24 Hours in Portland
A bookstore that covers an entire city block, doughnuts sold at every hour of the day, and a rose garden with over 10,000 bushes, one proper day in the City of Roses.
Portland packs an unusual amount into a single day, the largest independent bookstore in the world, a food cart culture that’s become genuinely central to how the city eats, and a green space threaded through downtown itself. Here’s how I’d spend 24 hours here.
Powell’s City of Books
Start at Powell’s City of Books, covering an entire city block with more than a million books across nine colour-coded rooms, widely considered the largest independent bookstore in the world. Grab the colour-coded floor map at the entrance, genuinely easy to lose track of time and get lost among the stacks.
Washington Park
Head to Washington Park, home to the Oregon Zoo, the International Rose Test Garden with over 10,000 rose bushes, and the Portland Japanese Garden, a 12-acre Ming Dynasty-style sanctuary. Pick one or two rather than trying to cover the whole park, it’s considerably bigger than it looks from the entrance.
Getting there A short drive or MAX light rail from downtown
Food carts and Voodoo Doughnut
End the day at one of Portland’s food cart pods, a proper way to sample the city’s diverse, affordable food scene in one spot. Finish with a stop at Voodoo Doughnut, open around the clock and selling over 100 varieties since 2003, a genuine Portland institution regardless of the hour.
Getting around
Downtown Portland is genuinely walkable, most central sights sit within a comfortable stroll of each other. Washington Park is a short MAX light rail ride or drive out, worth the trip either way.
If you only have time for one thing
Make it Powell’s City of Books. It’s the single most defining feature of the city’s identity, and getting properly lost in the stacks is a proper introduction to Portland before you’ve even left the store.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
