Portland, Oregon is a funky city on the Columbia River known for its donuts and Pacific Northwest vibe. It’s a city that is worthy of a multi-day visit, but we were on a long road trip and could only spend one day there. Outlined here is what we did with one day in Portland, but I also included some great alternatives and a few extras in case you have a little more time. No matter how much time you spend in Portland, I guarantee you won’t have trouble finding nature, great food, and the best people-watching in the West.
Please keep in mind that this is how Kevin and I spent our one day in Portland, and we highly recommend everything that we did. That being said, there are many more things that we didn’t do that may be just as good or better. This is just our experience and recommendation.
During our visit to Portland we focused our time in the downtown area, because a majority of the things we wanted to do were there. It’s very compact and easy to walk or use one of the many transportation options available. Plus, this guide is donut-heavy and a little exercise will make you feel better about the amount of food you consume in one day. And if you’re anything like me, it’s a lot!
Breakfast
Choosing a breakfast spot was difficult, but we eventually decided on the Bijou Cafe in downtown. It is centrally located to a lot of the other spots we wanted to hit, and it has a high rating on Yelp. Plus, it’s French-inspired breakfast, what more could you want? I ordered the German pancake (I love those, and you can never find them anywhere!) and Kevin had a French-style omelette. Both were delish! The chefs at Bijou use fresh, local ingredients and you can really taste the difference.
Honorable Mention Breakfast Spots:
Your First (Voodoo) Doughnut Experience
Only a few blocks away from the Bijou is the iconic Voodoo Doughnut, a Portland institution. With its pink umbrellas and glittery facade, no trip to Portland is complete without a stop at Voodoo. The indoor space is tiny and it’s highly likely that you’ll have to wait in line to order, but it’s all part of the experience. The first time I visited, it was in the morning and my mom and I waited for a good hour before we got in. This time it was noon on a Thursday, and there were only a couple of people in line.
Back in the day, Voodoo used to only take cash, but they have since upgraded and now will accept cards. The doughnuts are huge and topped with anything you can imagine, and they are wonderful for Instagram photos. Plus they come in pretty pink box! We only ordered one this time, but they saw Kevin’s huge camera and gave us a pink box anyway. Anything for the ‘Gram!
Voodoo has expanded, with several locations across Oregon plus some in Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, and Orlando. To be honest, they won’t be the best doughnuts you’ve ever had (especially in Portland, whose doughnut game is strong). It’s mostly for the experience and for the photo of you holding a doughnut topped with Fruit Loops.
Walk (and Read) It Off
By now, you’re probably stuffed. Walk your butt up to Powell’s City of Books, another Portland must-do. This bookstore claims to be the largest independent new and used bookstore in the world, and I believe it! The original location takes up a whole city block and is a perfect 10-minute walk from Voodoo. There are over 1 million books located on 4 floors, and if you can’t find a certain book here you should write it yourself because that shit doesn’t exist.
The store is broken up into nine different color-coded rooms and has 3,500 sections (!!!). I spent the majority of my time in the Red Room, which is where the gigantic travel section lives. For reference, the restrooms are on the second floor in the Purple Room. You can pick up a map at the info desk in the Green Room, or click here for a mobile map.
One could easily spend hours perusing the titles at Powell’s, but if you only have one day in Portland you’ll want to limit your time there. Easier said than done!
Lunch Time
You can’t walk up and down the aisles at Powell’s without working up an appetite. As we knew there were still donuts to try, we didn’t want to get a big lunch. A stop across the street at Sizzle Pie Pizza for a quick slice was perfect! Their slices are large and greasy and everything you would want in a piece of pizza. Plus, they’re low calorie! (Just kidding, I wish). But they do have veggie and vegan options for those with dietary restrictions, so you can join in on the fun. Also, there’s a cute pizza mural on the side of the location we visited (926 W. Burnside, Downtown Portland location) which is perfect for an Instagram shot!
One Day in Portland Means More than One Donut
If you can believe it, when we finished our pizza it was time for more donuts! Walking downtown Portland is perfect for balancing out all the carbs, but if you don’t want to walk skip down a few paragraphs where I outline transportation options.
From carbs with cheese to carbs with sugar, we walked a quick 5 minutes to our next donut stop, Blue Star Donuts. I had visited the location in Venice Beach in LA a couple of years ago, but at the time I couldn’t see the appeal of spending $4 on one donut. But here in Portland, I was willing to do it in my search for the best food in the city. I ordered a simple cinnamon sugar donut, and Kevin got a Real Maple Bacon, and we split a coffee. My donut was exquisite, but to tell the truth all of them looked delicious. They even have one infused with Cointreau liqueur!
A new addition is their CBD add-on to their coffee. As cannabis is legal in Oregon, for an upcharge you can add a little into your daily brew! The CBD oil they use is THC-free, meaning it won’t get you high. When you’re spending a day in Portland, why not??
P.S. It is my opinion that Blue Star has tastier donuts than Voodoo. If it’s your first time in Portland, make a quick stop at Voodoo for the experience. If it’s just great donuts you’re after, head to Blue Star.
Take a Tour
After all that eating, we needed a break in order to have an appetite for dinner. I am a great big history nerd, so when I found out that there were tours of the infamous Shanghai Tunnels, I was sold.
