Portland accommodation from AU$128

Things to do

Portland has some truly unusual museums. The Freakybuttrue Pecularium is a “gallery of the strange” (and ice cream store, yum!) where you can live out your lifelong dream of being an alien autopsy. The Faux Museum is a collection of completely fake historic items. Lovers of the supernatural can take a creepy tour around some haunted sites. If you love bikes, love getting naked and hate oil dependency (which this is a protest against), rock up to the World Naked Bike Ride in June to cycle through the streets with thousands of naked Portlanders.

Another (not so weird) side of Portland is the beauty of its parks, gardens and other natural features. There’s Portland Japanese Garden, with its colourful plants, tiny waterfalls and tranquil ponds and streams. Lan Su Chinese Garden is a Ming Dynasty-style garden with a man-made lake, traditional Chinese architecture and open-air concerts in summer. If you’re a keen hiker, you won’t want to miss a day trip out to the Columbia River Gorge, which has walking tracks to more than 90 waterfalls.

Portland’s nightlife ranges from live bands to karaoke to stand-up comedy and friendly local neighbourhood bars where craft beer flows.

And make sure you visit popular spots like the Oregon Zoo, the Portland Art Museum and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

Shopping and dining

Portland’s shopping is both tax-free (hooray) and diverse. The Portland Saturday Market is a large open-air crafts market, Powell’s City of Books is the largest independent book store on Earth and covers a city block, and Lloyd Centre is Oregon’s largest mall. Portland’s dining scene is a mixed bag of independent restaurants boasting delicious dining options, as well as plenty of decent street food carts.

Getting here

Keen to get to Portland now? Then book one of our cheap flights to Portland. You can get around Portland by light rail, streetcar, bus, hire car or bike. Book your Portland accommodation with us and you’ll see that – weird or not – Portland is a great place to spend your time. And that’s the naked truth.

Need insider tips on must-see attractions in Portland? Check out our Portland travel guide!