need help 7 days Portland to Seattle
 

Need helping planning a trip for the 2nd week of October not sure how much we can see in one week. We thought of flying into Portland and out of Seattle but we are ok with either way. We would like to include some wine tastings, Cannon Beach, River Gorge, etc. I know one week isn't much but would appreciate any help at all with a good itinerary. We want to make the most of our small vacation!

Yeah, a week isn't much (six nights or seven?) if you are hoping to see both Portland and Seattle plus surrounding areas. Personally (since you mention stuff close to Portland) I'd stick to Portland, the gorge, and the coast. Or, just add the last night in Seattle so you can at least taste the city - but even that might not be worth it.

You might also try to have a weather option. If it's rainy (fairly likely 2nd week of October in the PNW), you might want to spend more time in the cities. If you have good weather, spend a day in the Gorge, stop at the Edgefield in Troutdale (west edge of the Gorge adjacent to Gresham) for a wine tasting if you can't find time for a trip to the Willamette Valley. So maybe two nights in Portland, a night in Hood River, a night in the Willamette Valley, two nights in Cannon Beach, last night in Portland. The coast is really spectacular, though - if you have great weather adding a third night, maybe driving south to Newport or Yachats for a night - might be a better use of your time and you get to see more.

This would make a good itinerary: Fly into Seattle.

From Seattle drive to Hood River, OR, via I-5 and WA-14 (great views). Spend the night in Hood River.

The next day, explore the waterfalls along the Historic Highway, and drive to Cannon Beach.

Drive to Portland, and spend one or two nights there.

Explore wineries in the Columbia River Gorge while you are in Hood River (my choice) or in the Wilamette Valley on your way to or from Cannon Beach.

thanks Andrew. I am starting to think we should just see Oregon and save Seattle for another trip. I think there is enough to do and we might enjoy it more. Any good suggestions on what area of town to stay in Portland? When and where should we rent a car from?

I think most people who visit Portland for the first time stay downtown (which is probably a lot smaller than you realize). The Pearl District (basically downtown) is probably the most popular place to visit but there are no hotels directly in the district - but downtown Portland is so close you can walk to the Pearl or take the MAX train or streetcar over (or drive).

Search the forums here for "Portland" and you'll find tons of old posts about Portland including many recommended hotels - like the Monaco, the Hotel Vintage Plaza, the Lucia, the Heathman, and others. You can look at the site travelportland.com for hotel deals. Many people use Priceline or Hotwire to get even better (though less certain) hotel deals.

For the things you want to do you'll probably want to rent a car at the Portland airport. It's a quick drive downtown. Some people skip the car for the first few days and take the MAX train downtown to their hotel then rent a car (if at all) downtown and maybe return it to the airport at the end. Parking a car downtown costs approximately $25/night at the regular hotel parking lots.

I too would sugggest picking either Seattle or Portland for such a short visit.

Andrew is right about the hotel parking charges. That said, you can get some good packages that include parking. The Travel Portland website has specials all the time that include the hotel room, breakfast and parking as well as discount coupons for some shops and such. Many of the hotels will match the same deal for the room, breakfast and parking if you ask. Even though we live here, we stay overnight in downtown for special events and almost always the hotels have matched the same deal for us.

BTW, my personal preference is the Monaco for downtown. Another fun place, although not in the heart of downtown but just a few minutes away is the Kennedy School.

Hope you don't mind me tagging on to this, we are also planning a trip in Oct. flying into Portland, home from Seattle, plan is 4 days in Portland, train to Seattle, pick up car and drive to Whitby Island for one night, then the San Juan Islands for 4 nights.

Couple of questions, should I split up our stay on the San Juan between two islands? Lopez/Orcas or Lopez/San Juan? My head is spinning, there are so many nice looking places up there and since we're going during the week, there seems to be no problem with availability. Any recommendations for whitby or other alternative on way to the ferry?

Also, for Portland, I have two reservations, one at the Aloft by the airport, one at the Embassy suites DT, again, advantages/disadvantages? I'm thinking if we stay at the Aloft, we'll rent a car (free parking), and the light rail dt is right there, plus the hotel is very reasonable. If we stay DT, we won't rent a car for the whole time, maybe one day to do a trip....I'm also tempted by the Avolon Hotel, it looks really nice, but is a little pricey, worth it?

So, any advice is much appreciated!

Ugh - DON'T stay at the Portland airport if you can help it. I've certainly done the "stay outside the city and take the train in" strategy before when visiting various places, but Portland isn't a place I'd do that. It has a nice, walkable downtown that many people enjoy. If you are in town on a weekend you can visit Saturday Market and the farmer's market up at Portland State plus (any day of the week) stroll down to the river, over to the Pearl and Powell's, lots of restaurants, etc.

