Before you pick a train
You’d like to see the country rather than fly over it, and you want to know what you’re signing up for. These six facts frame every Amtrak trip on the page.
- ChicagoDay 1 · 2:00pmBoard at Union Station; dinner is the first meal in the dining car.
- OmahaDay 1 · late eveningAcross Iowa in the dark, into Nebraska before midnight.
- DenverDay 2 · morningThe climb starts: the Moffat Tunnel under the Continental Divide, then Winter Park.
- Glenwood SpringsDay 2 · afternoonGore, Byers and Glenwood canyons along the Colorado River, the stretch people ride this train for.
- Salt Lake CityDay 2 · near midnightUtah after dark; the second night aboard crosses Nevada.
- Reno & TruckeeDay 3 · morningUp the Truckee River and past Donner Lake in the Sierra Nevada.
- EmeryvilleDay 3 · late afternoonDown along San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Strait; an Amtrak bus finishes the trip to San Francisco.
Daily departures, about 51 hours end to end, per Amtrak’s California Zephyr page and current timetable. Westbound meals in a sleeper: dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch. Times shift by season, and the train often runs late.
Nine long-distance trains, and the two that leave from Texas
Most of Amtrak’s scenery is in the West, and most of our readers live in Florida and Texas. Tap through for the length, the route and what’s on board.
The scenic West
California Zephyr: the Rockies and the Sierra
Through Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno and Sacramento. Amtrak lists the Moffat Tunnel, the Gore, Byers and Glenwood canyons, Donner Lake and San Pablo Bay among its views.
- Superliner Roomettes, Bedrooms, Family Bedrooms and an Accessible Bedroom
- Traditional dining car and a Sightseer Lounge
- Glenwood Springs is a stop if you’d rather break the trip
Coast Starlight: Cascades to the Pacific
Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Oakland, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. The route climbs to about 5,000 feet in the Cascades and passes Mount Shasta before it reaches the shore.
- One night aboard: the shortest sleeper trip here
- Traditional dining car and a Sightseer Lounge
- Pairs with a Seattle Alaska cruise: see our Seattle port guide
Empire Builder: Glacier National Park
Through St. Paul, North Dakota and Montana, with stops at East Glacier Park, West Glacier and Whitefish. It splits at Spokane for Seattle and the Columbia River Gorge to Portland.
- Daily, with a dining car to Seattle
- Spokane to Portland has no dining car; Amtrak serves a cold catered meal
- Amtrak Vacations sells more than 15 Glacier packages built on it
Southwest Chief: Route 66 country
Through Kansas City, Lamy (for Santa Fe), Albuquerque and Flagstaff. From Flagstaff, an Amtrak Connection bus runs to the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams.
- Superliner rooms, dining car and a Sightseer Lounge
- The Lamy shuttle to Santa Fe needs a reservation
- Its 2024 on-time record was the weakest on this page: 33%
Texas, the Gulf and Florida
Texas Eagle: Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio
North through Little Rock and St. Louis to Chicago, across the Mississippi and the Ozarks. Through cars continue from San Antonio to Los Angeles, about 65 hours from Chicago.
- Flexible Dining (hot dishes in the lounge) between Chicago and San Antonio
- Traditional dining car from San Antonio to Los Angeles
- Through cars wait 2 to 5 hours in San Antonio while the trains are joined
Sunset Limited: Houston to the desert
About 48 hours through Houston, San Antonio, Del Rio, Alpine, El Paso and Tucson. In season, National Park guides ride along to talk about the landscape.
- The one long-distance train through Houston
- Traditional dining car and a Sightseer Lounge
- Best 2024 on-time record of the routes here: 61%
Auto Train: Sanford, Florida, to Lorton, Virginia
One night, nonstop apart from a service stop around midnight in Florence, South Carolina. Your car, SUV or motorcycle rides in the carrier; you can’t reach it until arrival.
- Leaves at 4:00pm and arrives about 9:00am, per the current timetable
- Rooms include dinner and a hot breakfast; coach gets a continental breakfast
- No pets aboard
Silver Meteor: the East Coast overnight
Miami, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston and Washington on the way to New York. Viewliner rooms, and a dining car for private-room guests.
- Viewliner Roomettes have their own toilet and sink but no shower
- It doesn’t stop in Tampa; a Thruway bus connects
- Washington or New York without a flight
Floridian: Chicago to Miami via Washington
A temporary pairing of the Capitol Limited and Silver Star while Amtrak rebuilds a tunnel under New York’s East River. It serves Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Washington and Pittsburgh.
