There are wonderful things to do alone in Portland! If you do solo travel in Portland, you'll have a very fun time with many great activities!
If you are looking for a city in the United States to visit by yourself, Portland is amazing! It's a city that you can find in Oregon with lots of great activities.
Some of the most famous sights in the city are the Portland Japanese Garden and the Portland Art Museum.
If you are thinking of doing solo travel in Portland, then that's definitely a great idea! The city offers lots of options to meet new people. Besides that, there are many ways to enjoy the city by yourself.
For example, you can take a walking tour of the city. But you can also join a Meetup group and play tennis with others! Another great activity is to go on a tour to discover the best donuts in the city.
There are definitely many things to do alone in Portland that you'll love!
Table of Contents
1. Take Part in a Mt. Hood Day Tour from Portland
One of the best activities for solo travel in Portland is a day tour to Mt. Hood from Portland.
During this tour, you'll see a lot of beautiful nature.
Moreover, you'll go to the Columbia River Gorge. Along the way, you can get amazing views of the landscape next to the Columbia River Gorge.
Also, you go to one of the highest waterfalls in the United States. This is the Multnomah Falls waterfall. This makes the tour amazing if you're looking for interesting things to do alone in Portland.
Furthermore, you walk on the Benson Bridge together with your guide. This is an awesome experience and from the bridge, you can see the waterfall in a good way!
Also, you'll go to a small town where you can have lunch or shop at one of the boutique shops, which is great!
2. Play Tennis With a Group: Great Thing To Do Alone in Portland To Make New Friends
Do you like playing tennis? But do you not have anyone to play that sport with? Then this is one of the best things to do alone in Portland for you!
The Meetup group "TennisPartnersPDX" organizes tennis events that are a lot of fun!
At these events, you can play together with others that also like to play tennis!
Joining this group and playing tennis together is a great way to make new friends in the city as well! If you want to make new friends, it's great for solo travel in Portland.
3. Do a Self-Guided Tour of Portland
Another one of the best things to do alone in Portland is to do a self-guided tour of the city.
During a self-guided tour, you only need your smartphone and an audio tour.
You can get self-guided audio tours for Portland from GPSmyCity.
Choose a tour you like to do and explore the city!
Each self-guided tour takes you to another part of the city.
Along the way, you'll learn about the places you visit, which is great! So if you want to get to know the city, this is perfect for solo travel in Portland.
Seeing the highlights of the city on your own, as you can get to know the city very well without any distractions!
4. Take Part in a Walking Tour around Portland: Fun Thing To Do Alone in Portland To Get To Know the City
One of the best ways to explore the city during solo travel in Portland is through a walking tour.
One of the best walking tours in the city is "Walk around Portland to explore its soul".
During this walking tour that takes about 2 hours, you'll visit Downtown.
There you'll see some of the most famous sights and landmarks of the city.
Along the way, you get information from a local guide. This local guide tells you a lot about the city's history, but also about present-day Portland. Because of that, it is one of the most interesting things to do alone in Portland.
What's great is that you do this walking tour with other people. This allows you to meet other people when you are in the city!
Also, you'll end the tour by walking to some great places with food (food not included).
5. Hike With a Group in Portland
Another one of the best things to do alone in Portland is hiking.
There are a lot of great places that are fun for hiking.
A great way to do that is through the "The Portland Hiking Meetup Group".
This group organizes a variety of hiking events in and near the city.
Each event is at another place, which is great! If you go to several events you can definitely get to know the nature of Portland. Also, these events are perfect if you like being active.
What's great as well about this group is that it allows you to meet other people and make some new friends!
6. Take Part in Cooking Classes at the Portland Cookshop
Doing a cooking class is another one of the best things to do alone in Portland!
During a cooking class, you can improve your cooking skills and cook some delicious food.
One of the best places for cooking classes is Portland Cookshop. They have a variety of classes that are awesome! It's perfect if you want to learn something when you're in the city.
For example, you can join a cooking class during which you make your own handmade pasta. This is very fun to do!
Also, you do these classes with other people, which makes it possible to meet others. This is awesome during solo travel in Portland!
7. Relax at the Portland Japanese Garden: Great Thing To Do Alone in Portland For Those Who Love Nature
When you're in the city, you can go to the Portland Japanese Garden.
You find this garden at Washington Park.
If you like nature, going here is amazing for solo travel in Portland. What's great about this garden is that its style is Japanese.
You find a lot of plants and trees here from the country of Japan.
Furthermore, there are many other design elements that come from Japan.
For example, there are ponds where you can find many koi.
