Portland, Oregon
Oregon's big city spreads out on both banks of the Willamette, at the foot of a 2,000-hectare urban forest and beneath the snowy cone of Mount Hood, 95 km away. You come here for the world's largest independent bookshop, Japanese and Chinese gardens and hundreds of food carts, then for the waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge, forty minutes' drive away.
By PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ views on Google MapsBy PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ Maps views
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Portland, Oregon · Photo Josh Hild / Pexels
Things to do in Portland, Oregon in 5 days
Day 1
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A Ming-style scholar's garden built in 2000 by artisans from Suzhou in Old Town Chinatown, with carved pavilions, Lake Tai rockeries, a central lake and a teahouse above the water.
💡 Open daily from 10am to 4.30pm. Join the free guided tour included in the ticket, which explains the symbolism of each stone and each plant, then go up to the teahouse. Price: $18, about €15, adults; $15, about €13, ages 6 to 18.
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A bookshop filling an entire block on the edge of the Pearl District, billed as the world's largest independent seller of new and used books, with colour-coded rooms and a Rare Book Room.
💡 Pick up the free map at the Burnside Street entrance, as it is easy to get lost. Used books, marked with a label, often cost half the price of new ones. Price: free entry.
Michael Barera / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)Learn moreMore
The oldest public rose test garden still operating in the United States, with over 10,000 rose bushes in terraces above the city and, on clear days, Mount Hood on the horizon.
💡 Come early in the morning in June to avoid the crowds and the coaches, and combine it with the Japanese Garden, just above. The Washington Park station on the MAX line, the deepest in North America, is 20 minutes' walk away; parking in the park is paid. Price: free.
Vulturesong / CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 2
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Often called one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside Japan, with eight garden styles over 5 hectares in Washington Park and a Cultural Village designed by Kengo Kuma.
💡 Book a timed ticket online, especially at weekends and in October. Opening hours change with the season, so check them before you come. Price: $22.50, about €19, adults.
King of Hearts / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)Learn moreMore
A French Renaissance-style château completed in 1914 for the publisher of The Oregonian, 300 metres above the city, with period rooms and the widest view over Portland and the Cascade volcanoes.
💡 The grounds and the viewpoint are free, only the house is paid. The car park, small and paid in summer, fills up quickly at weekends: walk up from the bottom of Macleay Park via the Stone House, about 8 km return. Opening hours vary by season and the house opens at noon on Tuesdays. Price: $17, about €15, adults; $14, about €12, ages 6 to 18.
Another Believer / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 3
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One of the largest urban forests in the United States, more than 2,000 hectares of Douglas firs and ferns, crossed by the 48 km Wildwood Trail and over 120 km of paths.
💡 The trails are muddy from October to May, so wear good shoes. Leif Erikson Drive, an old road closed to cars, can be ridden by bike for 18 km. Price: free.
EncMstr / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 4
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A 130 km basalt gorge with more than 90 waterfalls on the Oregon side, crowned by the 189-metre Multnomah Falls and followed by the country's first scenic highway, opened between 1913 and 1922.
💡 Set off early, before 9am: the Multnomah Falls car park, on Interstate 84, fills up by mid-morning in summer. From late May to early September, this car park (exit 31) requires a timed permit from 9am to 6pm, to be booked on recreation.gov. Carry on to Hood River for the orchards and the windsurfers. Price: free access to the waterfalls.
Another Believer / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 5
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Oregon's highest peak, a 3,429-metre volcano, with the New Deal Timberline Lodge on its flank, which served as the hotel facade in The Shining, and skiing for much of the year.
💡 Allow 1 hr 30 by road via Highway 26. In winter, chains or snow tyres may be mandatory and a parking permit is required at the ski car parks. The lodge is free to visit, with a small exhibition on its construction. Price: lodge visit free; ski passes paid.
M. O. Stevens / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)"Book" (hotels) and "via GetYourGuide" (activities) are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide). Prices, times and distances are approximate.
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Good to know before you go
🍽️ Must-try food
Burgers and barbecue
brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl
the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
Mexican food
tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
Pancakes and weekend brunch
a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
Dishes to look for in the good places: Portland, Oregon.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
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