How to Spend 3 Days in Portland
Day 1
· Have breakfast at Mother’s Bistro and Bar
Tips: Do your best to avoid coming here on Saturday’s and Sunday’s (the lines can get very long!). We went on a Friday morning and got right in with no wait! Also, the restaurant is located right across the street from Voodoo donuts, so be sure to stop by afterwards to grab a donut. It is also right across the street from the infamous “Keep Portland Weird” sign, so head over to snap a photo there while you’re at it too!
Location: 121 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
· Grab coffee at Stumptown Coffee Roasters
Tips: This is a very Portland-style coffee shop. It is very hipster, quite manly feeling (the décor is very masculine), and feels like a “coffee meets club” atmosphere with the base turned up real high on the music. The coffee itself was also really great! I had the vanilla latte with coconut milk and loved it!
Location: 128 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204
· Check out the 2nd most famous sign in Portland, which is located at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Tips: If you want a photo in front of this sign, I would recommend standing on the opposite side of the street right under the street light to get the best angle. Also, there is a cute little grassy/park area to walk around on the street over from the concert hall. We enjoyed walking through there!
Location: 1037 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205
· Take a ride on the aerial tram to see the city from a bird’s-eye view
Tips: Park in the metered parking south of the tram. If you see lots of bikes parked outside of it, you’ll know you’re in the right spot. It costs $4.90 per person to take the tram round trip. It will take you up to the hospital and then back down. People you will see riding this tram will be: tourists, people who work at the hospital, or patients going to the hospital). Taking the tram up is about a 4-minute ride, and then back down again is the same amount of time. My husband and I loved riding this tram to see the beautiful views of the city!
Location: 3303 SW Bond Ave, Portland, OR 97239
· Have lunch at Tilt (the best burgers in Portland!)
Tips: The portions of fries are so huge! We ordered a large fry and it was literally the size of my head in this huge bucket, ha! So so yummy though. The spot is very warehouse feeling, but is also a very hipster/fun spot to eat.
Location: 1355 NW Everett St, Portland, OR 97209
· Go back to your hotel/Airbnb and REST (you’ll need it!)
· Happy Hour time! Head over to Multnomah Whiskey Library to grab a drink before dinner
Tips: This spot is hard to find (look for a sign that says “The Green Room”). The Green Room is downstairs and is easy to get into, but the whiskey library is upstairs and is more secretive. I would HIGHLY recommend putting your name in around 4 pm for the library and then either walking around the town or grabbing a drink in the green room while waiting to be called upstairs to the library (the wait time was 2-3 hours for us and the lady said this is normal!) They do not take reservations, so be sure to get your name on that list!
Location: 1124 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205
· Grab dinner at Noble Rot (if it is a pretty day outside because it’s up on the 4th floor and has beautiful views). If it’s raining outside or is foggy, then head to Por Que No for dinner
Tips: The Noble Rot has a great wine selection- they are known for their wine flights. My husband and I tried to pino noir wine flight and really enjoyed it! Unfortunately, we didn’t get the experience of seeing the pretty views because it was raining out, which is why I would recommend heading to Por Que No for tacos in this case. These are the most amazing tacos!! (Definitely make it here at some point during your trip!)
Location-Noble Rot: 1111 East Burnside Street, Fourth Floor, Portland, OR 97214
Locations-Por Que No: 3524 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227
AND 4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215
Noble Rot
Day 2
· Have breakfast at Bread & Honey Café
Tips: There are gluten free and dairy free options here, which my husband and I appreciated! It is in a newer-feeling part of town and the café is so cute inside! We got inside around 11 am, so it was right when the morning rush was ending. We both got the 2 egg breakfast with a plate of the bacon and apple pancakes to share. You guys, this breakfast was incredible. The 2 egg breakfast portions were HUGE, so we had lots of leftovers afterwards, but we just boxed it up and took it with us to-go.
Location: 3526 N Vancouver Ave, Portland OR 97227
· Shop around on 23rd street
Tips: This street is so adorable, lots of the restaurants/shops are houses that were turned into shops. We were here during the Spring, so the trees were all in bloom and the surrounding streets were absolutely picturesque. We loved all of the cherry blossom trees especially! On 23rd street you will find: the original Salt and Straw ice cream shop, Blue Star Donuts (way better than Voodoo donuts I have heard, but I wouldn’t know), and many other chain stores (Lush, Marine Layer, MAC, etc).
Location: NW 23rd Avenue
· Go check out Powell’s Book Store
Tips: This book store is HUGE and was quite overwhelming for my husband and I. There were lots of people in there and it did not feel like the typical quiet/serene book store scene. BUT, you have to go and at least experience it, because it really is pretty amazing. There are various rooms throughout (the Pearl room, the Red room, the coffee room, etc.), all filled with different genres of books and magazines.
Location: 1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209
· Grab a smoothie at Kure or eat lunch at Little Big Burger
Tip: the fries are super yummy at Little Big Burger (they aren’t anything special, but I really really loved them, ha).
Location-Kure: 4409 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97215
Locations-Little Big Burger: 122 NW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
AND 930 NW 23rd Ave, Portland, OR 97210
· Go back to your hotel/Airbnb-you can thank me later for building in rest time :)
· Go to dinner at Tasty n Alder
Tips: You shouldn’t need to get a reservation here, although it does fill up on the weekends so if you have more than 4 or 5 in your party I would call ahead
Location: 580 SW 12th Ave, Portland, OR 97205
· Grab a drink at Pope House
Tips: this is a bourbon bar, and I had only seen it from the outside. It looked very fun but I am not into bourbon myself. I have heard great things about this spot!
Location: 2075 NW Glisan St, Portland, OR 97209
Day 3
· Get Breakfast at LoveJoy Bakers
Tips: We actually didn’t make it here on our trip, but I’ve heard great things about it and it was on our itinerary (sometimes you wake up feeling tired and want to just get Ubereats, you know? :)
Location: 33 NW 23rd Pl, Portland, OR 97210
· Go to Saint John’s Bridge
Tip: there are many bridges all throughout the city, since the Williamette River runs through the middle of Portland. This bridge is one of the more beautiful ones! Definitely stop here to snap a photo
Location: 8600 NW Bridge Ave, Portland, OR 97203
· Go for a 45 minute drive out of the city to Multnomah Falls
Tips: This waterfall is definitely worth the drive! Not only is the drive out there scenic and beautiful, but once you get there you will get to see a huge waterfall right up close and personal. Once you get there you will park your car and then walk right up to the waterfall (it is not a hike by any means). BUT, if you want to make it into a little hike, you can walk up the hill to get to the bridge that goes across the waterfall (you will definitely get wet if you do this, so wear appropriate clothing!). It is free to park, and it is free to walk up to the falls too!
Location: 53000 E Historic Columbia River Hwy, Bridal Veil, OR 97010
· We drove straight to the airport from here :(
I hope these suggestions were helpful for you as you plan your time in Portland! My husband and I had the BEST weekend there, and cannot wait to go back again soon. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to leave a comment and I will do my best to help in any way I can.
Have a great day!
xx, Lindsey