What's great is that you find eight gardens in total at the Japanese garden.
Each garden focuses on something else. And each garden is great for a relaxing stroll.
When you want to relax by yourself in Portland, you should definitely visit this garden!
8. Hike at Hoyt Arboretum
Another one of the best things to do alone in Portland is to visit the Hoyt Arboretum.
The Hoyt Arboretum is a beautiful place where you can find a lot of beautiful trees.
You find this place at Washington Park, like the Portland Japanese Garden. This makes it possible to visit both places at the same time, which is great!
Walking through the Hoyt Arboretum is a great place if you want to relax all by yourself.
And what's great is that you find a lot of trails with trail signs at the park. This makes walking here even better!
9. Learn How To Do Archery
One of the best activities for solo travel in Portland is to learn to do archery.
During this experience, everyone can learn to do archery in Portland, which is great! It doesn't matter if you have no experience at all!
This archery lesson takes about 1 hour and during it, you will shoot with several types of bows. This is very fun if you want to learn something new.
What's great is that you do this lesson with other people. This makes it possible to make new friends at the same!
10. Do a Bar Crawl: Amazing Thing To Do Alone in Portland at Night
Do you want to experience the nightlife of the city during solo travel in Portland? Then this is a great activity for you!
During a bar crawl in Portland, you'll visit some of the best places for nightlife in the city.
What's great is that you do this tour with a local that is very enthusiastic. This makes the experience that much more fun!
This is one of the best things to do alone in Portland as you can have a lot of fun with others! After the experience, you'll have a lot of new friends for sure!
11. Explore the Highlights of Portland During a Morning Tour
One of the best solo activities in Portland is the "Morning City Highlights Tour".
During this activity, you'll drive through the city and you'll see the most famous sights.
Along the way, a guide tells you all about the places you visit, which is very interesting.
Also, you'll get to see a lot of beautiful viewpoints during this tour.
Furthermore, you do this tour with others in a van. This makes this a wonderful way to meet others and make some new friends at the same time! So if you want to meet others, it's one of the best things to do alone in Portland.
In total, this tour takes about 3 - 3.5 hours.
12. Tour the Portland Art Museum
If you like to explore the city's art when you are doing solo travel in Portland, go to the Portland Art Museum.
This is one of the oldest art museums in the country and you find here a very interesting collection.
You find here thousands of different objects that are very interesting to explore. Some of the artists whose work is on display include Van Gogh and Claude Monet.
What's great is that you can do a public tour of the museum.
These public tours are a great way to learn even more about the museum's collection. An expert shows you around, which is great!
Also, you do this tour with other people, which makes it a great way to meet others while in Portland!
13. Go Trail Running
If you want to get active, this is the activity for you!
You can join the Meetup group "Northwest Trail Runners".
This group has events during which you can have a very fun trail running experience.
What's great is that everyone can join their events, no matter their skill level.
Also, when you go to the various events of this group, you'll discover the best places in the city.
That's because each event takes place at another location!
What makes this one of the best things to do alone in Portland is that you do it with other people. Together with others, you'll go to different places and go trail running! This is a great way to meet new people and make some new friends!
14. Discover the City During a Bike Tour: Amazing Thing To Do Alone in Portland To See the Sights
Another one of the best things to do alone in Portland is to go explore Portland by bike.
During this activity, you visit some of the highlights of the city by bike.
Also, you'll get to taste the most delicious doughnuts in the city, which is great!
You do this experience together with a local guide and a group of other people that take part in the experience. Because of that, you can meet new people during this biking experience!
15. Do an Underground Donut Tour in Portland
You can find a lot of different donut shops in the city. These places are great to visit on your own during solo travel in Portland.
But an even more fun experience is to discover the city's donuts during a Portland donut tour.
During this tour, you visit 4 donut shops in the city.
Each donut shop is great to visit and has donuts that are very delicious.
Through this experience, you can taste a lot of samples of the city's best donuts.
What's great as well is that you can skip the line at some very famous places where there is often a queue.
At each place, you'll also get information on what you can taste there and about the place.
Furthermore, you see a lot of other highlights of the city when you do this donut tour. That's because you walk from one donut shop to the next.
What's great as well is that you do this tour with other people.
16. Attend a Lecture About Literary Arts
Another one of the best things to do alone in Portland is to go to a lecture in the city.
Portland Arts & Lectures is an organization with lectures that are very interesting.
They organize these events since the year 1984.
The speakers at these events are writers, artists, and other thinkers. During the lectures, they discuss their work and talk about contemporary culture.
