Portland travel guide
Portland Tourism | Portland Guide
You're Going to Love Portland
With a population of 66,194, Portland is the largest city in Maine, United States by the number of inhabitants. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. Portland deserves at least 2 full days for you to see its main sights.
Activities & attractions in Portland
Tours
Where to Eat in Portland
If you’re looking for affordable options, Grace - Portland (15 Chestnut Street) and Petite Jacqueline (46 Market St.) are great picks.
When to visit Portland
Looking for warm weather? Then head to Portland in July, when the average temperature is 68 °F, and the highest can go up to 78.8 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 14 °F, with an average temperature of 23 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in November, when precipitation is around 4.5″. In contrast, August is usually the driest month of the year in Portland, with an average rainfall of 2.9″.
How to Get to Portland
Plane
When flying to Portland, you’ll arrive at Portland Airport (PWM), which is located 3 miles from the city center. Airlines that fly from the United States to Portland include JetBlue, Etihad Airways and Hawaiian Airlines. The shortest domestic flight to Portland departs from Islip and takes around 1h 30m.
Train
Amtrak is the most popular train carrier serving Portland, followed by Lufthansa. The train journey from Portland to Boston takes 2h 30m and costs around $32 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Montreal, expect to pay about $510 for a 12h 26m trip. The train station in Portland is called Portland, and is located 1.9 miles from the city center.
Car
Another option to get to Portland is to pick up a car rental from Boston, which is about 99 miles from Portland. You’ll find branches of Kyte and Sixt, among others, in Boston.
Bus
Several bus lines operate bus routes to Portland, including Concord Coach Lines, Greyhound and Megabus. From Boston, the bus ride to Portland takes 115 miles and will cost you around $32. From Bangor, the ticket costs about $31 for a journey of 145 miles. The most popular bus station is Portland City Hall, located 0.2 miles from downtown Portland. Portland Bus Stop is also a commonly used station, and is 0.4 miles from the city center.
Airlines serving Portland
Where to stay in Portland
Average rates range from around $314 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to $463 and up for a 5-star experience.
Where to stay in popular areas of Portland
Most booked hotels in Portland
Renting a car in Portland
Renting a car in Portland costs $76 per day, on average, or $153 if you want to rent if for 2 days. Alamo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Dollar are the agencies with the best reviews in the city. The most popular location to rent a car in Portland is the Dollar branch at 1001 Westbrook Street, which is 3 miles from the city center.
It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 5% cheaper than airport locations in Portland.
Expect to pay $3.94 per gallon in Portland (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $47.24 and $62.99. The most frequently booked car type in Portland is Compact (Nissan Rogue or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Economy rental cars (Toyota Yaris or similar) are, on average, 66% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.