Coast Starlight vs Pacific Surfliner

The Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner are California’s two coastal Amtrak routes. Both provide stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and stop in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. But that’s where the similarities end. The Pacific Surfliner route is much shorter than the Coast Starlight and can be used to commute between cities in Southern California (and to reach Disneyland). It’s a great option for viewing the coastal scenery if you have limited time.

On the other hand, the Coast Starlight is an overnight, long-distance train that travels between Los Angeles and Seattle. There’s more variety in scenery, including views of the Cascade Mountain Range, and you’ll have the option to book private accommodations on the train (roomettes and bedrooms). However, the Coast Starlight does not travel to San Diego (or any destination south of Los Angeles), so you’ll need to book tickets on the Pacific Surfliner to travel to and from most of Southern California.

See below to learn more about these two Amtrak routes.

	Coast Starlight	Pacific Surfliner
Route Length	1,377 miles	351 miles
Travel Time	35 hours	9 hours
Frequency	Daily	Multiple trains per day
Type of Train	Superliner	Surfliner
Sleeper Car	Yes	No
Sightseer Lounge	Yes	No
Dining Options	Café for coach passengers, traditional dining car for sleeper car passengers	Café
WiFi	No	Yes
States on the Route	California, Oregon, Washington	California
End-of-the Line Stations	Los Angeles and Seattle	San Diego and San Luis Obispo
Popular Stops	Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Eugene, Portland, Seattle	San Diego, San Clemente, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Burbank, Ventura, Santa Barbara
Landscapes	Pacific Ocean, Cascade Mountain Range, Columbia and Willamette rivers, agricultural valleys	Pacific Ocean, agricultural valleys
Best Scenery	Pacific Ocean, Cascade Mountain Range	Pacific Ocean
National Parks	Channel Islands (via Oxnard) Crater Lake Olympic (via Tacoma and Seattle) Mount Rainer (via Tacoma)	Channel Islands (via Ventura and Oxnard)