Portland goes underground with a beer payoff. This Shanghai Tunnels tour in Portland mixes access to rare underground passageways with chilling storytelling, including the resident ghost Nina. It runs about 90 minutes and starts and ends at Old Town Pizza & Brewing in the city center.

I love the pairing: you get serious, grim Portland history told with just enough spooky thread to keep it fun. And I also like the finish—three beer tastings plus one full pint of Old Town’s award-winning beer.

One thing to consider: this is physical. Expect narrow spaces, stairs, and sections where you’ll need to duck and move around pipes, so plan for moderate fitness and wear comfortable closed-toe shoes.

Key Highlights You’ll Care About

• Exclusive access to the Shanghai Tunnels under Portland streets (you won’t find this at street level)
• Ghost Nina stories threaded through the tour’s darker Portland past
• Old Town beer included: three tastings and a full pint
• Small group size with a maximum of 15 travelers for a more personal walk
• Tight, tricky footing: stairs, narrow doorways, obstacles to duck under, and uneven floors
• 21+ rules for most departures, plus an adult-content warning for the topics covered

Old Town Pizza & Brewing: Check-In and the Pre-Tunnel Setup

The tour starts at Old Town Pizza & Brewing, 226 NW Davis St—right in Portland’s Old Town area. You’ll meet your guide and group there, then head underground from the same spot when the tour wraps. It’s a smart setup because you’re not stuck searching for a meetup point in the dark.

The vibe here is part practical and part fun. You’re getting ready for a tour that’s equal parts underground walking, local history, and brewery tastings. And because it’s tied to a real pizza-and-beer place, it also makes it easy to plan a meal before or after, as long as the restaurant hours work with your timing.

The tour runs about 90 minutes, and it’s offered in English with a mobile ticket. Group size tops out at 15, which matters underground: fewer people means less crowding in those narrow passages and more room to pay attention to your guide’s directions.

Entering the Shanghai Tunnels: Stairs, Low Ceilings, and Pipe Passages

Once you start, you’re not doing a gentle stroll. The tour involves climbing up and down stairs and moving through tunnel areas where you’ll navigate around pipes between the ceiling and the floor. The setting isn’t just atmospheric—it’s physically designed to be awkward in the way historic spaces often are.

Here’s what you should know before you go:

• Wear shoes you trust. Closed-toe and grippy is the move. High heels are a bad idea.
• Be ready to duck. There are obstacles to lower through, and the tour notes narrow doorways and duck-under areas.
• Watch your step. Uneven dirt floors show up in some sections.

This is one of the main reasons this tour gets love and also why it won’t work for everyone. If you’re comfortable in older buildings, can handle stairs, and don’t mind tight spaces, you’ll probably enjoy the sense of actually being somewhere that rarely sees the public. If you’re dealing with mobility limits, this is the part you should take seriously.

Also, the tour’s access is limited to specific areas. Some folks walk away thinking they wanted more tunnels and more uninterrupted underground stretches, while others focus on the cool rooms and the story context. Either way, the walking feels like part of the experience, not a side detail.

Ghost Nina and Portland’s Dark Past: What the Stories Cover

If you’re expecting a pure jump-scare ghost show, you might be surprised by the balance. This tour is built around Portland’s darker past—then it threads in the resident ghost Nina and the idea that the tunnels have memories.

The tour is described as one of the most haunted places in America, named by outlets like Conde Nast, USA Today, Thrillist, and Cosmopo. That matters less as marketing and more as a hint about tone: it’s meant to feel eerie, even when the guide is talking history.

You’ll also hear about how the tunnel network once linked local businesses to the Willamette River. That’s the practical reason the tunnels matter: they weren’t just spooky basements. They were functional routes tied to commerce.

Where things get heavy is the subject matter. The tour includes historic mention of sexual content, drug use, human trafficking, violence, and death. Even when a guide treats the material with care, you should know what you’re signing up for. If any of those topics are hard for you personally, skip this one.

What’s interesting is how the guide style can shift what you feel most. The tour has been led by guides such as Skippy, Natasha, Doug, and Kaitlin (also spelled Katelyn in one case), and their storytelling approach can affect the mix of history versus hauntings. Some guide styles lean more into tunnel history and room-by-room explanation. Others keep the ghost thread front and center and lean harder into spooky atmosphere.

And there’s one more detail that pops up in the story content: you may hear about the practice called crimping, tied to the sailing industry in the 1800s. Even if you know Portland basics, that kind of specific detail helps the tour feel grounded rather than purely paranormal.

Beer Tastings and a Full Pint: The Friendly Payoff Aboveground

After the underground portion, you resurface and the tone turns warmer—because you’re heading back to the brewery portion of the evening. You’ll get three beer tastings and then a full pint of Old Town’s award-winning beer.