- Southbound leaves Chicago at 6:40pm and reaches Miami two days later
- Traditional dining car
- Amtrak hasn’t published an end date for the pairing
From Florida, the scenic move is a flight to Chicago, Denver or Seattle and a western train from there. The Silver Meteor and Floridian are pleasant rides, not mountain rides.
From Texas you can skip the flight: the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited leave from home. Pick your train by its scenery first, then work out how to reach the platform.
Roomette or Bedroom: the space you’re buying
Two adults in a Roomette is cozy and fine for one night. Two nights, or anyone who needs the restroom at 3am without a hallway walk, is a Bedroom.
| Room (Superliner) | Size | Sleeps | Toilet & shower |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roomette | 3′6″ × 6′6″ | 2 adults | Shared, nearby |
| Bedroom | 6′6″ × 7′6″ | 2 adults | Private, in room |
| Bedroom Suite | Two Bedrooms joined | 4 | Two private |
| Family Bedroom | 5′2″ × 9′5″ | 2 adults + 2 small children | Shared, nearby |
| Accessible Bedroom | 6′9″ × 9′5″ | 2 adults | In-room toilet; shower nearby |
| Viewliner Roomette (East Coast) | 3′6″ × 6′8″ | 2 adults | In-room toilet; no shower |
Dimensions from Amtrak Vacations’ sleeping-accommodations sheet. Upper berths in a Roomette and Family Bedroom are reached by steps; the Bedroom has a ladder.
For one night, a Roomette, not a Bedroom, is plenty for most couples. The Bedroom earns its price on the two-night trains, when a private shower starts to matter.
Families have one purpose-built option: the Family Bedroom, for two adults and two children aged 2 to 12, with the restroom and shower down the hall. Book it the day you decide.
Which American train fits you?
Start from where you live and what you want to see. The matcher weighs the ride, the room and who’s coming.
Matcher
Match a train to your trip
Five questions. Tap one answer each; your top three show below.
What the train really costs against a flight
Amtrak publishes almost no room prices: they float with the date and how full the train is. So we don’t quote a sleeper fare. Price your date, then run it here.
| Item | Coach seat | Roomette | Bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining-car meals | Cafe, pay as you go | Included | Included |
| First drink at dinner | Extra | Complimentary | Complimentary |
| Bed and linens | Reclining seat | Two berths | Two berths |
| Toilet and shower | Shared restrooms | Shared, in the car | Private |
| Station lounge, priority boarding | No | Included | Included |
| Checked bags | Two free, up to 50 lb | Two free, up to 50 lb | Two free, up to 50 lb |
| Tips for the attendant and dining staff | At your discretion | At your discretion | At your discretion |
Train vs. fly or drive
Is the train worth it for your trip?
Amtrak’s room prices change by date, so start with the real total from Amtrak’s booking page. Then add what flying or driving would cost.
The train
The other way to go
Our tool assumes two travelers per hotel room and counts a day of meals for each day aboard. Nights and hours aboard come from Amtrak’s schedules; delays aren’t included.
Flying nearly always wins on time. It doesn’t always win on money once you count the hotel night and the meals a room includes.
Book early and travel off-peak; Amtrak says fares generally run higher around holidays and busy periods. Seniors 65 and over get 10% off, and children 2 to 12 travel at half fare, on Amtrak’s published discounts. Run two dates through the calculator before you commit.
The Auto Train: Florida’s overnight shortcut
The I-95 drive, minus the driving and the motel. If you want your own car in the Northeast, start here.
If you drive between Florida and the Northeast, this is the one Amtrak train that replaces a car trip rather than a flight. It runs every day between Sanford, near Orlando, and Lorton, Virginia, near Washington.
Check-in opens at 11:30am. It closes at 2:00pm for oversized vehicles, motorcycles, trailers and Priority Offloading, and at 2:30pm for everyone else, with no exceptions.
The train leaves at 4:00pm and arrives a little before 9:00am, about 17 hours later. Pack an overnight bag: once your car is loaded, you won’t see it until the other end.
Priority Offloading, reserved when you book, puts your car among the first 30 off the train. Without it, expect to wait while the carriers unload.
What the fare covers
Fares start at $95 plus the vehicle. First Class rooms (Roomette, Bedroom, Family Room, Accessible Bedroom) include dinner and a hot breakfast in the dining car, the First Class lounge and a dedicated attendant. Coach has wide recliners, outlets and a continental breakfast before arrival.
