tokidoki

Going to Portland, Or 10/25, would like to spend 1 night in Astoria. Any suggestions for a great bed and breakfast inn, good seafood restaurant and things to do. Also what is the best route to take from Portland to Astoria?

pdx

Not a bed and breakfast, but the Elliot Hotel is lovely with a great bed and heated bathroom floors.
Don't miss the Maritime Museum. I love the Coast Guard ship display.
Highway 30 will take you from Portland to Astoria and it's a very pleasant drive.
Enjoy!

happytrailstoyou

We prefer to spend a night in Cannon Beach, which is on the ocean, rather than in Astoria, which is on the Columbia River.

On a map, it appears that Highway 30 offers great views of the Columbia River, but it doesn't.

The drive from Portland to Cannon Beach takes about 1 1/2 hours, and to Astoria it takes about 2 hours.

HTTY

Andrew

Yeah, the views on US 30 are occasionally OK but certainly nothing to get excited about. Honestly, the one thing that used to interest me on that drive was the old Trojan Nuclear Power Plant cooling tower (since demolished).

Closer to Portland, you'll see the beautiful St. Johns Bridge on the way to Astoria; you could cross over the bridge to Cathedral Park in St. Johns if you wish. Fall leaves can be very pretty around that time in the park.

Sauvie Island is also on the way out from Portland.

Otherwise, sometimes I take I-5 between Portland and Kelso/Longview WA and cross over to Rainier, OR instead of taking US 30 (lots of stops/slowdowns vs. driving 70mph). Or just take US 101/US 26 instead of US 30 - it's almost the same driving time.

Astoria itself is an interesting town. I like to walk around the retro-feeling old downtown, stop at the Danish Maid Bakery and grab a pastry or donut, then walk over to the riverfront area and up to the Astoria-Megler Bridge.

You can also drive up to the Astoria Column and climb to the top and get a 360 degree view of the area including and around Astoria.

azzure

A couple of things I've enjoyed in or near Astoria are the Columbia River Maritime Museum and Fort Clatsop (recreation of Lewis and Clark's fort).

CarolJean

We enjoyed staying at the Cannery Pier Hotel - on the water. Large windows in each room with binocs. You can watch the ships going in to the Columbia. The front desk will give you the ship schedule for the day. There is a very good restaurant 2 minutes from the hotel (forget the name) but you pass it walking landward from the hotel.

We also stayed at the Elliot, which was fine.

Connie

As others have mentioned, we enjoyed The Astoria Column, Maritime Museum and Fort Clatsop.

We really enjoyed Cannon Beach as well---two very different towns. Astoria is older and more historic. You get the river but can drive a short distance to visit the ocean.

While in Portland, be sure to drive the Columbia River Gorge down the old highway on the south side of the river. Several beautiful waterfalls and a couple of stops with fabulous scenery of the river from up high. If you do a search, you can see exactly where to drive. It's not far from town at all and worth a little time.

happytrailstoyou

While in Portland, be sure to drive the Columbia River Gorge down the old highway on the south side of the river.

Great idea. We are always ready to spend a night in Hood River (a delightful town) and to drive back to Portland on WA-14 from Maryhill (after visiting the museum and winery there).

HTTY

islandaze

I echo the recommendations for Cannery Pier and Hotel Elliott. Neither is a traditional B&B, though the Cannery Pier serves a complimentary continental-style breakfast.

The restaurant CarolJean is trying to remember is the Bridgewater Bistro. It's okay, but I think the best meals I've had in Astoria have been at Clemente's.

Except for Cannon Beach and surrounds, I think the best sightseeing in the area is at Cape Disappointment State Park, across the Astoria-Megler Bridge outside of Ilwaco, WA.

Another route to consider would be I-5 north to Kelso, then west on SR 4 to Cathlamet, and cross the Columbia to Westport on the small ferry: http://www.co.wahkiakum.wa.us/depts/pw/index.htm. Otherwise, I'd agree that hwy 30 isn't very interesting. But neither is hwy 26 for that matter.

tokidoki

thanks everyone. we will try the ferry ride and Clemente's. Hope we get all the sights in, if not there's always another trip. We also want to buy coffee beans. Any favorite place?

Connie

Astoria is a small town. It won't take long to take in the sights.