The best luxury train rides in the USA for an extraordinary experience

This is swoon-worthy stuff. The Rocky Mountaineer goes through some of the most spectacular landscapes, and you can see it all through the glass dome coaches with oversized windows. You’ll be fed locally-inspired cuisine at your seat or go to a gourmet meal in the dining car, depending on whether you choose silver or gold leaf service. Storytelling hosts narrate the history of the scenery and wildlife you’ll be seeing. All four routes—connecting Vancouver, British Columbia through the Canadian Rockies to Banff and Jasper, the latter via two routes, and between Moab and Denver—are only daylight trains to maximize the views, but you can arrange a hotel stay to keep the fun going.

Don’t miss: The bar car with the player piano—you can sit and have a cocktail while watching the mountains pass you by.

Route: Moab to Denver route via Glenwood Springs

Travel time: Two days with an overnight hotel stay

Price: $2,617-3,072. Currently, a discount reduces the price by $1,500 for couples booking together in 2025.

This is a car, not a full train: the rearmost car on the Hudson River Rail Excursions's 20th Century Limited train. It has a “lookout lounge” with big picture windows to look out onto the Hudson River, four bedrooms and four bathrooms, lounge seating for 16 and dinner seating for eight. There’s an onboard kitchen where a chef prepares a four-course meal for you. Staff in period attire hovers throughout the trip to serve your every need (or most of them, anyway). This 20th Century Limited is a sleek, silver, mid-modern train from 1948 and traverses the rails originally traveled by the line from 1902 to 1967. You can go on a five-day roundtrip between NYC and Chicago or a one-way overnight trip in either direction.

Please note that classic day trips on the train to Albany and back end March 2, 2025 for Amtrak repairs, returning to service in 2026.

Don’t miss: Open bar drinks in the Lookout Lounge as you watch two splendid metropolitan skylines in all their majesty.

Route: New York City to Chicago

Travel time: Two-day, one-way trip

Price: $1,600 per passenger. Tickets are only sold in groups of two since sleeping accommodations are Pullman double bedrooms.

The My Old Kentucky Dinner Train takes you through 35 miles of beautiful Kentucky countryside on a buzzed round trip, fueled by tasting local bourbons—Bardstown itself is home to more than 11 bourbon distilleries. The ride also includes a three- or four-course gourmet meal and some fun souvenirs. Your ride embarks on a restored 1940s dining car pulled by a 1950s diesel locomotive. You must be 21+ to ride (duh), but if you want to try an excursion open to the general public, the train also has lunch and dinner rides, a murder mystery ride and the seasonal North Pole Express.

Don’t miss: Before your ride even starts, order a specialty cocktail at the historic depot’s bar, which stocks more than 35 types of bourbon.

Route: Out and back from Bardstown, going through the countryside

Travel time: 2.5 hours

Price: $139, or book a private table for two for $278 per person

You’ll want to dress up a little for this excursion into Napa's wine country with gourmet meals and tastings on the train. The experiences change, but right now, the Legacy Experience includes a day on the rails winding past the vineyards and enjoying a four-course wine country-inspired meal, three tastings of 11 wines and spectacular photo ops at each stop. The experience is six hours, three of which are on the train. You’re welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine and a one-hour vineyard tasting of three wines right at the Napa Valley Welcome sign, and train your way towards two hours of tasting at Charles Krug and V. Sattui.

Don’t miss: Dancing in the open-air car as you drift past beautiful sun-touched vineyards.

Route: Legacy experience: travel through vineyards with stops for seated tastings at Charles Krug & V. Sattui

Travel time: Six hours, from 10:15am to 4:30pm

Price: $595

Go luxe for 45 minutes in the exquisite President’s Car with wood paneled interior and built-in furnishings (it’s currently off the rails for renovation, but check the website for its glorious return)—or there are four other first-class options to pick from. One is the parlor car, where you lounge on cabernet-colored sofas and order confections and beverages for purchase in the last car in line with a view of the vanishing rails behind you. Or choose two separate lounge cars with plush captain’s chairs that swivel to catch the views, or the club car, which is a private charter experience if you have a group to travel with. The Dutch Country Railroad is the oldest continuously operating railroad in North America, dating to 1832.

Don’t miss: The wine and cheese experience ride with wines from Waltz Vineyards and paired cheeses.

Route: It’s a 4.5-mile track: ride in reverse on the way out, then ride forward for the return trip. Along the way, you’ll travel through rural Amish country.

Travel time: 45 minutes

Price: $39 for ages 2 and up. Younger infants ride free but must sit on a lap. If you book the wine and cheese experience, it is $79 for ages 21 and up.