At these lectures, you can learn a lot, which is great during solo travel in Portland.
What's great is that you come together with a lot of other people for these lectures. This makes it possible to meet others and to talk with others about similar interests. So you can also make some new friends here!
17. Go To an Event at the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry: Nice Thing To Do Alone in Portland To Learn Something
A great museum in the city is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
This is a very interesting science and technology museum.
You find here a lot of great exhibitions that are very interesting.
Each exhibit focuses on a different subject.
For example, there is one that is all about life sciences and there is one where you can learn about earth sciences.
At this museum, you can often attend events that are great! There is a lot of variety in the events you find here.
For example, you can attend a lecture, or experience a concert at this place. Because there is such a large variety of events, going here is very interesting! Going to one of the events belongs to the best things to do alone in Portland.
Also, at these events, you can meet a lot of other people, which is great! You may even make some new friends that share similar interests in science.
18. Do an Aerial Tram and Rooftop Excursion in Portland
An amazing activity is doing an "Aerial Tram and Rooftop Excursion".
During this tour, a guide takes you to the aerial tram of Portland and you ride it together.
You can take in an incredible view of the skyline of Portland.
Also, you'll visit a rooftop in the Pearl District during this tour. Here, you can see interesting architecture.
Furthermore, this tour takes you to a hotel in Chinatown. Here, you can have a drink and take in views as well!
19. Learn to Make Bread Through a Workshop
A fun activity during solo travel in Portland is doing a bread-making workshop.
During this workshop, you'll learn to make homemade bread. And you'll end up baking your own loaf of bread, which is great!
Furthermore, you'll do a tour of some of the best bakeries in the city during this experience, which is a lot of fun! You do this while the bread is in the oven.
Also, what's great is that you have food with others during this experience.
20. Do a Silversmith Ring Workshop: Great Thing To Do Alone in Portland If You Like Being Creative
Do you like to be creative? Then, this is one of the best things to do alone in Portland for you.
You can join a silversmith ring-making workshop in Portland.
This is a workshop that takes place at a studio. And during the activity, you'll learn to make three stacked rings made from silver.
Also, these rings will include a variety of stones.
In total, this experience takes about 2 hours, and you'll end up with a beautiful ring!
21. Join a Tour of the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts
The Portland'5 Center for the Arts is a place where a lot of different shows and other events take place.
When you are doing solo travel in Portland, you can consider seeing a show here by yourself.
Moreover, you can do a backstage tour at the theater, which can be very interesting.
During such a tour, you'll get a lot of information about the theater and you'll see interesting places. Furthermore, you can learn about architecture and history through this tour.
22. Join a Photography Meetup Group in Portland
If you like photography, this is one of the best things to do alone in Portland for you.
You can become a member of the "Portland Photography Meetup" group.
This is a group that organizes events in the city through which you can connect with others. Also, you can learn a lot through some of the group's events.
For example, this group sometimes organizes photography classes.
Also, there are events during which you can share ideas and have coffee at the same time!
What's great is that this group is open to all skill levels.
23. Attend Art Exhibitions Alone at Oregon Contemporary
Do you like contemporary art? Then, going to the Oregon Contemporary can be great during solo travel in Portland. This is a center dedicated to contemporary art in a lot of forms.
You can go here to attend a contemporary art exhibition, which can be very interesting! Also, what's great is that you can see a lot of local art through these exhibitions!
24. Play Frisbee Through a Meetup Group: Perfect Thing To Do Alone in Portland To Make Friends
The "Portland CoEd Ultimate Frisbee" group organizes ultimate frisbee events in the city.
If you like ultimate frisbee and want to do it with others, this is a great group to join.
This group organizes events during which you can play ultimate frisbee pick-up games. And these take place at various parks in the city.
These events are a wonderful way to get active and make new friends at the same time in Portland.
25. Join a Portland Movie Club
Here's one of the best things to do alone in Portland if you like movies. You can join the "Portland Movie Club".
This is a group that is like a book club. The group organizes monthly events during which you can talk with others about a movie. And this is a movie that everyone watched during the previous month.
It can be a lot of fun to talk about a movie you saw and this group is also a great way to socialize with others!
26. Join a Haunted Walking Tour in Portland
Joining a guided haunted walking tour in Portland can be great. If you like spooky activities, this is amazing for solo travel in Portland.
During this tour, you'll follow a guide and go for a walk in Portland to visit haunted locations.
For example, you'll visit The Shanghai Tunnels during this tour.
In total, this tour covers 8 locations and the tour takes about 1.5 hours.
