Why Amtrak’s Coast Starlight between San Francisco and Los Angeles is a traveler’s delight

I love the magic of train travel. The soothing movement of the cars, the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the rails, watching the ever-changing landscapes flash by in front of your eyes, what’s not to love? This is exactly why I had a trip on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train on my to-do list for so long. We finally got to experience this route for ourselves on a trip from the Bay Area to LA in February 2025.

 

The Coast Starlight runs daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. There are six stops in Washington, six in Oregon, and a whopping eighteen in California. The full route takes 35 hours, and the Amtrak website asserts it’s “widely regarded as one of the most spectacular of all train routes.”

 

For Bay Area travelers, there are three Amtrak stations to choose from: Emeryville, Oakland, and San Jose. Given traffic from San Francisco to the East Bay, and given the train timing, we opted to take Caltrain from 4th Street to San Jose’s Diridon Station. We knew we were going to fly back to San Francisco after our trip, so we wanted to leave cars out of the equation for our departure. 

 

We were leaving for LA on a Friday, so we targeted the 8:20 express weekday Caltrain that arrives in San Jose at 9:20 am. We knew an express train would get us to San Jose quickly, and the early departure time meant we could miss this and even three other trains after this one and still make the Coast Starlight before it pulled into — and out of Diridon.

 

From Diridon, we checked our bags and took a 30-minute walk because we knew we’d spend the next 10 or so hours without any exercise. We got back to the station and awaited our 10:26 departure. A man at the station gathered passengers to tell us what to expect and where to board. Once alongside the track, an Amtrak agent helped us locate our car and tell us when our lunch time would be.

When booking, we had reserved a family bedroom. Our room wasn’t quite ready when we boarded, so we headed to the highlight of the train, the Observation Car, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and outward-facing seats. 

Plenty of seats were already taken, but we found three for our family and settled in. Our child Dylan drew and our family chatted as the train started its southward journey. People conversed with each other, played board games, and stared mesmerized by the towns flashing by. 

 

 Soon enough, our lunch time was called, and we headed to the dining car. (Note: Lunch and dinner are only included in tickets with room reservations.) I was beyond elated to see vegan and vegetarian options. We were given our own table, but if you’re traveling solo or as a twosome, you’ll likely get paired with other travelers. (The extrovert in me loves this.)

After lunch, we were able to check into our room and relax. We loved having a room to ourselves, and Dylan loved having her own bunk bed positioned above our heads. The train made stops in Salinas, Paso Robles, and San Luis Obispo (SLO), where we arrived at 3:40 pm. Here is where the train heads to the coast, and the views really start to open up. 

 

Much of the 2 hour and 45 or so minute stretch from SLO to Santa Barbara runs along the Vandenberg Space Force Base — private oceanside land you can’t normally see or access. We also saw a SpaceX launch site.

It was on this stretch that we also had our 5:30 pm dinner. Again, I was delighted with vegetarian and vegan options — and dessert. We watched the sunset from the dining car, surrounded by the din of other travelers’ conversations and laughter. After dinner, we headed back to our room for the final stretch to LA.

We got off in Van Nuys as some of my family lives in Santa Monica, and it was easy for them to pick us up there, but another time, we will surely head right into downtown LA’s Union Station.

This was a truly magical trip and made me appreciate the beauty of California. I’ll certainly take this train again for shorter trips, like to Paso Robles, or as part of a multi-day journey along the coast. I now want to take the California Zephyr, which starts in the Bay Area and heads to Chicago over 51 hours.  

Notes:

When booking this trip, do make sure you’re booking the Coast Starlight. The San Joaquins route also leaves from the Bay Area, but only goes as far as Bakersfield, where you’ll need to use a bus to connect to LA.

If you’re looking for an even longer train trip, connect the Coast Starlight to the Pacific Surfliner with service from Santa Barbara, Van Nuys, and Los Angeles Union Station to San Diego.

For cost, please visit amtrak.com, the seat and room prices vary.