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Portland (Oregon)

Few American cities can match the youthful spirit of Portland, "The City of Roses". The largest city in the state of Oregon, Portland's residents are proud of their city, which draws people for its scenic beauty, great outdoors environment, excellent microbreweries, and eco-friendly urban planning policies, as well as a reputation for colorful characters and a proudly liberal outlook with an attitude to match.

Lying about 70 mi (124 km) from the Pacific Coast on Oregon's northern border, the city straddles the Willamette River (pronounced will-LAM-ett; just remember the rhyme "It's Willamette, dammit.") south of its confluence with the Columbia River. To the east, majestic Mount Hood forms an inspiring backdrop for Portland's skyline. The mild, wet climate makes this a very green city, and Portland has taken full advantage of this with a wealth of parks and gardens that make the city one of the most beautiful in the country.

Understand
"The dream of the 90s is alive in Portland!"

- Tagline of Portlandia

Portland is the largest city lying between San Francisco and Seattle, but when compared to those cities, Portland's environment is not as fast-paced. It hasn't yet developed to the point of being overwhelming. Instead, it has a more laid-back, small-city feel.

Over 650,000 people live in the city of Portland (2020); including the suburbs the metro area has 2.5 million people, so Portland has its fair share of amenities, including an impressive music and arts scene, and one of the largest collections of zine and independent publishers of any city in the nation. Its relatively large population also means it has some of the worst traffic congestion in the U.S., a fairly high cost of living relative to wages, and chronic underemployment.

The city has a lovely blend of historic and modern architecture and many lush parks to poke your toes into. Forest Park and Washington Park in the hills west of Downtown offer a variety of trees, plants, trails, and wildlife near the city. Vistas of Mount Hood and the Willamette River, stately Douglas-fir trees (Oregon's official state tree), and roses and trees at every turn give the city stunning seasonal color.

Environmentally friendly practices, such as recycling and an extensive public transportation system, are part of the culture and fuel many progressive city planning practices. Portland metro, like all Oregon urban centers, is surrounded by an urban growth boundary. This limits sprawl and helps make Portland a relatively compact city. Unlike most similarly sized metropolitan areas in the country, you can drive about 15 mi (24 km) from Downtown in just about any direction and be out in the countryside, where u-pick farms welcome the public.

Portland is a very fun and welcoming city for LGBT travelers. It has one of the largest and most integrated gay and lesbian communities in the United States, supported by two major LGBT publications and other queer-friendly media.

History
The first European contact in the area came from none other than Lewis and Clark, who sailed along the Columbia River just north of where Portland lies today in 1805; after a year of exploration they finally reached the Pacific Ocean just to the west. The reports from their expedition fueled interest in the area, and settlers came to stake their claim. Two of those settlers were William Overton and his friend Asa Lovejoy, a lawyer from Boston, who came across the spot where Portland now sits and jointly began to build a settlement. Later, Overton sold his share to F.W. Pettygrove, a man from Portland, Maine. As of this point, the area was being transformed from a small stopping point between Oregon City and Vancouver, Washington to a formal settlement, and the owners now needed to give it a name. Both Lovejoy and Pettygrove wanted to name the new town after their respective hometowns; so in 1845 they decided to leave it up to a coin toss and Pettygrove won two times out of three.

In 1851, Portland was incorporated and was growing rapidly; its proximity to the rivers, which funneled a trade with San Francisco to the south, combined by the local fishing, lumber, and agriculture industries fueled Portland's early growth. The railroad arrived in the 1880s, and for a time Portland was the largest city on the west coast north of San Francisco; however the Klondike Gold Rush and the arrival of the railroad to Washington state meant Seattle quickly eclipsed Portland's growth.

Portland persisted as a booming railroad, lumber and steel town for several decades. During the 1970s, however, Oregon started to gain a reputation for progressive urban planning practices, adopting policies such as an urban growth boundary and constructing new parks in a push to maintain the central neighborhoods as active places in light of suburban development. Through the 1970s and into the 2000s, Portland became a center for counterculture, growing into a hub for punk and indie rock music, zine publishing, and activist movements. The dot-com boom of the 1990s brought an influx of modern tech companies joining the established electronic and computer industry along with the so-called "creative class", who remained even after the economic bubble burst. By this point, the city's progressive policies and politics had won the city a special status among urban designers, environmentalists, and political activists as a very forward-thinking city, which has only fueled further growth and development of the metropolitan area.

Climate
It's said that there are only two seasons in the Portland area: rain and summer. When the summer comes, the clouds suddenly clear and it's hot and sunny, and often quite pleasant. Any given day in July through mid-October has only a 10% chance of rain, and temperatures uncommonly exceed 85°F (29°C) degrees or so, although it does occasionally exceed 100°F (38°C) in mid-summer. With global warming, Portland has had heat waves (temperatures of up to in 2021) and fires severe enough to restrict people to the indoors.

Despite the nice summers, Portland is really known for its rain, which comes between late September and late June. It is more often a menacing drizzle or mist than a downpour, though. There's a myth that most Portlanders don't use, or even believe in, umbrellas, and instead prefer hoods and raincoats. This has a grain of truth to it, but any stroll through Portland on a rainy day will prove to you that people are not shy about using umbrellas. You shouldn't be shy, either — if it's not summer and you don't want to get wet, pack your umbrella.

Although Portland is roughly at the same latitude as Minneapolis, Minnesota (and is in fact slightly further north), snow is uncommon because of Portland's fairly low elevation and the relative proximity of the Pacific Ocean. It does happen around once or twice a year, but rarely persists more than a few days. As a result, many area drivers do not deal with snow very well, especially when attempting to navigate the hilly terrain along many commuter corridors and neighborhoods. Even a light dusting will increase the risk of accidents, and any substantial snowfall or freezing rain can paralyze the city. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -3 °F (-19 °C), though overnight lows are usually above freezing.

A sunny day in the rainy season is not typical, but the sun does come out occasionally. The moment it does, some Portlanders may wear summer clothing, even if it's still somewhat chilly.

Watch

 * Portlandia (IFC, 2011-2018). Sketch comedy series set and filmed in Portland, which parodies many Portland stereotypes and trends (such as hipsters, outdoors enthusiasts, bikers, farm-to-table food, tattoos, and many more).

By plane

 * Concourse B:Alaska AirlinesAlaska Airlines]
 * Concourse C: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Icelandair (departures); JetBlue, Spirit
 * Concourse D: Delta (International & domestic); British Airways, Frontier, Hawaiian Air, Icelandair arrivals, Spirit, Sun Country, Condor, Volaris, Alaska Airlines arrivals from Mexico.
 * Concourse E: Southwest, United, Air Canada (to Vancouver (E13A)). Air Canada flight to/from Toronto is at Concourse D, WestJet (E13B)
 * has its own terminal at 7909 NE Airport Way which is connected to the main terminal by a complimentary shuttle. They only fly from Pendleton.

All international arrivals disembark through Gates D12-D15 where passengers proceed to US Customs & Immigration inspections under Concourse D. After inspection, follow the "Connecting Passengers" signs to the re-check center where you can recheck your luggage. Go up the escalators for security screening and re-enter into concourse D by Gate D9 to access connecting flights. If Portland is the final destination, follow signs reading "Portland Passengers Bus to Terminal", where passengers board an airside shuttle bus which takes them around to the international arrivals zone in front of the United Airlines baggage reclaim (at carousel #10) in the main terminal building.

A taxi from the airport to downtown is around $35, but the Portland airport is well connected by public transit, which allows you to save quite a bit of money. The most convenient and least expensive option is the MAX train, TriMet's light-rail system. Just catch the in the south end of the airport terminal, near the baggage claim area, at lower level. The ride downtown takes about 30 minutes and costs $2.50, which includes a transfer good for 2½ hours with unlimited transfers to any TriMet bus or train, or even to a C-TRAN bus (Route 65 at Parkrose Transit Center & 67 at airport) (except the express buses at the Parkrose Transit Center Stop), which serves Vancouver, Washington. Tickets can be purchased from machines on the train platform, or you can use any contactless payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, or contactless card) at card readers on the platform. You can also purchase a prepaid HOP card (see below).

PDX opened a new on the airport grounds in November 2021. To reach the rental car center, take the pedestrian tunnel on the south side of baggage claim and walk about 500 feet; the escalator to the rental car center is on the right.

To get downtown from the airport by car, follow Airport Way to the junction with Interstate 205 south, then proceed to exit 21B to take Interstate 84 west. Follow I-84 until it ends at the junction with Interstate 5, then follow the signs to City Center.

Two important notes about returning a rental car at the airport:
 * As you approach the airport terminal on Airport Way, pay careful attention to the overhead signs for Rental Car Return. After the road splits to the right, there are a number of left exits close together, and it is very easy to take the wrong exit. The rental car return exit is the first left exit after the split.
 * There are no gas stations in the commercial area between the airport and I-205 (Cascade Station). If you have to fill up the gas tank before returning the car, and are driving north on I-205, take the Sandy/Killingsworth exit (Exit 23A) to get to the airport's closest and most accessible gas stations.

By train

 * Train operator:
 * Routes stopping at Union station:
 * Amtrak Cascades operates between Vancouver, BC and Eugene via Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Lacey (Olympia), Centralia, Kelso (Longview), Vancouver, WA, Portland, Oregon City, Salem, and Albany.  There are two round trips daily along the portion between Vancouver and Seattle, six round trips daily along the portion between Seattle and Portland, and two round trips daily along the portion between Portland and Eugene.  Travel time to Portland from Eugene is 2.5 hours, from Tacoma is 2.75 hours, from Seattle is 3.5 hours, from Bellingham is 6.25 hours, and from Vancouver, BC is 8.25 hours. No train departures travel the whole length of the route. Additional service between Vancouver and Seattle, and between Portland to Eugene are provided on the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach. The Cascades offers certain amenities not available on the other two routes, such as Wi-Fi, more space for bikes, more power outlets, a bistro car serving Pacific Northwest foods and wine, and the occasional movie.
 * Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank. Between Seattle and Eugene, it makes the same stops as the Amtrak Cascades, except it skips Tukwila and Oregon City.  Travel time to Portland from Seattle is 4 hours, from Tacoma is 3.25 hours, from Eugene is 3.25 hours, from Sacramento is 15.75 hours, from the Emeryville (San Francisco Bay Area) is 18.25 hours, from Los Angeles is 1 day 5.75 hours.
 * Empire Builder, Amtrak's busiest long-distance route. Operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee.  The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. Travel time to Portland from Chicago is 1 day 22.25 hours, from Milwaukee is 1 day 20.5 hours, from Minneapolis is 1 day 14 hours, from West Glacier (Glacier National Park) is 13.75 hours, and from Spokane is 7.5 hours.

