Ready to travel across the United States by train? To travel coast to coast, you’ll need to ride more than one train, plan for a multi-day trip and choose from a variety of departure and arrival cities.

Keeping in mind the best travel direction and time of year to ride different Amtrak routes, we have put together a list of the best cross-country Amtrak trips — including the shortest, most scenic and an option for visiting the top music cities in America.

Trips are listed in order of Amtrak travel time from shortest to longest (times listed do not include layovers). For current schedules and ticket prices, visit Amtrak.com.

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Washington D.C. to Los Angeles

When to Ride: Summer to see the most scenery (late spring or early fall next best options)

The shortest cross-country Amtrak trip is on the Capitol Limited and Southwest Chief routes for travel between Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. It is over 60 hours of train travel, three nights on a train and a layover in Chicago with time to sightsee. Scenery highlights include the Appalachian Mountains, Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado and the New Mexico desert.

We recommend starting the trip in Washington D.C. and traveling west, which means getting to the best scenery on the East Coast faster, more mountain views and travel into the desert sunset on the Southwest Chief.

New York City to Los Angeles

When to Ride: Fall (great foliage on East Coast), summer or spring

The Lake Shore Limited and Southwest Chief routes provide a cross-country option between New York City and Los Angeles. Enjoy views of Hudson River Valley, Sangre de Cristo Mountains and New Mexico desert on this 63-hour trip, plus you’ll have time to eat a meal or sightsee in Chicago if no major delays.

Westbound travel is recommended, although you can also start the trip in Los Angeles. October is a great time to book a trip to see the fall colors in the Hudson River Valley or to visit some of the destinations along the route, including Albuquerque, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. Avoid winter travel as you will have limited views of the Hudson River.

Pacific Northwest to New York City

When to Ride: Summer for most scenery, fall for foliage

The Empire Builder is a scenic Amtrak route with trains that travel through the Pacific Northwest, Montana Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park and the Upper Midwest. Start the trip in Portland to travel through the Columbia River Gorge or in Seattle to see Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains. The next morning you’ll have many hours of beautiful scenery in the Rockies (when traveling in the opposite direction, there is risk of nightfall before or when entering the mountains).

This trip includes a layover in Chicago and then the Lake Shore Limited will take you to New York City via the beautiful Hudson River Valley. Train travel time is about 66 hours.

Pacific Northwest to East Coast (multiple city options)

When to Ride: Summer for most scenery, late spring and early fall also good times

One of our favorite cross-country Amtrak trips, the journey from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast on the Empire Builder and Cardinal has stunning scenery and is at least 70 hours of train travel. Start in Portland to travel through the Columbia River Gorge or in Seattle for views of Puget Sound and the Cascades before reaching the Montana Rocky Mountains.

After travel through the Upper Midwest and along the Mississippi River, you’ll have a layover in Chicago before boarding the Cardinal for a trip through the Appalachian Mountains and the New River Gorge. You can end the trip in charming Alexandria, Virginia (near Washington Reagan Airport and the shortest trip option) or in nearby cities including Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City.

Note that the Cardinal only operates three days each week, so plan your trip around the Cardinal schedule (Empire Builder runs daily). We also recommend staying one night in Chicago as the layover time is short when traveling eastbound (which is the best direction for both trains).

New York City to the Bay Area

When to Ride: Fall for foliage, summer also great for daylight

Ride one of Amtrak’s most scenic routes on a train trip between New York City and the Bay Area. Travel time is 71.5 hours on the Lake Shore Limited and the California Zephyr with a layover in Chicago. You’ll see the Hudson River Valley and travel through the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Ruby Canyon and Sierra Nevada. We recommend traveling west to have guaranteed daylight in the mountains.

Emeryville is the end-of-the-line station in California, which is near San Francisco. If you book your ticket with San Francisco as your start or end destination, Amtrak will provide bus service. Oakland and the Oakland International Airport are also a short drive away from Emeryville (reachable via rideshare or taxi) or start or end this trip in Sacramento.

East Coast to Northern California

When to Ride: Summer (westbound), April-September (eastbound)

Our vote for most scenic and flexible cross-country trip is on the Cardinal and California Zephyr. We recommend a summer trip if starting on the East Coast — choose from cities including New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington D.C. or Alexandria. You’ll travel through the New River Gorge in West Virginia and arrive in Chicago the next morning.

The western half of trip will take you through the Great Plains, Colorado Rockies along the Colorado River, Ruby Canyon and the Sierra Nevada. You can end the trip in Sacramento (home of the California State Railroad Museum) or in Emeryville near San Francisco and the Oakland International Airport. At both stations you can transfer to the Coast Starlight train for more beautiful scenery on the West Coast.

Los Angeles to East Coast (via New Orleans)

When to Ride: Winter, spring, fall (avoid July, August and September due to hurricane season and hot weather)

If you prefer to travel across the country through the Southern United States, book tickets on the Sunset Limited and Crescent. You’ll travel through deserts and Louisiana wetlands before arriving in New Orleans. There is a unique opportunity to spend some time in the city as you won’t be able to transfer to the Crescent until the following day. You’ll need to book accommodations for at least one night — two or more if you want to sightsee.

Eastbound travel from Los Angeles is recommended so you can see Lake Pontchartrain in the daylight once you transfer to the Crescent. You can also choose where to end the trip on the East Coast, including Alexandria or Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. Although not technically on the coast, you can also start or end the trip in Atlanta for many flight options and shorter travel time.

America’s Music Cities

When to Ride: Winter, spring, fall (avoid July, August and September due to hurricane season and hot weather)

For an epic cross-country Amtrak trip, visit America’s top music cities by train: New York City, New Orleans, Memphis, Chicago, Austin and Los Angeles. It’s a long adventure (minimum six nights), but you can stay in all or some of these cities to break up the travel and enjoy the live music scenes.

If starting in New York, ride the Crescent to New Orleans. You’ll arrive in the evening and need to stay in the city at least one night. From New Orleans, ride the City of New Orleans train to Chicago with the option to stop for a night or longer in Memphis along the way. In Chicago you’ll board the Texas Eagle for travel to Austin. Spend a night in Austin or stay on board to reach Los Angeles.

All trains operate daily except for the Texas Eagle between Austin and Los Angeles. We recommend planning your trip around that segment, including staying for a night or more in Chicago or Austin if needed.

More Information

• 5 best Amtrak sleeper car routes
• 7 things to pack for an Amtrak trip
• Best Amtrak route to ride in each month of the year
• Amtrak’s 15 long-distance routes and the places they go

Top photo credit: Loco Steve/Flickr.com (Empire Builder at Marias Pass)