Before you book
No pets are allowed on the Auto Train. Its 2024 on-time record was 48%, so don’t plan a tight connection the morning you arrive.
Day two on the California Zephyr
This is the day people book the Zephyr for. It runs on the train’s schedule, not yours, and every hour of it is scenery.
Breakfast before Denver
Sleeper passengers eat in the dining car, included in the fare; coach passengers head to the cafe.
Denver, then the Moffat Tunnel
After the Denver stop the train climbs into the Rockies, through the tunnel under the Continental Divide and past Winter Park.
Lunch with the canyons
Gore and Byers canyons along the Colorado River. Take a seat in the Sightseer Lounge early for its panoramic windows.
Glenwood Canyon and Glenwood Springs
The canyon walls close in before the Glenwood Springs stop, the section Amtrak features on its route page.
Dinner and the second night
Utah after dark, Salt Lake City near midnight. Your attendant has made up the berths while you ate.
Amtrak doesn’t publish exact meal times; they’re set aboard and depend on how the train is running. Reserve dinner when the attendant asks, and the rest takes care of itself.
Why you build a buffer day
A train that runs late is still a vacation. A train that runs late into a same-day cruise is a missed ship.
Amtrak’s own 2024 Host Railroad Report Card. The federal standard is 80%; every long-distance route missed it. The report card grades the freight railroads that own most of the track.
On a long-distance train, a few hours late is normal, not a disaster. A missed cruise embarkation is the disaster.
Arrive the day before any ship, flight or tour. If you’re connecting from the Coast Starlight to an Alaska cruise in Seattle, sleep in Seattle first.
Park railways: the US by day train
Not every great American train ride takes a night. These four run by day, and three of them end at a national park.
Grand Canyon Railway (Arizona)
Daily except December 25, from the 1908 Williams Depot to a log depot about 200 yards from the rim. A Wild West shootout plays out before the morning departure, and musicians stroll the cars.
- Pullman $69.98 adult (March to October, windows open, no A/C); Coach $89.98
- First Class $172.98; Observation Dome $202.98; Luxury Dome and Luxury Parlor $242.98, ages 16+
- Amtrak’s Southwest Chief connects at Flagstaff by bus
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge (Colorado)
Steam trains along the Animas River into the San Juan Mountains. The Silverton Express runs a motorcoach up the Million Dollar Highway and the train back down, about 5½ hours.
- 2026 Silverton Express fares from $128 (coach) to $323 (Presidential, 21+), fees included
- Children 4 to 11 pay less; some First Class cars are adults-only
- Ask us for 2027 fares and the season’s dates
Alaska Railroad (summer only)
The Denali Star runs about 12 hours from Anchorage to Fairbanks via Talkeetna and Denali; the Coastal Classic runs to Seward, a cruise port.
- GoldStar: glass dome, outdoor deck, dining room, meals and two drinks for guests 21+
- 2027 Denali Star: May 12 to September 16; Adventure Class $205 to Denali
- Most cruisetours ride their own domed cars; see Alaska cruisetours
Canyon Spirit (Colorado and Utah)
Rocky Mountaineer’s US sibling. It runs by day only and puts you in hotels in Glenwood Springs and Moab, which the fare includes.
- From $2,123 per person plus tax (2026)
- The luxury option in the US West: no berths, every mile in daylight
- Read our Rocky Mountaineer guide
Park railways are where families start. A Grand Canyon Railway Coach seat is $89.98 for an adult, and the Cataract Creek Gang and a railway marshal perform aboard.
Combine one with a national parks tour: our US national parks guide lines up the coach and small-group tours that cover the Grand Canyon and Colorado.
Packages and tours built around the trains
Amtrak sells the seat and the room. If you want the hotels, transfers and sightseeing stitched on, these are the companies that do it.