By car
The primary road connection between Portland and the rest of the west coast is Interstate 5, which runs through Washington, Oregon, and California. Driving from the south, you can take exits to the southern part of downtown before I-5 crosses the Willamette River, or you can take the Interstate 405 bypass to access the rest of downtown. From the north, you can take I-405 over the Fremont Bridge to cross the Willamette River and reach downtown, or take exits 302A or 300B and follow the City Center signs. Interstate 205 is a bypass route that splits from I-5 and serves the eastern side of the Portland metro area.

From northeastern Oregon, eastern Washington, Boise, and other points east, take Interstate 84. It follows the Columbia River on the Oregon side and terminates in the center of Portland, where it meets Interstate 5. U.S. Route 26 comes to Portland from the Pacific coast (near Seaside and Cannon Beach) in the west, before continuing out of the city east to Central Oregon.

In 2023, Oregon began allowing self-serve gas stations statewide. However, no station is required to offer self-serve, and even those that do cannot make more than half of their pumps self-serve. If you don't feel like getting out of your car to fill up, drive up to a non-self-serve pump, stay in your car, and wait as an attendant does the pumping for you.

By bus
Intercity buses pick up at the next to the Union Station (800 NW 6th Ave), the airport and/or additional places on the way into or out of Portland (see their websites). They can only pick up passengers on the outbound trip and drop off on the inbound trip but cannot transport passengers between two points within the Tri-Met Service Area (Portland Metropolitan Area). For example, a CoBreeze bus coming from Bend cannot pick up passengers in Gresham and drop them off at the airport. They can only drop off in both places on the inbound trip within the Portland area. See below:

 * Northwest Point goes up to Astoria via Beaverton, Elsie along US Hwy 26 and Seaside, Cannon Beach, Gearhart and Warrenton along US Hwy 101. Picks up from the Union Station and Sunset Transit Center (Beaverton).
 * Cascade Point goes down to Eugene via Tualatin, Woodburn, Salem & Albany. Picks up from the Union Station and the Tualatin Park & Ride.
 * Northwest Point goes up to Astoria via Beaverton, Elsie along US Hwy 26 and Seaside, Cannon Beach, Gearhart and Warrenton along US Hwy 101. Picks up from the Union Station and Sunset Transit Center (Beaverton).
 * Cascade Point goes down to Eugene via Tualatin, Woodburn, Salem & Albany. Picks up from the Union Station and the Tualatin Park & Ride.
 * Northwest Point goes up to Astoria via Beaverton, Elsie along US Hwy 26 and Seaside, Cannon Beach, Gearhart and Warrenton along US Hwy 101. Picks up from the Union Station and Sunset Transit Center (Beaverton).
 * Cascade Point goes down to Eugene via Tualatin, Woodburn, Salem & Albany. Picks up from the Union Station and the Tualatin Park & Ride.
 * Northwest Point goes up to Astoria via Beaverton, Elsie along US Hwy 26 and Seaside, Cannon Beach, Gearhart and Warrenton along US Hwy 101. Picks up from the Union Station and Sunset Transit Center (Beaverton).
 * Cascade Point goes down to Eugene via Tualatin, Woodburn, Salem & Albany. Picks up from the Union Station and the Tualatin Park & Ride.
 * Northwest Point goes up to Astoria via Beaverton, Elsie along US Hwy 26 and Seaside, Cannon Beach, Gearhart and Warrenton along US Hwy 101. Picks up from the Union Station and Sunset Transit Center (Beaverton).
 * Cascade Point goes down to Eugene via Tualatin, Woodburn, Salem & Albany. Picks up from the Union Station and the Tualatin Park & Ride.
 * Cascade Point goes down to Eugene via Tualatin, Woodburn, Salem & Albany. Picks up from the Union Station and the Tualatin Park & Ride.

By public transit
In addition to the above there are other transit providers providing onward transport from Portland to other cities/municipalities surrounding the greater Portland Metropolitan area and outside the Tri-Met service district. They can only make limited local pick-up and drop off stops in the Tri-Met Service Area and some can only drop off in the Portland Metropolitan Area on the inbound trip and pick-up on the outbound trip. Others can pick up and drop off between two points within the Tri-Met Service Area:

By boat
There are no useful boat lines, although you can take cruises up and down the Willamette River and multi-day tourist cruises from Portand to Clarkston, Washington.

Get around
If you are touring the United States without a car, rejoice! Portland is an easy city to bicycle, walk or use public transport.

Portland Streets roughly fall on a grid, though history and topography cause a lot of mismatches and exceptions. You may notice that a street is offset by several meters as it crosses an arterial, or that Boulevards like Sandy and Foster are diagonal due to their history as streetcar lines. In general, north/south aligned streets are numbered, while east/west aligned streets are named. The most visible exception to this is in North Portland where all streets are named. Numbered streets descend as they approach the Willamette River. This is true from both sides, so SE 7th is not the same as SW 7th.

If you want to navigate like a local, get to know the "six sextants" which are often referred to oxymoronically as the "six quadrants". These sectors are generally divided by Burnside Street between north/south and the Willamette River between east/west, with a fifth sector (North) between the Willamette River and Williams Avenue, and a sixth sector (South) between the Willamette and Naito Parkway.

Portland addresses contain their sector between house number and street name (i.e. 223 SW Yamhill St.). Address numbers increase 100 per block starting from Burnside Street or the Willamette River. This can make it easy to figure out locations from a street address, with practice. On named streets, the address numbers correspond to the nearest numbered cross-street, so 4534 SE Belmont St. is on SE Belmont near 45th Avenue. A handy fact to keep in mind in inner Northwest Portland is that the streets are arranged alphabetically starting with Ankeny, followed by Burnside, Couch, pDavis, and so on through NW Vaughn Street making directions easy to follow here.

Some older Southwest street addresses may have a leading zero in the street number. The creation of the South sector was driven largely to resolve this anomaly, and these former addresses are now located in South Portland without the leading zero (e.g. 0715 SW Bancroft Street is now 715 S Bancroft Street). Street signs in South Portland may still indicate SW during the transition period.

Most of the city (and everything near downtown) is along the northerly flowing Willamette River. However, the airport and Portland's northern neighbor, Vancouver, Washington, are next to the larger west-flowing Columbia. If you confuse the two rivers, you can easily mix up your bearings. Since the Willamette River can be hard to spot on a map of Oregon, many visitors think Portland is along the nearby Columbia by mistake.

By car
Driving around downtown is not recommended. Inconvenient, expensive, and hard to find parking, combined with active parking meter enforcement (8AM-7PM) and non-intuitive street closures, transit malls, and restrictions, make it frustrating even for locals. Cycling is often as fast as driving (or faster) in the city center. In fact, many of the traffic lights, both downtown and in inner Portland, seem to be timed for bike speeds. Uber and Lyft usually provide speedy and inexpensive service, frequently costing for less than a few hours parking.

If you must park downtown, the best parking deal is any of the six SmartPark garages maintained by the City of Portland. As of March 2019, rates are $1.80 per hour on weekdays for the first four hours, and $5 flat rate evenings after 5PM and all day on weekends. Also, some businesses can validate ("pay" for some of) your parking. SmartPark locations are:
 * , 33 NW Davis St.
 * , 808 SW Stark St.
 * , 730 SW 10th Ave.
 * , 620 SW 3rd Ave.
 * , 818 SW 4th Ave.
 * , 123 SW Jefferson St.

Car-sharing is available through Zipcar and car2go on a membership basis.

On foot
Portland is a great city for walking. The 200-foot (60-m) block size throughout most of Portland were designed in the 1860s for walking convenience and Portland has a lot of street life. Good mass transit also makes walking more feasible in Portland. The City of Portland Office of Transportation offers free, highly detailed walking maps that may be ordered online. For a scenic walk, the Eastside Esplanade along the Willamette River across from downtown offers lovely views of the skyline. Parts of the esplanade float on the water.

By bike
Portland, the self-proclaimed "Bicycle Capital" of the nation, is an excellent city for bicycle travel. The whole metro area has an extensive network of bike lanes and designated bike-friendly streets. Bike streets (also called "neighborhood greenways") are generally signed with green "Bike Route" signs and a bicycle painted on the ground. These are typically quiet residential streets that run parallel to a major arterial. It is highly recommended that cyclists use them where possible, as major thoroughfares can be busy. You can obtain bike maps from the Bike There! section of Metro's website.

Even public transit is bike-friendly here. TriMet provides plenty of information for bicyclers on their website. They offer Bike & Ride facilities and bike lockers at many MAX stations and major transit centers. All buses, MAX trains, and streetcars have space for bikes too. If you're taking the bus, just be prepared to sometimes wait until a bus comes with an open bike rack, especially on popular routes. The MAX, on the other hand, virtually always has enough bike hooks available.

In July 2016, the Biketown bike share network was launched. The system has 1,000 bikes at 100 hubs around inner Portland, and it's well suited for brief, one-way trips. Rides cost $1 to unlock the bike and $0.20 per minute of riding.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation maintains an online list of bike rental shops.

By public transit
TriMet operates the Portland metro area's extensive public transit system of buses, MAX light rail trains, and streetcars.

Adult fare is $2.80 for 2 hours and $5.60 for the entire day. It is recommended that you purchase a HOP Fastpass upon arrival, and use that throughout the trip (see below). TriMet uses the proof-of-payment system, so there are no fare gates or turnstiles, however if you can't present proof of valid fare to a transit police officer or fare inspector upon request, you will face a $175 fine for fare evasion.

You can pay fare, or buy passes, at any MAX station ticket machine (but expect the occasional out-of-order machine), on-board any streetcar, or on any bus (with exact change).

TriMet offers trip planning on its mobile website, but no official app. Transit Maps and trip planning are available on both Apple and Google Maps.

