Portland, Oregon
The "City of Roses" and a hub of craft beer, coffee and food cart culture, just 40 minutes by car from the Columbia River Gorge waterfalls and Mount Hood.
Portland lies in northwestern Oregon, where the Willamette River joins the Columbia River. Known as the "City of Roses," it is also a stronghold of craft beer, specialty coffee, food carts and independent shops, with the city slogan "Keep Portland Weird."
Key areas: ① Downtown and the Pearl District—Pioneer Courthouse Square, Powell's City of Books, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Waterfront Park and the Saturday Market, best explored on foot and by streetcar; ② Washington Park in the West Hills—the International Rose Test Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Oregon Zoo and Hoyt Arboretum, with Forest Park and Pittock Mansion farther north; ③ Eastside neighborhoods—Alberta, Hawthorne and Mount Tabor, for a taste of local life; ④ Nearby day trips—the Columbia River Gorge waterfalls (about 50 km), Mount Hood (about 80 km), Willamette Valley wine country (about 45 km) and Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast (about 125 km).
The best season is Jun–Sep, dry and sunny with long days and plenty of roses and festivals; October brings fall colors, while Nov–Apr is rainy, gray and chilly, though Mount Hood's ski season gets underway. Getting around: from Portland International Airport (PDX), the MAX Red Line takes about 40 minutes to downtown; public transit in the city is convenient, but for the Gorge, Mount Hood and the coast, drive or join a tour. Oregon has no sales tax, making shopping a good deal. In summer, the Historic Columbia River Highway requires timed-entry permits, and in winter you need to carry tire chains for mountain driving. Allow 3–5 days. Some downtown blocks have a large homeless population, so take care at night.
Top sights
- International Rose Test Garden – The oldest public rose test garden in the United States, in Washington Park. It holds more than 600 varieties and tens of thousands of rose…
- Portland Japanese Garden – Often regarded as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside Japan. It features five garden styles and a cultural village designed…
- Powell's City of Books – The world's largest independent new and used bookstore, occupying an entire city block. Its colour-coded rooms can keep you browsing for ha…
- Multnomah Falls – Oregon's tallest waterfall, with a total drop of about 189 metres. The Benson Bridge spans the gap between its two tiers, making it the mos…
- Columbia River Gorge – A 100-kilometre gorge carved by the Columbia River through the Cascade Range, with dozens of waterfalls along the historic highway.
- Mount Hood – Oregon's highest peak, a snow-capped volcanic cone at 3,429 metres. It forms the backdrop to the Portland skyline and can be enjoyed in eve…
- Vista House at Crown Point – An octagonal stone observation house on a cliff 225 meters above the west end of the gorge. It is the classic spot for looking down on the…
- Pearl District – A trendy district converted from old warehouses and a rail yard, packed with galleries, cafés, craft beer bars, and design boutiques.
- Timberline Lodge – A stone-and-timber mountain lodge built in the 1930s at 1,830 meters on the south slope of Mount Hood. It is a National Historic Landmark a…
- Trillium Lake – A small lake on the southern foot of Mount Hood. On calm mornings, the snowy peak is perfectly reflected in the water, making it Oregon's m…
- Lan Su Chinese Garden – A Ming-style garden built by Suzhou craftsmen that fills an entire block of Chinatown. The tea house in the garden is a place to sip tea an…
- Pittock Mansion – A French Renaissance mansion built in 1914 for a newspaper tycoon. Its lawn, about 300 meters above sea level, is the best viewpoint over t…
- Forest Park – One of the largest urban forest parks in the United States, covering about 2,100 hectares, with 130 kilometers of trails winding through mo…
- Portland Saturday Market – The largest continuously operating outdoor craft market in the United States. On weekends, hundreds of handmade stalls and food carts gathe…
- Tom McCall Waterfront Park – A 2-kilometer riverfront green strip along the west bank of the Willamette River, created by removing a highway. It is the stage for city f…
- Pioneer Courthouse Square – A downtown square known as 'Portland's living room,' with brick steps forming an open-air amphitheater and events held year-round.
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry – One of America's top science museums, with interactive exhibit halls, a planetarium, an IMAX theater, and the decommissioned submarine USS…
- Portland Art Museum – The oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest, with rich collections of Impressionist, Native American, and modern art.
- Voodoo Doughnut – A symbol of 'Weird Portland,' with quirky doughnuts topped with bacon, cereal, and whimsical shapes, all in a pink box.
- Oregon Zoo – The largest zoo in the Pacific Northwest, famous for breeding Asian elephants, with the ZooLights holiday light festival in winter.
- Hoyt Arboretum – A tree museum on the ridge of Washington Park, with about 2,300 species of trees and 20 kilometers of trails. Admission is free.
- Alberta Arts District – A street in the northeast district full of murals, independent shops, and restaurants, a place to experience 'Keep Portland Weird.'
- Hawthorne District – The most bohemian shopping street in the southeast district, with vintage shops, record stores, a food cart pod, and an old movie theater a…
- Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden – About 2,500 rhododendrons and azaleas surround a lake, blooming brilliantly in spring, with flocks of waterbirds.
- Portland Aerial Tram – A commuter tram connecting the South Waterfront with the medical campus on the hill, rising 150 meters in 4 minutes, with views of the city…
- Willamette Valley Wine Country – The most famous region in America for Pinot Noir, with dozens of wineries offering tastings on the red-soil slopes of Dundee Hills.
- Portland Farmers Market at PSU – A large farmers market held every Saturday in the South Park Blocks near Portland State University, where seasonal produce and snacks from…
- Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (Johnston Ridge) – An active volcano that erupted catastrophically in 1980. Its horseshoe-shaped crater and the mudflow-scarred landscape are awe-inspiring, m…
- Silver Falls State Park – Oregon's largest state park, where the Trail of Ten Falls links ten waterfalls and you can walk through a rock hollow behind South Falls, b…
Where to eat
- Kann – Gregory Gourdet's wood-fired Haitian restaurant, winner of the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
- Nong's Khao Man Gai – A famous Thai chicken rice spot that started as a food cart, whose single chicken rice dish with signature sauce has be…
- Le Pigeon – A celebrated French dining institution open for two decades, where Chef Gabriel Rucker's tasting menus are the top choi…
- Jake's Famous Crawfish – A historic downtown seafood landmark since 1892, serving crawfish and Northwest seafood in a century-old building.
- Screen Door (Eastside) – A highly popular Southern brunch spot in Portland, famous for its fried chicken and sweet potato waffles, with frequent…
- Lardo (Hawthorne) – A classic Portland sandwich shop famous for its Porchetta sandwich, pork meatball banh mi, and dirty fries.
Itineraries
- Oregon Gorge, Crater Lake & Coast Loop – Depart from Portland, looping through gorge waterfalls, Bend, Crater Lake, and the southern and northern coasts
- Pacific Northwest by Rail and Ferry, Car-Free – Ride Amtrak to link Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, then take a ferry to Victoria