Pioneer Square Tours and Tickets

There are plenty of ways to experience Pioneer Square. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Portland's Original Delicious Donut Adventure and Walking Food Tour

• Portland Sightseeing Tour Including Columbia Gorge Waterfalls

• Intro to Portland Small Group Walking Tour

• Portland Downtown Food Tour: 6 Tastings of Local and Global Flavors

• All-Inclusive Downtown Portland Food Tour

Pioneer Square is free to visit—it’s known as Portland’s living room, aka the city’s main outdoor entertainment venue. There are some 300 events held here throughout the year, many of which are free. If you’d like to get to know this area better, though, hop on a guided sightseeing tour; small-group walking tours start at US$29.

Yes, Pioneer Square is definitely worth visiting. It's in the heart of downtown Portland, and it's the single most-visited site in the city. With more than 300 events held here every year, there's bound to be something on during your visit. Explore the square's historic and artistic elements and do some people-watching—it's a great way to get a feel for the city's unique flair.

Per one customer who booked the Intro to Portland Small Group Walking Tour, "Shannon is the real deal as a tour guide. Knowledge combined with skilled presentation. The tour included a good balance of script and off-script engagement. Highly recommend to locals who WILL learn something new about Portland, along with visitors."

Pioneer Courthouse Square officially opened on April 6th, 1984, which was Portland’s 133rd birthday. It was named in honor of the adjacent historic Pioneer Courthouse, which is one of the oldest federal buildings in the Pacific Northwest. The square is nicknamed “Portland’s living room” and is a favorite local gathering space.

The chief designer and architect of Pioneer Courthouse Square was Willard Martin. He won a national design competition in 1980 and designed the square with his interdisciplinary design team that included Lee Kelly, a sculptor; Terrence O’Donnell, a historian; Robert Reynolds, a graphic artist; Douglas Macy, a landscape architect; and Spencer Gill, a writer.

Pioneer Courthouse Square is owned by the City of Portland and it’s one of the city’s parks. It brings people together with its cafés and restaurants and also has a jam-packed events schedule. Every year, the square hosts more than 300 events, including concerts and a Christmas market.

Pioneer Courthouse Square is in the center of downtown Portland at 701 SW 6th Avenue. If you’re traveling by light rail, you can get the blue or red lines to Pioneer Square North or Pioneer Square South; alternatively, the green or yellow lines go to Pioneer Courthouse/SW 6th Ave.

The statue in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square is called Allow Me, but most people call it by its unofficial name the Umbrella Man. This bronze statue was designed by John Seward Johnson in 1983. It fits in with Portland’s rainy reputation as the city has 44 inches of rain a year.

There are tons of things to do when you're done visiting Pioneer Square. According to travelers, these are some of the top attractions in Portland:

• Latourell Falls

• Columbia River Gorge

• Willamette Valley

• Multnomah Falls

• Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

View Viator's guide to all the best attractions in Portland.