Hop FastPass
In July 2017, TriMet released the Hop FastPass, a contactless (RFID) smart card for electronic fare payment. Hop works on TriMet, the Portland Streetcar, and C-TRAN in Vancouver. Just tap the card on the card reader on board buses and streetcars, or on MAX station platforms.

Cards are sold for $3 at Fred Meyer, Safeway, and other Portland metro area stores. Load fare at these stores, online, by phone, through the Hop app, or at TriMet or C-TRAN customer service centers.

The card readers also accept Google Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and NFC-enabled debit/credit cards. Hop users (including those using mobile wallets) travel free for the rest of the day after paying $5.60 in fare (two one-way trips), as if they had a day pass.

Similarly, after paying $100 in a calendar month (20 days of round-trip rides), Hop allows free travel for the rest of the month, without the steep upfront cost of a monthly pass. This is very useful for visitors—you won't have to decide whether you'll ride often enough to justify buying a pass.

Apple Pay and Google Pay users can buy virtual Hop cards online and load them into Google Pay or Apple Pay. They combine the benefits of Hop with the convenience of mobile payments.

MAX light rail
There are five MAX Light Rail lines, which offer speedy and frequent service across much of Portland:
 * The Blue Line runs between Hillsboro and Gresham via Beaverton, Downtown Portland, and the Gateway Transit Center.
 * The Red Line runs between the Portland International Airport and Beaverton/Hillsboro via the Gateway Transit Center and Downtown.
 * The Green Line runs between Clackamas Town Center and Portland State University via the Gateway Transit Center and Downtown.
 * The Yellow Line runs from the Expo Center south to Downtown and Portland State University.
 * The Orange Line runs from Milwaukie north to Union Station in Downtown via Portland State University.

All the lines go through the city's downtown (referred to as "City Center" on TriMet), with the Red and Blue lines running east-west and overlapping on Morrison/Yamhill Streets, while the Yellow, Orange and Green lines run north-south and overlap on the Portland Transit Mall along 5th and 6th Avenues, with all lines crossing at Pioneer Square. Each MAX line runs every 15 minutes at most stops for most of the day, with service every 30 minutes in the wee hours of the night.

Portland Streetcar
In addition, TriMet operates the Portland Streetcar service, which consists of modern light rail vehicles running along Downtown streets about every 15-20 minutes. Because the streetcars usually share space with car traffic and stop every few blocks, this is a much slower service than the MAX and is intended primarily for getting around the Downtown area. A 2½-hour Streetcar Only ticket can be purchased for $2 at fare machines at Streetcar stops and on the Streetcar vehicles. There are three lines:
 * The NS (North South) Line, which runs between Northwest Portland and South Waterfront through the Downtown area. The route runs along Lovejoy/Northrup through Northwest Portland and the Pearl District before turning south along 10th and 11th Avenues through Downtown to Portland State University, then winds it way past Riverplace to South Waterfront.
 * The A Loop and B Loop lines, which run clockwise and counterclockwise respectively, between Downtown and Central Eastside. The route runs from SW Market through Downtown along 10th and 11th to the Pearl District, across the Broadway Bridge and along Broadway/Weidler through the Rose Quarter, then along MLK/Grand south past the Convention Center through the Lloyd District and Central Eastside to OMSI, where it crosses the Tilikum Crossing bridge over to South Waterfront before returning north to Portland State University and SW Market.

Buses
Many of TriMet's buses run from Downtown to other parts of the city, though a growing number of crosstown or local routes do not. Nearly all TriMet buses connect with MAX at one or more stations. A number of TriMet buses are designated as providing frequent service, meaning they run at least once every 15 minutes. A full list of bus routes, with the frequent lines clearly marked, can be found here.

Aerial Tram
The Portland Aerial Tramway connects the South Waterfront to Marquam Hill, where OHSU and other hospitals are located. A round-trip ticket on the Aerial Tramway costs $5.10. (Fare is checked only westbound, uphill.) TriMet monthly and annual passes are accepted on the Tram, but regular tickets, transfers, and Hop cards are not.

See
Portland has many unique and interesting neighborhoods to explore. One of the most exciting aspects of visiting Portland is constant possibly of discovery. Rather than containing most places of interest to a few busy streets, Portland has food, shopping, parks, and other activities sprinkled all throughout the city. Here are just a few notable neighborhoods:

Southwest
Downtown Portland is the heart of the city, centered around Pioneer Square and home to modern commercial towers, new condominiums, and converted lofts, along with several museums and urban parks of interest to tourists, including Tom McCall Waterfront Park along the river. To the immediate south of Downtown is the campus of Portland State University and South Waterfront, an urban revitalization area at the southern end of the streetcar line with newly built glass residential towers.

Northwest
Just to the north of Downtown is Old Town, which is where Portland was first settled and which has some historic buildings and is a nightlife center, but also contains a fair amount of social services for homeless and mentally ill. The neighborhood also holds the remnants of Chinatown which, despite a lovely archway entry at Burnside and 4th Avenue and some Chinese-inspired street decorations, is rather desolate and may prove a disappointment for visitors expecting the bustle of San Francisco's or New York City's Chinatown.

Just to the northwest of Downtown is the Pearl District, a very hip and trendy neighborhood on the streetcar line which was not long ago derelict warehouses and empty industrial space. The economic success of the Pearl has made it a frequently cited urban planning model, and it is an excellent place to hang out and people watch, eat in fine restaurants, and visit the famous Powell's Bookstore. Perhaps the best spot to people watch is Jamison Square, a city park at the heart of the Pearl that includes a popular fountain which fills a pool during the summer months that's popular with little kids. For a slightly more quiet retreat, Tanner Springs Park is just a couple of blocks north and built to resemble a piece of reclaimed wetland, with tall grasses and a nice pond. On the First Thursday of every month, all art galleries in the Pearl district open their doors for casual viewing, and many serve wine and cheese.

To the north of the Pearl, at the northern end of the streetcar line is the Northwest District, also known as Nob Hill and also on the trendy side and with a variety of retail shops, bars, and restaurants along with plenty of lovely Victorians and tree-lined streets. West of this is the West Hills, where the well-to-do of Portland have traditionally lived. Because of the geography, the streets in the West Hills are a bit of a maze, but they still make for an interesting trek; you'll find lavish mansions, ornate public staircases, and good views of Downtown.

Eastside

Hawthorne Blvd, which runs east-west across the river from Downtown, has a broad selection of shops including a menagerie of vintage goods at the House of Vintage and the ornate Bagdad Theater Pub, and is a center of the counter-culture/bohemian community which is dissipating to make way for a variety of upscale businesses. The nearby Belmont Street is also worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood, with a similar - if smaller - array of shops and attractions.

Located along Broadway and Sandy Blvd northeast of downtown, Hollywood is a commercial district for the nearby neighborhoods and home to the Hollywood Theater, a historic non-profit theater with an ornate facade showing a variety of independent, second run, and classic films as well as original programming and interactive events. There is also a popular Saturday farmers market in the neighborhood during the warm months.

To the north of the former between MLK Blvd and 30th Avenue, Alberta Street has much the same feel as Hawthorne Blvd; a counter-culture/bohemian community that's becoming popular with yuppies. Alberta is home to Last Thursday, said by many locals to be the alternative to First Thursday in the Pearl District and also featuring wine tasting and gallery openings, along with street vending and performance artists. The neighborhood between Alberta Street and Broadway is known as Irvington, and contains many historic Craftsman homes.

Other neighborhoods to explore include: St. Johns in North Portland featuring the gorgeous St. Johns Bridge, Mississippi Avenue, quaint Sellwood, Inner Southeast a loosely defined neighborhood where bars and music venues have been cropping up amidst the industrial landscape, Foster-Powell, East Burnside and Stark, Division and Clinton Street, and North Williams.

Do

 * Pedalpalooza. Three months of community organized (and free!) biking events during the months of June-August. All events are listed on the Shift Calendar. The type of rides are extremely diverse, ranging from rides where you learn about the history of the city, to ones where you bike from one side of the city to another. Or the dance party rides where you bike around jamming out to a certain artist or genre. Others where you bring along your dog and visit dog parks. Really any type of ride you can think of, it's probably on the calendar.
 * Pedalpalooza. Three months of community organized (and free!) biking events during the months of June-August. All events are listed on the Shift Calendar. The type of rides are extremely diverse, ranging from rides where you learn about the history of the city, to ones where you bike from one side of the city to another. Or the dance party rides where you bike around jamming out to a certain artist or genre. Others where you bring along your dog and visit dog parks. Really any type of ride you can think of, it's probably on the calendar.
 * Pedalpalooza. Three months of community organized (and free!) biking events during the months of June-August. All events are listed on the Shift Calendar. The type of rides are extremely diverse, ranging from rides where you learn about the history of the city, to ones where you bike from one side of the city to another. Or the dance party rides where you bike around jamming out to a certain artist or genre. Others where you bring along your dog and visit dog parks. Really any type of ride you can think of, it's probably on the calendar.

The biggest event in the city is the Rose Festival, taking place over several weeks in June. The centerpiece is the Grand Floral Parade, though the festival isn't all about flowers; there's also a fleet week, dragon boat races and fireworks.

Sports
As a major city, there are many venues where you can watch sports.

Music
Portland has a respectable music scene throughout town, with venues holding everything from huge national acts to small underground music groups. Many local pubs and bars offer great local bands on weekends, and the city is developing a national notoriety as the nation's "indie rock capital", with many high (and low) profile independent rock music acts calling the city home. Given its reputation for all that is hip, Portland maintains a fairly diverse range of live music options. Check out one of the two weekly alternative newspapers for comprehensive music listings; the Portland Mercury and the Willamette Week.

Learn
The Multnomah County Library (see "Connect" below) hosts language study groups.

Work
Former Oregon Governor Tom McCall (to whom a major riverfront park downtown is dedicated) said in a 1971 speech, somewhat famously, "We want you to visit our State of Excitement often. Come again and again. But for heaven's sake, don't move here to live. Or if you do have to move in to live, don't tell any of your neighbors where you are going."

Since then, the Governor's request has been widely repeated by people who ignore it, then quote it. Portland is a tough job market to navigate. Many Portlanders commute to one of the suburbs such as Hillsboro or Beaverton, with some of the state's largest employers, including Nike and Intel, located in that part of the metro area.

Buy
As in the rest of Oregon, there is no general sales tax in Portland; the price you see on the tag is the price you pay. This combines with the selection of retail outlets in the city to make Portland an ideal city for a shopping spree!

