There are planes,
of course, but you'll see nothing of America at
35,000 feet... And there's Greyhound, but
whole days on a bus, no thanks!
The USA has an excellent rail
network, and although it's only a skeleton network by European standards
it'll take you to most of the towns and cities you want to go
as a visitor. In fact, it'll take you from coast to
coast in comfort, by a variety of routes, at very affordable
prices indeed. Long-distance
trains in the USA are operated by Amtrak,
www.amtrak.com.
Train services in the USA, at a
glance...
Above: Arguably the most
scenic train route across the USA is via the 'California Zephyr'
linking Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno, Sacramento
& San
Francisco. This shows a lunchtime view from the
dining-car as the Zephyr negotiates a Colorado
canyon. You'd be crazy to fly and miss it all...
. Photo courtesy of Sue Smith.
New
York Pass - one card, one price, free entry to all New York's
major attractions.
Amtrak train times
Each of the long-distance
transcontinental routes shown on the map has one train
a day, except for New York to Florida (2 trains a
day) and the Sunset Limited from New Orleans-San Antonio-Los Angeles
(3 trains a week). Important short
distance routes (for example, Washington-New York-Boston or
Los Angeles-San Diego) have regular intercity services. It's easy to check Amtrak train times at www.amtrak.com
- just click on 'Reservations' and use their online system. It's impossible to list
all Amtrak trains, but here is a summary of trains on the main routes, including coast-to-coast.
Boston - New York - Philadelphia -
Baltimore- Washington DC
Across the USA
by train...
Coast to coast, 3,397 miles from New York to San Francisco
in 3 days by train, a journey of a lifetime for as little
as $193 (£129).
This video gives a taste of what you miss when you fly, it
shows the
scenery in Colorado's canyons from Amtrak's 'California Zephyr', perhaps the most scenic of
their
routes across the States. A chance to chill out &
experience America at ground level, yet it costs no more than a
flight...
A fast and frequent inter-city
service links Boston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia,
Baltimore and Washington DC. New York to Washington
takes as little as 2 hours 48 minutes, New York to Boston just
3 hours 30 minutes. There are two types of train:
'Acela Express' 150mph high-speed trains with 1st class &
business class (premium fares apply) and regular trains with
coach class and (in most cases) business class. There
are also services from Boston to Portland (Maine) and from
Philadelphia to Harrisburg. See
www.amtrak.com
for times, fares and online booking.
Crossing the USA by train, coast to coast...
The
3,000 mile journey across the
United States by train is one of the world's greatest
travel experiences. It's easy, comfortable, safe, and
an affordable alternative to flying. In fact, the fare from NYC to LA
or San Francisco starts at
an amazing $193 (£129) in a
reclining seat, booked at
www.amtrak.com.
There is a choice of about 5 different coast to coast routes.
Free route guides are available on board each train, telling
you what to look out for from the window, and the scenery on
many routes is world class.
If you make the whole journey in one go it will take three
nights: One night from New York, Boston or Washington to
Chicago, then two nights from Chicago to Los Angeles, San
Francisco or Seattle. You can also travel coast to coast
via New Orleans, although this takes an extra night as you
need to stay
overnight in New Orleans. Below is a
summary of coast-to-coast train times and a brief
description of each train. Bear in mind that these
trains run for over 2,000 miles, and can arrive several hours
late, so don't book any tight connections. You can see
how your chosen trains have performed on-time-wise over the
last three weeks using
www.amtrakdelays.onlineschedulingsoftware.com. This will give you a good idea
of what to expect!
Recommended coast-to-coast train route...
If you have a choice, one particular route stands out as the
most spectacular for both scenery and US historical
significance. This is the 'California Zephyr'
from Chicago to San Francisco, in connection with either the
'Lake Shore Limited' from New
York or Boston to Chicago or the 'Capitol Limited' from Washington DC
to Chicago. The California Zephyr is
one of world's greatest train journeys, and in around 48 hours
you will cross the farmlands of Nebraska, scale the Rockies
beyond Denver while you eat ham and eggs for breakfast in the
diner, snake through rocky river valleys in Colorado and pass through the Sierra Nevada mountains to
reach Reno, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area.
