Planning a Trip

Getting There

Coming from the south by car, downtown Portland is most easily reached by taking exit 44 off the Maine Turnpike (I-95), then following I-295 (which is free) into town. Exit I-295 onto Franklin Arterial (exit 7), then continue straight uphill and downhill until you arrive at the city's ferry terminal. Turn right onto Commercial Street, and continue a few blocks to parking meters and the visitor center on the right .

Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) runs the daily Downeaster service from Boston's North Station to Portland (passengers from other cities must change stations from South Station to North Station in Boston by taxi or subway). The train makes four to five round-trips daily, for about $23 one-way. Downtown is a short city bus ride or a 30- to 45-minute walk from the station.

Concord Coach (tel. 800/639-3317 or 207/828-1151; www.concordcoachlines.com) and Vermont Transit (tel. 800/552-8737 or 207/772-6587; www.vermonttransit.com) provide bus service to Portland from Boston and Bangor. The Vermont Transit bus terminal is at 950 Congress St., about a mile downhill from, and south of, the downtown core. Concord Trailways, which is a few dollars more expensive, has movies and headsets on its trips; its terminal is inconveniently set on Thompson Point Road (a 35-min. walk from downtown), but it is served by city buses and taxis.

Portland International Jetport (tel. 207/874-8877; www.portlandjetport.org), airport code PWM, is the largest airport in Maine. It's served by flights from Continental (tel. 800/523-3273; www.continental.com), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com); JetBlue (tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), United Express (tel. 800/864-8331; www.ual.com), and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usair.com). The airport has grown by fits and starts in recent years (ongoing construction and tight parking can be frustrating at times), but is still quite easily navigated; car rentals are available, and a taxi to the city center runs about $15.

Visitor Information

The Convention and Visitor's Bureau of Greater Portland, 245 Commercial St., Portland, ME 04101 (tel. 207/772-5800 or 207/772-4994; www.visitportland.com), stocks a large supply of brochures and is happy to dispense information about local attractions, lodging, and dining. The center is open year-round, Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and shorter hours on Saturday, depending on the season. There are three more tourist information kiosks scattered around town: one at the Portland International Jetport (tel. 207/775-5809), open daily until 10:30pm; one in Deering Oaks Park near the Forest Avenue exit off I-295, open at least six days a week year-round; and one ad hoc kiosk that opens up outside the cruise ship terminal on Commercial Street for 4 hours after any cruise ship arrives.

Portland also has a free weekly newspaper, the Portland Phoenix, offering good listings of local events, films, nightclub performances, and the like. Copies are widely available at restaurants, bars, and convenience stores.