The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad offers a classic steam train excursion through the Sierra National Forest—and if you want to go luxe, you can upgrade your ticket to the First Class Caboose, available on any train. This ride includes a renovated wood-paneled interior with wrought iron seats holding padded upholstery, and if you can climb the narrow interior stairs to the cupola, the cute aerie has two seats facing each other (the main part of the caboose is ADA accessible). There’s even a personal conductor to describe the gorgeous things you’re seeing, plus a drink and snacks included. We brought our own sandwich lunch to enjoy on the brief stop at Lewis Creek Canyon, sitting at a picnic table in a beautiful grove.

Don’t miss: The traditional whistle blow emerging from this Shay steam engine. It ricochets through the woods and makes you think you are a lumber worker back in the day!

Route: It’s a 4-mile ride on the historic Madera Sugar Pine Railroad

Travel time: 1 hour

Price: The first-class caboose is $60, while the cupola is $75. Infants 2 and under can sit on laps for free. Friendly dogs ride free, too!

The Alaska Railroad seats may not be that fancy, but the views are spectacular. The premium GoldStar Service class includes a chance to glide through Alaska’s incredible scenery viewed through the glass-dome ceilinged car. You can also walk around to visit an upper-level viewing platform or the full-service dining room, but if you choose to just stay seated, your glass will be filled by a dedicated bar attendant. Not all train rides include GoldStar service, so check the website before booking—but we’d argue that the railroad’s Adventure Class is just as fun.

Note: the Denali Star runs seasonally. For this year, it operates from May 14 to September 18, 2025.

Don’t miss: Just south of Talkeetna, you can catch views of Denali rising grandly above the Susitna River. And seeing Hurricane Gulch from atop a dramatic 296-foot bridge may feel tantalizingly adventurous.

Route: Between Anchorage and Fairbanks via Wasilla, Talkeetna and Denali National Park

Travel time: 12 hours

Price: $532 for adults going the full route, $303 for children aged 2-11. Check for “value season pricing” at either end of the seasonal window.

In these opulent parlor cars, you’ll see amazing views out of the Observation Dome, which has gigantic windows that capture the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. Kids under 16 aren’t allowed, so the ride is engineered to be a little more sophisticated; your sparkling wine toast is included in the ticket price. You can snack on fresh fruit, pastries, coffee and juice during the morning, with snacks on the return trip, included in your fare. The two-story train has a downstairs lounge with a full bar, entertainment center and plush furnishings. Besides the luxury dome class, there’s also a luxury parlor class at the same price point, including a private bar and access to the outdoor platform. It’s best to book in even numbers for your party, so you won’t have a stranded stranger in the open seat.

Don’t miss: Musicians roam the cars to add an upbeat rhythm to your ride, while an attendant shares facts about the canyon. If you’re into entertainment that leans towards hokey, fantastic! Each morning before the train departs, there’s a staged dust-up between the town marshall and the Cataract Creek Gang.

Route: Williams, Arizona to the Grand Canyon.

Travel time: The ride itself is about two hours each way, but you can craft it into an all-day experience. Board at 9:30am and arrive at the Grand Canyon at 11:45am. You have three hours to explore (unless you stay overnight), and then the train departs at 3:30pm and returns to Williams at 5:45pm.

Price: Starting at $119 one way ($240 round trip) for adults.

Although Amtrak is more known for serviceable rides (all the luxury is found in the view out the window!), there is a first-class cabin on the Acela train, where you receive complimentary meal service at your seat, priority boarding at certain stations and, perhaps best of all, access to station lounges. The seating is spacious one-by-two seating (in other words, you’re either alone or with one other person). The seats feature adjustable headrests, lumbar support, footrests and individual outlets for device charging. 

Don’t miss: Beautiful coastline views between New Haven, Connecticut, and Kingston station in Rhode Island.

Route: Between Boston and Washington, D.C., with stops in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Travel time: The full route is 7 hours.

Price: Amtrak pricing rises dramatically for the same train depending on how late you book (early bird devours this worm), but a one-way first-class Acela ticket from Boston to Washington, D.C. will start around $318.

The Cape Cod Central Railroad runs through quaint New England villages, and its three-hour candlelight dinner train offers three levels of luxury, from first class to platinum class. In the 21+ platinum class, you’ll be dining in an exclusive 1917 lounge car at a linen-covered table as romantic music plays. The five-course gourmet meal changes seasonally, so hopefully, you’ll get to try some of that fantastic Cape Cod seafood.

Don’t miss: When maritime traffic permits, the train crosses over the scenic Cape Cod Canal railroad bridge. This is an arresting WPA-built vertical lift bridge whose entire span lifts into the air for marine traffic to dart beneath. Crazy factoid: Because of the difference in tides between Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay, the canal changes direction four times a day.

Route: Hyannis to Buzzards Bay, via West Barnstable and Sandwich, and back.

Travel time: 3 hours

Price: $165