Craft and farmers markets
A visit to either or both of the Farmers Market and Saturday Market downtown is a favorite past time of locals.

Eat
Foodies may find their nirvana in Portland. With its location in one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the nation, an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood raised not far from its boundaries, award-winning wines and beers, and a food culture that supports food artisans and emphasizes local, seasonal food served fresh, it's no surprise that the culinary scene in Portland has received national attention. Restaurants and food carts have popped up in large numbers throughout the city, making it quite easy to enjoy a good meal at a reasonable price.

Both the Farmers Market and Saturday Market offer a wide range of cuisines made from healthy, local ingredients, and is great if you prefer to have a variety of choices.

Quality restaurants can be found at several price points across town (see district articles for more suggestions), although sudden exposure of popularity of some can cause long wait times. The good news is that there is probably an establishment that is just as good or simply undiscovered just a short distance away if you don't want to wait!

Local chains

 * Burgerville. The Northwest's own fast food chain with a decidedly NW flavor promoting organic, fresh and seasonal ingredients. Great burgers and traditional fast food fare. Amazing seasonal items including sweet potato fries, asparagus, strawberries, blackberries, onion rings and more.
 * McMenamins. Opening with its original location in 1983, the Barley Mill Pub on Hawthorne, McMenamins now has more than 50 locations in Oregon and Washington. In Portland their locations include historic buildings such as the Bagdad Theater and Pub,  Mission Theater and Pub  at 1624 NW Glisan St, and the  Kennedy School Theater  at 5736 NE 33rd Ave. While not all locations have theaters the McMennamins restaurants have been a reliable option for locals who are looking for decent food and in-house brewed beer, in a Relaxed, often-rustic atmosphere. The larger locations, such as the Kennedy School and Bagdad Theater, contain multiple establishments within, and can take the better part of the evening to explore.
 * McMenamins. Opening with its original location in 1983, the Barley Mill Pub on Hawthorne, McMenamins now has more than 50 locations in Oregon and Washington. In Portland their locations include historic buildings such as the Bagdad Theater and Pub,  Mission Theater and Pub  at 1624 NW Glisan St, and the  Kennedy School Theater  at 5736 NE 33rd Ave. While not all locations have theaters the McMennamins restaurants have been a reliable option for locals who are looking for decent food and in-house brewed beer, in a Relaxed, often-rustic atmosphere. The larger locations, such as the Kennedy School and Bagdad Theater, contain multiple establishments within, and can take the better part of the evening to explore.

Drink
If you're looking for a free drink while walking around downtown, look no further than the iconic Benson Bubblers. These are ornate drinking fountains scattered throughout the downtown area, made of copper and in one-bowl and four-bowl variations. Installed by Simon Benson in the 1910s, the fountains continuously run from 6AM to 11PM daily and offer a cool drink perfect for the summer months. Many cities have asked for Benson Bubblers of their own, but the City of Portland has turned them all down, respecting the wishes of Benson and his family. A single exception has been made, however — Portland has gifted one Benson Bubbler to its sister city of Sapporo, Japan.

Alcohol
Portland is often referred to as "the microbrewery capital of the world", and it's a well-earned title. Take advantage of the Northwest's famous microbrews — small breweries that serve their own (and others') craft beers. They are a world away from the generic beers that are America's mainstay. Portland also has more traditional nightlife drinking establishments, mainly downtown, in Old Town, and in the Pearl. You will find everything from dance clubs, gay bars, and an assortment of karaoke bars. Portland likes its alcohol.

Although a handful of Portland's key gay bars can be found in Downtown and Old Town, they are not restricted to any identifiable gay neighborhood. They are found in diverse locations throughout the city, reflecting the fact that the Portland LGBT community is highly integrated into the city overall.

Coffee
If your beverage tastes veer more to the caffeinated variety: Like the rest of the Pacific Northwest, Portland also loves coffee. You will, of course, have little trouble finding a Starbucks location in Portland, but the Rose City has also developed its own homegrown coffee culture, and most locals will argue that the best coffee is not in the large chains but in one of the small independently-owned local coffee shops.

Sleep
There are places to sleep all over the city, though somewhat less of them in the city's northwest. As in much of elsewhere in the world, downtown (here: southwestern Portland) is the place to find upscale accommodation and Eastside you will find many mid-range options. Budget lodging is somewhat scarce, though you might find a couple more places in this price range in neighboring cities in the Portland Metropolitan Area.

Stay safe
Portland is one of the safest major cities in the United States by most measures. Most people, including single female travelers, generally will not face problems walking alone at night. However, Portland is still a large metropolitan city — beware of pickpockets in crowded areas and don't forget your common sense entirely. Old Town/Chinatown can be a bit dodgy, but generally not dangerous during the day; at night, you're best off avoiding it or sticking to the well-lit transit stations. Public drug use is not uncommon in many parts of town. People in public states of psychosis (whether due to a history of poor mental health or induced via drugs) may be seen yelling in the street or engaging in other abnormal activities. For your own safety, if you see someone like this, do not engage with them and stay a safe distance from them.

Some rougher areas of the city exist in East Portland along NE/SE 82nd Avenue and east of Interstate 205, but they are seldom dangerous and should pose no problem to those who mind their own business while seeing the sights or eating at some of the off-the-beaten-track places that can be found there.

Portland has a large homeless population. You may be approached by people asking for food or money while walking in downtown or stopped at a major intersection. A simple "no" suffices as a response, but you may be threatened or cussed at. However, these responses almost never lead to physical violence – just anticipate that you may receive unsavory responses.

Portlanders — drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists alike — generally obey traffic lights and signs, and you should, too. Pedestrians and bicyclists are given more respect and deference here than many other locales in the United States, but don't use that as an excuse to not be safe while crossing the road or riding your bicycle. Be aware that the "Idaho Stop" is legal in Oregon. Cyclists are allowed to treat stop signs as "yield" signs, and traffic signals as "stop signs".

Portland has a long tradition of anti-government protests as well as occasional clashes between opposing political camps. These swelled in mid-2020, but have since died down almost entirely with the exception of a few late-night vandals. However, use your common sense and steer clear of any rowdy groups.

Connect
Two area codes cover the Portland metropolitan area: 503 and 971. All ten digits must be dialed when dialing local numbers in the Portland area.

Newspapers
Portland is the home of two Pulitzer Prize–winning publications and a number of smaller tabloid-format newspapers of note. Due to some heated local politics the town has become a rather thorny place for journalism. Portlanders identify their politics by what paper they read (The Oregonian vs. The Tribune, Willamette Week vs. The Mercury).

Most other publications would be of only passing interest to travelers, but to read what locals think and feel, the Northwest Examiner, Portland Observer, Skanner, St. Johns Sentinel, and Portland State University's Vanguard are some of the better choices.

Consulates
Most consulates in Portland are honorary which means they are there for commercial and business purposes and offer limited or no consular services except in emergency situations. The honorary consulates are only available by appointment only. Most of the foreign consulates are typically located in downtown but can be elsewhere too. The nearest cities for additional foreign consulates are in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles:

 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * Federated States of Micronesia
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico

 * 🇹🇭 Thailand

Go next
50 mi (80 km) from the Cascade Range and 90 mi (145 km) from the Pacific Ocean, Portland is the perfect home base for day trips to both mountains and sea. There are several options for day trips or next destinations available:

 * The scenic Oregon Coast can make a great day or weekend trip away from the city. Seaside and Cannon Beach are common destinations, especially when the weather is nice. Astoria and the surrounding area at the mouth of the Columbia River has a ton of history spanning from Indian Tribes meeting the famous Lewis and Clark expedition to a live fire engagement with a Japanese submarine in World War II! Tillamook is the birthplace of the famed Tillamook Cheese farmer co-op, and Lincoln City is another popular destination.
 * Newberg and Dundee are centrally located between many of the top wineries in the region.
 * Mount Hood is about an hour's drive away and provides limitless outdoor recreational activities year-round including: camping, hiking, mountain biking, watersports, and snowsports.
 * Bend is a 3-hour drive to the southeast in Central Oregon. Bend and the surrounding area is known for incredible scenery and premium outdoor recreation.
 * Seattle is often considered the "big brother" city of Portland, and is just a 3-hour drive or 3.5-hour train ride away. Regular flight and direct bus service is also available (see "Get In" for more information)
 * Seattle is often considered the "big brother" city of Portland, and is just a 3-hour drive or 3.5-hour train ride away. Regular flight and direct bus service is also available (see "Get In" for more information)

title: Portland (Oregon)


text:
Portland (Victoria)

Portland is a coastal town in Victoria, roughly midway between Melbourne and Adelaide, just beyond the region known as the Great Ocean Road.

By car
The township is a very short diversion from the Princes Highway, around 360km east of Melbourne.

By train and coach
V/Line train service connects with a coach service at Warrnambool to Portland, and on to Mount Gambier.

By plane
There is no regular passenger transport to Portland. There is an airport, for charter flights, etc. Mount Gambier and Melbourne are the alternatives.

See
Portland was Victoria's first permanent settlement, which gives it a rich heritage feeling with more than 200 historical buildings from the 1800s.

Portland has a long seafaring history beginning with the sealers and whalers that took shelter during southern storms in Portland's natural deep water harbour. Portland's Maritime Discovery Centre provides you with fascinating displays of this era as well information on whales with a Sperm Whale Skeleton, Southern Right Whale, Shark Showcase, the Portland Lifeboat from the 1850s, shipwreck displays and many other exhibits.

Today's waterfront is a hub of activity with ships from around the world loading up with local produce, the local fishing fleet bringing in their catch in the early mornings and locals and visitors alike strolling along the wide foreshore reserve.

Whales often visit in the winter months.

Sleep

 * Cape Bridgewater Bay House +61 3 9439 2966
 * Cape Bridgewater Bay House +61 3 9439 2966
 * Cape Bridgewater Bay House +61 3 9439 2966

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Portland (Victoria)


text:
Portland Metropolitan Area

The Portland Metropolitan Area is a region in Oregon that includes Portland, Oregon City, Hillsboro and other cities around the Portland area.

Cities
The suburbs of Portland tend to be divided into the "Westside" and the "Eastside" depending on which side of the Willamette River they are located. The oldest cities are found along the Willamette River directly south of Portland, while most of the new suburban development is happening in Washington County to the west of Portland.

