Make the most of your time in Portland, Oregon with this simple travel guide based on our adventures.

We had been to Portland, Oregon several times during our first years of marriage and knew right away it was one of our favorite places. Portland offers the Pacific Northwest experience we love but also has its own unique touch.

Every time we visited Portland, we knew there was a chance this would be the city we settle down in. Then guess what...we actually moved here in the middle of 2020!

Now that we live here, we can say with confidence the city of bridges is amazing. We love being able to call this wonderful place home.

Portland has a chill, hipster vibe that is hard to find anywhere else. It's the perfect mix of city life while being surrounded in a nature's lover paradise.

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Where to Stay

Hotel Rose

Hotel Rose is a Staypineapple hotel located in Portland. Staypineapple has a couple of hotels on the west coast and they are opening new ones constantly. They are probably one of our main go-to hotels as they never disappoint.

Hotel Rose is right next to the river and is still walking distance to everything downtown which is great. Hotel Rose comes a bit cheaper but you will not notice a decrease in quality!

The big advantage of this hotel is that they use a European design for their sheets and bedding so that each person gets a nice fluffy personal down comforter on their side of the bed. It feels very luxurious.

Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland

We decided to try this hotel because we stayed at a Kimpton hotel on the night of our wedding in Seattle and LOVED IT! Kimpton hotels know what they are doing. Even though it's a chain, each location is vastly different and has a different vibe.

Just at the Portland location alone the room options are all unique and offer very different atmospheres. The pricing varies depending on what room you select.

Even though this hotel may be a bit more pricey than other options it is worth it. There are also so many add-ons you can choose from to give yourself VIP treatment.

The hotel chain, in general, is very environmentally friendly. You can defer room service for a credit towards your room which is nice. They also offer bikes you can borrow to explore the town.

One of the coolest things included is a yoga kit for each room. There's a yoga mat to use during the free on-demand yoga sessions. It's a great way to stay healthy while never having to leave the room.

Hyatt House Downtown Portland

Hyatt house has a perfect location right by the waterfront park and close to so many stores. You can walk through the park as an easy route to other Portland attractions or just take a stroll to enjoy the views. There are a variety of stores nearby such as coffee shops, restaurants, and of course places to shop.

It's more of an extended stay which is nice for those who like feeling more at home. The room we had felt like an apartment since it had a full kitchen set up, couch, TV, and island to eat at.

The staff is great and the free breakfast is AMAZING. It's a full breakfast bar and good quality. We were most excited they had soy milk as one of their milk options since most hotels do not.

If you pass on room service you can get extra reward points which is always nice for us since we typically skip room service anyway.

By far the coolest part is the option to get full ceiling to floor windows. This feature is more than worth the extra money for the upgrade. It's amazing how much the windows make a difference.

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Where to Eat

Sizzle Pie

Sizzle pie may be our favorite pizza place in the Pacific Northwest. We are super obsessed with it. Not only is the pizza just amazing but they have vegan pizzas. And not one vegan pizza but TONS of vegan options. We're talking different vegan cheeses, vegan dipping sauces, and vegan meat toppings. They are for sure number one in the vegan pizza game.

You can go in and buy by the slice or order an entire pizza. We learned the hard way that for us, it's best to buy a vegan pizza for Kelsey and a non-vegan pizza for Phil. We have called in an order and picked up but more recently we ordered through amazon prime which was super cool.

Food Trucks

Food trucks are all the rage in Portland and are located all over downtown. The best part about this option is being able to select from a variety of trucks in one area.

Pioneer Square is one of the more popular locations since it's near shopping centers and has an open area for hanging out. If you head that way make sure to try Friend Egg I'm In Love (FEIIL) and their delicious breakfast sandwiches.

Our other go-to spot is along SW 4th street near SW Hall St. It's right by Portland State University and has amazing gyro and falafel options.

VooDoo Doughnuts

If you are looking for some of the most unique doughnuts you have ever seen then this is the place for you. They have small doughnuts and they have incredibly large doughnuts. The toppings range from icing to cereal to Oreos. Honestly, the variety is insane. They have vegan and gluten-free options which are way better than most stores. The vegan doughnuts taste amazing and you would never even know they are vegan.

The store itself is pretty famous since it was featured on the food network. It has a very cool vibe and seems to hint at several sexual innuendos. Also, the outside brick is covered in glitter so that's cool.

Unless you go early in the morning there is a long line outside the store. They also only take cash but the prices are the same as any doughnut store.

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What to do

Powell's City of Books

If you are a book lover you have to check out this bookstore. They have both new and used books and a TON of them. The store itself takes up an entire block. There are a ton of different sections which are all color-coded rooms. They have over A MILLION books and you can get anything you could ever think of. We have even considered buying board games from them.

If there is a book you can't find anywhere else, they probably have it. We are obsessed with the Wheel of Time series so that's our go-to search at any bookstore. At Powell's, we were able to find a book that tells you everything you need to know about Wheel of Time. We didn't even know this book existed but we are now very glad we have it.

Ground Kontrol

It's an arcade and a bar in one. Do we even need to say anything else? You get to play with endless arcade games while enjoying adult beverages. It's the combination you never knew you needed. In addition to drinks, they also serve some food but we have not tried it as of yet. It doesn't seem like it's a full dinner menu but some good appetizer options.

They have shooting games, skeeball, racing games, you name it. You can even play Mario Kart where you get to upload your picture into the face of your character.

There are free play days so try to plan ahead if you want to stretch your dollar. They have ATMs there because you will need cash. Then you have to use machines to turn your cash into tokens for all of the games. We went during the winter so it was not busy at all but we have been told it gets CRAZY.

Hiking

There are so many hikes all within 10 minutes of downtown Portland. It's a great way to get a quick escape from the city and get closer to nature.

We make sure to go on at least one hike whenever we are in town. Since we do so many hiking trails we decided it was time to make a full list.

Check out our full post HERE with details on where to hike and what trails to do all within the city limits.

Walk Along the River

If you're visiting the City of Bridges you probably want to see a few of the bridges up close. Taking a walk along the river is a perfect way to get an awesome view of the Portland skyline and one of its many bridges.

There is a paved trail along both sides of the river that you can make into a loop by crossing over the bridges. The best part is you can pick your millage because even though the entire loop is 11 miles there are plenty of bridges to choose from for cutting the path short.

Washington Park

There are paths to run, walk, bike, and explore. It's a great way to see just how beautiful and GREEN Portland is. There is a great view that overlooks downtown.

If you are there during the summer there is an outdoor amphitheater. It hosts events and free concerts.

We went for a run, climbed some trees, and played on the playset. If you want to be entertained, here is a video of Kelsey falling while trying to jump from a swing.

Spin Laundry Lounge

Okay, so if you don't have to do laundry this may not be on the top of your list of places to see. However, if you have laundry to do then do yourself a favor and go here.

It is the coolest Laundromat we have ever been to. In addition to traditional laundry amenities, it has an arcade, a coffee shop, and a bar. There are also couches and tables for you to chill at. The setup makes doing laundry way better. Even if you own a laundry machine or your hotel will do your laundry you may still want to bring a load just to experience this place.

They also put a big focus on the environment and using eco-friendly products. They take a lot of steps to reduce their carbon footprint and have plans to improve even more.

If you use their bigger washer you can get some free eco-friendly laundry detergent for that load. Of course, you can always bring your own. We typically bring our DIY powder version and it works great in their washers.

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We hope our travel guide for Portland, Oregon will inspire you and help you plan your next trip. The city has a great hipster vibe and the vegan food is incredible. Happy Adventuring!