Portland Airport

Portland is known by many as the ‘greenest city in the United States’, and this feeling of great Oregon outdoors hits the tourist immediately on their first visit to the city. Portland is a big city but with a real natural feel to it, something added to by it being located at the meeting of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. It is served by Portland Airport, just a 15km drive from the city centre and a popular car rental pick-up point.

The natural feel of Portland is enhanced by the number of parks within the city limits, and is one of just three cities in the US which has extinct volcanoes inside its boundaries. Mount Tabor Park is a perfect place to appreciate Portland’s scenery, boasting as it does stunning views and historic reservoirs. Also well worth a visit inside the city are Forest Park and Washington Park, home to Oregon Zoo.

Outside of the city, the visitor can enjoy the truly spectacular Oregon countryside by rental car, considered by many to be among the most dramatic in America. Using Oregon as a base and renting a rental car means that the tourist can head off south along the state’s Pacific coastline, taking in the many beautiful towns and villages along the way. The coast is also home to dozens of pretty beaches extending all the way down the coast to the border with California.

A popular day out in the Portland region is exploring the state’s wine country. Oregon is home to many fine vineyards, all within an hour’s drive from the city centre and easily accessible from Route 5 southbound. Also within an hour’s drive from Portland is the mighty Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood, a National Scenic Area which extends more than 100kms into the Oregon landscape.

There is, of course, more to Portland than the great outdoors, and the city is home to all the creature comforts that a visitor would expect of a thriving US city. Fine hotels and restaurants abound, while for the shopper there are more than enough malls and boutique districts to keep the most avid bargain hunter happy.

Portland is a fine place to visit and one of the hidden gems of America’s tourist trade. The city makes a great base from which to explore the incredible scenery of the great Oregon outdoors by Portland Airport rental car.