The Portland area is such a gem of the Pacific Northwest. Although not always the most popular city in the Western United States, there are a ton of free and cheap things to do in Portland, Oregon. As the largest city in Oregon and second largest in the PNW, Portland contains many great eats, outdoor adventures, and many opportunities for no sales tax shopping.
US Ghost Adventures is an awesome company that offers a variety of guided tours and haunted experiences across different cities in the United States. Visitors can learn the compelling history and stories of the paranormal and the city’s darker side. Make sure to check out the variety of tours offered in [Portland] here. They are very affordable too!
In this guide, all of the following activities are less than $15/person. Looking for a Portland Itinerary? Check out this guide.
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Where to Stay in Portland
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Portland hotels here! Also, check out this post with some of my favorite Portland hotels.
The following are some of the best hotels in Portland. *means it is one of my favorites!
- Hilton Portland Downtown
- The Duniway Portland*
- Hyatt Centric Downtown*
- AC Marriott Portland Downtown*
- Moxy Portland Downtown
- Kimpton Hotel Vintage Portland
- Home2Suites Portland Airport
- Residence Inn Portland Airport
- Hyatt Place Portland Airport/Cascade Station
- Hampton Inn Portland East
Grab a Drink at a Brewery
Cost: $5 and up
You can’t visit Portland without visiting a Brewery. It is one of the must-do cheap things to do in Portland. I really enjoyed the tasting flight at 10 Barrel Brewing Co. but the outside area at Rogue Eastside Brewery provides for a nice relaxing atmosphere. Other worthwhile breweries include Modern Times Brewery, Deschutes Brewery, and Von Ebert Brewing.
Grab Coffee
Cost: $3 and up
Portland is known for having a fantastic coffee scene. Thus, when spending time in Portland you need to hit up as many coffee shops as possible (especially if you are a coffee fan). Some of my favorites include Stumptown Coffee, Coava Coffee Roasters, Java Man Coffee, and Black Rock Coffee Bar. Most coffee beverages start around $3, so it is a great cheap thing to do in Portland.
Visit the Cullen House
Cost: Free
For Twilight fans, the infamous Cullen House where Edward Cullen lived, from the movies is actually located in Portland. It is located at 3333 NW Quimby St. and is named the Hoke House after its owner. Unfortunately, you cannot always get up close to it, but that can change depending on the day.
Visit a Distillery
Cost: $5 and up
Portland has a ton of distilleries that are a part of “Distillery Row.” Visiting a distillery is a super cheap thing to do in Portland. Some of the distilleries even offer a few samples for free! Two of my favorite stops were New Deal Distillery and Aria Portland Dry Gin (I LOVE gin).
I also like that at Freeland Spirits and Wild Roots Spirits you could choose to do a mini cocktail flight instead of just trying the spirits straight. Also, if you have a travel credit card that includes a Priority Pass, you can do a tasting of Westward Whiskey at the Portland Airport!
Eat a Donut
Cost: $2 and up
You cannot visit Portland without stopping at a donut shop or two. Portland is most famous for Voodoo Donuts, but I found I enjoyed Blue Star Donuts and NoLa Donuts better. If you make it up to Vancouver, Washington, head to Dot Donuts for some of the best tasting and inexpensive donuts I’ve had. Best of all, tasting donuts make for a fun cheap thing to do in Portland.
Eat at a Food Truck
Cost: Varies by Truck
One of the best cheap things to do in Portland is to eat at a food truck. There are a plethora of food truck pods scattered around Portland. Pods are a great place to go with a group because there are always a variety of options to suit everyone’s needs. Some of the best food truck pods in Portland include Pod 28, The Barley Pod, Pioneer Square, Third Avenue Food Truck Pod, Nob Hill Food Cards, and the Slabtown Food Carts.
Fort Vancouver National Historical Park
Cost: $10/person
Hours: Tues-Sat: 9am-5pm
Although not technically in Portland, Fort Vancouver National Historical Park is located just across the river in Vancouver, Washington. This historical fort was one of the last stops of the Oregon Trail and was a major trading post during its time. It is free if you have an America the Beautiful Pass or $10/person thus making it one of the great cheap things to do in Portland.
The Grotto
Cost: Free to $10
Hours: 9am-8:30pm
The Grotto is an outdoor Catholic Shrine with gardens built in 1924. In total, the area covers 62 acres, mostly atop a 110-foot cliff. Services are held here on Sundays, but visitors can also walk the Stations of the Cross at any time. It is free to view the shrine but costs $10 to visit the upper-level gardens.
Hawthorne Street
Cost: Free
Hawthorne Street contains a ton of delicious places to eat and cute little boutique shops. You can easily spend an afternoon strolling around browsing the shops and grabbing a bite to eat. Farmhouse Kitchen Thai is a great place for lunch.
Hoyt Arboretum
Cost: Free
Hours: 5am-10pm
The Hoyt Arboretum is a 186-acre area located in West Portland. The area is located atop a ridge and is quite hilly. It contains several miles of walking and hiking trails connecting the various areas. The land was originally allotted to settlers as part of the Homestead Act, but later became owned by the county.
Grab Ice Cream at an Artisan Ice Cream Parlor
Cost: $4 and up
Hours: Varies by Location
Portland has some fun ice cream shops with some unique flavors which makes for another fun and cheap thing to do in Portland. At Fifty Licks, visitors can grab a unique flavor like Matcha Mochi or Mango Sticky Rice. What’s the Scoop? also has some unique flavors such as Blueberry Basil and Maple Jack Bacon Brittle. You can find soft serve dusted in different flavors at the Cheese and Crack Snack Shop and add a little chocolate cowboy hat to the top!
