Best Areas to Stay in Portland, Oregon

Located on the Willamette River’s west bank, Downtown is Portland’s main commercial, financial, dining, nightlife, and shopping district.

This lively area is home to some of Portland’s most important cultural attractions, markets, and shopping centers.

Portland Art Museum, one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast, showcases a large collection of Northwest and Native American works. Meanwhile, the Oregon Historical Society is a history museum home to the “Portland Penny”, the very coin that was tossed to decide the city’s name in 1845, the loser option was Boston. Portland’s South Park Blocks, spanning 12 blocks and sandwiched between both lanes of Park Avenue, for a public park with fountains, statues, and sculptures.

Located right in the heart of Downtown Portland, Keller Fountain Park, an iconic public space, features artificial waterfalls. A few blocks away Chapman Square, Lownsdale Square, and Terry Schrunk Plaza form a green space surrounded by skyscrapers and public buildings. Across from it, the Italian-inspired Portland City Hall is the headquarters of the city government.

Pioneer Courthouse Square, located across from 19th-century Pioneer Courthouse, at the heart of Downtown Portland’s shopping area, is nicknamed “Portland’s living room” and hosts regular events. Right next to it, Pioneer Place offers an upscale shopping experience.

If this city’s name was not already a clear indication. Portland was born as a river port. In old times, the Willamette River was one the primary docking causeway for vessels moving products, people, and raw materials from Oregon to Washington, Canada, and Asia.

Nowhere is this frontier-town-slash-port-city connection more apparent than in the Old Town Chinatown. Located at the north end of downtown, this historic district is home to the Shanghai Tunnels, officially built to facilitate the transport of goods from store basements to the mooring docks on the river; these passages are filled with legends of illegal trade, organized crime, and shanghaiing.

Also located in Old Town Chinatown, Lan Su Chinese Garden is a small botanical garden with Chinese plants, ponds, sculptures, and a tea shop. Nearby, the Portland Saturday Market, held every weekend, offers crafts, food carts, and entertainment.

The Southern edge of Downtown Portland is occupied by the Portland State University.

Downtown Portland is the best-connected area in one of the best-connected cities in America when it comes to public transportation. All MAX and Streetcar lines cross the City Center north to south and east to west. Furthermore, Portland Union Station, which handles intercity traffic, is located at the district’s northern edge.

Portland’s Pearl District is located directly north of Downtown, on the Willamette River’s west bank and a stone’s throw away from Old Town Chinatown.

This buzzing area is known for being the epicenter of Portland’s legendary hipster scene.

With a grungy, industrial atmosphere, Pearl District used to be a port area. Today, many of its old factories and warehouses have been turned into art galleries, boutiques, cafés, and bars.

Considered one of the best shopping areas in Portland, the Pearl District is packed with independent boutiques and hip brands.

On its southern edge, W Burnside Street is home to Powell’s City of Books, an iconic, multi-level, bookstore with millions of new and used books and a café.

Tanner Springs Park is an urban square featuring an award-winning layout, a wetland waterscape, and an art installation called Artwall made with railroad tracks.

To move around, Pearl District’s central location and pedestrian-friendliness mean that you can discover the area, as well as Downtown Portland, on foot. To reach other city neighborhoods, the Pearl District is crossed by Portland’s Streetcar network and you can also catch the MAX at nearby Union Station.

Nob Hill is one of the districts that make up Northwest Portland.

Located directly west of the Pearl District, on the other side of the Stadium Freeway, Nob Hill offers an eclectic mix of residential streets and commercial strips.

Like Pearl District, Nob Hill is considered a hipster area in Portland. That said, Nob Hill offers a quieter atmosphere in its shady, tree-lined streets.

Originally a residential upper-class district, Nob Hill is known for its refurbished Victorian homes turned into fashion boutiques, upscale restaurants, and quirky caffés.

21st and 23rd Avenue are home to Nob Hill’s top eateries and vintage and local designers’ fashion shops.

The rest of Northwest Portland is more residential and quiet. A couple of miles from Nob Hill lies the expansive Forest Park, popular for its hiking and biking trails. Not far, the Pittock Mansion offers tours and impressive city views from its hillside estate.

While the northern end of Nob Hill is connected to the Pearl District and Downtown Portland by the Portland Streetcar, to get around the rest of Northwest Portland you’ll have to use buses, taxis, or cars.

