Most Portland tour companies do one thing — bike or walking, food-focused or history-focused. Around Portland Tours runs seventeen things, and somehow does each one well. Thirteen walking tours, four bike tours, ranging from $29 (Best of the City walking tour) to $90 (food-cart tours by foot or bike).
Why We Recommend Them
Range is the differentiator. Whatever a guest is curious about — Black community history of NE Alberta, Shanghai Tunnels and Portland's underground, food carts, coffee roasters, Lone Fir Cemetery, urban hiking through Forest Park — there's a tour for it.
Storytelling-first guides. The tagline is "movable narrative" and the guides earn it. They put neighborhoods in context: who built them, what they were before, what they are now.
Reasonable pricing. $29 for a 2-hour walking tour with a real guide is hard to beat. The full-day food-cart tours at $90 feel like a deal.
Tours We Recommend Most
Best of the City Walking Tour ($29, 2 hours)→
The right starter for a guest's first day in Portland. Hits art, architecture, activism, and a chunk of the city's history. Daily at 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4 p.m.
Alberta Arts District History Walking Tour ($29, 1 hour)→
The best one-hour cultural tour in the city. Specifically traces Black community history of NE Portland — well worth the hour. Daily at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Bike Around Portland ($59, 3 hours, 8-11 miles)→
Bridges, parks, gardens, doughnuts. The Portland greatest-hits ride. Daily at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Food Carts of Portland Bike Tour ($90, 3.5 hours)→
Splits the difference between a food tour and a bike tour. Six to nine miles of riding plus food cart sampling. Most days at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Forest Park Urban Hiking ($59, 3-4 hours)→
The most underrated tour they run. NW Portland to the Rose Garden through the largest urban forest in America. Daily at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Shanghai Tunnels and Ghosts of the Willamette→
For guests who want Portland's strange side. Underground Portland history, Shanghai Tunnels, ghost stories.
Insider Tip
If you're staying with us on the central Eastside, Around Portland Tours' SE Main Street home base is walking distance. They also rent bikes if you want to ride without a tour. Phone: 503-998-3170. Book at aroundportlandtours.com.
