Overview
Salem, the capital of Oregon, is located in the Willamette Valley between Portland and Eugene. It is also the county seat of Marion County.
Salem was established in the early 1800s as a farming community. The town grew during the years of the California gold rush. Salem became the capital of Oregon in 1851 after it was moved from Oregon City. The capital was then briefly moved to Corvallis in 1855, but in the same year was permanently moved back to Salem. The first two Oregon State Capitol buildings burned down. The third and current building was completed in 1938, complete with its distinctive gold-plated pioneer statue, the "Gold Man," perched atop.
Besides being the seat of state government, Salem is also a major agricultural center in one of the most fertile regions in the world.
12 sights · 7 things to do · 7 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 4 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Salem
Willamette Heritage
Oregon's historic museum located downtown. The site of the museum features working displays of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill and several other historic Salem buildings, which have been relocated to the site. There are five …
State Capitol Building
Oregon's Capitol is a unique art deco monument. If you are lucky enough to be in Salem on a sunny day you should go to the Capitol building and take the tour to the top of the building to see the Gold Man (The Golden Pio…
Willamette University's Campus
Oldest established university on the west coast with coursework in liberal arts and postgraduate degrees in law and business management. Very nice during the springtime when the flowers are blooming. Visitors parking at …
Gilbert House Children`s Museum
Perfect for the younger kids, mostly preschool to about 13 years old. A hands on fun learning center housed in charming turn of century buildings and decor.
Deepwood Museum and Gardens
Powerland Heritage Park
One of the largest museums of tractors, steam engines, and antiques farm equipment in the world. To add more interest they have implemented a truck and street car museum where you can catch a ride on an antique streetcar…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 82°F; winter lows dip to about 36°F. Wettest: Dec and Nov. (climate data from nearby Portland)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SLE Salem-Willamette Valley Airport/McNary Field, Salem — 2 mi away. Directions
- PDX Portland International Airport, Portland — 50 mi away (major hub). Directions
Salem is located in the mid-Willamette Valley, about halfway between Portland to the north and Eugene to the south; it's about a one-hour drive from either city on Interstate 5. If you are coming from east of the Cascades, Hwy. 22 will take you right into Salem.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Willamette Heritage, Marion County Historical Society Museum, State Capitol Building
- Lunch The Sassy Onion Grill
- Afternoon Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University's Campus
- Dinner DaVinci Ristorante
- Evening Archive Coffee & Bar
Day 2
- Morning Enchanted Forest
- Lunch Best Little Roadhouse
- Afternoon Mission Mill Museum
- Dinner Word of Mouth Bistro
Day 3
- Morning Powerland Heritage Park
- Lunch Bentley's Grill
- Afternoon Willamette Mission State Park
- Dinner Marco Polo Global Restaurant
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Salem is not known for its expensive, fine dining, but that doesn't mean you can't find a good meal without breaking the bank. Besides the listings below, there are several fine Mexican restaurants in town, reflecting the city's growing Hispanic population.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Salemites are often defensive about the sleepy reputation the city has, often being overshadowed by its hipster rivals, Portland and Eugene. But lately its citizens have begun to realize the value of what their city offers: an interesting and walkable downtown with a waterfront park, a serious arts scene, and a central location in the Willamette Valley that combines the amenities of a city with the accessibility of a town. Salem shares a city boundary with its neighbor to the north, Keizer, largely a residential community.
Visitor information
Get in
By car
Salem is located in the mid-Willamette Valley, about halfway between Portland to the north and Eugene to the south; it's about a one-hour drive from either city on Interstate 5. If you are coming from east of the Cascades, Hwy. 22 will take you right into Salem.
By train
- Routes stopping in Salem:
- Amtrak Cascades operates between Vancouver, BC and Eugene via Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Lacey (Olympia), Centralia, Kelso (Longview), Vancouver, WA, Portland, Oregon City, Salem, and Albany. There are two round trips daily along the portion between Vancouver and Seattle, four round trips daily along the portion between Seattle and Portland, and two round trips daily along the portion between Portland and Eugene. No train departures travel the whole length of the route. Additional service between Vancouver and Seattle, and between Portland to Eugene are provided on the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach.
- Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank. Between Seattle and Eugene, it makes the same stops as the Amtrak Cascades, except it skips Tukwila and Oregon City.
By bus
The bus station for Greyhound and Oregon Point is the same as Amtrak trains at the Salem Station at 500 13th Ave SE (see above), while the central bus station for Cherriots & Cherriots Regional is at Chemeketa St between High St & Church St behind the building at 555 Court St NE, a couple blocks NW of the state capitol complex in downtown. Take any Cherriots bus (Rt #8 or 18) going north along 13 Ave NE to get to the downtown transfer station from the Salem Station:
Go Greyhound
Greyhound travels primarily on Interstate 5 between Portland and Sacramento through Salem, Corvallis, Eugene, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Medford, Weed, Redding, Red Bluff, Chico and/or Marysville. Passengers transfer buses in Portland, Sacramento or Medford, to get to additional cities.
Place Cascades Point (Oregon Point)/Amtrak Cascades Thruway (operated by MTR Western)
Operates the Amtrak (Cascades) Thruway route between Portland, Tualatin, Woodburn, Salem, Albany and Eugene. Buses stop at both the University of Oregon and the Amtrak station in Eugene. They only make southbound pick up stops and northbound drop off stops in Tualatin. Tickets are available at the Amtrak ticket counters at the Salem Station or online, and are not sold by drivers.
Go Cherriots Regional (formerly CARTS)
Cherriots operate local buses in and around Salem and Keizer. The Cherriots Regional (formerly CARTS) operates express buses from downtown Salem to the surrounding cities and towns in rural Marion County and the neighboring Polk and Clackamas Counties:
* 1x Salem-Wilsonville co-operated by both Cherriots and SMART as an express bus to/from Wilsonville (nearest point to the Portland Metropolitan area) via I-5 . Passengers transfer to the WES Train to continue up towards Beaverton via Tualatin and Tigard. Passengers transfer to the Tri-Met MAX trains from Beaverton or the #12 bus from Tigard to continue into downtown Portland. * 10x Salem-Woodburn goes up to Woodburn along Hwy 99E. Passengers can transfer to Woodburn Transit to get around locally by bus in Woodburn or continue north towards Oregon City via Canby on Canby Area Transit (CAT) Rt #99 at the Woodburn Bi-Mart. Faster way to get to the Portland Metro Area is by 1x bus, Oregon Point, Greyhound or Amtrak (See Above). * 20x Salem-Silverton-Mt Angel ... in north Marion County along SR-213 & 214. * 30x Salem-Santiam Salem, Turner, Slayton & Mill City at foothills of the Cascades. * 40x Polk County Express One of two routes to Dallas in Polk County, only the route detours south towards Monmouth. * 50x Dallas Express Goes straight out to Dallas on Hwy 22. The other option is to take is the 40x (see above) which detours down towards Monmouth. * 80x to Wilsonville from Keizer via Woodburn.
Go Yamhill Transit Area Rt #11
Connects West Salem to McMinnville via Amity. Yamhill Transit Area operates (local) buses in/around McMinnville and to Newberg, Amity, Carlton, Dayton, Dundee, Lafayette, Sheridan & Willamena in Yamhill County. The #17 bus connects West Salem Transit Center to the Downtown Transit Center while the #16 bus pass along Wallace Rd in front of Roth's. Bus #16 does not stop into W Salem Transit Center behind Roth's.
By plane
Commercial flights with additional airlines are at Portland International Airport (PDX), an hour's drive from the north. To get to Salem from Portland Airport, follow I-205 south to its connection to I-5 in Tualatin and continue on I-5 south. Groome Transportation offers hourly shuttles to PDX from Holiday Inn Salem at 3301 Market St NE (see below under 'Sleep', see linked website(s)).
Get around
By bicycle
Salem has a fairly flat terrain, especially towards the north and east parts of the city, making bicycling easy. Bike routes are not as well marked, however, as in some Oregon cities. The farmland surrounding Salem is wonderful cycling country.
By car
The area's roads are designed more or less around a grid system, where most roads are numbered based on their distance from the city center. Addresses also conform to the numbering of the roads around them. Nearly all streets run with the compass directions. State Street goes east and west from downtown to HWY 213 12 miles (19 km) east of town. State Street divides northeast from southeast. All addresses on the west side of the Willamette River, in west Salem are all in the "Northwest" part of town.West Salem is in Polk County, The rest of Salem is in Marion County.