 * - The largest city in the State of Oregon and also the county seat of Multnomah County. Portland is the primary interest for most travelers to the region.
 * - Although it is located in Southwest Washington just across the Columbia River, Vancouver is the second largest city in the official "Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Area". It is home to the historic Fort Vancouver which was a key location in the colonial fur trade of the 1800s.

Eastside

 * - A rural unincorporated community known for its humorous name above all else.
 * - Eastern suburb of Portland and the fourth largest city in Oregon.
 * - A small city just south of Portland. Originally established to compete with its neighbors along the river, it has become a "mature suburb" in recent decades.
 * The county seat for Clackamas County. Originally established by the Hudson Bay Co in 1829 as a company town, it was the first city west of the Rockies to be incorporated in 1844.
 * - The last stop before the Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84.
 * - The last stop before the Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84.

Westside

 * - A census designated place wedged between Beaverton and Hillsboro.
 * - Suburb west of Portland which has become an economic powerhouse as the home to large corporations including Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Electro Scientific Industries, & Tektronix.
 * - County seat for Washington County and the heart of the "Silicon Forest". One of Intel's largest fabrication plants is located here, and has driven the growth of Oregon's high tech industry in Hillsboro and adjacent Beaverton.
 * - An affluent city located around a lake.
 * - An affluent city located around a lake.

Understand
As well as Portland, the city proper, the area includes:
 * East Multnomah County - the eastern suburbs of the city, including the cities of Gresham and Troutdale; the gateway to Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. Together with Portland they are all part of Multnomah County.
 * Washington County (Oregon) - the western suburbs of Portland, a growing high-tech area near Hillsboro and Beaverton, and home to Nike and other well-known Oregon companies. The rural areas also have wineries.
 * Clackamas County - the southern and southeastern suburbs, including affluent Lake Oswego and historic Oregon City, leading to the foothills of Mount Hood.
 * Clark County - the northern suburbs of Vancouver, Camas, Ridgewood and Washugal north of the Columbia River in Washington state. Given their close proximity to Portland it's all part of the Portland Metropolitan Area but in another state.
 * Sauvie Island - An island on the north end of Multnomah County with small farms, beaches, and a large wildlife area.

By plane
There are additional airports serving the Portland Metropolitan area, operated by the Port of Portland, for general aviation and private VIP planes in:

By car

 * I-5.svg I-5 is the primary north-south connection from other parts of Oregon and Washington to the region. I-5 crosses the Willamette River on the Marquam Bridge.
 * I-84.svg & WA-14.svg I-84 end/begins at its junction with I-5 in Portland and it goes across Central and Eastern Oregon towards Boise, Idaho. Travelers will likely use US-26 for eastside destinations or I-5 via US-20 and OR-22 for westside destinations. WA-14 begins/ends in Vancouver (north of Portland) and runs parallel alongside I-84 from the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge to its eastern terminus at I-82 north of Hermiston.
 * US 26.svg US Hwy 26 begins at its intersection with US Hwy 101 south of Seaside at the Coast, goes through the Portland Metropolitan Ara as Sunset Hwy and SE Powell Blvd; and continues east towards Bend, Oregon via Sandy and Mount Hood. US Hwy 26 crosses the Willamette River on the Ross Island Bridge.
 * US 30.svg NW Yeon, NW St Helens Rd, Fremont Bridge goes north and than west towards its western terminus in Astoria via Scappoose and St Helens through the northwest industrial/warehouse areas. Going east, US Hwy 30 runs concurrently on I-5 (via Fremont Bridge and I-5 south) and along I-84 to Bliss, Idaho. It eventually goes across the country and ends in Atlantic City, New Jersey later. There's a business bypass of US 30 across St Johns Bridge, through North and Northeast Portland along various streets to I-84 at NE 238th.

By car
See the Portland page for information about how to get around within the city. To get to the eastside suburbs, use I-84 and I-205, while I-5 and US-26 will be the main routes to the westside. OR-217 is a diagonal highway between east/west US-26 and north/south I-5 that is used to reach Tigard and Beaverton. Expect slow traffic along this route, unless it's late at night.

By public transit
lists the intercity bus companies and public transit buses serving the Portland Metropolitan area (Multnomah, Clackamas, and Washington Counties) from neighboring counties (Columbia, Clark, Hood River, Tillamook, and Yamhill Counties) and from all parts of the state. TriMet serves most of the region with the MAX light rail and "Frequent Service" bus routes providing the most flexible routes. Between 1 and 4 AM there are a select couple of routes on hourly service (including one to the airport), but generally everything is shutdown. Routes and service are great to excellent near the urban core of Portland, and generally acceptable to good in the eastside suburbs. On the westside, however, you may have a significant walk from the MAX station or bus stop to a residential destination.

Ride Connections operates the 'Community Connector' buses/shuttles from the nearest Tri-Met bus stop or transit center to more places in rural Washington County, Forest Grove, Tualatin, King City, and North Hillsboro (all in westside) not served by Tri-Met buses and trains.

RideClackamas.org compiles information on additional public transit providers in Canby, Mollala, Oregon City, Sandy, Mt Hood, Estacada, Wilsonville and points in between in rural Clackamas County not served Tri-Met buses and trains.

Sandy, Wilsonville and Vancouver are not in the TriMet district and are served by SAM, SMART and C-Tran respectively. See By public transit in the Portland, Oregon article for a list of additional transit providers in the area and from adjacent counties.

By bicycle
Many of the suburban areas are not hospitable to cyctlists, but there are a few comfortable routes that cross the metro area:

 * The Springwater Corridor runs from downtown Portland, along its southern border with Milwaukie, through Gresham, and out to Boring in the countryside.
 * The I-205 Multi-use Path directly parallels I-205 from Clackamas all the way across the Columbia River into Vancouver.
 * The Gresham-Fairview Trail runs from the Springwater Corridor, across Gresham to Fairview.

TriMet bus and light rail trains can accommodate bikes.

Go next

 * Vancouver (WA), is sometimes included in the region even though it is across the Columbia River in Washington.
 * Salem is the state capital, about an hour away.

title: Portland Metropolitan Area


text:
Port Lavaca

Port Lavaca is a city on the South Barrier Coast of Texas and is the county seat of Calhoun County.

Go next

 * La Salle Memorial, 14 miles south on Texas Highway 316. Pink granite memorial on the site where explorer La Salle landed in Texas in 1685.

title: Port Lavaca


text:
Port Lincoln

Port Lincoln is a town in the Eyre Peninsula region of South Australia.

Understand
Port Lincoln today is a town of around 16,000 people, it has a foreshore area, marina district, and is close to the Lincoln National Park. Although tourism is important to the area, this is a working city, and you are just as likely to see trawlers in the marina as you are luxury yachts or tourist charters. While swimming at the foreshore jetty, you can see the large grain silos and conveyors load grain ships at speed.

History
The area has been known as Galinyala by the traditional owners, the Barngala people. Matthew Flinders visited the large harbour in 1802 and named it after his home of Lincolnshire and hence Port Lincoln is yet another Australian town that remembers this explorer. Flinders was looking for fresh water during his visit, which lasted several weeks. He eventually located some, which enabled him to continue his voyage into the Spencer Gulf.

He lost eight of his crew in a rowing boat prior to discovering the harbour. The boat was found but the bodies of the crew never were. The cape at the tip of Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area is called Cape Catastrophe after the event, and the surrounding islands named after each of the lost crewmen.

Climate
Port Lincoln doesn't get as warm as you may expect during summer, with averages remaining lower than Adelaide.

Geography
Most of the town of Port Lincoln finds itself along the coast, with beaches and rugged coastline.

By car
About 8 hours drive from Adelaide, a little quicker and less driving when taking the ferry arriving at Lucky Bay from Wallaroo on Yorke Peninsula.

By plane

Rex Regional Express and Qantaslink fly from Adelaide several times daily. Compared to the drive, flying is quick (directly across the Gulf), and flights are easily obtainable. This is compared to the much longer road route to the north via Port Augusta and around the top of the two gulfs and top of Yorke Peninsula.

Whyalla is the next closest airport with scheduled services, about 3 hours' drive (268km) to the north. Flights there are less frequent and more expensive.

By coach
Premier Stateliner run daily services to Adelaide via Whyalla and Port Augusta.

Get around
Rental cars are available in Port Lincoln and at the airport taxis and taxis operating around the town including Enterprise

Bike hire is available from Port Lincoln Adventure Hire.

See

 * Whaler's Way is a drive on private land commencing 20 km south of Port Lincoln. The drive itself is around 15 km, and will take around 3 hours to see all the sights along the road. You need to purchase a $30 permit to enter from the visitors centre, and show it at the gate. You can also buy the permits at the gate when it is attended.  You can get a key to the gate from the visitors centre in Port Lincoln for after hours entry with a $10 deposit.  Expect to see dramatic cliffs edges, rockpools, craveasses, islands, rock falls and seals.

Lincoln National Park
Lincoln National Park is 15 km drive south of Port Lincoln, The road is sealed (paved) for most of the distance to Cape Donnington and a well graded gravel road for the remainder. Near Cape Donnington there are many emu, kangaroo and goanna. Bring binoculars to see the wildlife on Donnington Island.

 * Cape Donnington has a fairly modern looking lighthouse, rocks, and waves. Views out to Donnington Island.
 * Stamford Hill at 1.6 km return walk to the Flinders monument. A great view over the town and beaches.  This is the point to which Flinders climbed when he located the water that allowed him to continue his journey.

Do

 * Coffin Bay with its two conservation parks, oyster farms and beaches, and Tumby Bay make ideal day trips.
 * Swimming
 * At the foreshore. There is a park, swimming enclosure and jetty just in front of the main shopping area.  Showers and change rooms are available in the park.
 * At the beach

 * Go cage diving with great white sharks. Three operators have cage diving tours leaving from Port Lincoln, one offering a day trip and another offering multi-day sleep on board trips. The best time for seeing great white sharks is in the winter months as they like cooler water.

