7 of the Best US Cities to Visit by Train

One of Amtrak’s more scenic routes starts/ends in Eugene, Oregon: the Amtrak Cascades. Passengers can get to this colorful college town from Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, or Portland, with routes running daily. You’ll land right in the city’s Market District, just north of downtown and within walking distance of the notable Fifth Street Public Market. While you’re here, hit the museums and the Cascades Raptor Center, explore the Willamette River, check out the Saturday farmers market, hike Mount Pisgah, taste the city’s fabulous wine scene, and more.

Get your fill of American history, fantastic food, and football devotion on your next train trip to Philly. You can get here via the Pennsylvanian, Acela, Keystone, Carolinian/Piedmont, and Northeast Regional train routes. You’ll disembark at the gorgeous 30th Street Station, right on the Schuylkill River, and just a quick jaunt to Rittenhouse Square. From there, tour Independence Hall, see the Liberty Bell, walk the oldest street in the country, and eat your weight in hoagies, cannoli, and cheesesteaks.

Union Passenger Terminal is just blocks away from the hubbub of New Orleans, one of America’s oldest, most beautiful cities. After checking into your hotel, hit world-famous Bourbon Street, visit the National World War II Museum, grab beignets at Cafe du Monde, take in some jazz in the French Quarter, and maybe even see if you can handle a little voodoo.

If you’re into the outdoors, New Orleans has plentiful access to beautiful public lands. Hop on an airboat ride or a swamp tour, and be sure to take a moment to learn about the area’s disappearing wetlands.

America’s most famous waterfall is accessible by train from NYC—it doesn’t get much more romantic than that. You’ll land at the station less than five miles from Niagara Falls State Park, right on the Niagara River and the US/Canada border. If you’re a hiker/backpacker, you can literally hop off the train and onto the Great Gorge Railway Trail. Fabulous trails wind up and down this side of the Niagara River, including to and around the world-famous falls.

Insider tip: The Maple Leaf Route is technically the same route as the Empire Service, it just extends to Toronto.

Kansas City somehow manages to fly a bit under the radar even though it’s home to some of the country’s best barbecue, fosters the nation’s best jazz scene, offers incredible museums (including the only WWI museum in the US and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum), has free public transit downtown, a dizzying number of fountains that only pales to Rome, a fantastic distillery scene, and so much more. Get here via the Lincoln Service or Southwest Chief routes (out of Chicago and LA, respectively) and you’ll arrive at Kansas City’s Union Station, all set for adventure.

If you think San Diego or Los Angeles is scenic, wait till you see Santa Barbara—and wait till you make the ultra-scenic train ride to the city from down south. On a stretch of cliff-lined coastline, you’ll arrive just a few blocks from the ocean, West Beach, and Stearns Wharf. Trails and views extend in every direction, as do restaurants and inns. If you don’t want to rent a car, you certainly don’t have to. (Though you might want to rent a surfboard.)

Most Civil War–era cities suffered mass fires, but not Savannah. Today, visitors can walk stately cobblestone streets lined with antebellum mansions, magnolia trees, and European-style squares. Pop by Forsyth Park, snap photos of the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, explore River Street and the Savannah City Market, taste the city’s famous deep-fried chicken and shrimp, and scope out the surprisingly beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery. If any city is haunted, it’s this one.

Insider tip: The train arrives on the western outskirts of town, so you’ll either need a rideshare or a rental car to reach downtown.