Parking for automobiles in the downtown core is free for visitors and shoppers. There is a two-hour maximum for street parking, but three large parking structures are available for all-day parking. Once you have disposed of your car, downtown is very walkable.
By bus
The Cherriots bus system is city wide taking you from the suburbs to downtown and into Keizer, Oregon, and has central transit center in downtown Salem where all the buses arrive and depart. They also have express buses going further out to Wilsonville (1X)(nearest point towards Portland), Woodburn (10X), Dallas (40X, 50X) and Santiam at the edge of the Cascades (30x).
See
See Downtown Salem Historic District
See Willamette Heritage (formerly Mission Mill & Marion Historic Society)
Oregon's historic museum located downtown. The site of the museum features working displays of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill and several other historic Salem buildings, which have been relocated to the site. There are five buildings total that make up the Willamette Heritage Museum and all of which date back to the 1800s. Once a month the Mission hosts a Big Band night with Ballroom Dancing. The Willamette Heritage Museum was formed from a merger between the Mission Mill Museum and the Marion Historical Society.
See State Capitol Building
Oregon's Capitol is a unique art deco monument. If you are lucky enough to be in Salem on a sunny day you should go to the Capitol building and take the tour to the top of the building to see the Gold Man (The Golden Pioneer). Observation Deck tours are available to the public, on the half hour, Memorial Day through Labor Day. There are parks located all around, complete with gardens and large fountains. The fountain directly in front is a haven for kids to play and cool down in the summer time.
See Willamette University's Campus
Oldest established university on the west coast with coursework in liberal arts and postgraduate degrees in law and business management. Very nice during the springtime when the flowers are blooming. Visitors parking at the southwest part of the campus at Bellevue St SE & Winter St SE, across the street from Salem Hospital. The GPS pin is the approximate location of the admissions and visitor office next to the Willamette International Studies House (WISH).
Museums & historical attractions
See Bush House
Built just after the settler arrived from the Oregon Trail, this historic old homestead now houses the art of Salem's finest artists. In the summer you can wander through the fragrant Rose Garden and take a hike on a popular trail with the lunch crowd from nearby businesses.
See Marion County Historical Society Museum
See Mission Mill Museum
The museum is housed in the former Thomas Kay Woolen Mill. Also, some of the oldest residences in the state, dating from the 1840s and 50s, have been moved to the grounds.
See Museum of Mental Health
On the grounds of the Oregon State Hospital, this fascinating museum has displays recounting the history of the institution. It also has a section on the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was filmed in a now-demolished part of the hospital with the participation of many of the staff and patients. The museum's hours are limited, so check its website for times you can visit.
See Powerland Heritage Park (formerly Antique Powerland)
One of the largest museums of tractors, steam engines, and antiques farm equipment in the world. To add more interest they have implemented a truck and street car museum where you can catch a ride on an antique streetcar. "Annual Steamup" in Jul-Aug.
Do
Do Oregon State Fair
Throughout the year there are different rodeos, swap meets, exhibitions, concerts, holiday bazaars and other events held at the state fairgrounds. The state fairgrounds is also the same location for the Marion County Fair which happens in the first week in July. See the event calendar online.
Do Salem Skate Park
This skate park has two bowls that are connected by a snake. There is also a secondary skate area, called the "streetscape," which has plenty of grind space and ramps. The skate park is open to skates, skateboards, BMX bikes, and more.
Do Bush's Pasture Park
A 90.5-acre (36.6 hectares) urban public park and botanical garden just south of the downtown area. The park is a historical site and contains many trails, playgrounds, tennis courts, picnic areas, gardens, and orchards. Willamette University has its football, track and field, and baseball stadium located in the park. Also home of the Salem Soap Box Derby.
Do Enchanted Forest
A land of fairy tales where you walk through Medieval castles, down wooden sidewalks in the Wild West, or meet a ghost in the haunted mansion. This small theme park has rides for kids and adults with an Alpine Rollercoaster, bumper cars, trains and more. In one of their many restaurants is a gorgeous water show with colorful lights bouncing off streams of water.
