Portland city guide: what to see plus the best hotels, bars and restaurants

It’s famous, derided even, for hipster coffee and craft beer, but there’s so much more to one of America’s coolest cities – and there are new direct flights from London, too

All hail Portland! The Pacific Northwest trail-blazer is a vibrant hub that celebrates the four cool “Cs” of coffee, cycling, craft breweries and (food) carts. What’s more, new direct flights four times a week in summer with Delta from Heathrow start on 27 May, making what was a torturous journey – with connections in either Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco or Vancouver – a more bearable 11-hour trip.

This is a contradictory, rapidly evolving and messy place, which for many is teetering on the brink … of boom or bust. See, Portland is about much more than those tourist must-have buzzwords or hipster hit lists.