--- title: These Are America's Most Romantic Train Trips description: Romantic rail rides across the country canonical: https://time.com/3767899/americas-most-romantic-train-trips/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-27T20:45:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:36.952Z og:title: These Are America's Most Romantic Train Trips og:description: Romantic rail rides across the country og:url: https://time.com/3767899/americas-most-romantic-train-trips/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Are America's Most Romantic Train Trips twitter:description: Romantic rail rides across the country twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # These Are America's Most Romantic Train Trips by [Max Grinnell / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Max Grinnell / Travel + Leisure Apr 27, 2015 8:45 PM UTC by [Max Grinnell / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Max Grinnell / Travel + Leisure Apr 27, 2015 8:45 PM UTC If you’ve been thinking about sallying forth with a companion, consider a train trip to discover Wes-Anderson-film-levels of nostalgia and beauty. From the Napa Valley to Maine, riding the rails has never been so romantic. ### Pullman Rail Journeys (Chicago-New Orleans)  Pullman Rail Journeys While in Chicago, ask about the Master Bedroom suite in the [Pontchartrain Club car](https://www.travelpullman.com/packages.html), and take it all the way down to the Big Easy. On select trips, musicians from Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music serenade riders as they snake through the South. ### Saratoga & North Creek Railway  Saratoga & North Creek Railway If you’re starting in upstate New York, consider the [old-timey Saratoga & North Creek Snow Train](https://www.sncrr.com/), which runs from January to March. As you look out the window across frozen Adirondack landscape, you can think of the lodge that’s waiting for you at the end of the journey in North Creek, New York. ### Napa Valley Wine Train  The Napa Valley Wine Train There’s pretty much nothing more romantic than moon glow, which is why the Napa Valley Wine Train’s [Moonlight Escape excursion](http://winetrain.com/events/moonlight-escape) probably beats most regular date nights. As you make your way through Napa Valley, enjoy a meal by executive chief Kelly Macdonald, along with (of course!) two glasses of wine. ### Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor  C3EKXB Mystic River at sunset from downtown Holmes Street. Mystic Connecticut. George H.H. Huey—Alamy On its way from the Connecticut shoreline town of Old Saybrook, the [Northeast Corridor](http://amtrak.com/) train affords couples the opportunity to watch passing sailboats on Long Island Sound, which is particularly beautiful as as the sun sinks below the horizon. For the complete experience, hop off in Mystic and stay at a local B&B to complete the experience. ### Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner  CY4PGX Train tracks along the ocean at Hollister Ranch on the Gaviota coast in California, USA. Lisa Werner—Alamy It’s really hard to go wrong with a day trip along the coastline of Southern California. [Amtrak’s Surfliner](http://www.amtrak.com/pacific-surfliner-train) takes passengers from San Luis Obispo down to San Diego, offering views of the Channel Islands and Santa Barbara, to name a few. ### Grand Canyon Railway  The Grand Canyon Railway [This route](http://www.thetrain.com/) takes riders across Grand Canyon Country—through the Ponderosa pine forest and expansive prairies, all the way to the South Rim. It’s worth booking tickets in the train’s Luxury Dome car, which provides a more intimate and down-tempo experience. ### Amtrak Cascades service  Amtrak Grab a ticket for the [morning train](http://www.amtrakcascades.com/) from Seattle to Vancouver and you’ll be able to watch the sun rise over Puget Sound. As the train travels right next to the water, eagles, blue herons, and possibly an orca will be right outside your window. ### Rio Grande Scenic Railroad  B89Y73 Rio Grande Scenic Railroad Spanish Peaks Huerfano County Colorado USA. Image shot 2008\. Exact date unknown. Art Directors & TRIP—Alamy There’s perhaps no better way to experience Colorado’s San Luis Valley than via the [Rio Grande Scenic Railroad](https://www.coloradotrain.com/)’s Art Deco-style club cars. The sunset dinner ride offers cocktails and a meal, plus amazing views of Colorado’s peaks. ### Maine Eastern Railroad  Kevin Andrusia On this [two-hour ride](http://www.maineeasternrailroad.com/train), get full view of the rocky landscape of Maine’s Midcoast region and the charming towns that populate it. As you glide along the water and through twee towns like Wiscasset, you’ll enjoy the views of Victorian homes and sailing vessels. ### Sierra Dinner Train Gorgeous vistas of Northern California’s Sierra Mountains surround passengers throughout this [lunch train](http://sierradinnertrain.com/), which features a three-course meal and drinks. After lunch, make sure and head over to the open-air car, which is particularly great for photographers—no glass pane between you and the landscape! [Read the original list HERE.](http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-most-romantic-train-trips?xid=PS%5Ftime) _More from Travel + Leisure:_ * [America’s Most Romantic Cities](http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-most-romantic-cities?xid=PS%5Ftime) * [The World’s Most Beautiful Train Stations](http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-most-beautiful-train-stations?xid=PS%5Ftime) * [6 Stunning New Wilderness Retreats](http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/wilderness-retreats-around-the-world?xid=PS%5Ftime) * [America’s Best Cities for Music Scenes](http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-best-cities-for-music-scenes?xid=PS%5Ftime) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3767899/americas-most-romantic-train-trips/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3767899/americas-most-romantic-train-trips/"},"headline":"These Are America's Most Romantic Train Trips","datePublished":"2015-04-27T20:45:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:36.952Z","description":"Romantic rail rides across the country","url":"https://time.com/3767899/americas-most-romantic-train-trips/","keywords":["Living","Travel"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Max Grinnell / Travel + Leisure"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3767899/americas-most-romantic-train-trips/","name":"These Are America's Most Romantic Train Trips"}}]}] ```