Portland (Maine)

Ooaj Travel Guide, tourism, hotel reservation, residence, plane, cheap pension for you holidays in portland (maine)

Free Travel guide Ooaj.com A free travel guide for holidays. Hotels in portland (maine), Bed and Breakfast!

Portland is located on the Southern Maine coast approximately 100 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts. It has about 65.000 inhabitants making it the largest city in Maine.

	portland (maine) Travel Guide : 1 Get in 1.1 By plane 1.1.1 Domestic 1.1.2 International 1.2 By bus 1.3 By train 1.4 By car 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Get out 10 External links

Get in

By plane

Domestic

• Portland International Jetport, PWM. Located in Portland. Taxis and shuttle bus transfer downtown (5 miles).
• Pease International Tradeport, PSM. Located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 55 miles away.
• Manchester Airport, MHT. Located in Manchester, New Hampshire, 100 miles away.

International

• Boston Logan International Airport, BOS. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, 105 miles away.

By bus

• Concord Trailways.
• Greyhound, 1 (http://www.greyhound.com/).
• Vermont Transit Lines.

By train

• Amtrak, 2 (http://www.amtrak.com/). The Downeaster operates between Portland and Boston North Station.

By car

• Interstate 95. Access from the North and South on the Maine Turnpike I-95 take Exit 44 to I-295 into downtown Portland.
• US Highway 1. The more scenic route.

Get around

The Metro bus line has a regular schedule, and provides a high level of service for a city of its size, however a schedule is necessary and the service is geared towards work and errand type trips. Call 774-0351 for more details. Metro is not the best option for late night socializing. There is taxi service. Downtown, especially in the Old Port or by the waterfront, walking is probably the best option.

See

• Old Port District.
• Eastern Promenade. Providing amazing views of the Casco Bay and the islands
• Western Promenade. See examples of mansions built by wealthy sea captains long ago.

Do

• Back Cove. This large inlet connected to the sea by a small canal, has a recreation path over 5 KM long and was designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted and lined with lindens to memorialize World War One dead.
• Portland Museum of Art,3 (http://www.portlandmuseum.org/) Housing a diverse collection of Impressionists, included Monet and Renoir, and is great for an afternoon stroll.
• Portland Observatory.
• Ride on a schooner. During the summer months you can purchase tickets on the Maine State Pier, right next to the ferry.
• Tour Casco Bay. Taking a tour of Casco Bay on the ferry is a great way to enjoy Portland from a different perspective. In addition to fishing vessels and cargo and tanker ships, during the Spring and Summer months many sailboats, yachts, and cruise ships provide enjoyment.
• Victoria Mansion,4 (http://www.victoriamansion.org/)
• Route 1. Be sure to drive up this scenic coast-hugging road on a clear or foggy day.

Buy

The Old Port is home to a number of boutiques and stores perfect for finding unique clothes, home decor items, and other lagniappe. Congress Street, which runs through the center of the city, is home to an L.L. Bean outlet store as well as other shopping and enterntainment opportunities.

• Maine Mall, South Portland. The largest mall in the state of Maine provides the standard mall and department store shopping experience.

• Portland Public Market, Cumberland Ave. A unique co-op that sells food and crafts made only in Maine.

• Simply Scandinavian, Market St. and Exchange St. Two stores thast sell only Scandinavian food, clothing, toys, books, art, decorations, etc.

Eat

Portland is home to many good restaurants. As one can imagine, the abundance of lobster, haddock, clams, scallops and other seafood allows restaurants to sell these usually expensive items at reasonable prices. In the Old Port and especially on Commercial Street, there are plenty of fine restaurants, including the Fore Street Restaurant. Additionally, Portland is probably the most ethnically and culturally diverse city in Maine. This results in a plethora of Vietnamese, Thai, Polish, African, Middle Eastern, and other restaurants. Most of these places are inexpensive and delicious.

• Fore Street Restaurant,5 (http://www.forestreet.biz/) 288 Fore St. (207) 775-2717 This place is reserved weeks and sometimes months in advance. But, you can get in just about any night if you arrive at opening about 5;00 PM and get on the list for their open seating. It is worth it. Start looking for it early, some people drive past this place three for four times before finding it and ask where it is when they are right in front of it. Very small sign. It's located on the south side of Fore Street between Franklin and Pearl streets.

• Susan's Fish and Chips, Forest Ave, outside of downtown. Known for its large portions, freshness, and those reasonable prices.

• Granny's Burritos, Fore Ave. Affordable and delicious Mexican food in a casual funky atmosphere. It is open for both lunch and dinner, and has many vegetarian/vegan options.

• O'Naturals, Exchange St. A four-store restaurant chain local to Maine and Massachusetts that has cafeteria-style natural foods. Great for vegetarians.

Drink

Portland, and especially the Old Port, has a reputation for many bars and pubs of varying caliber. From bars for longshoremen and lobstermen, to pub serving micro-brews brewed on-site, to night clubs, there's something for everyone.

• Great Lost Bear, 6 (http://www.greatlostbear.com/) Located outside of Old Port, this is a must for the discerning beer drinker. With over fifty beers on tap, "The Bear" has gained national renown for the variety, quality, and depth of its local and imported brews.
• The Top of the East. Located in the Eastland Hotel, it offers impressive views of the city and top-shelf libations.

Sleep

• Eastland Park Hotel, 7 (http://www.eastlandparkhotel.com/). Combining American history, modern convenience and euro-style service to give visitors a prime lodging and dining experience downtown.

Get out

• Falmouth. Offering Mackworth Island, an island with a pleasant hiking trail. This island was donated to the state by Governor Percival Baxter, of Baxter State Park fame.

External links

Biggest country to travel: Biggest cities to travel: Islands in the top travel 40: World Travel guide Random travel link: South Africa Philippines China USA Seoul in South Korea Dhaka in Bangladesh Manila in Philippines Beijing in china Vancouver Tasmania Great_Barrier San_Juan Sicily Bhutan Barbados Liberia Taiwan Saint_Kitts_and_Nevis Luxembourg Tokyo Provence alpes cote d azur Cambridge in England Nice

• Url Rewriting et referencement made by Atuvu
• Photographe aix en provence Daniel Weiss
• Ooaj Travel Guide Home Page