Don’t know what the Shanghai Tunnels are, you say? Let me offer a quick explanation. The tunnel system was built in the 19th century to connect the downtown area to the waterfront, so that ships could load and unload supplies without clogging up the street with goods and carriages. The tunnels eventually (and allegedly) were used to transport men and women who had been kidnapped (“Shanghai-ed”) in order to either crew ships or sell the women into prostitution. There were supposedly trap doors in many bars and hotels that would easily drop drunk (and/or drugged) men into the tunnels to be imprisoned and later put aboard ships that were often bound for China. Although these seedy Portland stories are hotly contended, they nevertheless offer tours into what’s left of the tunnels.
We booked our tour with Shanghai Tunnel Tours, which ended up being just under $17/person. The meeting point is in Chinatown, which didn’t seem like a great area but wasn’t that far from where we had been eating all the food, so it wasn’t a long walk. The group meets inside a historic building which is now Hobo’s Bar which itself has been there for 25 years. It’s an interesting place to grab a drink before the stories begin.
Our tour guide had a degree in history and worked closely with the Oregon Historical Society to try to preserve the tunnels and their history. If anything, she was enthusiastic and seemed to love telling the stories of the tunnels. We walked around the block and ended up right back in front of the same building, where the tunnel entrance is. We descended down some very steep stairs into the darkness, where there were flashlights waiting (although most of us used our phones).
The guide was wonderful and told the stories of the tunnels with gusto, and even had physical evidence to back them up. One such story is that the men paid to guard the prisoners took the prisoners’ shoes and sprinkled glass on the ground to discourage running away. There were lots of little pieces of glass all over the ground! I thought the tour, although macabre, was very interesting and thorough.
Disclaimer: the Portland Tunnels have very sordid stories attached to their history. Our guide told us many stories as if they are true, but I have recently discovered that the seedy nature of the tunnels’ history may be exaggerated. Nevertheless, it was still a pretty cool and unique Portland activity. Plus, did I mention the Tunnels are haunted??
Winner, Winner Sushi Dinner
All the crazy stories of the tunnel made me hungry (I’m a bottomless pit), so we alighted to our chosen venue for dinner. All internet searches led me to believe that if I only had one day in Portland, I should eat at Bamboo Sushi, a sustainable and delicious joint right smack in Downtown near everything we had already seen (and eaten).
The sushi was delicious and the service was wonderful. When the server accidentally knocked a piece of one of our rolls onto the floor, they brought us another full roll! Effectively, we got 2 for 1 (which is fine by me). I also loved that the restaurant is completely sustainable, with a commitment to responsible fishing practices and a low carbon footprint. They even have a daily map of where they are sourcing their fish from! If sustainability if important to you (and it should be!), you can feel proud of yourself for making the choice to eat at Bamboo.
Honorable Mention Dinner Spots:
Mother’s Bistro & Bar (if you missed it for breakfast, try it for dinner!)
Time for Drinks
Are you full yet? No? Well you can’t have a day in Portland without sampling some of the local craft beer. Aside from the donuts, Portland is world-renowned for its craft beer. After our delicious sushi rolls, we walked a few blocks up to Deschutes Brewery for a drink. I’m not a big beer drinker, but they had a delicious house-made sparkling rosé that was right up my alley. Deschutes also offers a food menu, if you only want to make one stop. There are tons of smaller places around as well, if you prefer a beer that you may have never seen in a supermarket before.
Other Downtown Breweries:
Transportation
We stayed outside of downtown, drove in, and parked. If your hotel is downtown, you really don’t need a car if you don’t plan on leaving the area. Even if you do, the TriMet transportation system is widespread and easy to use. You can even go right to PDX airport from downtown, easy peasy.
Downtown is very walkable, and all of the places I described above are within easy walking distance from each other. Even better, if you get tired of walking or don’t want to walk at all, Portland has really embraced app-based rentals. On quite literally every corner, there was either a bike, scooter, or bike-scooter hybrid that you can rent from your smartphone. You will find Biketown, Lime, Shared, Razor, Skip, Bird, Goat, Spin, zip, zop, zoop, and every e-rental you could possibly imagine!! Thinking back on it now, I’m not sure why we actually walked around so much!
Parking
If you drive to downtown, I would suggest finding a pay parking lot. You can park all day for a reasonable price and walk/scoot around the downtown area. If you only have one day in Portland, this is well worth it as you won’t be wasting time trying to find parking. Plus, finding spots every time you have to move your car is such a hassle! Everything you want to see is probably within walking distance, anyway. Powell’s Books has a parking lot that is supposedly expensive, tiny, and awkward, so again I would just find a pay lot so you can take your time.
Parkopedia is a fantastic resource for finding parking not only in Portland but in tons of other places. It will tell you how much is available, how much it costs, when the lots close, etc. There’s also an app!
Have more time?
If you find yourself with more than one day in Portland, here are some other amazing things to do:
International Rose Test Garden
Drive the scenic Columbia River Gorge
Mt. Hood (they have year-round snow sports!)
Timberline Lodge (the exterior for The Shining hotel)
Be sure to check out my vlog highlighting what we did in Portland in one day!
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