Lack of Bathrooms is the #1 Complaint of Tourists in Portland, Maine

You might think parking is the number one complaint in Portland, Maine, but it's not. It's actually the lack of bathrooms!

According to WGME13, Portland Downtown says that finding a public restroom is the number one issue they hear from tourists. Most of Portland's restrooms are centered in the Old Port, and that leaves large parts of the city with no place to go.

Recently, Portland Downtown had a public forum just about bathrooms, and they are hoping to put in some restrooms this summer in areas that don't have any available bathrooms.

Where are the public restrooms in Portland, Maine?

Portland does have 30 different public restrooms. Many times, bathrooms in businesses are for paying customers only. Plus, what business wants you to visit just to empty your bladder? Check out the convenient map of all the public bathrooms in Portland, Maine!

Of the 30 public restrooms, there are 16 portable toilets, nine flush toilets, and five vaulted toilets.

In 2022, Portland Downtown was involved in helping install four waterless vault toilets with American Rescue Act funding. I had to look up what a vault toilet was because I had no idea. Thanks, Google:

A vault toilet is a permanent Waterless Bathroom that sits above a vault or “pit” that is serviced by a waste management company. Vault restrooms do not require plumbing or electricity but need vehicle access to service them.

But that's still not enough bathrooms!

Portland Downtown's goal is to have people looking for a bathroom find it within a two to three-minute walk anywhere downtown.

Keep your fingers crossed (and not your legs) that more bathrooms are on the way for Portland, Maine.