 * You can swim with the tuna in enclosures. You can see the circular tuna nets out beyond Boston Island.  Each can hold up to 3,000 tuna, with little room for anyone to jump in with them.  The swim with Tuna platforms are purpose built, and have enough tuna so you can fit in as well. Tuna are large fish, with constantly open mouths, and they can swim up to 80km/h when darting for a pilchard.  Swimming with them isn't a calm snorkeling experience, but rather a slightly freaky experience with tuna darting rapidly at you, and then turning away with precision accuracy as they avoid everything that isn't a pilchard.  Wetsuits, gloves and booties are supplied if you want to dive in.
 * You can swim with the tuna in enclosures. You can see the circular tuna nets out beyond Boston Island.  Each can hold up to 3,000 tuna, with little room for anyone to jump in with them.  The swim with Tuna platforms are purpose built, and have enough tuna so you can fit in as well. Tuna are large fish, with constantly open mouths, and they can swim up to 80km/h when darting for a pilchard.  Swimming with them isn't a calm snorkeling experience, but rather a slightly freaky experience with tuna darting rapidly at you, and then turning away with precision accuracy as they avoid everything that isn't a pilchard.  Wetsuits, gloves and booties are supplied if you want to dive in.

 * You can Swim with the Australian Sea Lion. A marine encounter. Half day tour including light lunch and morning tea. An experience not to be forgotten.
 * You can Swim with the Australian Sea Lion. A marine encounter. Half day tour including light lunch and morning tea. An experience not to be forgotten.

Buy
Tasman Terrace is the main shopping strip of Port Lincoln, with shops occupying one side of the street, and the park and waterfront on the other. There are some fashion stores, cafes, restaurants, as well as all the essential supplies available.

Eat
If you have been touring the Eyre Peninsula eating in pubs and at fast food outlets, Port Lincoln may give you a chance to branch out a little. There is a selection of restaurants here, with seafood being a speciality.

Connect
Mobile phone connectivity might not be as good as you are used to in Australian urban areas. Plan on outages, especially when traveling outside of the town.

Go next
If you are heading onwards, you have three roads to choose from, two ultimately heading west towards Ceduna, and one heading east towards Port Augusta.

 * Coffin Bay Fresh oysters and the Coffin Bay Conservation Park.
 * Tumby Bay
 * Arno Bay walk along the Arno Bay Boardwalk, through the mangroves and down to the beach.
 * Cowell and the ferry departing from Lucky Bay to Wallaroo on Yorke Peninsula.
 * Cleve an agricultural centre and administrative centre to the north. 18 hole all season golf course, skate park, bowling greens, netball/tennis/basketball courts with coin operated lights, town oval and playgrounds.
 * Whyalla
 * Flinders Ranges to the north of Port Augusta and a gateway to the north of the state
 * Wallaroo on nearby Yorke Peninsula (via ferry)
 * Lock
 * Elliston follow the coast further to Ceduna and onward to the Great Australian Bight.
 * Nullarbor Plain

title: Port Lincoln


text:
Port Louis

Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius, and with around 150,000 inhabitants the island nation's most populous city. Sitting in a bay surrounded by mountains, Port Louis is a lively and modern city also with charming districts from colonial times.

Understand
The city of Port-Louis has played a leading part in the struggle between the French and British occupation (1735-1935) and was considered during that period as "the star and the key of the Indian Ocean". There are many historical places and buildings to visit. It is also one of the best place to learn about and appreciate more the Mauritian cultures and traditions, and by far the best shopping destination on the island.

Still, overseas visitors to Port Louis are mostly businesspeople, as most tourists visiting Mauritius are more interested in the beaches and nature elsewhere on the island. In a way, this is true for the locals too, as people from the city relocate to the hills outside the city. On the upside, this means that the city is not overly touristy, and except for the traffic jams at rush hours Port Louis retains a small-town feel.

Port Louis, together with the rest of Mauritius, was part of the British Empire from the Napoleonic Wars to the country's independence in 1968. Still, old Port Louis is a "French" city as the British didn't change much in the city built by the French colonisers. In fact, when the British had conquered the island they even left the administration in the hands of the French inhabitants that remained. Sidewalk decorations, parks and many buildings are remnants from the French era.

One of the main attractions, the Aapravasi Ghat, is mainly from the British era, though. This now-ruined complex is where Indian indentured labourers entered Mauritius in the 19th century (a bit like the Ellis Island outside New York). More than 70% of Mauritians nowadays have Indian ancestry, meaning this is a really important site in the history of the island.

By plane
(or simply International Airport), just southwest of Mahebourg, is the main point of entry to Mauritius. There are flights from major airports in Europe, eastern and southern Africa, the Middle East, and South, East and Southeast Asia.

From there, you have three options to reach Port Louis; by rental car, taxi (MUR 1800) or bus (route 198). If you drive yourself, head north-west and follow the signs for "Port-Louis". Port Louis is at the opposite side of the island, about two hours' drive away.

By bus

There are two bus stations in the city. Buses to and from cities to the north and east, such as Trou aux Biches, Grand Baie and Pamplemousses stop at the, northeast of the central market. Buses from cities to the south and west, such as Mahébourg, Curepipe and Quatre Bornes use the in the south of the city.

There aren't really any schedules, but buses depart and arrive quite frequently and you'll rarely need to wait for more than 15-20 minutes. Usually the first buses depart at 6 AM, and the last at 6 PM, city buses do run until 8 PM, though. Depending on the distance, an intercity bus ticket costs about MUR 15-30 (as of 2020) - express buses and buses with AC are more expensive, however.

Here is a list of the island's bus lines.

By boat
The harbour is mostly for freight, but the ships of Mauritius Shipping Corporation take passengers from Madagascar and Réunion.

By foot
The city sprawls more than 8 km across but the main attractions are within walking distance.

By light rail

Since 2020, Port Louis has a small light rail network named Metro Express, that connects suburbs to the city. The service opeates daily from 6 AM to 10 PM in intervals of mostly 12-15 minutes.

By bus
Intercity buses from the both bus stations to other parts of the island have some stops elsewhere in Port Louis. See the link in Get in by bus above for routes and schedules.

By taxi
Taxi rides within the city normally costs MUR 10-50, a bit more during nighttime. Avoid taxis during rush hours in the morning and afternoon.

By car
Driving is not the best way of getting around as traffic can be a little chaotic. If you arrive into Port Louis from elsewhere by car, park it at the marina or at your hotel. Street side parking is allowed for two hours ar most.

Renting a car can however be a good idea for trips to other parts of Mauritius. Car rental in Port Louis is a straightforward process, with many international companies like Hertz and Europcar available in the capital.

See

Do
Visit the Caudan Waterfront, a meeting place for teenagers and young lovers, which comprises a shopping centre, kiddyland and a huge food court catering for all tastes.

Buy
Port Louis is famous in Mauritius for the low price of clothes sold there. Imported from China or India, or made locally, the articles sold in Port Louis really offer value for money. You can easily get something of your choice from the numerous hawkers found all along the streets in the city.

The Caudan waterfront (mentioned in See above) has a range of boutiques and a crafts market with handicraft made by Mauritian artisans that can be excellent souvenirs.

And if you want to have a glimpse of Mauritian life, go to the Port-Louis Market where varieties of exotic food, fruits and other items are sold. There you will meet Mauritians from all over the country who have come for shopping.

Eat

Mauritian food is a mouthwatering menagerie of international flavours, with delicious Creole curries, cuisines from all over Africa, Southeast Asia and India, and an abundance of fresh seafood that has never been frozen or shipped on an airplane. Popular snacks include samosas and gâteaux piments ("pepper cakes"). China Town where you will find Chinese shops and restaurants, though this is mostly an option for lunch as most places there close in the evening.

Budget

 * There are fruit and snacks stalls at the market (see Buy above).

Mid-range

Splurge

Drink
Mauritian drinks include Phoenix Pale Ale, locally called spider beer (almost certainly because the feathers of the black phoenix bird in the logo looks like the legs of a spider). Many brands of cane rum is produced on the island, and its commonly drunk with cola and ice.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Stay safe
Crime rates have fallen over the years. Plus, there are police presence and camera surveillance at places with many tourists. Still there are some unsafe spots in town, such as the Citadel.

Embassies and consulates

 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next
The capital is the transport hub for Mauritius and you can easily explore the island from here by bus or rental car. Nearby attractions however include:

 * Casela Nature & Leisure Park (Flic en Flac) - About a half an hour from the capital, it's a park of 10 hectares which is home to 1500 birds, turtles, tigers, monkeys and other animals. It's a popular destination for families.

 * Mauritius Aquarium (Pointe aux Piments) - home to 200 species of fish, invertebrates, live corals and sea sponges, all native to the ocean around Mauritius.

 * Domaine Les Pailles - A natural park and cultural center with something for visitors of all ages from pony riding to mountain safaris. The park has four restaurants.

 * Go to one of the beaches north of the capital such as Trou aux Biches beach to the north surrounded by cassuarinas, the 2 km long sand beach of Mont Choisy and Péreybère, a small beach between Grand Baie and Cap Malheureux. Some beaches are also suitable for scuba diving, such as Flic en Flac beach on the west coast and Trou aux Biches.

title: Port Louis


text:
Port Macquarie

Port Macquarie is a coastal beachside city on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast, approximately 400 km north of Sydney and 550 km south of Brisbane. The Port Macquarie–Hastings area (which includes many towns such as Wauchope west of the Pacific Mwy) had a population of 86,762 in 2021.

By plane
The airport is on the eastern edge of town. Taxis are available to meet each flight, and car hire is available inside the terminal - but it is best to book in advance. The 340/341 bus serves the airport and town around every two hours - slightly more frequent in peak. So, if you're lucky you could meet one of the bus services.

By bus
Premier Motor Service and Greyhound each run a daily bus services to and from Port Macquarie as part of their daily service between Sydney and Brisbane.

Sydney buses arrive and depart Central Railway Station in Central Sydney and take approximately 8 hr to travel between Port Macquarie and Sydney. Brisbane buses depart and arrive at the Roma St Transit Centre in Central Brisbane and take approximately 10 hr to cover the distance.

In Port Macquarie, all buses drop off at the Port Macquarie Coach Station on the southern side of the Central Business District (CBD). The main shopping area is located within easy walking distance from this station, and some hostels, hotels and a caravan park are located within a distance that you could walk if you don't have too much luggage. Otherwise, the coach station has a public phone to call a taxi, or hotel for pick up, but most hotel owners and taxi drivers know when the buses arrive and will be waiting for you anyway.

