Portland, Oregon City Tour: Parks, Plazas and Views in Portland booking from $65.00

Portland, Oregon City Tour: Parks, Plazas and Views

Overview

Learn the story of the Portland, Oregon while enjoying its highest and most intimate viewpoints, smelling roses, wandering through gardens, peaking into a forested park and sampling donuts.

After we pick you up at Director Park downtown, we’ll drive up the city's north/south dividing line, head to the summit of King’s Heights, and walk the grounds of the mansion built by a newspaper baron to the view that was once available only to the city’s elite.

We'll visit Washington Park, and walk through our favorite secret garden, and into the Rose Test Garden. In season, we'll smell the roses -- literally and figuratively!

Next: the city center and cultural district. It wouldn't be Portland without a stop for doughnuts, so we'll discuss the history of the city's foundation and the design of these blocks after we duck into one of our favorite shops and grab a treat.

We'll visit the South Waterfront, an inner Eastside neighborhood, and give you lots of foodie ideas before we drop you off!

City: Portland

Mon 12 May

Other dates

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Starting at $65.00

Make a reservation

Mon 12 May

Starting at $65.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Doughnut or other morning treat

Bottled water

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels

What To Expect

Director Park

We’ll pick you up in central downtown Portland at Director Park in one of our roomy vans. We’ll then drive up Portland’s north/south dividing line, pointing out important sites, including some of the city’s bike art, and historical buildings.

Powell's City of Books

We’ll pass Powell’s Books, and tell the story behind the biggest independent book store in the world

Pearl District

Learn about the history of this art and food rich neighborhood. (We do not stop to walk around in this neighborhood)

Pittock Mansion

Once we reach the summit of King’s Heights, we’ll walk around the grounds of the mansion built by a newspaper baron to the view that was once available only to the city’s elite. It's one of the best places to develop the context by which to experience this city. We'll take photos at the summit overlooking the city. We’ll walk through the mansion’s grounds and back to the van. (We will not visit the inside of the mansion.)

International Rose Test Garden

We'll learn about the story of the roses here and the rose city; we'll investigate our favorite varieties; we'll take photos and (in season) inhaling the scent of the roses, we'll get into the van for our next stop. (When roses aren't in season, we may make an alternative stop at the Hoyt Arboretum.)

Washington Park

we will drive into the SW Portland neighborhood of Arlington Heights, on the edge of Washington Park. Here we'll take a walk through our favorite secret garden, and into the International Rose Test Garden, introducing you to the story of the rose city. (When roses aren't in season, we may make an alternative stop at the Hoyt Arboretum.)

South Waterfront Park

TIME PERMITTING. After this, it's a drive along Portland's South Waterfront and the waterfront park, telling the story of the shining Swiss Alps-style engineering of the Aerial Tram and the development of this brand-new neighborhood and its beautiful, one-of-a-kind Tilikum Crossing bridge.

South Park Blocks

From here, we'll head back into the city center, driving through what Portland calls the cultural district -- once the literal heart of the city, the center line along which once the merchants and lumber barons lived, and now institutions like the Portland Art Museum, the Oregon Historical Society and Portland State University dominate. It wouldn't be Portland without a stop for doughnuts, so we'll discuss the history of the city's foundation and the design of these blocks after we duck into one of our favorite shops and grab a treat.

Portland Art Museum

We will pass by the cultural district

Show 6 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (35)

Brad_F

Feb 2025

Carrie did a great job explaining all aspects of Portland. There were only two of us on the tour and we appreciated that they did not cancel. This was a winter tour so the roses weren’t in bloom, but the views were still spectacular. Thanks Carrie for making it interesting!

lauriep848

Jan 2025

On a foggy January day Sarah's tour truly made Portland shine. Her deep knowledge of city history along with humorous anecdotes about early residents was both impressive and a lot of fun. She tailored the trip based on our questions and interests. I would come back to Portland just to take another one of her tours!

Ma_v

Oct 2023

Kerry our tour guide was the best 👌 very sociable and knowledgeable about the city and its surroundings. Didnt mind my two kids at all as we were the only ones for this session.Would hjghly recommend.

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Portland, Oregon City Tour: Parks, Plazas and Views

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