The route covers much of the very first historic
trans-continental railroad route, and there's a commentary for
the most significant section. To give you a snapshot of what it's like sipping a cocktail in
the sightseer lounge on the California Zephyr as it passes
through Colorado,
click here. However, all the trans-continental
routes are scenic, and all have their own character. The
Southwest Chief, for example, will take you from Chicago to
Los Angeles over the famous Santa Fe railroad, alongside the
equally famous Route 66, through Navajo Indian country,
another amazing trip.
Coast to coast USA by train, westbound...
Coast to coast via New Orleans
All trains run daily.
Read downwards!
Lake Shore
Limited
Lake Shore
Limited
Capitol
Limited
-
Runs daily:
The
Crescent
New York (Penn Station)
depart (day 1)
15:45
New York (Penn Station)
depart (day 1)
14:15
Boston
depart (day 1)
|
11:55
Washington DC
depart (day 1)
18:30
Washington DC
depart (day 1)
|
|
16:05
Atlanta
arrive (day 2)
08:13
Chicago (Union Station)
arrive (day 2)
09:45
09:45
08:45
New Orleans
arrive (day 2)
19:38
----------------------------------- change trains
in Chicago & take whichever onward train you want-------
* The California Zephyr calls at
Oakland, then terminates in Emeryville. A shuttle bus
transfers passengers from Emeryville across the Bay Bridge to
San Francisco proper.
Facilities on each train:
The CRESCENT
New York-New Orleans daily (1,377
miles, one
night). Amfleet reclining seats, Viewliner sleeping-cars, Amfleet lounge-café,
heritage dining-car.
CAPITOL
LIMITED
Washington DC - Chicago
daily (764 miles, one night). Superliner train with sleeping-cars, reclining
seats, observation-lounge, café and dining-car.
CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR
Chicago-San Francisco
daily (2,438 miles, two nights). Superliner train with sleeping-cars, reclining
seats, observation-lounge, café & dining-car. This train is one of the
great train rides of the world, and if you are planning a coast-to-coast trip, this is
the best route to take. The train
actually starts/finishes in Emeryville, Oakland, just across the
Bay Bridge from San Francisco proper. There is an
Amtrak bus
transfer between central San Francisco and Emeryville.
EMPIRE BUILDER
Chicago - Seattle/Portland
(2,206 miles Chicago-Seattle, two nights).
Superliner train with sleeping-cars, reclining seats,
observation-lounge, café & dining-car. This train winds its way past Glacier
National Park and through the mountains of Washington
state.
LAKE SHORE LIMITED
New York - Chicago
daily (959 miles, one night), with through cars Boston -
Chicago daily. Amfleet coaches, Viewliner
sleeping-cars, Amfleet lounge-café, heritage dining-car.
This train takes the scenic route up the Hudson River
out of New York, with the train tracks running right
alongside the river, past Storm King Mountain and West
Poi8nt Military Academy. Try and get a seat on the
left-hand side of the train out of New York, right-hand
side heading to New York.
SOUTHWEST CHIEF
Chicago - Los Angeles (2,256 miles, two nights).
Superliner train with sleeping-cars, reclining seats,
observation-lounge, café & dining-car. This train
mostly travels via the Santa Fe
railroad, once used by the famous Chicago-Los Angeles
'Super Chief', the film stars' favourite. It will
take you through Apache Canyon and right through Navajo Indian country, with a
live commentary from an Indian guide over the train's
public address for the relevant section of line. The
train serves Flagstaff which is one hour by connecting bus from
the Grand Canyon, with day tours available.
SUNSET LIMITED
Three times weekly. New
Orleans - Los Angeles 1,995 miles, two nights. Superliner train with
sleeping-cars, reclining seats, observation-lounge, café
& dining-car.
TEXAS EAGLE
Runs daily Chicago - Dallas - San
Antonio, but only three times a week between Chicago &
Los Angeles (westbound from Chicago on Tuesdays, Thursdays
& Sundays, eastbound from LA on Wednesdays, Fridays &
Sundays). Superliner train with
sleeping-cars, reclining seats, observation-lounge, café
& dining-car. 2,728 miles Chicago-LA.
Treat these times as just a guide - Always check times
& fares at www.amtrak.com
as they change from time to time.
For a
description of Amfleet & Superliner cars, see below.
For Viewliner & Superliner sleepers,
see below.
------------- change trains
in Chicago & take whichever onward train you want-------
Washington DC
arrive (day 5)
10:10
Capitol
Limited
Lake Shore
Limited
Lake Shore
Limited
-
New York (Penn Station)
arrive (day 5)
14:02
Chicago (Union Station)
depart (day 3)
18:40
21:30
21:30
Washington DC
arrive (day 4)
13:10
|
|
** = Los Angeles portion only runs 3 days a week
(on Wed, Fri &
Sun), departure is on day 0, not day 1.
