Amtrak’s Coast Starlight has stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and Cascade Mountains as trains travel between Los Angeles and Seattle in about 35 hours. One of the shorter long-distance routes, you’ll only spend one night on the train if you ride the full route, which is a great option for new Amtrak riders. You can also explore shorter segments between major cities in California, Oregon, and Washington to reach beaches, wine country, historic missions, and more.
Explore route highlights, popular stops, FAQ and travel tips below to start planning your trip.
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Table of Contents
Route Overview
| Route Information | Facts & Highlights |
|---|---|
| Distance | 1,377 miles |
| Travel Time | 34-35 hours (one night) |
| Frequency | One train daily in each direction |
| End stations | Los Angeles, Seattle |
| Amenities | Sightseer lounge, cafe car, dining car for sleeper car passengers |
| Best time to ride | Spring and summer |
| Best travel direction | Northbound |
| Scenery highlights | Pacific Ocean (between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo), Mount Shasta, Central Coast agricultural areas |
Popular Stops
Explore popular stops on the Coast Starlight with recommendations on things to do and where to stay. See the 10 best stops on the Coast Starlight route for the full list of tourist-friendly places to visit.
Los Angeles
What to Do: Griffin Observatory, Getty Center, El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, Universal Studios, Santa Monica
Where to Stay: Santa Monica, West Hollywood or Universal City
Santa Barbara
What to Do: Santa Barbara County Courthouse, Urban Wine Trail, State Street, beaches and whale watching
Where to Stay: Harbor House Inn, Eagle Inn, Casa De La Vina, Surf Hostel
Paso Robles
What to Do: Paso Robles History Museum, Sensorio (w/ car rental), wineries, wine tasting tours
Where to Stay: Walk to Stables Inn, Oxford Suites, Hotel Cheval, Ava Hotel, Farmhouse Paso
Sacramento
What to Do: Museums (including California State Railroad Museum), Old Sacramento, food tours
Where to Stay: Kimpton Sawyer, Delta King, Hyatt House Midtown
Portland
What to Do: Gardens, Food Cart Pods, Columbia River Gorge tours
Where to Stay: Residence Inn Pearl District, Hampton Inn & Suites Pearl District
Seattle
What to Do: Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Chihuly Garden & Glass, Mt. Rainier National Park tours
Where to Stay: Embassy Suites (across the street from station) or waterfront hotels
Attractions to Visit
In addition to the tourist attractions listed above, you can ride the Coast Starlight to visit:
- Channel Islands Harbor (Oxnard)
- Mission San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo)
- National Steinbeck Center (Salinas)
- Municipal Rose Garden (San Jose)
- Redwood Regional Park (Oakland)
- Crater Lake National Park (Klamath Falls)
Schedule Highlights
- Trains depart Los Angeles and Seattle in the morning, so you’ll need to arrive in these cities the night before departure unless you live locally.
- Arrival times in Los Angeles and Seattle are in the evening.
- Overnight, trains are primarily in Northern California, making it challenging to get on or off the train at stations in this area.
- The Pacific Surfliner stops at some of the same stations in California, which provides more trip options. One hack we love is riding the Pacific Surfliner from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, staying a night or more, then getting on the Coast Starlight for the rest of the trip to Portland or Seattle.
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.
Coast Starlight Tips
- 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).
- You can easily get to and from the Los Angeles, Burbank, Santa Barbara, Portland, and Seattle airports.
- We recommend starting trip via the Hollywood Burbank Airport if you are flying to California. Select the Van Nuys Station as your start or end destination, drive time is just 20 minutes from the airport via Lyft or Uber.
- There is a ferry to San Francisco near the Oakland stop.
- 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.
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.
- 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)
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More Information
- Coast Starlight Reviews
- Coast Starlight vs Pacific Surfliner
- Coast Starlight vs Cascades
- Coast Starlight vs Empire Builder
- Most scenic Amtrak routes on the West Coast
Top photo credit: Bruce Fingerhood (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License)
Last updated December 2025
