Train tours afford a leisurely, comfortable mode of travel, allowing time to take in the scenery and relax. Travel by train along America’s scenic West Coast between Los Angeles, California, and Seattle, Washington. Three companies offer rail trips and tours of U.S. West Coast cities and towns, some with cruises.
Great Train Escapes Coast Starlight Tour
The 9-day tour includes travel by train and cruise ship, hotels, dining and sightseeing:
- Stay overnight in Seattle, the departure point for this grand tour.
- Board the Coast Starlight train, taking in the Northwest’s snow-covered mountains, dense forests and the scenic, ever-changing Pacific Ocean coastline.
- Arriving in Los Angeles, travel to the Queen Mary, one of the world’s most elegant ships, for touring, dining and overnight accommodations.
- Tour the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, then board a Princess Cruise Line ship for Catalina Island.
- The Island of Romance (Catalina Island) offers scuba diving, kayaking, swimming, horseback riding, parasailing, shopping and relaxing on the beach.
- Travel by cruise ship to San Francisco for sightseeing, then onto Victoria, B.C., by sea.
- Motorcoach from nearby Vancouver, B.C., back to Seattle.
- Fully escorted and narrated tours are offered from May 6-14.
Vacations by Rail Coast Starlight Experience & Alaska Cruise
The 10-day tour includes train travel from Los Angeles or San Francisco, meals, lodging and a cruise to Alaska from Seattle:
- Depart Los Angeles and board Amtrak’s Coast Starlight for San Francisco, taking in the magnificent coastline along the way.
- The scenic Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest are some of the stunning views enroute to Seattle.
- Tour Seattle before boarding a Holland America Line ship for a 7-day cruise to Alaska.
- Explore Glacier Bay National Park, with the world’s most actively calving tidewater glaciers.
- Juneau is another stop on this Alaska cruise, offering helicopter tours of glaciers and ice fields, Tongass National Forest, and adventure activities from kayaking and dog sledding to whale watching and fishing.
- Sitka, with its Russian roots, is the next cruise stop, featuring cultural performances, Sitka National Historical Park’s old-growth forest, and Sitka’s unique museums and shops.
- Ketchikan, the last Alaskan port call, has nearby Misty Fjords National Monument, an exciting adventure spot.
- Arrive in Victoria, B.C., for touring this English inspired city — from the Buchart Gardens to double-decker bus tours of Victoria.
- Motorcoach to nearby Seattle, Washington, allowing more time to explore the Emerald City.
- Train tours with Alaska cruises are available from mid-June to mid-September.
Vacations by Rail and Amtrak Coast Starlight Experience
The 4-day, 3-night tour offered by these two companies travels daily between Seattle and Los Angeles:
- Dramatic ocean views and Northwest scenery make this a lively train trip.
- The Coast Starlight train passes through Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Sacramento and Portland.
- New amenities on the Coast Starlight include enhanced coaches and sleeping cars, the dining car’s fresh regional cuisine, the Pacific Parlor Car’s daily wine tasting and coffee bar, onboard theater and arcade room.
- Vacations by Rail offers a tour of Seattle and overnight accommodations before departure for Los Angeles (with hotel stay also included) in its rail package.
- All meals are included in Vacations by Rail.
- Amtrak sleeping car passengers receive complimentary meals on board the train.
- National Park Service guides provide educational commentaries between Seattle and Portland and Klamath Falls and Eugene, Oregon.
- The 35-hour trip on the Coast Starlight train runs daily between Seattle and Los Angeles.
Amtrak’s Coast Starlight is widely regarded as one of the most spectacular of all train routes, showcasing the beauty of the West Coast as well as vibrant cities along the way. Include a cruise from Catalina Island to San Francisco and Victoria, B.C., or from Seattle to Alaska with this scenic train trip. Or take another train trip from Seattle to Glacier National Park for more scenic train travel.