Boston
arrive (day 4)
21:10
|
New York (Penn Station)
arrive (day 4)
18:25
New York - Niagara Falls
Three daily trains link New York
via Albany with Niagara Falls. Journey time is a
leisurely 8 hours 30 minutes, a relaxing journey along the
Hudson River Valley out of New York, past Storm King Mountain
and West Point Military Academy, a very scenic route, highly
recommended.
See www.amtrak.com
for times, fares and online booking.
New
York - Toronto, Montreal (Canada)
A daily train (the Maple Leaf)
links New York with Toronto via Niagara Falls, and another
daily train (the Adirondack) links New York with Montreal
via the scenic Adirondack mountains. Both trains travel
along the Hudson River Valley out of New York, past Storm King
Mountain and West Point Military Academy, a very scenic route,
highly recommended.
See the Canada page for train times.
Regular trains link Los Angeles,
Anaheim (for Disneyland), and San Diego. Regular trains
link San Francisco (Oakland) with Sacramento, Bakersfield and
San Jose. A daily train links Los Angeles with San
Francisco (Oakland). See
www.amtrak.com
for times, fares and online booking.
It's easy to check fares at www.amtrak.com,
just click 'Reservations'. Here are some examples
to give you an idea of cost:
Normal one-way fares:
Basic fare for
a reclining seat
(per person):
Supplement for a
'roomette'
(per 2-bed room):
Supplement for a
'bedroom'
(per 2-bed room):
New York - Los Angeles or San Francisco
$197
$490
- $880
$800
- $1400
New York - Chicago
$86
$188
- $450
$550
- $700
New York - Washington DC (normal train)
$49
-
-
New York - Washington DC (Acela Express)
$135
-
-
New York - Boston
$49
-
-
New York - Miami
$122
$202
- $350
$498-$750
New York - New Orleans
$128
$182
- $360
$335
- $700
New York - Montreal
$62
-
-
New York - Toronto
$105
-
-
Chicago - Los Angeles
or
San Francisco
$146
$301
- $600
$617
- $900
Children 2-15 (inclusive) travel at reduced fare,
Children under 2 travel free (limit one child under 2 per
adult).
Round trip fares are twice the one-way fare.
3,000 miles coast-to-coast overland for as little at $197 has
to be one of the world's greatest travel bargains!
For sleeper travel, you add one sleeper supplement for the
whole room to the reclining seat fare for each passenger.
Sleeper supplements are per room per journey,
not per person, so you pay just one supplement for the room
whether two of you occupy it or just one, in addition to a
basic coach fare (or railpass) for each passenger.
Sleeper supplements vary
enormously by season and in accordance with demand, which is
why a range is shown. The sleeper supplements
include all meals in the dining car, morning tea or coffee and
fruit juice and various other first class privileges.
Roomettes are very small 1- or 2-berth rooms, bedrooms are
larger 2-berth rooms with en suite shower and toilet.
Short distance trains come in
various types, all with comfortable air-conditioned
seating and often with a café car. On the Boston-New
York-Washington DC route, there is now the premium fare,
150mph 'Acela Express' high speed train, based on
French TGV technology, but running on conventional
tracks.
Long distance trains in the east:
'Amfleet' or 'Horizon' cars, heritage dining cars, 'Viewliner'
sleeping-cars...
Long-distance trains east of Chicago
(such as the New York-Chicago 'Lake Shore Limited', the New
York to Florida 'Silver Star & 'Silver Meteor' or the New York
to New Orleans 'Crescent', but not the Washington to Chicago
'Capitol Limited) have Viewliner sleeping-cars (see
below), Amfleet or Horizon reclining seat cars, a lounge car serving
snacks and drinks, and a 'heritage' restaurant car serving
full meals at reasonable prices. If you have paid for a
sleeper, all meals are included in the
fare.
Amfleet
seating...
Amfleet
cars...
Heritage
dining-car...
Long distance trains in the west:
Double-deck 'Superliner' trains...
