth (294m / 966 feet). The much smaller planned village of New Alyth stands on the Blairgowrie-Kirriemuir road to the southwest. Saw-milling, agricultural machinery and the manufacture of glass are modern industries associated with the town.