Do Salem Riverfront Park
Sits along the Willamette River in the historic downtown area of Salem. Kids will enjoy the huge hand-carved carousel, considered one of the best carousels in the U.S. Willamette Queen Sternwheeler is popular for lunch and dinner cruises with good stories about the settlers. Expansion plans and bicycle rentals are being worked out.
Do Willamette Mission State Park
The park occupies land where the first mission for American Indians was founded in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. Members of the Methodist Mission were later active in the formation of Oregon government. A monument in the park provides information on this settlement. The original mission buildings are represented by framed outlines called ghost structures. A landing for the Wheatland Ferry -- the first to carry the covered wagon across the Willamette River in 1844 -- is in the park. Lots of trails for hiking and biking. Civil War re-enactment over the 4th of July.
Buy
Eat
Salem is not known for its expensive, fine dining, but that doesn't mean you can't find a good meal without breaking the bank. Besides the listings below, there are several fine Mexican restaurants in town, reflecting the city's growing Hispanic population.
Eat Bentley's Grill
Northwest ingredients with fresh seasonal seafood, artfully presented salads and choice of steaks served nightly.
Eat Best Little Roadhouse
For Salem, it actually has some ambiance. Try the Caesar salad with freshly grilled Northwest Salmon, Tri Tip sandwiches or salad. Mini-golf course just outside the building.
Eat DaVinci Ristorante
It has Italian food, including the Pork Tenderloin Italian herbs. Also they make their own pizza in a beautiful stone oven. When you sit down they bring you fresh made warm foccacia. Popular with the martini crowd for happy hour drinks.
Eat Gerry Frank's Konditorei
Try the Champagne cake with raspberry filling, quiche or sun dried tomatoes with asparagus. They have a good deal with their soup and half sandwich or quiche and a slice of cake for about $8.
Eat Marco Polo Global Restaurant
Excellent, moderately priced variety of Asian food. Vegetarian selections available, also spicy (and non) dishes.
Eat The Sassy Onion Grill
A popular restaurant in the city, it is visited frequently by students and government workers. Known for its French toast.
Eat Word of Mouth Bistro
A tiny, yet very busy place for breakfast and lunch, this restaurant takes no reservations, has long line out the door, and is totally worth the wait.
Drink
Sleep
Bed & breakfast
Hotels and motels
Salem has many moderately priced accommodations outside the downtown core. The exception is the Grand Hotel, which is somewhat more pricey, but puts you in the center of the city.
Go next
- Cascade Mountains (highway #22 east) - some of the best hiking terrain in the Pacific Northwest
- Silverton (15 minutes east on highway 213) - murals and creekside dining in a cozy town in the foothills of the Cascades
- Mt. Angel (30 minutes north-east) - Bavaria in the US! - a cute German village famous for its Oktoberfest held every September
- Sisters (highway 22 east, ~1.5 hours) - a fun little town with the look of an old western village complete with wooden sidewalks, small boutique shops and restaurants
- Oregon Wine Tour Salem is minutes away from some of the finest wine country in the world. Renowned for Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, Oregon has become a destination for wine connoisseurs everywhere.
Place Silver Falls
Silver Falls about a 30-minute drive East of Salem. The drive takes you through historic Oregon farmland. Silver Falls is a great place to hike, camp and picnic. The main falls are easy to get to about a 5-minute walk from the parking lot. You can view it from up top but the best experience is to take the short hike down the hill where you can walk behind the falls. There is a 7-mile (11 km) hike passing by 10 waterfalls ending at another parking lot at the North Falls. Although smaller than the South Falls it is still stunning. You can rent cabins or if you like to ride they have a beautiful horse camp with many trails to enjoy.
Nearby
Monmouth
City / town · 12 listings · 11 mi away
Silverton
City / town · 5 listings · 13 mi away
Mt. Angel
City / town · 11 listings · 15 mi away
Woodburn
City / town · 11 listings · 17 mi away
Albany
City / town · 41 listings · 21 mi away
McMinnville
City / town · 8 listings · 21 mi away
Aurora
City / town · 4 listings · 25 mi away
Newberg
City / town · 21 listings · 26 mi away
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