| Who sells it | Trip | Days | From, per person | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak Vacations | Glacier National Park Getaway; Glacier & Seattle from Chicago; Grand Canyon Getaway; Grand Canyon Explorer from Los Angeles | 4 to 11 | Quoted on request | Train, hotels and sightseeing; start from any of 500+ stations, upgrade to a room |
| Great Rail Journeys | Coast to Coast: New York to San Francisco (independent) | 10 | $2,595 (2026) | Lake Shore Limited and California Zephyr in coach, six hotel nights, city tours |
| On The Go Tours | Colorado & Old West Railroads (escorted) | 7 | $4,495 (2027) | Pikes Peak Cog, Royal Gorge, Cumbres & Toltec and Durango & Silverton trains; 3-star hotels; 10 meals |
| Canyon Spirit | Denver to Salt Lake City by daylight | 3 | $2,123 + tax (2026) | Train and hotels in Glenwood Springs and Moab |
| Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean | Alaska cruisetours with domed rail to Denali | 9 to 17 nights | See our Alaska guide | Cruise, lodges and the railcar |
Amtrak Vacations is run by the same company as the rail specialist Railbookers. It sells the trains with hotels and sightseeing attached, and prices each one on request.
We didn’t find a 2027 Trafalgar, Collette or Globus US tour built on an Amtrak long-distance train. Their rail tours on this side of the border ride Rocky Mountaineer in Canada; see Canada by train.
Brand USA is promoting American rail through 2027, the 200th anniversary of the country’s first railroads. Expect more packages to appear; ask us before you build it yourself.
Booking windows, bags, kids and access
The train is easy to book and easy to get wrong: the room you wanted sells out, or the connection is too tight. Here’s what to settle first.
Amtrak opens reservations 11 months out. For summer or holiday dates, or if you want a Bedroom or Family Bedroom, book when the window opens.
Insure the trip once you’ve paid: room fees reach 25% at 120 days. Our insurance purchase-window guide and how-far-ahead guide explain the timing.
Each traveler can carry two bags up to 50 lb and 28 × 22 × 14 inches, plus a personal item. Where the train has checked baggage, two more bags up to 50 lb go free. A Roomette fits two small totes; check the big case.
Traveling solo: a Roomette works well for one. Amtrak doesn’t publish a single price, so price one and two travelers for the same date and compare.
Accessibility: every Superliner train on this page lists an Accessible Bedroom, about 6′9″ by 9′5″, with an in-room toilet and room for a wheelchair. On the Grand Canyon Railway, Coach and First Class are ADA accessible; the dome and luxury cars aren’t.
Cancellation timeline
Slide to the day you might cancel
Amtrak’s published rules for a private room, beside its Value coach fare. Flex coach fares are fully refundable.
From Amtrak’s Guide to Fares, October 2026. An upgrade won through Amtrak BidUp makes the ticket non-refundable and non-changeable.
Booking it through Seabound
There’s no fee for our help. We price the room on two or three dates, book the hotel night before and after, and line the train up with your cruise or tour. Where a package pays commission, the company pays us, not you.
Before you board
Who should take the train
Book it if
- You want the Rockies, the Sierra or the Pacific coast at ground level, without driving them
- You’d enjoy a dining car, a lounge car and no schedule but the train’s
- You’re in Texas and want to start the trip at your local station
- You’re in Florida and want your own car up north (the Auto Train)
- You have kids who’d love a day on the Grand Canyon or Durango trains
Look elsewhere if
- You need to arrive on time for a same-day cruise, flight or wedding
- You want hotel-grade bedrooms and private showers at a modest price; Bedrooms sell out and cost more
- Two nights in a small space with shared facilities would wear on you
- You want a luxury train; look at Canyon Spirit and Rocky Mountaineer instead
- Your days off are few; a plane gets you there the same afternoon
Our take
Treat the train as the vacation, not the transport. Price the trip against a flight with the calculator, and if the gap is a few hundred dollars a night for a moving room with a view, you’ll know it’s worth it.
For a first trip, the Coast Starlight or the Zephyr in a Roomette is the classic. Florida drivers should try the Auto Train once; Texans should start with the Eagle or the Sunset Limited from home.
Book the room early, add a buffer night at the end, and let us handle the hotels around it.
Where to go from here: parks, cruises and other trains
Every train journey we’ve written up
Free · No obligation
Want an Amtrak trip priced for your dates?
Tell us the route, the dates and who’s coming. We’ll price the room on a few dates, add the hotels either side and check the connection to your cruise or tour.
What US train travelers ask us
What is the difference between an Amtrak Roomette and a Bedroom?
A Superliner Roomette is about 3′6″ by 6′6″: two facing seats that become an upper and lower berth, with the restroom and shower down the hall. A Bedroom is about 6′6″ by 7′6″, with a sofa and chair by day and its own sink, enclosed toilet and shower. Both include meals in the dining car and a dedicated attendant.
