The “hipster capital” of the United States certainly has a number of unique attractions.
So, if you only had a weekend in this exuberant city, how best would you spend it?
In this article, we offer some truly precious pearls of wisdom for that.
Take Pictures with Portlandia
Portlandia is a statue reasonably similar to the Statue of Liberty in New York. Portlandia stands out as a symbol of Portland. Getting there is fairly easy and therefore we do recommend going there and taking pictures as memorabilia.
Since it is unlikely to be a long drawn affair, you can easily pack this into your weekend in Portland.
Visit the city’s plentiful Bars and Breweries
Portland prides itself on the numerous bars and breweries that it has. On your weekend sojourn to Portland, we strongly recommend that you do give these places a visit. There are many on the list; some prominent names include:
- Americano
- Radio Room
- 10 Barrel
- The Box Social
- Bit House Saloon
All these places rank high on the recommendation score. So we suggest looking at the distance from your place of stay in the city, to determine where to head.
Visit Powell’s Books
Powell’s Books is very well recognized as the biggest bookstore of its kind in the world. Irrespective of whether you are a bibliophile or not, a trip to Powell’s Books should definitely be on the cards. Once there, don’t forget to enjoy some delicious coffee too!
Trip to the city’s Japanese Garden
Portland is well known for its gardens, especially the numerous types of roses that are cultivated in the city. Among these plentiful gardens, if there has to be one particular garden which we would particularly recommend you visit on your weekend trip to the city, it has to be Portland Japanese Garden. This is a sprawling 12-acre place that actually has 8 sub-gardens ensconced within it, each of which is an experience in itself. The Cultural Village inside the Japanese Garden is also an experience in itself.
Visit Hollywood Theater
This movie hall was actually built in the 1920s and yet manages to retain its charm till date. You will especially enjoy watching indie flicks that are regularly screened here, instead of standard Hollywood fare.
Enjoy Sunset at St. John’s Bridge
Portland is a fascinating city of bridges with as many as 12 of them that span this sprawling place. Among them, St. John’s Bridge clearly has an unmistakable charm to it which is perhaps a few notches above other Portland bridges.
We recommend going here around sunset since the views are remarkably good. So if you are looking for ideal Instagram-worthy moments to capture while in Portland, then this is a place that you should definitely look to pack in on your weekend break!
Traveling to Portland, the USA without a Prior Visa
While in most instances, a prior visa is a prerequisite to enter the United States and visit irresistible places like Portland, in some cases, that is not a given.
Specifically, there is a US ESTA which you can use to enter the United States without a prior visa. Eligibility includes being a citizen or national of select countries on the Visa Waiver Program. Additionally, you should not be holding a valid visitor’s visa already. Further, your trip duration should not exceed 90 days.
Make sure you double-check all these aspects with an ESTA USA status check. Once done, you can simply pay the requisite $14 fee and you will be good to go for boarding your US-bound flight.
Driving to Multnomah Falls
If your weekend schedule permits, we definitely recommend driving up to Multnomah Falls. You will not only enjoy the scenic beauty of the falls themselves; the drive till there also has its own charm.
Irrespective of the route you take, it shouldn’t be more than an hour’s drive, making it possible to pack this activity into your weekend in Portland.
Alder Street Food Cart Pod
Portland prides itself on its culinary delicacies. Among the many tasty options you can treat yourself to, we recommend heading to Alder Street Food Cart Pod, simply because of the variety in gastronomic fare which you will get to experience here.
In many ways, this is a one-stop-shop for cuisines from all over the world. Accordingly, you can easily head here and enjoy small portions of many different cuisines for an entirely exuberant gourmet experience!
Shopping at Portland Saturday Market
We are talking about a weekend in Portland, right? So, would a weekend in this magical city really be complete till you have indulged yourself in some shopping?
For that, we highly recommend heading to Portland Saturday Market; located right by the river, you will find enormous variety at truly down to Earth prices.
Conclusion
There is just so much that you can easily pack into a weekend in Portland. If you really plan well, it is quite possible to include all the activities we have suggested above!