Free & Nearly Free
You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy Portland.
Sample food and beverage and plenty of the famous “Keep Portland Weird” spirit at these free and almost-free attractions. Want more? Read our guide to Portland on a budget.
Always Free
Brewery and Distillery Tours
Many of Portland’s breweries and distilleries offer complimentary tours and tastings once a week or more. Contact each facility for times and details.
Brew Tours
Central Eastside Brewery Tour
With eight breweries and counting, Portland's bustling Central Eastside practically overflows with award-winning suds.
Portland Beer Tours
Explore “Beervana” with the help of local expert tour guides on these Portland beer tours.
Pearl District & NW Portland Brewery Tour
In the Pearl District and Northwest Portland, local beer legends like McMenamins brew alongside flagship names from around the state.
Central Library
The oldest public library on the West Coast, Portland’s Central Library was built in 1913. The library boasts more than 17 miles of bookshelves and terrific artwork, much of which reflects a “Garden of Knowledge” theme. Highlights include the ornately decorated stairs and a 14-foot cast-bronze tree in the children’s room. The tree’s bark is a sculptural relief of images that intrigue children: vines, musical instruments, toys, ballet slippers, animals, storybook characters and letters.
Oregon Rail Heritage Center
Portland is home to more working steam locomotives than any other city in the country, and you’ll find them at the volunteer-run Oregon Rail Heritage Center, opened in 2012. Guided interpretation, presentations, exhibits and events tell the story of Pacific Northwest railroads and, during the holiday season, light-adorned “Holiday Express” trains tour passengers along the Willamette River. Located near OMSI and accessible via Portland Streetcar.
Monthly Gallery Walks
One of the best times to explore Portland’s galleries is on the first Thursday of every month during the aptly named First Thursday Gallery Walk. On these nights, galleries and shops in Old Town, the Pearl District and downtown stay open late, inviting the public to mingle with the artists and explore new exhibits. The streets buzz with performers, sidewalk artists and enthusiastic crowds, and many galleries offer free appetizers and wine. See a map of participating galleries.
Complementing First Thursday is Northeast Alberta Street’s Last Thursday event, which falls on the last Thursday evening of each month. This event offers plenty of gallery shows, plus sidewalk vendors, live music and a street-fair vibe. Held on Northeast Alberta Street between 15th and 30th avenues. Participating venues include Ampersand, Antler, Guardino Gallery and others.
Portland’s newest monthly art event is First Friday in the Central Eastside district, just across the Willamette River from downtown. Several First Friday shows and events are held in artists’ studios, cafés and other nontraditional exhibit spaces. Map of locations.
Forest Park
For outdoor enthusiasts, winter and fall are a wonderful time to hike through Forest Park, the nation’s largest urban wilderness. This nearly 5,000-acre wilderness has miles of hiking, jogging and mountain biking trails that are relatively free of traffic during the cooler winter months. Autumn sees the park’s mostly evergreen forest dotted with vibrant fall color. This is the perfect time of year to escape to the quiet solitude of the woods — and all within a 10-minute drive of most downtown hotels.
The Grotto
The Grotto, a 62-acre Catholic sanctuary, is one of Portland’s most visited attractions, greeting more than 175,000 guests of all faiths each year. Visitors can stroll through this natural gallery in the woods; view the marble replica of Michelangelo’s famous Pietà, carved into the base of a 110-foot cliff; or ride the elevator ($6) to the top of the bluff for an impressive, panoramic view of the area’s highlights, including the Columbia River Valley, the Cascade Mountain Range and Mount St. Helens.
Hoyt Arboretum
Home to plants from all seven continents, this 185-acre hiker’s paradise contains more than 1,100 species of trees and 12 miles of trails. At the south end of the Hoyt Arboretum is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. An interpretive center offers restrooms, maps and brochures.
International Rose Test Garden
In Washington Park, you can also explore one of the largest and oldest rose test gardens in the country — for free. This is the largest of Portland’s three rose gardens. Started in 1917, the International Rose Test Garden, just minutes from downtown Portland, has 10,000 rose bushes, spectacular views of the city and an on-site gift shop.
Free tours are offered daily at 1 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Parks & Gardens
Forest Park
With 70 miles of trails within Portland city limits, 5,156-acre Forest Park is a popular escape for runners, equestrians and hikers alike.
Portland International Rose Test Garden
With great views of the roses and the skyline, the Portland Rose Garden in Washington Park is a must-see.
The Grotto
This serene woodland sanctuary in Northeast Portland features 62 acres of botanical gardens.
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Located in the heart of downtown Portland, Pioneer Courthouse Square is affectionately known as the city’s “living room.” Once a grim parking structure, the square is now a thriving urban park and the single most-visited site in Oregon, attracting more than 9.5 million visitors annually. The square’s on-site resources include the Travel Portland Visitor Information Center and TriMet’s bus and light rail ticket office. The square is also one of Portland’s leading outdoor venues, hosting 300 events each year, from large-scale concerts to cultural festivals. The Portland Farmers Market operates in the square every Monday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., June-September.
Portland Farmers Market
Enjoy live music and samples of wonderful locally grown and prepared foods. During peak season, farmers’ markets are held on most days of the week around the city. At the Saturday market, chefs demonstrate how to create dishes with fresh market ingredients.
Locations/dates: The flagship market is held year-round on Saturdays in the South Park Blocks at Portland State University. On Mondays, the market comes to Pioneer Courthouse Square (June-Sept.), and Wednesday’s market is held in the South Park Blocks of the Cultural District (May-October). Hours vary by location.
Portland Saturday Market
Even though the Portland Saturday Market shuts down in January and February, this is still a great fall and early-winter attraction. You don’t have to buy anything, just browse through booth after booth of handmade crafts, jewelry, clothing and artwork. Street musicians, local performers, tarot card readers and international food kiosks round out the scene. The best thing about Saturday Market is that the people staffing the booths and selling the items are the same artists who created the crafts for sale. The market is open Sundays too.
Powell’s City of Books
Spend an afternoon exploring Powell’s City of Books, the world’s largest independent bookstore, covering an entire city block. Boasting more than 1 million titles, Powell’s is a mecca for bibliophiles searching for used, out-of-print, rare or autographed books. While the browsing is free, book-lovers will be hard pressed not to purchase something — especially from the bargain tables. Browsers are welcome to take up to three titles into the coffee shop for perusing. Ride Powell’s three-door elevator — one of only a handful in the United States — or check out the Rare Book Room.
Affordable Attractions
Public Art
You can’t visit Portland without encountering public art. In the central city, you’ll discover a surprising mix of artistic styles, materials and settings within any given 10-block radius. Public art is integrated into architectural façades, along the street, in the parks, inside public buildings and in the sculpture garden outside of the Portland Art Museum. There are even indoor exhibits — perfect for rainy-day sightseeing.
Wells Fargo History Museum
Located in downtown Portland’s Wells Fargo Center tower, the free Wells Fargo History Museum showcases the company’s role in regional history, along with displays of original Concord Coaches, mining tools and working telegraphs.
Free Days
Oregon Historical Society
Several free days per year.
Portland Art Museum
Free—first Thursday of every month, 5-8 p.m.; always free for ages 17 and under.
Almost Free Days
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
$2 – first Sunday of every month.
Oregon Zoo
$5 – second Tuesday of every month (September–May)
Portland Children’s Museum
$3 – second Sunday of every month (per person when purchased between 9 a.m. and noon).
