Why choose this Portland tour ?

10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m.

Start at DIRECTOR PARK

Our downtown Portland, Oregon tours are engaging, well-paced and colorful: the Best of the City! It’s a weird city, but there are stories in every building, park and brick. We’ve organized our city’s best things — and of course, its most complicated and conflicted, as well. In an ever-changing world we continuously change the story of the city.

Much of Portland’s history can be told through the buildings and street layouts including the prioritization of parks in the city center. It’s not a dry history: full of back-room deals, early deaths and greed; and then there were hippies!

How did Portland become the 1st city on the West Coast with a fine art museum? How did the city’s early cultural reputation influence its mid-20th century; and how did it become such a lightning rod for racial justice protests? We’ll discuss what was, is, and will be the soul of the city.

We keep groups to no more than 15.



Make the most of your Portland adventure

What makes Intro to Portland Small Group Walking Tour a unique experience ?

All tours start at DIRECTOR PARK. We’ll meet you in the southeast corner of this urban hardscape park, near the intersection of SW Taylor and SW Park Ave. Our meeting spot is across the street from entrance to the Regal Fox Tower.

Parking is available on the streets nearby or in lots in the adjacent building. The MAX light rail comes just a block away, at the Pioneer Square stop.

Much of Portland’s history can be told through the buildings and street layouts; most importantly, the prioritization of parks throughout the city center. We’ll walk through the park blocks and learn why they were laid out this way; and what the park blocks’ designer didn’t do before he died.

From cast iron-fronted buildings to the grandly disastrous post-modern Portland Building, we trace our history through architectural choices our city planners made.

No tour of downtown Portland, or history of the city’s relationships with hippies, would be complete without a visit to Pioneer Courthouse Square. From its past as the center of education to the drive to keep out the “dirty hippies,” we’ll learn how and why this square has never been far from the minds of Portlanders and the city’s visitors.

Tour Description & Additional Info:

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


Options To Choose for Your Trip:

  • Urban art and Pearl District
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    Urban art, Pearl District
  • The soul of the city
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    The soul of the city

Intro to Portland Small Group Walking Tour Inclusions:

Included with Your Ticket

  • Certified Guide

Not Included

  • Gratuities (always appreciated)

Trending Portland Nearby Tours Likely To Sell Out

Special Instructions:

    You only need to provide the traveler’s name upon meeting your guide. Please note that we cannot wait more than five minutes for late arrivals and we cannot contact the guide after they depart from the tour start location.

    Please be advised..

  • This Tour is Provided by Around Portland Tours.
  • Tour Timezone & Starts at America/Los_Angeles.
  • Mobile or paper ticket accepted.
  • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
  • This Tour is Rated 5 Stars based on 237 valid reviews on VIATOR.
  • Minimum 1 Travelers is required to book.
  • Maximum 12 Travelers is accepted for booking.