International Test Garden
Cost: Free
Hours: Anytime
The International Test Rose Garden is a free garden located by the Portland Japanese Garden. This garden contains over 650 different types of roses and it blooms around June-July. You can easily spend an hour walking through the garden. It is also a great place for a photoshoot and a fun free thing to do in Portland.
Visit the Keep Portland Weird Sign
Cost: Free
Hours: Anytime
Another cool photo spot in Portland is the Keep Portland Weird sign located across from Voodoo Donuts -Old Town. After all, “Keep Portland Weird” is the unofficial slogan of Portland.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
Cost: Free to $13
Hours: 10an-6pm
The Lan Su Chinese Garden is located near downtown Portland. This walled Chinese Garden is a fun cheap thing to do in Portland. It opened in 2000 and many of the rocks were brought over from China. Although the plants can be found in China, they were not grown there due to import reasons. You can get in for free on Wednesdays or $13 on the other days.
Multnomah Falls
Cost: Free
Hours: 9am-5pm
Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon standing at 620 feet. It is free to visit the falls, but sometimes you may need to make a reservation online. Visitors can opt to view the falls from the Visitor’s Center at the bottom, hike to the bridge at the middle of the falls, or head all the way to the top of the falls.
Oregon Historical Society Museum
Cost: $10
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-5pm, Sun: 12pm-5pm
Another one of the fun cheap things to do in Portland is the Oregon Historical Society Museum. The Oregon Historical Society Museum houses over 85,000 artifacts about the history of Oregon. Established in 1898, it is located in Downtown Portland and operated by the Oregon Historical Society. This highlight of the collection is a huge Lewis and Clark Expedition Mural.
Pioneer Courthouse
Cost: Free
Hours: Mon-Fri: 9am-4pm
The Pioneer Courthouse was built in 1869 and is the oldest federal building in the PNW. The courthouse is located in Pioneer Square which is the center of Downtown Portland. In the square, you can find various food trucks and sometimes even live music! It is a great place to relax after exploring the downtown area.
Pittock Mansion
Cost: Free to walk the grounds or $12 to tour the inside
Hours: Thurs-Mon: 10am-5pm
For the best views of Portland, head to the Pittock Mansion. It is free to walk around the ground and take in the view of Downtown Portland. Note that in the wintertime, the road up to the mansion gets icey and is often closed.
Portland Saturday Market
Cost: Free and Up
Hours: Saturdays 10am-5pm
The Portland Saturday Market is a large outdoor market that contains food, crafts, and artisan goods. It is the largest continuously operated outdoor market in the world. You can find it in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park during the weekends.
Wander through Powell’s City of Books
Cost: Free
Hours: 10am-9pm
Powell’s City of Books is the place to go for any book lover. This bookstore is the largest independent bookstore in the world. You can easily spend an entire afternoon wandering through the stacks and looking through the books. You can find a ton of books for under $10 which makes it great for finding a book for the flight home. You can easily spend an entire afternoon looking through the stacks thus making it one of the best cheap things to do in Portland.
Washington Park
Cost: Free
Hours: Shuttle runs from 9:30am-7pm
Washington Park is a large public park in Portland. It is home to multiple different activities such as the Japanese Garden, the Oregon Zoo, the Rose Garden, and much more. Many of the sites within the park are free or require a small fee. In total, the park contains more than 458 acres of land. A day in Washington Park is one of the best cheap things to do in Portland.
White Stag Sign
Cost: Free
Hours: Anytime
One of the most popular photo spots in Portland is the White Stag Sign. This huge Portland sign is located near the Burnside Bridge and the Portland Saturday Market. In the evenings it is lit up in neon lights.
Go Wine Tasting
Cost: $15 and up
Portland lies between two super amazing wine regions: The Willamette Valley and the Columbia Gorge. Thus, any wine lover should make sure to spend at least an afternoon wine tasting in one of the regions. If visiting the Willamette Valley, Brick House Wines and Montinore Estate are two affordable options.
In the Columbia Gorge, AniChe Cellars and Hawkins Cellars are two great options. You could also opt to head to Vancouver, Washington if you do not want to drive as far. In the waterfront area, there are about 10 different tasting rooms from the Columbia Valley. Wine tasting is one of the many fun cheap things to do in Portland.
Hike to the Witch’s Castle
Cost: Free
Hours: 5am-10pm
The Witch’s Castle is the ruins of an old stone house and one of the fun cheap things to do in Portland. The building dates back to the 1930s and was once the site of the first Oregon execution in the 1800s. To get here, park at the Upper Macleay Trail Parking and head along a half-mile path. It is a relatively easy hike. You could also opt to park at the Lower Macleay Parking which is a three-quarter of a mile hike.
Wander through Downtown
Cost: Free
Hours: Varies by store
Downtown Portland is the place to go if you want to shop. Since Oregon does not have sales tax, you will want to save all of your shopping for Oregon. Downtown you can find many of the chain stores and a ton of amazing restaurants to eat at. Favorites include Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen and the East India Co. Grill and Bar.
As you can see, there are a ton of awesome free and cheap things to do in Portland. It makes for a great budget destination and it is not as crowded as many other cities. Visiting during the summer season makes for a great escape from the heat. If you have more time, check out some of the best weekend trips from Portland or head out on one of the best Oregon road trips.
