The state of Oregon is a wonderful place to explore. It’s full of wild trails and stunning scenery. But we think the highly accessible city of Portland is a real jewel in the state’s crown.

The ‘City of Roses’ is a varied place, full of friendly people and rich experiences for the visitor. From beautiful gardens to delicious street food, this diverse city makes for a great getaway. So, here is Quingo Scooter’s guide to the very best of Portland, Oregon.

Browse the largest bookstore in the world

No, it’s not Amazon. Rather, this is the real thing – a proper bricks and mortar book shop like you’ve never seen before. Powell’s City of Books in Portland is absolutely huge, covering an entire block. It bills itself as the largest new and used bookstore in the world. And with over a million books under one roof it’s hard to argue.

Clearly, if you love books then you will love Powell’s. But even if you’re not a bibliophile this is a real Portland institution and well worth a visit. Like so many places in Portland it has a true community feel, and there are always regular events on in store.

There is accessible parking nearby on Couch and Burnside streets. The store is vast, but easy to get around and fully accessible to all, with ramps and lifts to all floors.

Explore the great outdoors

Portland (and Oregon as a whole) is defined by the Great Outdoors. If you visit at the right time (we recommend summer or autumn), then there are a host of accessible trails to explore in and around the city. Hitting a trail is also a great way to get a lay of the land, as many of them offer spectacular views of the city.

Our pick is the accessible Fanno Creek trail, which is a couple of miles long and paved throughout. There is also a very helpful collection of accessible trails here.

Mount Tabor Park is also easily accessible with paved trails, accessible picnic spots and great views from the top of the hill. It’s an old volcano, and a beautiful place to watch the sun come up if you get there early enough!

Enjoy some great street food

Portland has a well-earned reputation among foodies. There are street food carts all over the city, and there are a number of so-called cart pods (groups of food carts) to choose from. One of our favourites is the excellent Prost Marketplace which is packed with carts. Fancy trying some traditional Persian food? Head to the wonderful Caspian Kabob cart – their ‘Kubideh Kabob’ is unmissable.

There is also great overview of some of the best of Portland’s street carts and a handy map of some of the best locations, here.

Escape the hustle and bustle in a Chinese garden

With regular events that include live cello performances, flower arranging and ‘tea and poetry’ gatherings, Lan Su is the place to escape from it all. To be honest, Portland isn’t a particularly overwhelming city. But even so, this wonderful walled Chinese garden can be a welcome haven in downtown.

Of course, the plants and flowers that grow here are a huge attraction. But it we also love the accessible teahouse too. Enjoy sipping a cup of green tea while you soak up the atmosphere.

Talking of soaking – it rains a lot in Portland, especially in the springtime. But the Lan Su garden is one of the best places to visit when it rains. You can see over seventy per cent of it via the covered walkways. Also, much of the garden has been designed to create calming effects when it rains.

Did you know?

The name of the city was decided by its two founders on a coin toss. If things had gone the other way, it would now be known as Boston!

Getting to Portland

There are regular flights to Portland from the London airports, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

As usual, we recommend that you let your airline know of any mobility requirements you might have when you book. Portland’s airport team will also help you to get to your onward transport. Check out their accessibility page here, and look out for their helpful assistants too. They wear royal blue and can be found throughout the terminal if you need help.

To get into Portland itself, we recommend taking an accessible shuttle. There is contact information for all of the providers here. There are also the Trimet Max/Light Rail accessible trains into town every 15 minutes. You’ll need to take the Red line – find the platform at the south end of the ticket area (it’s just past the Starbucks!).

Getting around Portland itself is also straightforward. The kerbs are generally low and ‘rollable’. There are also plenty of accessible cabs – we recommend the excellent Broadway – just call them on +1 503-333-3333. The buses are also completely accessible, and you can plan any journeys online, here.

Travelling with scooters

The great news for those of you travelling abroad is that Quingo Scooters are all approved for air travel by IATA so you won’t have any problems taking them on the plane. That said, it is always well worth getting in touch directly with any train, bus and airlines you want to use just to double check their rules on scooters before you go. For more handy tips on travelling with your scooter by air, take a look at our page here.

Share your accessible getaways abroad with us

Do you have any accessible getaways abroad recommendations? In Europe or perhaps further afield? If you do, we’d love to hear from you, so drop us a line and we’ll feature them.

About Quingo Scooters

The Quingo Scooter range features six models to suit your needs and budget. New models are now available from just £22/week on our new contract hire scheme which includes all servicing and maintenance, Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Call Outs and Consumables including Batteries and Tyres. For more information on this or the latest Quingo Scooter range, please visit our website. Alternatively, if you have any Service questions you can always contact us or call customer services on 01582 430 900.

Keep up to date with the latest mobility scooter advice, tips and interesting places to visit on the Quingo Scooter Users Blog. Connect with Quingo and keep up to date with all our latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

All Quingo Personal Mobility Vehicles are provided by Forever Active, the UK’s exclusive distributor. Forever Active is a trading name of Advantage Marketing Corporation Limited (AMC).  AMC Limited is an appointed representative of First Senior Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. First Senior Insurance Services FSA Register number is 30847