# What is the best multi-day train trip now available?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 21, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785 "2021-06-21T18:38:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2021, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/1 "2021-06-21T18:38:21Z")
I am talking service, scenery, comfort etc., not just in the U.S., but worldwide.
---
### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2021, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/2 "2021-06-21T21:07:52Z")
I’d really like to win the Powerball and give this one a whirl:
> **[Romanov Suite - Entire Private Carriage Aboard The Golden Eagle Train](https://www.luxuriousmagazine.com/romanov-suite-golden-eagle-train/)**
>
> Train travel is not are we've covered much in the past. But, when we heard about the new Romanov Suite on the Golden Eagle train, we just had to investigate. Essentially, the Romanov Suite is your very own private luxury carriage. Yes, you read that...
---
### Author:  [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2021, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/3 "2021-06-21T21:53:45Z")
If you consider 35 hours “multi-day”, in terms of scenery Amtrak’s Coast Starlight (Los Angeles-Seattle) is supposed to be the best within the US. I’ve ridden the portion from Sacramento to Santa Barbara, and can attest that the scenery between Paso Robles and Santa Barbara is pretty amazing. South of San Luis Obispo the tracks run right along the coast. I remember sitting in the observation car spotting whales in the ocean. In terms of service and comfort, supposedly Amtrak’s sleeper cars are reasonably comfortable. If I were going to do the entire 35 hour trip I’d totally spring for the sleeper car. Unfortunately they’ve apparently discontinued the Pacific Parlor Car, which was a 1950s era First Class Lounge car that the sleeper car passengers had access to.
---
### Author:  [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/4 "2021-06-22T02:53:13Z")
The Seattle to Chicago is not good. It leaves Spokane around midnight and crosses the Rockies in the dark. You wake up just in time for eastern Montana.
I’ve heard the Canadian east/west is better but I don’t really know.
---
### Author:  [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/5 "2021-06-22T05:57:44Z")
I wouldn’t mind taking the Orient Express, someday. I’ve been growing my best Hercule Poirot 'stache should the occasion arise.
---
### Author:  [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/6 "2021-06-22T06:30:52Z")
> [@sitchensis](#):
>
> The Seattle to Chicago is not good. It leaves Spokane around midnight and crosses the Rockies in the dark.
Did you board in Spokane? I love the Empire Builder and have taken it from Seattle to Chicago. If you go in summer and leave from Seattle, you see the gorgeous Cascade Mountains while it’s still light outside and wake up in _western_ Montana, where you see some glorious scenery close to Glacier National Park . I hope to make that trip again someday.
I can see why it’d be rough to leave from Spokane, though
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/7 "2021-06-22T07:09:28Z")
> [@sitchensis](#):
>
> The Seattle to Chicago is not good. It leaves Spokane around midnight and crosses the Rockies in the dark. You wake up just in time for eastern Montana.
How does it work out on the trip back?
---
### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/8 "2021-06-22T07:12:28Z")
> [@sitchensis](#):
>
> I’ve heard the Canadian east/west is better but I don’t really know.
I’ve ridden VIA Rail’s _The Canadian_ a few times; most recently in 2003, when I went westbound out of Toronto. It’s changed a bit, as VIA’s website tells me, and while it will still take people between A and B, it seems to be trying to turn into a “rail cruise,” with luxury suites, and so on. However, there are still Pullman sections, roomettes, double bedrooms, and the dining car for those who don’t want a suite, complete with a dedicated porter.
Scheduling is difficult, as freight traffic gets priority, and passenger trains often have to pull onto a siding to let a freight pass. Still, VIA tries to schedule the most scenic parts of the trip during daylight hours. Most times, it succeeds but sometimes it doesn’t.
---
### Author:  [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/9 "2021-06-22T12:34:08Z")
What about the Trans Siberian Railway? Is that any good? Although I cannot imagine that multiple days crossing Siberia would be very scenic.
My parents rode it years ago. But I never asked them about it.
---
### Author:  [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/10 "2021-06-22T14:12:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> > [@sitchensis](#):
> >
> > The Seattle to Chicago is not good. It leaves Spokane around midnight and crosses the Rockies in the dark. You wake up just in time for eastern Montana.
>
> How does it work out on the trip back?
I was somewhat befuddled by the claim that the Empire Builder “crosses the Rockies in the dark,” since that hasn’t been my experience (and I’ve taken it several times).
Per the timetable, the eastbound train leaves Spokane at 01:45 Pacific time and goes through Glacier Park between roughly 08:00-10:00 Mountain time; westbound, it goes through the park between 18:00-20:00 Mountain and arrives in Spokane at 01:40 Pacific. So unless the train is disastrously behind schedule, one would only miss Glacier — the primary “crossing the Rockies” segment — in the dead of winter westbound.
---
### Author:  [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/11 "2021-06-22T17:13:27Z")
I would also recommend the “Canadian” (during non-Covid times). I had a room to myself, all meals included (prepared on board), and access to free light snacks (and lectures by experts on whatever area we were passing through) in the rear observation/dome car. We were many hours late in northern Ontario, but made it all up by the time we got to Vancouver.