By train
Port Macquarie does not have a railway station, but connections are available via Wachope station that is 20 min drive west of Port Macquarie. One ticket from NSW Trainlink includes the train and the coach. The coach drops off and picks up at Port Macquarie Coach Station. There are several services that call at Wauchope station, but there is only a single daily service to Sydney that offers the coach connection. Public transport services Wauchope at other times are extremely limited, there is no car hire available, and a taxi to Port Macquarie will be prohibitively expensive. Make sure you select Port Macquarie as your destination when booking the ticket.

By car
Port Macquarie is on the Oxley Highway to the east of the Pacific Highway, which is the major north-south highway in NSW connecting Sydney and Brisbane.

The exit to Port Macquarie is a large interchange, and is very well signposted off a section of dual-carriageway (nbnd) or motorway (sbnd). When travelling from the south (Sydney) you will see an exit sign pointing to Wauchope/Walcha/Port Macquarie on the left hand side of the road. Take this exit, turn right at the large roundabout (called "The Doughnut" by locals), and follow this road (Oxley Highway) into all the way into central Port Macquarie where it terminates.

Get around
Port Macquarie has a limited bus service, but it has limited frequency that can make getting around by public transport difficult. While buses may run to most places, they often run at odd times, and terminate early in the day. The most useful bus route is the Shelly Beach - Town Centre route, which seems to run quite regularly, and is the best way of those without a car getting to the beaches and lighthouse. Other than this, don't bother with the public transport, it isn't worth the aggravation.

Fortunately, Port Macquarie has a great many places to walk to from the Town Centre. From here you can quite easily walk to many beaches and some attractions. Because it has such a compact CBD, you won't have to walk far to get to restaurants, shops and pubs if you stay in town, or nearby.

Port Macquarie has many quiet streets and a few cycleways suitable for getting around by bike. Check the contours before setting off, as there is often a short way or a flat way.

See
Port Macquarie has an interesting history. Being the first English convict settlement outside of Sydney and the Hunter it has a few historical sites and museums.

Do
Most of the amusement parks in Port Macquarie have closed down, and show no signs of re-opening. Port Macquarie is still blessed with numerous great beaches:

Mid-range
Central Port Macquarie has plenty of high quality mid range cafes and most days you can just turn up and get a table. Here are some of the best:

Splurge
There are so many mid range places in Port Macquarie that serve food of a high range standard, that it's almost not worth the extra effort. If you must eat at a high range place, here are a couple:

 * Scampis Seafood: Port Macquarie Marina. This seafood restaurant has great views. It serves a selection of fresh seafood dishes, however, the quality of meals has dropped slightly.
 * Whale Bone Wharf: By far the regions premier seafood restaurant, placed over the Hastings River. Has live crabs and lobsters along with fresh local produce. Fish feeding is possible from their balcony seats and private jetty.
 * Fusion Seven: The hidden restaurant, that food lovers should not miss. Owner and Chef Lindsay Schwab has one many awards and travelled to many countries and taken a small piece of everyone and combined them into his culinary skills. Using the freshest local produce when he can he creates flavours, textures and dining delights to die for.  Licenced premises, consistent quality food and service.

Drink
Port Macquarie is a great place for beachside relaxation, or a family holiday, but a haven for nightlife, it is not. Compared to most other towns of similar size along the east coast of Australia, the pubs and clubs in Port Macquarie are quite substandard. Below are some of the better ones.

Craft beer has made it to Port Macquarie, with two breweries now calling the town home. Wineries are not as common, but Cassegrain Wines is the largest local. They make an interesting style Rose, and you can ask for it at the local restaurants and pubs.

 * Finnians Irish Pub: Behind the bus terminal downtown, this place is the place to get pints of Guinness or Kilkenny, as well as other Australian brews. Home to an older crowd than the rest of the pubs downtown, it provides live covers bands on weekends. Has a great bistro as well. (See Eating)
 * Hotel Macquarie: The most popular pub with teenagers and young adults in Port Macquarie, and for no good reason. Every Friday and Saturday this place fills with just legal teenagers and young adults, and becomes very smoky and hot. It has 2 bars, one showing live sports, with a pool table and juke box. The other bar is a disco bar, playing terribly dated top 40 pop music. Fights commonly happen here on weekends, and although it's very unlikely you'll get caught up in one, be careful whose beer you spill. Located just up from the river away from The Beach House.
 * Altitude Nightclub: Located upstairs in the Galleria Arcade, and with a panoramic view of the street directly below it, this place used to be called Roxy's Nightspot in a former life. During that time it was a damp, smoky club, playing techno music from 5 years ago, through speakers that distorted due to the bass. It has since been renamed Altitude, and the door charge is $5 after 22:30. The place has been revamped with quality sound and entertainment with the best local and some big name national DJs, and it is very popular with the Hotel Macquarie crowd. Altitude offers live music every Thursday night with free pizza and a pool comp.
 * Down Under Nightclub: Located towards Coles if walking past Altitude in the basement of the Galleria Building, this nightclub is a very run down venue with the patrons being somewhat the same. On a Wednesday night it is the most popular for majority young people aged 18-25 with the odd here and there older patron, you can expect very expensive drinks, karaoke singers and very dated top 40s music, staff are very unfriendly and rude and expect a fight every hour. On the plus side there is no entry fee on Wednesday nights, regular police visits, and only a stone's throw from Coles.
 * Altitude Nightclub: Located upstairs in the Galleria Arcade, and with a panoramic view of the street directly below it, this place used to be called Roxy's Nightspot in a former life. During that time it was a damp, smoky club, playing techno music from 5 years ago, through speakers that distorted due to the bass. It has since been renamed Altitude, and the door charge is $5 after 22:30. The place has been revamped with quality sound and entertainment with the best local and some big name national DJs, and it is very popular with the Hotel Macquarie crowd. Altitude offers live music every Thursday night with free pizza and a pool comp.
 * Down Under Nightclub: Located towards Coles if walking past Altitude in the basement of the Galleria Building, this nightclub is a very run down venue with the patrons being somewhat the same. On a Wednesday night it is the most popular for majority young people aged 18-25 with the odd here and there older patron, you can expect very expensive drinks, karaoke singers and very dated top 40s music, staff are very unfriendly and rude and expect a fight every hour. On the plus side there is no entry fee on Wednesday nights, regular police visits, and only a stone's throw from Coles.

Sleep
Port Macquarie as a major tourist centre has lots of accommodation choice. Peak season is the summer Christmas and New Year period, when all accommodation can book out, and minimum stay periods are commonly enforced. There is some true resort style accommodation, together with a range of motels, hotels, guest houses, traditional B&Bs, backpacker hostels and apartments.

Stay safe
Late on Friday and Saturday nights, avoid the main street as there are often brawls. Mostly this occurs as people are making their way from the Macquarie Hotel to Roxy's. You'll often see large groups of 18-25 year-olds being hostile towards random passers-by. Other places to avoid late at night are the Town Green and the area surrounding the McDonald's car park (near Settlement City.)

Go next

 * Hinterland 20 minutes west of Port Macquarie, Wauchope is the official start of Port Macquarie's hinterland. Home to a good number of farms, and small hamlets, the hinterland is well worth taking a drive through (tours are available, see the local tourist information centre) Cassegrain Vineyard is the largest winery in the area, and is located just off the Pacific Highway between both aforementioned exits (Look for signs). Other wineries include Bago Mountain Wines (near Wauchope) and Long Point Vineyard (located south of Port Macquarie, ask for directions before leaving, as it's tricky to find). Also, head for Blue Poles cafe and art gallery in the idyllic little village of Byabarra, some 20 km southwest of Wauchope, along the Oxley Highway.

title: Port Macquarie


text:
Portmagee

Portmagee is a fishing village on the Iveragh Peninsula of County Kerry, with a population in 2016 of 123. In Irish it's An Caladh, "the ferry", because it was the port for Valentia Island, but a bridge now spans the channel.

The main N70 "Ring of Kerry" road around the peninsula bypasses Portmagee. A side-loop called "Skellig Ring" winds through the village then along the top of Kerry Cliffs to St Finian's Bay and Ballinskelligs, rejoining the N70 at Waterville. All those small places and Valentia Island are described on this page.

Boat trips are the main reason to visit Portmagee. The star attraction is the remote isle of Skellig Michael, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but you need to be lucky with the weather.

Understand
Connect? Turns out you can't improve the line speed on a narrow-band connection by simply ramping up the voltage along the wire. But the 1850s were pioneering days in long-distance telecoms, so it has to be chalked up as a bold but not-to-be-repeated experiment.

In those days it took two weeks or more to convey a message between Europe and North America - the fastest a mail boat could sail. But the telegraph had been invented and Morse code adopted as a signalling protocol, and cables were laid from England to France and to Ireland, and from the Canadian mainland to Newfoundland. These were technically and financially challenging, but a transatlantic telegraph cable was the obvious next development.

The first attempt started from Ballycarbery Castle near Caherciveen in 1857 but ended in failure, and a second in 1858 almost led to the project being abandoned: the cable kept snapping. But they persevered, with two vessels working outwards from mid-Atlantic, and in early August that year the cable reached Trinity Bay in Newfoundland and Knightstown on Valentia Island. After several days of test messages the line was declared open, and Queen Victoria sent a 98-word congratulation on the project's completion to US President Buchanan. It took 16 hours to send.

William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) devised a mirror galvanometer that could detect very faint telegraph signals, but Whitehouse the pig-headed chief electrician insisted that the answer was more voltage. And more, and more! The cable only lasted a month, with 732 messages passed, before it burned out. It could withstand high voltage if the insulation was intact, but the slighest damage (easily acquired during cable-laying) ensured a terminal bang!

But the concept had been demonstrated, materials and technology had meanwhile improved, and in 1865 the Great Eastern began laying from Valentia Island. 1698 km later, the new cable snapped and was lost. Back home we go. But a further attempt in 1866 not only laid a complete transatlantic cable, but recovered the previous year's lost cable, lost it again, recovered it again, several times over before splicing it and completing it. So Valentia Island and Newfoundland were now linked by two transatlantic cables each capable of eight words per minute - that's how you improve line speed.

Get in
Local Link Bus 287A runs from Caherciveen to then crosses the bridge to Chapeltown and Knightstown on Valentia Island. There are 2-3 on Tu, Th and Friday. Bus 287B runs from Caherciveen to Dromid and Ballinskelligs twice M and W.

