Amtrak’s Coast Starlight is one of the most scenic train routes in the United States. There are stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, California valleys, and Cascade Mountains as trains travel between Los Angeles and Seattle in about 35 hours. You can ride the full route for the complete West Coast experience or explore shorter segments between major cities in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Explore route highlights, popular stops, FAQ and travel tips below to start planning your trip.

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Coast Starlight Highlights

Route Overview

What to KnowFacts & Highlights
Distance1,377 miles
Travel Time34-35 hours
FrequencyOne train daily in each direction
AmenitiesThere is a sightseer lounge, cafe car, and dining car for sleeper car passengers
Best time to rideSpring and summer
Best travel directionNorthbound

Popular Stops

The Coast Starlight is full of tourist-friendly stops on the West Coast. You can visit beaches, wine country, historic missions, and iconic city landmarks like the Space Needle and the Griffith Observatory.

This list highlights the most popular Coast Starlight stops, with links to travel guides so you can explore the best things to do and the best places to stay. For more information, see the 10 best stops on the Coast Starlight route.

Attractions to Visit

Tickets and Onboard Experience

When booking your tickets on the Coast Starlight, you can select coach seats or private rooms. Coach seats are the most affordable option, but you’ll need to sleep sitting up (seats partially recline).

In comparison, private rooms are more expensive, but you’ll have a bed and free water, coffee, and meals. Based on availability, you can choose from the following private room options:

  • Roomettes
  • Family bedrooms on the lower level
  • Accessible bedrooms on the lower level
  • Standard bedrooms on the upper level

Explore the room types to see which one is best for you and the differences between upper and lower level rooms.

Tips & Things to Know

  • Trains use Superliner rail cars that have two levels.
  • Overnight, trains are primarily in Northern California.
  • You can get off and on the train for a night or more, but you’ll need to book each leg of the trip separately or use the multi-city ticket booking option (select “Add Trip” when booking your tickets).
  • The Hollywood Burbank Airport is a great option for getting to or from the Coast Starlight. Select the Van Nuys Station as your start or end destination, drive time is just 20 minutes from the airport via Lyft or Uber.
  • You can transfer to the California Zephyr in Sacramento to travel through the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains.
  • You can transfer to the Empire Builder in Portland and Seattle to visit or see Glacier National Park.
  • You can transfer to the Pacific Surfliner in multiple cities (including Santa Barbara and Los Angeles) to travel to San Diego. It’s a stunning route with more Pacific Ocean views.

FAQ

The best part of the Coast Starlight is the journey along the Pacific Ocean between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, as well as the segment in Northern California and Oregon for views of Mount Shasta.

  • To see the Pacific Ocean, sit on the left side of the train when traveling north toward Seattle and on the right side of the train when heading south toward Los Angeles.
  • To see Mount Shasta, travel northbound and sit on the right side of the train or ideally sit in the observation car.
  • To see Mount Rainier, sit on the right side of northbound trains and left side on trains departing from Seattle.

To view the most scenery, the best direction of travel on the Coast Starlight is northbound, especially in summer. You’ll need to wake up early to see Mount Shasta.+

Late spring and summer (May-August) are the best times of year to ride the Coast Starlight . Note that Southern California often has foggy mornings in May and June, so consider starting your trip in the Pacific Northwest during these months (fog will be clear by the time you reach Los Angeles). If you want to avoid crowds, consider a May or September trip.

The Coast Starlight runs daily with one train in each direction of travel.

Yes, the Coast Starlight has an observation car that is available to all passengers (it’s called the sightseer lounge).

No. The Coast Starlight does not have WiFi.

In California, the Coast Starlight stops in Los Angeles Van Nuys, Simi Valley, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Salinas, San Jose, Oakland, Emeryville, Martinez, Davis, Sacramento, Chico, Redding, and Dunsmuir.

The Coast Starlight does not stop in San Francisco. However, trains stop in Oakland, and you can walk from the station to a San Francisco Bay ferry (travel time is 25 minutes to downtown San Francisco).

Yes. The Coast Starlight is one of the most scenic Amtrak routes, plus the journey only requires one night on the train and you can visit many wonderful places before, after, or during your trip.

You can purchase tickets on the Amtrak.com website, in the Amtrak app or call Amtrak customer service. If you only want to travel on the Coast Starlight, you’ll need to choose start and end stations on the route. View the full list of stations below.

Coast Starlight Stations

Below is the complete list of Coast Starlight stations in route order. Click the links to view station amenities and other helpful information on the Amtrak website.

More Information

Top photo credit: Bruce Fingerhood (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License)

Last updated December 2025