PDX · Layover Guide
Portland
Stop in Portland.
Best layover: 3–24h
LayoverScore™
Base city score. Your route score varies by savings and timing.
Exit realism
Comfortable window
Enough room in Portland for a real stop. Keep the buffer at the end anyway.
Landside playbook
If time slips
- Drop the last stop. Go straight to the train, taxi rank, or ride pickup you already chose.
- Add 15 minutes to map ETAs for the return leg at rush hour.
- One ticket for the whole trip protects you when the inbound is late. Separate tickets do not.
Worth knowing
- Do not stack three stops. One solid block in the city beats a rushed loop.
- Do not treat one map time as gospel for immigration lines. Pad on your first pass through this hub.
Planning a stop in Portland?
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Places to stay
Search hotelsLayoverScore™ breakdown
Score 69 · Discover 51 · Ease 6
Why Portland scores 69
Getting there
MAX Red Line $2.8 · Uber/Lyft $32
min to center
metro- 01MAX Light Rail Red Line (38 min, $2.80)
- 02Uber/Lyft (20-35 min, $25-40)
- 03Taxi (25-35 min, $35-45)
- 01Powell's City of Books - world's largest independent bookstore spanning a full city block
- 02Food cart pods at Alder Street with 60+ international vendors
- 03Japanese Garden in Washington Park - considered most authentic outside Japan
- 04Stroll the Pearl District's galleries and craft breweries
- 05Voodoo Doughnut for iconic bacon maple bars and quirky flavors
Experiences in Portland
Timed tours and tickets for Portland are listed on our partner site.
Open listingsOpens in a new tab.
- Powell's City of Books~90 min9 min walk
- Portland Japanese Garden~90 min44 min walk
- Le Pigeon~60 min15 min walk
- Pok Pok~60 min25 min walk
- Lan Su Chinese Garden~75 min8 min walk
- Portland Saturday Market~75 min6 min walk
Need a room for your layover? Browse hotels near the airport.
Where to stay →Drop your luggage. Don't drag it around the city.
PDX Luggage Storage (Terminal)
Near baggage claim, main terminal
$15/day
2 min walk
Bounce
Downtown Portland locations
$8/bag
45 min walk
Hotel deLuxe Day Pass
Downtown Portland
$89/day
50 min walk
From the terminal to the good part.
MAX Red Line
to-city
Runs every 15 min, direct to downtown Pioneer Square
38 min
$2.80
Uber/Lyft
to-city
Pick up at arrivals level, Ground Transportation area
25 min
$32.00
Radio Cab Taxi
to-city
Flat rate to downtown available
28 min
$40.00
Explore Portland Pass
Japanese Garden, Portland Art Museum, OMSI, Lan Su Chinese Garden
Valid 3 days, good value for 2+ attractions
$79
per day
Getting there
Get an Uber from the airportAt the airport
- 01Local food court with Salt & Straw ice cream and Laurelwood Brewing
- 02Made in Oregon shops featuring local artisan goods
- 03Living roof with native plants on Concourse E
- 04Prices match downtown - no airport markup policy
Read more about Portland
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