Long-distance
trains west & south of Chicago (also the Washington
DC-Chicago 'Capitol Limited') use double deck Superliner cars. Superliner
trains have reclining seats, sleeping-cars, a dining car and an observation-lounge car. Reclining seats are spacious with lots of
legroom, comparable with business class on an
airliner. They recline to about 40 degrees, and are
quite easy to sleep in. Pillows are
provided at night, and you can either bring a blanket or buy
an Amtrak blanket from the lounge car. Sleeping-cars are
described below. The Superliner
observation-lounge
(pictured below) is the social centre of the train, with a café
downstairs and a large lounge with huge side and roof windows
giving an unparalleled view of the scenery. Seats in
the observation lounge are open to both reclining seat and
sleeping-car passengers on a first-come, first served basis. The dining
car serves full meals at affordable prices - if you have paid
for a sleeper, meals are included
in the fare. A route guide
is available free on these trains, telling you want to look
out for along the way.
Superliner coach class reclining
seats on the upper deck. There is loads of space
and legroom, and a 40 degree recline.
See 3-D panorama photo
An impressive Superliner lounge car...
Superliner dining
car. Meals are always a great opportunity to
meet and talk with fellow passengers...
Travelling
by Amtrak sleeper is a real treat. All sleeper passengers get
complimentary meals in the dining car, morning
tea/coffee and fruit juice when you wake up, shoe shine service, and
complimentary newspapers. You return from dinner in the
diner to find you bed made up for the night by the sleeper
attendant, with a good-night chocolate left on your
pillow. Hot showers are available, either at the end of
the corridor if you're travelling in a roomette, or en suite if you are travelling in a
bedroom.
However, sleeper travel isn't cheap. In Europe you can
pay a small supplement for a berth in a shared couchette or
sleeper compartment. In the US, you have to pay for the
whole room whether there are two of you or just one. To
give you a rough idea, some sample sleeper supplements are
shown in the 'fares' section above.
Viewliner sleeping-cars
Viewliner sleeping cars
operate on
long-distance trains in the East. The distinctive double row
of windows on these cars makes them light and airy during the
day, and gives both upper and lower berths a window for star-gazing at night. Viewliners
have:
Roomettes (previously known as
standard bedrooms): Very compact
sleeper compartments just big enough for two
seats facing each which convert at night to an upper and lower
berth - the bed takes up most of the room. Rooms have a washbasin, toilet (your companion
will have to leave the room while you use it...) fold-out
table and LCD video screen. There is a shower for
roomette
passengers at the end of the corridor.
Bedrooms (previously known as
deluxe bedrooms):
Bedrooms
are much larger than roomettes, and have an en suite shower and
toilet. Bedrooms have freestanding chair and
sofa in daytime mode, and upper and lower berths at
night. The lower berth is extra wide - almost a double
bed by UK standards..!
Special
bedrooms:
Similar to a bedroom, with private shower and toilet, but fully wheelchair-accessible.
Viewliner
sleeping-car. Note the double row of windows for
most of the car length.
Viewliner
bedroom (daytime)
Viewliner
bedroom (night).
The drop-down sink, with
toilet below. Compact!
Superliner sleeping-cars
Superliner
sleeping-cars operate on Amtrak's long-distance trains west
and south of Chicago, also on the Washington DC - Chicago 'Capitol Limited'. These massive double-deck cars have bedrooms on
both upper and lower levels. They offer:
Roomettes (previously know as
standard bedrooms):
Roomettes are
just big enough for two seats facing each other with a small
table by day and 2 berths at night. Toilets are available along the corridor
and there's a shower cubicle on the lower deck. There are ten
roomettes
on the upper level, and four downstairs.
Bedrooms (previously known as deluxe
bedrooms): Bedrooms
are much larger than roomettes, and have an en suite shower and
toilet. All five bedrooms in each car are on the upper level.
Bedrooms have freestanding chair and sofa in daytime mode,
and upper and lower berths at night. Like the Viewliner
bedrooms, the lower berth is extra wide.
Family
bedroom:
Located at one end of the lower level, taking up the
full width of the car, the
family bedroom has two adult beds and two
child beds. There is no shower or toilet in a family
bedroom, but these are nearby outside the room.
Special
bedroom:
Located at the other end of the lower level, also
taking up the full width of the car, the special bedroom
is wheelchair accessible, with two berths. There is
no shower in a Superliner special bedroom.
Superliner roomette,
daytime... Two comfy seats facing each other.
That's pretty much the size of the room, just big enough
for two people to sit! Washrooms, toilet and
shower are along the corridor.
Night-time.