The Lloyd District is located on the east bank of the Willamette River, in the Northeast Portland District.

This vibrant and modern commercial district is centered around the Oregon Convention Center, a massive fairgrounds complex hosting the most important events in the city.

Not far, the Moda Center arena, is a multi-sport center home to the Portland Trail Blazers basketball and Winterhawks hockey teams. When not used for sporting events, Moda Center houses big concerts and theater productions.

Lloyd and Downtown are the main financial districts in Portland. The Lloyd Center Tower, with 20 floors and 290 feet is one of the tallest buildings in Oregon.

The Lloyd District is also renowned as a shopping area. Lloyd Center mall is home to 170+ shops, a food court and office spaces.

This neighborhood is easily accessible via buses, MAX, and streetcars. It is served by all four lines of the MAX light rail system and one Portland Streetcar line.

The Buckman Neighborhood is located on the east bank of the Willamette River, in Southeast Portland.

Offering a mix of industrial buildings, modern condo apartments and historic areas, Buckman is an eclectic and interesting area to stay in Portland.

This up-and-coming and centrally-located area of Portland is home to some local attractions like Victorian-era Lone Fir Cemetery, Colonel Summers Park, and the Buckman Community Garden.

The riverside Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade occupies much of the western edge of the neighborhood. It’s a floating walkway offering impressive views of the river and Downtown Portland.

Popular Hawthorne Boulevard is located south of Buckman. This lovely commercial strip is considered the place to go in Portland for inexpensive international eateries, vegan and vegetarian restaurants, second-hand shopping, and nightlife.

The Portland Streetcar system connects the district’s western edge to the Downtown Portland area.

The Alberta Arts District is centered around a 1.5-miles stretch of NE Alberta Street.

This Northeast Portland commercial thoroughfare connects the Concordia, King and Vernon neighborhoods.

Busy and vibrant, Alberta St is famous for its its eccentric monthly street fair, Last Thursday.

Last Thursday is arguably the quintessential hipster event in Portland. Held every month, this street extravaganza brings together artists and performers, as well as thousands of people to this Northeast Portland neighborhood.

During the summer (from June to August), the road is closed to traffic from 15th Avenue to 30th Avenue.

On regular days, Alberta and the surrounding districts, while not as crowded, are still busy and interesting.

Being an “Arts District“, Northeast Portland is packed with art galleries, fashion boutiques, pubs, restaurants, and bars.

Because it’s a relatively outlying area, far from the uber-gentrified Pearl District, Alberta also offers a more local perspective of Portland’s alternative and hipster scene.

To get to this secluded corner of Portland, your best bet is using Uber or taxi. If you want to move around by public transport, there are some bus lines available.

Southwest of Portland is, for the most part, a quiet and residential area.

This massive area is home to several Portland attractions such as the International Rose Test Garden, the Japanese Gardens, the Children’s Museum, and the Oregon Zoo.

In the environs of Southwest, there are several natural areas. Oaks Park, an amusement park offers rides and attractions for kids.

The Yellow and Red lines of the MAX, as well as buses, cross the most central areas of Southeast Portland. For the rest of this expansive area, you’ll need to travel by bus or car.

North Portland, as its name suggests, is Portland’s northernmost district, it’s located on the east bank of the Willamette River at the confluence with the Columbia River.

This large district offers a mix of commercial and residential neighborhoods, as well as immense industrial developments around the Port of Portland.

North Portland is connected to Northwest Portland by the St. Johns Bridge, a 1931, 2,000-feet-long suspension bridge and historic landmark.

This district is home to the Portland International Raceway and the campus of the University of Portland.

The Portland Metropolitan Expo Center is a convention center where large events like the Portland Better Living Home and Garden Show, Antique and Collectible Show and Christmas Bazaar are celebrated.

The MAX Yellow Line connects the eastern edge of North Portland (along North Interstate Avenue and the I-5) to Downtown Portland.

Vancouver is a city located on the north bank of the Columbia River, in Washington.

Although technically an independent city located in a different state, Downtown Vancouver is only 9 miles north of Downtown Portland.

The second largest city in the Portland metro area, Vancouver has a few local tourist attractions of its own like Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Pearson Air Museum, or Esther Short Park.

Vancouver Waterfront Park is a 7.3-acre park and urban regeneration project on the Columbia River.

Vancouver is not yet connected by the MAX system, but the Amtrak Cascades line connects both cities 11 times a day in just under 20 minutes.