Are meals included in an Amtrak sleeper?
Yes. Amtrak includes meals for passengers in private rooms, served in the dining car on the long-distance trains, and the first alcoholic drink at dinner is complimentary. Coach passengers buy food in the cafe. On the Texas Eagle between Chicago and San Antonio, meals are “Flexible Dining,” hot dishes served in the lounge, rather than a full dining car.
How does the Amtrak Auto Train work?
It runs nonstop, apart from a service stop, between Lorton, Virginia, near Washington, and Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. You check your car in between 11:30am and 2:30pm (2:00pm for oversized vehicles, motorcycles and Priority Offloading), the train leaves at 4:00pm, and it arrives the next morning, about 17 hours later. Fares start at $95 plus the vehicle, and you can’t get to your car during the trip.
Which Amtrak long-distance trains serve Texas?
The Texas Eagle runs daily from Chicago through Little Rock, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin to San Antonio, about 32 hours, with through cars to Los Angeles. The Sunset Limited runs three times a week between New Orleans and Los Angeles through Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and Tucson, about 48 hours.
Is Amtrak on time?
Not reliably on the long-distance routes. In Amtrak’s own 2024 report card, the share of passengers arriving within 15 minutes of schedule was 61% on the Sunset Limited, 51% on the California Zephyr, 48% on the Auto Train and 33% on the Southwest Chief, against a federal standard of 80%. Don’t book a flight or cruise the same day you arrive.
What happens if I cancel an Amtrak private room?
Under Amtrak’s fare rules, you get a full refund 121 or more days before departure. From 120 to 15 days out, 25% is forfeited and 75% refunded. Inside 14 days, 25% is forfeited and the other 75% comes back as a non-refundable eVoucher.
How much does the Grand Canyon Railway cost?
The railway’s class page lists adult fares from $69.98 in the open-window Pullman cars (March to October) and $89.98 in Coach, up to $242.98 in the Luxury Dome and Luxury Parlor, which are for guests 16 and over. Children 2 to 15 pay less and under-2s ride free. Confirm whether your fare is one way or round trip when you book.
Do tour companies like Trafalgar or Collette sell Amtrak train tours?
We didn’t find a 2027 Trafalgar, Collette or Globus tour in the US built on an Amtrak long-distance train; their rail tours on this side of the border use Rocky Mountaineer in Canada. Amtrak Vacations and rail specialists such as Great Rail Journeys package the Amtrak trains with hotels, and park railways like the Grand Canyon Railway sell their own train-and-hotel packages.
Sources · 38 links · checked October 2026
- Amtrak: California Zephyr
- Amtrak: California Zephyr timetable
- Amtrak: Coast Starlight
- Amtrak: Empire Builder
- Amtrak: Southwest Chief
- Amtrak: Texas Eagle
- Amtrak: Sunset Limited
- Amtrak: Auto Train experience
- Amtrak: Auto Train timetable
- Amtrak: Trains to Florida
- Amtrak: Silver Service and the Floridian
- Amtrak: Silver Meteor timetable
- Amtrak: Floridian timetable
- Amtrak Media: Launching the Floridian (Sept 2024)
- Amtrak: Traditional Dining
- Amtrak: Superliner Roomette
- Amtrak Vacations: Sleeping accommodations (room dimensions)
- Amtrak: Guide to fares (booking window, room cancellation)
- Amtrak: Seniors travel by train
- Amtrak: Carry-on baggage
- Amtrak: Checked baggage
- Amtrak: 2024 Host Railroad Report Card
- Amtrak: Glacier National Park by rail packages
- Amtrak Vacations: Grand Canyon Getaway
- Amtrak Vacations: Grand Canyon Explorer from Los Angeles
- TravelPulse Canada: Amtrak Vacations and Railbookers
- Great Rail Journeys: Coast to Coast, New York to San Francisco
- On The Go Tours: Colorado & Old West Railroads 2027
- Global Journeys: Trafalgar rail journeys (2027)
- Grand Canyon Railway: Railway fact sheet
- Grand Canyon Railway: Classes of service
- Durango & Silverton: Silverton Express (2026)
- Durango & Silverton: Rio Grande Open Observation (2026)
- Alaska Railroad: Train fares (2027)
- Alaska Railroad: GoldStar Service
- Railfan: Canyon Spirit expands to Salt Lake City
- Holland America: Alaska cruisetours (McKinley Explorer)
- Travel Extra: Brand USA and American rail in 2027