The seats pull together to form the lower berth, which takes up most of the room!
How to buy tickets
If you live outside the United States:
You can buy
tickets online at
www.amtrak.com,
just click on 'Reservations'. You can choose to pick up
the tickets at the station before departure.
Once in the USA, you can book online at
www.amtrak.com
or call Amtrak 24 hours a day on 1-800-USA
RAIL, picking up your
tickets at the station on departure.
One of the best
ways to see America is with a Amtrak USA rail pass.
A 15-day (maximum
8-segment) rail pass costs £272 or $389.
A 30-day (maximum
12-segment) rail pass costs £405 or $579.
A 45-day (maximum
18-segment) pass costs £524 or $749.
Children aged 2-15
get passes for half price, under 2's travel free.
Segments:
The USA railpasses sadly no longer give 'unlimited' travel, as
from 2008. 'Maximum 8/12/18 segment' is the maximum
number of individual train rides you can take during your
15/30/45 day pass duration. A 2-day trip counts as 1
segment, so does a 30-minute one! A journey involving a
change of train counts as 2 segments.
Railpasses are
valid for any Amtrak train in the USA except Acela Express
high-speed services and the Auto-Train car-carrying service.
Reservations
required: The railpass is not a ticket, you
must make a (free) reservation before boarding any train.
You can make reservations as you travel around the States at
stations or by calling Amtrak's 24 hour freephone number,
1-800-USA RAIL. Alternatively you can make some or
all of your reservations in advance from outside the States by
calling Amtrak on (001) 215-856-7953.
Sleepers: If you want to
travel in a sleeping-car room, you need to pay the appropriate
room charge in addition to your rail pass. For an idea
of sleeper room charges, see the fares section above.
Although in theory you can make a reservation even on the day
of travel, trans-continental trains get busy in summer & at
Thanksgiving, for example, and passholder places are
limited by quota. This quota for railpass holders is
reportedly set to zero when a train becomes 75% full, so you
might find trains 'full' for railpass holders unless you book
several days in advance, when seats remain available for
customers paying cash.
If
you fancy going coast-to-coast across the United States or
Canada by train, but would rather do this as
part of an all-inclusive organised tour with other travellers and a
guide, UK-based company Great Rail Journeys (www.greatrail.com) offers
5-star rail-based
holidays from about £2,500
per person. They also offer rail-based holidays to other countries. Check the holiday details online, then call
01904 527120 to book or use their
online booking form. Seat61 gets some commission to
help support the site if you book your holiday through this
link and phone number.
To
get the most from a visit to the USA, you'll need a good guidebook.
For the independent traveller, I think this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide. I
personally prefer the layout of the Lonely Planet, but others prefer
the Rough Guide. Both guidebooks provide the same excellent
level of practical information and historical background.
You won't regret buying one of these..! Seat61 gets a small
commission if you buy through these links. For a specific guide
to train travel around the States,
buy a copy of John Pitt's 'USA by Rail', or see
www.usa-by-rail.com.
A good guidebook like the Lonely Planet or
Rough Guides will point you at some good hotels in each town
or city when you get there. Alternatively, you
can pre-book hotels (budget, mid-range and upmarket) in almost
any American city through
www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box
below. It's the best hotel search system I've seen.
This is not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you (AsiaRooms,
Opodo, Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms and many others) to
find the cheapest hotel rates on the net. Set up in
2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to
start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.
www.hostelbookers.com: If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelbookers
offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in
many places across the States at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance, SIM card...
Get insured...
Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable
insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover
cancellation and loss of cash (up to a limit) and belongings.
An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself). Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you live in the UK, get quotes from
Columbus Direct or
Go Travel Insurance, or go to
Confused.com to run a price comparison on a whole range of
travel insurance providers for your dates of travel, seeing
their policy's features at a glance..
Get a pre-paid currency MasterCard from Caxton FX...
You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX currency card, available in euros, dollars or the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' card.
Find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up a £1,000 bill
in data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. It
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also works for laptop or PDA data
access. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
You can't beat trains for travel around the
USA. But if you need a flight to get there in the first place, try the excellent
Virgin Atlantic Airlines from London to New York, they're great on both
price and (above all) service.
You won't regret buying one of these..! Seat61 gets a small
commission if you buy through these links. For a specific guide
to train travel around the States,
If you live in the UK, get quotes from
If
you're resident in
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try
If you're resident in the USA or Canada, try