I have been on the two Australian long-distance trains (the “Ghan” and “Indian Pacific”). Major changes in scenery from day to day, and excellent meals on board. (if you enjoy high humidity, and 40 C/105 F temperatures - Darwin (at the Ghan’s northern end) is the place for you 🙂 )
---
### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/12 "2021-06-22T17:20:29Z")
There’s also
> **[Maharajas' Express](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharajas%27_Express)**
>
> Pages for logged out editors learn more
>
>
>
> The Maharajas' Express is a luxury tourist train owned and operated by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). It serves four routes across North-West and Central India, mainly centered on Rajasthan between the months of October and April.
> The Maharajas' Express was voted "The World's Leading Luxury Train" Seven times in a row at The World Travel Awards from 2012 through 2018. Maharajas' Express also received recognition from ...
**Czar** should watch [Mighty Trains](https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/details/series/mighty-trains), an episode of which features a Maharajas’ Express route. The BBC has [a similar series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Railway_Journeys), presumably focusing on passenger trains.
---
### Author:  [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/13 "2021-06-22T17:36:32Z")
There’s the Blue Train in South Africa. ‘Five-star hotel’ facilities and meals, and it passes through some beautiful scenery. It’s been running since 1946.
> **[Blue Train (South Africa)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Train_(South_Africa))**
>
> The Blue Train travels an approximately 1,600-kilometre (990 mi) journey in South Africa between Pretoria and Cape Town. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world. It boasts butler service, two lounge cars (smoking and non-smoking), an observation car, and carriages with gold-tinted picture windows, in soundproofed, fully carpeted compartments, each featuring its own en-suite (many of which are equipped with a full-sized bathtub). The service is promoted as a "magnificent mov
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jst_DpD-B2A)
---
### Author:  [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/14 "2021-06-22T19:22:10Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#):
>
> Per the timetable, the eastbound train leaves Spokane at 01:45 Pacific time and goes through Glacier Park between roughly 08:00-10:00 Mountain time; westbound, it goes through the park between 18:00-20:00 Mountain and arrives in Spokane at 01:40 Pacific.
If you get on in Spokane you won’t be settled in and sleeping until 3AM. You lose an hour and it leaves East Glacier at 10. Sunrise in Libby right now is 6AM. If you sleep between 2 and 4 hours you get to see some cool stuff. I would not consider it one of the best multi-day train trips. It’s fine for visiting family, and it’s cool like most train trips.
I’ve only ever left from Spokane. I can see how it would be better from Seattle.
---
### Author:  [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/15 "2021-06-22T21:45:32Z")
Probably not the best in the world, but the _California Zephyr_ (Chicago-Bay Area via Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno, and Sacramento) is right up with the already-mentioned _Coast Starlight_ for the U.S.
You go through a good chunk of nearly-featureless prairies between Chicago and Denver but you also go right through the middle of the Rocky Mountains\* and the Sierra Nevadas and you see a good chunk of desert landscape. As I recall, you go through some canyons, in the mountains and the desert, that have no highways and the only way to see them is the train, hiking and/or rafting.
\*“Through the Rockies, not around them” was an ad slogan for the pre-Amtrak railroad on this route.
---
### Author:  [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/16 "2021-06-22T21:47:49Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#):
>
> You go through a good chunk of nearly-featureless prairies between Chicago and Denver
Prairies _are not nearly featureless_. Thought we were _fighting ignorance_ here, not reinforcing it.
---
### Author:  [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/17 "2021-06-22T21:50:28Z")
Fair enough. For those who consider prairies interesting, it’s another mark in favor of the _California Zephyr_.
---
### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/18 "2021-06-22T22:02:34Z")
There’s a series on the Smithsonian Channel, _Mighty Trains_, where they feature various long-haul passenger trains across the world. They did an episode about the Rocky Mountaineer, and as I look at [Wikipedia’s entry on the train](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountaineer), I think that the show featured the “First Passage to the West” route.
It looks fabulous, and interestingly, while it’s a multi-day trip, you don’t sleep on the train – you overnight in a hotel.
---
### Author:  [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/19 "2021-06-22T22:03:53Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#):
>
> For those who consider prairies interesting, it’s another mark in favor of the _California Zephyr_ .
Guess who lives within a mile of the track of the California Zephyr? At night I can sometimes hear it coming into the depot.
One could look at worse scenery. Everywhere can’t be the Grand Canyon or the Blue Ridge Mountains but everywhere deserves preservation and respect.
---
### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2021, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785/20 "2021-06-22T22:15:40Z")
Empire Builder 1st hand experience: From La Crosse, WI to Everett. Week after Labor Day 2019.
Westbound it was getting pretty dark when we stopped in East Glacier. But it was foggy and rainy as well so that made the view suboptimal. I think it would be fine in the summer
Eastbound I was eating breakfast when we stopped in Whitefish. I went to the view car for the trip by Glacier NP. Much better WX and view.
There were definitely some good scenery elsewhere (the section near the Mississippi is nice, but I see that every day)
Brian
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-multi-day-train-trip-now-available/944785.md?page=2)