Well, if you’re only interested in staying within or very near the city of Portland, you can get around pretty well on public transport (light rail and buses mostly). But if you want to see anything beyond that, car is about the only way to do it.

In portland, Bicycle, bus, and the light rail trains (MAX) are really all you need. But cars are really it when you need to get anywhere else.

I would suggest Max and renting a bicycle if your downtown. Otherwise rent a car, there’s a lot to see just outside of Portland (Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge), so renting a car for a day or two to see those beautiful things is a great a idea. Enjoy, it’s a beautiful place, I love it!