9 Must-Do’s While Staying in Downtown Portland, Oregon

6. Explore the local food scene

This city earns its’ place amongst the top foodie destinations in the US. Every street downtown is loaded with a variety of ethnic restaurants, local donut shops, bakeries, coffee shops, brunch hotspots, cafes, and so on. In fact, The Washington Post recently rated the city number 1 amongst America’s top food cities. This is a notable distinction considering Portland is much smaller than many of the other top ranked cities.

If you like food trucks you are in luck as there are literally hundreds. Check out Eater’s guide to the best in the city for starters. The food cart scene has received rave reviews by numerous major publications across the country. The exotic ethnic options and convenience (you will be within walking distance of a number of food trucks no matter where you stay downtown) draws many foodies.

Personally, I am not a fan of food carts and prefer sit down restaurants. I find them a bit dirty to be honest and I prefer not to stand or sit on a curb to eat – to each his own though.

Here are a few great places we discovered during our time here.

Mama Mia Trattoria

I love Italian food and seek it out in pretty much every new city I visit. Our dinner at Mama Mia was pretty spectacular. The dining room is gorgeous and the service is great. Do try the wonderful 3 course meal option which includes delicious homemade soup, an entree, and a decadent dessert.

Kells Irish Pub

Kells offers it all – a fun lively atmosphere, a friendly owner, the best fish and chips in town, and a nice historic ambiance. Since 1990, this pub has continued a unique tradition of tossing donated money upon the ceiling and sweeping it down every St. Pat’s Day. The owners donate proceeds to charity, while also matching the total (over $11,000 was donated last year!).

Mother’s Bistro

We stopped at this local breakfast favorite called Mother’s one morning. I love this rustic, yet upscale setting. The menu is pretty diverse with selections like: breakfast nachos, wild salmon hash, and a grilled portabello scramble. Highlights include friendly service, nice early hours for those on the go, and great people watching.

Portland Kettle

This local gem serves up a variety of housemade soups each daily. Try the most delicious creamy Broccoli cheese or a hearty chili served alongside super moist homemade cornbread. We enjoyed a hearty vegetable and creamy broccoli and cheese (this place is so good we had to come back twice!).

Fuller’s Diner

We got just what we were looking for at Fuller’s: classic comfort style diner fare in an old-fashioned setting, big portions, homemade food, friendly service.

7. Take the Aerial Tram ride

The Portland Aerial tram was originally created as a means of transport to the Oregon Health and Science University campus. This large public university is the city’s largest employer. However, it is also open to tourists who want to take in the scenic vistas from the campus observation deck.

And for only 8 bucks, I would say it is worth the small fee for the amazing views. The tram soars up 500 feet. The ride is very fast as the tram travels 22 mph and takes a mere 4 minutes to reach the top. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Mt. Hood.

Taking the tram will not take up much of your time. The spectacular 360 degree view of the city and surrounding mountains in exchange for just a few bucks makes it one of the best values in the city. Although both daytime and nighttime rides are available, a day trip is definitely more worthwhile, especially on a clear day. I loved the mountain scenery – we lucked out with a rare clear day. Wheelchairs welcome.

8. Book a waterfall tour

We found this great local tour company called Wildwood Adventures which offers various scenic tours including coastal, waterfall, and vineyard options. Any of these tours are ideal for tourists due to the convenient pickup from any downtown hotel. Typically, we drive around to each attraction when we visit a new city as we prefer roadtrips. However, this time we were flying in and wanted to skip a pricey car rental so this hotel pickup came in handy. We took the Half Day Columbia River Gorge waterfall tour which took us to 4 of the most mesmerizing waterfalls in the region.

For those who don’t know, this beautiful region of Washington & Oregon is known to be the most concentrated waterfall regions in the US. In fact, there are more than 70 waterfalls on the Oregon side alone! You will learn more on this tour or you can research more on the Forest Service website link I provided.

The towering 620 foot, 2 tiered Multnomah Falls is the first and most dramatic tour stop. Multnomah lies just over a half hour outside of the city. The 3 others are all in close proximity along the Columbia River Gorge highway. Your tour will end (depending on weather conditions) at the gorgeous Vista House at Crown Point overlook. The views of the river from way up here are unparalleled.

In my opinion, this tour is worth the price, not only for the wonderful scenery, but also for the convenient pickup from downtown hotels. Tour guides are friendly and knowledgeable and all the waterfalls are breathtaking.

There’s much beauty to be found right outside of the Portland city limits. And therefore, it would be a shame to come and go without exploring at least some of the natural beauty of the lush Pacific Northwest. You can read more about my experience and see more pics from our tour.

9. Treat yourself to a relaxing massage

It’s always a nice extra treat to get a massage while on vacation. This is especially so in a walkable city where you will be on your feet all day exploring. If you plan on doing a lot of hiking, a nice massage will come in handy. One luxury choice downtown is Sante. Fancy amenities include a whirlpool, steam room, spa, and a UV room to soak up some much needed Vitamin D on overcast PNW days.

A great mid range option that I enjoyed is the Dosha Spa at the hotel Monaco. Prices here are very affordable (about 100 bucks for a 60 min massage with access to a steam room).

Knot Springs is a newish health club which just opened downtown. This spa includes a hot springs pool, a cold plunge pool, as well as a traditional steam room and sauna. The  Loyly Steam and Spa is located a few miles outside of downtown. Here you can enjoy a traditional Scandinavian style sauna experience (this is next on my bucket list).

Tips for a great vacation

*Stay at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco. It’s a gorgeous property that is centrally located to many great attractions and restaurants. Extra amenities include a wonderful free wine hour each evening and complimentary locally roasted coffee in the morning. I love the gorgeous lobby, complimentary coffee and giant sized board games, wine hour, and beautifully decorated rooms!

Update: This property is now Royal Sonesta Downtown.

*Avoid walking around late at night. Like most major cities, common sense comes in handy. I recommend taking a Lyft or Uber as much as possible, especially at night!

*Book your waterfall tour ahead of time to ensure availability.

*Do not overplan. Leave some time to explore random sights and check out restaurants on the fly.

*Stop by Powell City of Books if you have the extra time. It’s the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world! This place is massive -they seriously have everything here for the book lover including a Rare Book room.