This is a genuinely good structure for a haunted tour. Underground tours can leave you mentally worn out. The beer finish gives you a way to land softly: sit down, compare tastes, and talk about what you just heard while your adrenaline has time to drop.

One practical note: the tasting portions are meant as samples, not a full pour each time. You’ll still get your pint, so you’re not leaving empty-handed, but don’t expect the same level of volume as a standard flight where every beer gets a big pour.

Also, this is the part where the venue matters. The tour begins at Old Town Pizza & Brewing, and that’s where the beer happens too. So you’re not transferring to another location at the end—your night stays simple.

If you want pizza too, you’ll likely have the opportunity since you start at a pizza place and end back there. Just keep your expectations realistic: food timing and late seating depend on the day and the restaurant hours.

How Much Time You Really Spend (And How to Fit It Into Your Portland Day)

At around 1 hour 30 minutes, the tour is long enough to feel immersive, but not so long you lose your entire day. That makes it a solid option for:

• a date night
• a group activity
• a themed stop when you want something different from typical walking tours

However, the timing also includes travel inside the tunnels, plus the stairs and narrow sections. In other words, the physical movement is part of the schedule, not something you can rush past.

A small group size (up to 15) helps with timing. Guides can manage the flow better in tight spaces. You’re also more likely to feel like you’re getting answers rather than being swept along.

If you’re pairing this with other Old Town activities, I’d plan a buffer before or after. Even if the tour runs right on time, you’ll want a little breathing room for rest stops and settling back aboveground before you jump into your next plan.

Price and Value at $48: What You Get for the Money

The price is $48 per person. For that, you get a full 90-minute underground experience plus beer. Most “haunted” tours are either storytelling-heavy with no real add-on, or they’re food-and-beer experiences without a true underground focus. This one tries to do both.

Here’s why that can be good value:

• You’re paying for exclusive access, not just a walk past old buildings.
• You’re paying for included alcohol (three tastings plus a pint), which is a real cost offset if you were going to buy beer anyway.
• You’re paying for a themed tour with adult content topics handled as history plus haunting.

Where you should be honest with yourself is fit. If you hate stairs and tight spaces, the experience stops being fun fast. If you’re looking for a heavy ghost show, the tour may feel more historical than you expected, depending on your guide’s style. If you want a Portland-flavored mix of underground rooms, gritty storytelling, and a beer payoff at the end, the $48 price can feel fair.

Also keep in mind the tour is 21+ on most departures, with exceptions for the 2pm and 3pm tours (teenagers allowed on those specific times). That means the crowd and tone will usually skew adult-focused.

Who Should Book (and Who Should Skip) This Haunted Underground Tour

I’d book this if you:

• like Portland’s darker side and want more than quick, surface-level stories
• enjoy tours where history and spooky elements share the same stage
• want an underground walk that ends with real brewery beer, not just a snack
• are comfortable in older buildings—stairs, narrow doorways, and duck-under areas don’t scare you off

I’d skip or strongly reconsider if you:

• have mobility issues or need step-free, wide pathways (this tour calls out stairs, narrow spaces, and obstacles)
• dislike adult-content topics, including historic mention of sexual content, drug use, violence, trafficking, and death
• expect a ghost tour that’s mostly paranormal action from start to finish (the structure can tilt toward tunnel history)

Finally, go with the right mindset. This isn’t a passive sit-down show. You’ll be moving through historic spaces where the physical environment is part of the story. When that clicks, it feels like you’re getting a rare Portland experience you can’t replicate on your own.

Should You Book This Tour? My Straight Answer

Book it if you want a Portland night with an underground setting, a consistent spooky thread through ghost Nina, and a beer payoff that doesn’t feel like an afterthought. The small group size and the inclusion of beer make it a practical choice, especially for couples and date-night plans.

Skip it if you want wheelchair-friendly access, if the adult-content topics are a hard no for you, or if you’re expecting mostly theatrical haunting with little history. For the right traveler, this is a memorable mix of eerie atmosphere, specific tunnel detail, and an Old Town brewery finish that gives you something to do with your thoughts right after you resurface.

FAQ

How long is the Haunted Underground Shanghai Tunnels tour?

It lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Where do I meet for the tour?

You meet at Old Town Pizza & Brewing, 226 NW Davis St, Portland, OR 97209.

What’s the price per person?

The tour costs $48.00 per person.

What beer is included?

You get three beer tastings and one pint of Old Town’s award-winning beer.

Is this tour only for adults?

Yes, it’s 21+ for all tours other than the 2pm & 3pm departure times. Babies, infants, and kids under 12 are not allowed.

Is the tour physically difficult?

It does involve climbing stairs and navigating tunnels and around pipes, including areas where you may need to duck under. The tour notes moderate physical fitness is recommended.

Is the tour in English?

Yes, it is offered in English.