27. See Exhibitions at the Blue Sky Gallery: Incredible Thing To Do Alone in Portland If You Love Photos
The Blue Sky Gallery or The Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts is a place that is all about photos. So if you love photography, going to this place is one of the best things to do alone in Portland. To be more specific, this center focuses on contemporary photography.
You can go here to attend interesting photography exhibitions by yourself. And there are a lot of local works here.
What's great is that when you go here by yourself, you can focus on the works without distractions. This allows you to take in the photographs even more, which is great!
28. Play Pickleball With a Group
Joining the Joy Crazy pickleball group in Portland can be a lot of fun during solo travel in Portland.
Pickleball is a fun sport that is becoming very popular. It is a combination between tennis, badminton, and ping pong.
This is a group through which you can learn the sport. That's because this group organizes pickleball classes that you can join!
29. Do a Ceramic Mug Workshop in Portland: Very Nice Thing To Do Alone in Portland If You Want To Learn Something New
Here's another one of the best things to do alone in Portland if you like being creative.
You can do a workshop in Portland through which you make a ceramic mug.
During this experience, you'll learn to make such a mug from scratch, which is a lot of fun. You can decorate the mug to customize it.
You can pick up your glazed mug within 21 days of the experience. Or you can get it shipped when you do this workshop.
30. Do a Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour in Portland
A great way to explore the city during solo travel is by doing a hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour of Portland.
This is a tour that follows a route in the city along 13 stops. At each stop, you can leave the bus to explore the stop. And once you want to continue the tour, you can hop back on the bus again.
For example, one stop is Powell's Books and another one is the International Rose Test Garden.
Also, you can learn about the city's history and culture along the way through live narration!
31. Learn New Things By Yourself at the Oregon Historical Society
If you want to learn new things during solo travel in Portland, you can go to the Oregon Historical Society.
Here, you can see interesting exhibits that focus on a specific part of Oregon's history.
And these exhibits are at the museum for a limited amount of time. So there is often something new to learn here, which means that you can visit this place more often!
32. Do a Guided Tour of the Leach Botanical Garden: Amazing Thing To Do Alone in Portland If You Love Nature
The Leach Botanical Garden is a small botanical garden with beautiful nature.
A guided tour of the Leach Botanical Garden is one of the best things to do alone in Portland.
Through such a tour, you can learn about the history of the garden and the plants that you'll find there. Also, you can learn about seasonal nature through this tour, which can be very interesting!
33. Join a Portland Book Club
Joining a book club in Portland can be a lot of fun if you like reading.
The "Good Books, Bad Bars" book club is a great one.
This book club meets up once per month to discuss the month's chosen book. These events make reading much more fun. And the events are also great if you want to socialize with other people in the city. That's why it's perfect if you want to make friends during solo travel in Portland.
Also, what's great is that the meet-ups take place at various bars in the city.
And what's great too is that the book club doesn't focus on a specific genre. So, you can likely discover new types of books through this group.
34. Do a Guided Tour of the Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo is a zoo that you can find in Washington Park.
It is a very old zoo that dates back to the year 1888. You can find about 1750 animals at the zoo and there are over 200 species of animals here.
Doing a guided tour at the museum can be one of the most interesting things to do alone in Portland for you. And there are several tours to choose from. Some of these focus on specific animals.
Through these tours, you can go behind the scenes and learn about the operations of the zoo.
35. Join a Vegetarian Food Group in Portland: Perfect Thing To Do Alone in Portland If You Love Food
You can join the "Portland Metro Veggies" Meetup group. This is one of the best activities for solo travel in Portland if you like vegetarian food.
This is a group that organizes fun events in the city. For example, there are fun walks, bike rides, and many other events.
And most of the time, there is a veggie meal before or after the activity.
36. Do a Tour of the Pittock Mansion
The Pittock Mansion is a manor house that has 46 rooms. Moreover, it dates back to the year 1914 and has a French Renaissance architectural style.
You can join a guided tour of the Pittock Mansion.
Such a guided tour allows you to learn about the historic house with a docent guide.
Also, you can do a self-guided tour of the house and learn new things.
37. Join a Walking Tour at the Architectural Heritage Center in Portland
The Architectural Heritage Center is all about the historic architecture of Portland.
You can see interesting exhibits at this place that can be great during solo travel in Portland.
Also, you can do walking tours at the Architectural Heritage Center.
Through these walking tours, you can learn about iconic architecture in the city. So for those who love architecture, this is one of the most interesting things to do alone in Portland for sure.
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