The Avalon is much closer to downtown than the airport, but it's really away from the core and not walkable to much (though you are right on the river). You can hike maybe 1/4 a mile up to the end of the streetcar line and take that into downtown, but it's much less convenient than staying in the center at the Embassy Suites (have you considered the Monaco recommended by others? or the Vintage Plaza or the Lucia?). I have friends who stayed at the Avalon a few months back and they enjoyed it, but the location as I noted isn't ideal.

owlwoman - I like the Captain Whidbey near Coupeville. Coupeville is a fun little place to poke around. There's a small museum with historical info about the area, along with shops, restaurants, etc. Coupeville is nearer the north end of the island and Deception Pass, so the time you get into the city and pick up your rental might play into your decision.

For owlwoman, for 4 nights in the San Juans, depending on when you arrive and have to leave from the islands, you could do two islands. I would do Orcas as number 1, then add San Juan or Lopez. However, if you are getting there late the first day and having to leave early the last day (remember the ferries slow things down a lot...especially if you are traveling on a Friday or Sunday), maybe just stay on 1 island, either San Juan or Orcas. Look at the Washington State Ferry website for tips on how to deal with the ferry schedule, etc. I would also recommend Coupeville for a Whidbey Island stay.

Hmmmmmmmmmph... not enough people indicate where they're from in order so that we might tailor suggestions to suit.

Firstly, here is a map of wineries in the southwest Washington area (adjacent to Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR):

http://www.winesnw.com/sw_wa_map_vancouver.html


Were it me, AND IF you are from far away and have never before been to the northwest, I think I'd fly into Seattle, somehow make do with ONE night in Seattle just to touch the basics (Space Needle, Pike Place Market) and then, on your way out of town, visit (or drive near/around) Mount Rainier.

Definitely trek to Mount St. Helens on the way down (if you're going to the Oregon coast - you don't need the WA coast).... coordinate your 2nd night so that you can do St. Helens early on the 3rd day... then consider the winery map above for filling out the 2nd day, before a night in central Portland.

Next day maybe drive east to/near The Dalles, OR and then south on #197 and maybe a night in Bend (or a better spot offered here by anybody).

Next leg of the journey takes you south to Crater Lake (I sorta loved the long, straight road that is #138 near the north edge of Crater Lake Nat'l Park (it rises steadily, because it has to, in order to facilitate the deepest lake in the country).

After that you take a long and winding, tree-lined road west toward Roseburg, and if there is time you get all the way to the coast (somewhere near to Coos Bay?)

You will still have room for a night or two at the Oregon Coastal spot of your choosing before flying home out of Portland.


IF you told us you were from Boise, Idaho or something close, then covering all this ground at once wouldn't be so important, but if, for example, you were from Portland, MAINE, then you have to see what you can when you can!


Hope you find something that suits you!

Uh oh... a blunder there...


"consider the winery map so that you can fill out the THIRD DAY, before a night in central Portland"

<i>I am starting to think we should just see Oregon and save Seattle for another trip. I think there is enough to do and we might enjoy it more. Any good suggestions on what area of town to stay in Portland? When and where should we rent a car from?</i>

While I'm in Seattle and would never discourage a visit to our fair city, given your time constraints I'd tend to agree.

One thing not mentioned yet (I think) is that at least in Seattle it seems like a somewhat early autumn this year, so by the second week in October the foliage viewing ought to be pretty good. People don't equate the Pacific NW with fall color, and truth be told it doesn't hold a candle to the Northeast - but that's not to say it isn't great in places. In your case I think the Hood River and Willamette valleys could be great around then - lots of fruit trees in post-harvest color in the Hood River area; or some great sagebrush and aspen colors at the eastern edge of the Columbia Gorge (around The Dalles and Goldendale/Maryhill on the WA side of the river).

With a week I'd include a couple of days in the Gorge, including a day trip up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood; a couple of days in Portland; a couple of days on the coast, and maybe one day for wine tasting in the Willamette Valley. Rent a car at the PDX airport to make things easy on yourselves; you might start with the Gorge, and stay at the edge of the Gorge (and quite close to the airport) at McMenamin's Edgefield - http://www.mcmenamins.com/54-edgefield-home - where they have a brewery, distillery and winery on site.

You could then finish up in Portland before flying out. You might even be able to ditch the car and use public transportation in the city before you leave.

I agree for the OP to just stick with Oregon. A week is not enough time to do justice to both states.

I agree with whoever mentioned Captain Whidbey for the place to stay on Whidbey Island (love that inn!)

owlwoman~ You might want to repost and start your own. Only because this thread is ending up being about going only to Oregon. And you are wanting information about Seattle, San Juans, etc. It's kind of confusing (plus your question is so buried here).