Local Link Bus 285 runs from Killorglin to Glenbeigh, Caherciveen, Waterville, Caherdaniel and Cahercove. There are two or three daily on the Caherciveen-Waterville section, but only one or two at the ends of the route.

By road follow N70, the Ring of Kerry route - usually from Tralee or Killarney (the nearest railway and inter-city bus station) via Killorglin, but you could approach via Kenmare and Caherdaniel.

sails from Reenard's Point near Caherciveen to Knightstown on the island, a 10-min crossing. It's a small ro-ro sailing Mar-Sep daily 8AM-9PM; it shuttles continuously, no booking. Fares are €5 single per car and passengers, €8 return; cyclist €2 single €3 return, pedestrians €1.50 single €2 return. But from Portmagee you simply reach the island by the bridge.

Get around
You can get around Portmagee and across the bridge to the Skellig Experience on foot.

See above for the Local Link bus across Valentia Island. There's no public transport along the Skellig Ring road: you'd have to take the bus into Caherciveen then come out on the bus for Waterville and Ballinskellig, and take all day about it.

Bicycles can be hired in Caherciveen, a pleasant enough ride via road or the ferry.

See

 * is an islet in the channel off Portmagee with the remains of an 8th-century monastery. The graveyard was used into the 20th century.
 * has its best scenery along the north coast, with Geokaun / Fogher cliffs, the "Grotto" in an old slate quarry, the "Tetrapod Trail" where some vast beast hauled out of the water and left its footprints, and a lighthouse. Glanlearn at the edge of Knightstown has tropical gardens but is nowadays a B&B.
 * Beginish Island north of Knightstown has monastic ruins. Boat trips usually start from Caherciveen.
 * is the breezy southwest tip of Valentia Island, reached by a footpath west of the Skellig Experience.
 * line the coast south of Portmagee. Reach them along Skellig Ring, the narrow lane round this tip of the peninsula. The lane then zags over the ridge to St Finian's Bay, with the ruined Glen Church, then cuts inland past Coom Wedge Tomb (resembling a petrified ottoman sofa) to Ballinskelligs.
 * ends this stretch of coast, a steep double-peaked island 1.5 km long, just 250 m offshore. Boats visit for the bird life but landing is not permitted.
 * is properly Baile an Sceilg as this patch of Contae Chiarraí is Irish-speaking. Cill Rialaig Arts Centre is a gallery and workshop for contemporary art, open daily Jul-Aug 10AM-7PM, Sep-Jun 11AM-5PM. The main beach is sandy, overlooked by the abbey and castle, hard to say which is the worse ruined. There's food and accommodation.
 * is a small resort village on the main road, on an isthmus between Lough Currane and the sea. Charlie Chaplin and his family often holidayed here 1959-1968. The beach is stony. Eightercua is a set of four tall aligned slabs from 1700 BC, probably marking a tomb; it's by the main road 1 km south of the river bridge. Church Island north end of the lough has a ruined medieval church and beehive hut similar to those on Skellig Michael; boat trips sometimes visit. The village has lots of accommodation, two golf courses, and a statue of Chaplin.
 * Derrynane House in Caherdaniel is the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell, see Kenmare. It's open daily Apr-Oct, Sa Su Nov.
 * is visible away out in the Atlantic southwest in the general direction of Cuba, with the lower Little Skellig lying before it.
 * is visible away out in the Atlantic southwest in the general direction of Cuba, with the lower Little Skellig lying before it.

Do

 * Boat trips: see Skellig Michael for boat operators plying to this remote monastery outcrop. Landing is only possible for agile adults in calm summer conditions, so the Skellig Experience (above) might be the closest you can manage. Trips also explore the cliffs, marine life and sea-bird colonies closer in, either by design or as Plan B when the Skellig crossing is blown out.
 * Horse riding: ROK Equestrian Centre is on N70 five km north of Waterville.
 * Golf: Waterville has two courses, Hogs Head GC and Waterville Golf Links.
 * Tech Amergin is an Arts and Education Centre in Waterville hosting various events and exhibitions.
 * Chaplin Film Festival is in Waterville in August. Dates for 2022 are TBA.

Buy

 * Portmagee: O'Connell's Foodstore by the harbour is open 9AM-8PM, Su 8:30AM-5:30PM. No ATMs hereabouts: some boat operators only take cash.
 * Cois Cuain Gifts is close to O'Connells, seasonal hours.
 * Knightstown has Donal & Rosie's Foodstore, open daily 9:30AM-8PM.
 * Skelligs Chocolate Factory & Cafe is in St Finian's Bay along the Skelling Ring. You can buy online.
 * Waterville has a Centra with an ATM, open daily 7AM-10:30PM and a couple of filling stations.

Eat

 * Smuggler's Cafe at Portmagee harbour is open M-F 11AM-5PM, Sa Su 8:30AM-5PM.
 * K's Golden Grill is a burger and fish & chips trailer parked by Portmagee harbour. Hours vary, usually out-of-season Th-Sa till 10PM, daily until late in summer.
 * The Moorings has a restaurant, bar and accommodation, see Sleep.
 * Ring Lyne Bar is midway across Valentia Island, with a restaurant and accommodation.
 * Cable & Co is a shocking-pink food truck in Knightstown, hours seasonal.
 * Ballinskelligs has Cable O'Leary's and a couple of cafes.
 * Waterville has The Lobster, An Corcan, Dooley's, Five Spice and Waterville Inn.
 * Waterville has The Lobster, An Corcan, Dooley's, Five Spice and Waterville Inn.

Drink

 * The Bridge Bar is within The Moorings restaurant and B&B, see below. It's open daily, with Irish music and dancing on Tuesday night.
 * Knightstown has Boston's Bar and The Dwelling House.
 * Ballinskelligs has Sigerson's Bar (Tig Rosie), and Waterville has Bayview Bar.
 * McGill's Brewery is 2 km north of Waterville on N70 and offers tours. It's open daily 11:30AM-5PM.
 * Portmagee Whiskey is distilled in the old Portmagee police barracks, but it won't be ready for sale until 2028. They're also developing a new visitor centre; no tours meanwhile.

Sleep

 * Portmagee B&Bs also include The Ferryboat, The Waterfront, Portmagee Heights and Calafont.
 * Valentia Island accommodation is mostly at Knightstown at the east tip. These include Royal Valentia Hotel, Horizon View, and the camping & caravan site. There's a straggle of self-catering cottages inland.
 * Ballinskelligs has Skellig Lodge (below), Seaside B&B and Tig an Rince. In early 2021 several other guesthouses were available for self-catering but not operating as B&Bs.
 * Waterville has lots, including Sea Lodge, Old Cable House (below), The Villa (O'Dwyer's), Butler Arms Hotel, Klondyke House, and O'Grady's Townhouse. Edge of the village are Brookhaven House (below), Golf Links View and Smugglers Inn.
 * Ballinskelligs has Skellig Lodge (below), Seaside B&B and Tig an Rince. In early 2021 several other guesthouses were available for self-catering but not operating as B&Bs.
 * Waterville has lots, including Sea Lodge, Old Cable House (below), The Villa (O'Dwyer's), Butler Arms Hotel, Klondyke House, and O'Grady's Townhouse. Edge of the village are Brookhaven House (below), Golf Links View and Smugglers Inn.
 * Waterville has lots, including Sea Lodge, Old Cable House (below), The Villa (O'Dwyer's), Butler Arms Hotel, Klondyke House, and O'Grady's Townhouse. Edge of the village are Brookhaven House (below), Golf Links View and Smugglers Inn.

Connect
As of May 2021, Portmagee has a mobile signal from Three and Vodafone, but nothing from Eir. Valentia Island has practically no coverage, nor the Ballinskelligs area, though the signal resumes on the N70 Ring of Kerry road.

Go next

 * Anti-clockwise round the Ring of Kerry brings you next into Derrynane, Sneem and Kenmare. From there you can turn north to continue the circuit to Killarney, or go south onto Beara Peninsula and Castletownbere, or head inland to cross the hills towards Macroom and Cork.
 * Clockwise you soon reach Caherciveen, birthplace of Daniel O'Connell and with two sturdy ringforts. Carry on east for Kerry Bog Village and Killorglin, where the road forks for Killarney or Tralee.

title: Portmagee


text:
Portmeirion

Portmeirion is an Italian renaissance style village located on the coast of North Wales, most famous for being the setting of the cult television program The Prisoner.

Understand
The village was constructed by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis on his own private peninsula from 1925 to 1975 and is now run by a charitable trust with the aim of preserving his work, which is quite a task since he constructed a lot of it on the cheap as a personal project and out of his own pocket. It is not a residential village, it runs as a tourist attraction, welcoming day guests (admission is £7.50) and hotel residents, using the village's many cottages as the hotel accommodation.

It has been made famous as the location used in the filming of the 60s cult TV series, The Prisoner, in which it was called 'The Village'. In the 2008 remake of The Prisoner, Swakopmund in Namibia was used as the setting, its architecture referencing Portmeirion's own quaint buildings.

By car
Portmeirion is situated a couple of miles south-west of Porthmadog just off the A487. From the village of Minffordd, Portmeirion is signposted off the main road.

By rail
Both the mainline Cambrian Coast Railway and the narrow-gauge Ffestiniog Railway serve Minffordd station, which is about 20 minutes walk from Portmeirion.

By bus
Bus 99B connects Portmeirion to Porthmadog three times a day (not Sundays). Catch it outside the Australia pub on the High Street.

Get around
Portmeirion is a small village and everything is accessible by foot. It also includes trails for those who are inclined to a workout.

See
The colourful architecture of Portmeirion is well worth the trip. The village also contains extensive gardens with a pagoda.

Do
Walking around Portmeirion to view all the different bits of architecture is a must. The village also includes wooded trails with extensive types of flora, a beach and a swimming pool (for hotel guests only).

Buy
It also has a few shops for Portmeirion and Welsh merchandise, as well as Number 6's Cottage which houses the Prisoner merchandise shop.

Eat
has a restaurant, ice cream shop, and newly built pizzeria.

Sleep

Nearby locations with a wide choice of accommodation and easy access to Portmeirion include Penrhyndeudraeth, Porthmadog and Harlech.

title: Portmeirion