Organized Tours

Cruises

With two large rivers winding through the city, Portland is a town that needs to be seen from the water. Try the Portland Spirit (tel. 800/224-3901 or 503/224-3900; www.portlandspirit.com), a 75-foot yacht that specializes in dinner cruises. Lunch, brunch, and dinner cruises feature Northwest cuisine with views of the city skyline. There are also basic sightseeing cruises, and on Friday nights July through September, there are also Friday afternoon cocktail cruises with a live band. Call for reservations and schedule. Prices range from $16 to $60 for adults and $11 to $55 for children. This company also operates jet-boat tours that go up the Columbia River to the Bonneville Dam and down the Columbia to Astoria.

For high-speed tours up the Willamette River, there are the Willamette Jetboat Excursions (tel. 888/538-2628 or 503/231-1532; www.willamettejet.com). These high-powered open-air boats blast their way from downtown Portland to the impressive Willamette Falls at Oregon City. The 2-hour tours, which start at OMSI, are $29 for adults and $19 for children 4 to 11, free for children under 4. Tours are offered from late April to early October. There are also less expensive 1-hour tours, but these do not go upriver to the falls.

Bus Tours

If you want to get a general overview of Portland, Gray Line (tel. 888/684-3322 or 503/243-6789; www.grayline.com) offers several half-day and full-day tours. One itinerary takes in the International Rose Test Garden and Pittock Mansion; another stops at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden and the Pearl District. There are also tours to see the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge, to Mount Hood, and to the Oregon coast. Tour prices range from $34 to $75 for adults, and from $17 to $38 for children.

Rail Excursions

While Portland is busy reviving trolleys and streetcars as a viable mass transit option, the Willamette Shore Trolley (tel. 503/697-7436; www.trainweb.org/oerhs/wst.htm) offers scenic excursions along the Willamette River in historic trolley cars (including a double-decker) from the early part of this century. The old wooden trolleys rumble over trestles and through a tunnel as they cover the 7 miles between Portland and the upscale suburb of Lake Oswego (a 40-min. trip). Along the way, you pass through shady corridors with lots of views of the river and glimpses into the yards of posh riverfront homes. In Lake Oswego, the trolley station is on State Street, between A Avenue and Foothills Road. In Portland, the station is about 1 mile south of downtown in an industrial area off Macadam Avenue at the corner of Moody Avenue and Bancroft Street. The round-trip fare is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $6 for children 3 to 12. Call for a schedule.

Walking Tours

Peter's Walking Tours of Portland (tel. 503/665-2558; www.walkportland.com), led by Peter Chausse, are a great way to learn more about Portland. The walking tours of downtown last 3 hours and take in the city's fountains, parks, historic places, art, and architecture. Tours are by reservation and cost $15 for adults and $5 teens (free for children under 8 with a paying adult).

Two to three times a year, Sharon Wood Wortman, author of The Portland Bridge Book, offers a Bridge Tour that explores several Portland bridges. These tours are offered through the Outdoor Recreation Program of Portland Parks and Recreation (tel. 503/823-5132; www.portlandparks.org). Many other walking tours are also available through Portland Parks and Recreation.

The seamy underbelly of history is laid bare on Portland Underground Tours (tel. 503/622-4798; www.members.tripod.com/cgs-mthood), which head down below street level in the historic Old Town neighborhood. On these unusual tours, which are only for those who are steady on their feet and able to duck under pipes and joists and such, you'll hear tales of the days when Portland was known as one of the most dangerous ports on the Pacific Rim. Sailors were regularly shanghaied from bars and brothels in this area and a vast network of tunnels and underground rooms was developed to support the shanghaiing business. Tours cost $12 for adults and $7 for children under 12 and are offered by reservation only.