Amtrak’s Coast Starlight route travels between Los Angeles and Seattle with stops at many popular west coast cities and near the San Francisco International Airport. Highlights on this overnight train include dramatic views of the Pacific Ocean and Cascade Mountains as well as river, forest, bay and valley scenery. Total trip time is about 35 hours without delays, and trains have business class seating, sleeping accommodations, dining car and cafe (but no WiFi).
Schedule
You can view current schedules via Google Maps or when booking your tickets. If you know your start and end stations, you can also use the Amtrak website to create a custom timetable.
Things to know:
- Trains depart L.A. around 10 a.m. and arrive at 8 p.m. the next day in Seattle
- Trains depart Seattle mid-morning and arrive in L.A. at 9 p.m. the next day
- Overnight, trains are in Northern California. Redding arrivals and departures are particularly bad (in the middle of the night)
Reviews
Highlights of rider reviews include:
- One of the most beautiful train routes
- Bathroom cleanliness can be hit or miss (you may want to bring cleaning wipes)
- Interiors are a bit dated, but good staff/service
- Trains can be cold. Bring a blanket or warm layers of clothing
- The observation car tends to fill up quickly
Major Stops
- Seattle
- Tacoma
- Olympia
- Portland
- Sacramento
- San Francisco (via bus shuttle)
- Oakland
- San Jose
- Santa Barbara
- Van Nuys
- Burbank
- Los Angeles
Stations
- Seattle, WA – King Street Station (SEA)
- Tacoma, WA (TAC)
- Olympia-Lacey, WA (OLW)
- Centralia, WA (CTL)
- Kelso-Longview, WA (KEL)
- Vancouver, WA (VAN)
- Portland, OR – Union Station (PDX)
- Salem, OR (SLM)
- Albany, OR (ALY)
- Eugene, OR – Amtrak Station (EUG)
- Chemult, OR (CMO)
- Klamath Falls, OR (KFS)
- Dunsmuir, CA (DUN)
- Redding, CA – Amtrak Station (RDD)
- Chico, CA (CIC)
- Sacramento, CA – Sacramento Valley Station (SAC)
- Davis, CA (DAV)
- Martinez, CA (MTZ)
- Emeryville, CA (EMY)
- Oakland, CA – Jack London Square Station (OKJ)
- San Jose, CA – Diridon Station (SJC)
- Salinas, CA – Amtrak Station (SNS)
- Paso Robles, CA (PRB)
- San Luis Obispo, CA – Amtrak Station (SLO)
- Santa Barbara, CA (SBA)
- Oxnard, CA (OXN)
- Simi Valley, CA (SIM)
- Van Nuys, CA (VNC)
- Los Angeles, CA – Union Station (LAX)
Attractions
- Downtown Seattle
- CenturyLink Field
- Washington State Museum
- Columbia River
- Cascade Mountains
- Three Sisters Mountains
- Odell Lake
- California State University Chino
- California State Railroad Museum
- Golden 1 Center
- Suisun Bay
- “Mothball” World War II Fleet
- Golden Gate Bridge
- San Francisco Bay
- Jack London Square
- SAP Center at San Jose
- Santa Clara Valley
- Paso Robles Wineries/Tasting Rooms
- Pacific Ocean
- Vandenberg Air Force Base
- Moreton Bay Fig Tree
- Burbank-Bob Hope Airport
- Chinese American Museum
- The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
- Japanese American National Museum
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
- Ahmanson Theatre
- Grand Park
- LA Opera
- Walt Disney Concert Hall
