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Train operator in USA:

Amtrak, see www.amtrak.com for US train times, fares & booking.

Buy Amtrak tickets in the UK   Buy Amtrak tickets in Australia & NZ

Trans-Atlantic sea travel:

www.cunard.com  www.cruisepeople.co.uk  www.strandtravel.co.uk

USA rail pass:

Amtrak USA rail pass

Flights to USA:

Flights with Opodo.com   Flights with Virgin Atlantic   Sea travel

Time:

New York:  GMT-5  Chicago:  GMT-6  Los Angeles:  GMT-8  Clocks go forward 1 hour from 2nd Sunday in March to 1st Sunday in November.

Currency:

£1 = approx 1.9 US Dollars     Currency converter

Tourist information:

Each State has a tourist agency, see www.towd.com    Guidebooks

Hotels:

Find hotels in the USA  Hostels in USA: www.hostelbookers.com

Page last updated:

6 November 2008.

It may not be the cheapest way to go, but it's cheaper than a business-class airfare, and includes six night's accommodation and all meals.  The greatest liner of them all, Cunard's brand-new Queen Mary 2, sails Trans-Atlantic from Southampton to New York roughly once each month from April to November.  It really is the only way to arrive in New York... 

You can sometimes get special-offer fares from as little as £800 one-way (with free return flight) sharing a 2-bed cabin, although full-fares start at around £1,500 one-way.

The QM2 sails from her terminal in Southampton docks (just round the corner from the traditional Ocean Terminal where the original Queen Mary, and even the Titanic would have sailed) at 18:00.  A special boat train composed of the British Pullman cars of the Venice Simplon Orient Express leaves Victoria station at lunchtime and goes direct to the terminal alongside the QM2.  The crossing (and it feels more like a proper crossing than a 'cruise', with many passengers using it as a genuine form of transport) last six nights, arriving in New York bright and early at 06:30 (an hour earlier than previous seasons - you'll now need to be on deck from about 04:30 to see the full approach to New York).   The Pullman boat train costs an extra £150 or so - probably the most expensive London to Southampton ticket ever offered in the history of British railways, but you only live once. 

Pictured above & below:  Approaching Manhattan on a Cunard liner is THE way to arrive in NYC.  As we all know, the skyline has sadly changed a bit since these pictures were taken.  Until 2006, Cunard used pier 90 on Manhattan island, but the QM2 now uses a new Brooklyn cruise terminal.

Southampton to New York by Cunard Line...

Remaining 2008 sailings:  15 Nov.  2009:  2 Jan, 8 April, 20 April, 2 May, 25 May, 13 June, 25 Jun, 24 July, 17 Aug, 29 Aug, 26 Sep, 23 Oct, 11 Nov.  See www.cunard.com to confirm.  The ship normally sails from Southampton at 17:00 and arrives in New York at 06:00 six nights later.

New York to Southampton by Cunard Line...

Remaining 2008 sailings:  Last one sailed in October.  There are now no sailings until April 2009.  2009 sailings:  14 April, 26 April, 8 May, 31 May, 19 June, 6 July, 30 July, 23 Aug, 8 Sept, 9 Oct, 5 Nov.  See www.cunard.com to confirm.  The ship normally sails from New York at 17:00 and arrives in Southampton at 06:30 six nights later.

2003 was the last complete Trans-Atlantic season for the 1967-built QE2.  The brand-new Queen Mary 2 took over the Trans-Atlantic sailings from 2004.  Please check sailing dates, times & fares at www.cunard.com, or call 0800 052 3840.  For train service to/from Southampton, see www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Passenger-carrying freighters:

In addition to the QE2 and QM2, some regular freight ships carry a limited number of passengers, and there are occasional crossings by other cruise lines - a UK agency listing both freighter and cruise line voyages is www.cruisepeople.co.uk.  A US agency booking passenger travel by freighter is www.freightercruises.com.  Also try www.freightertrips.com.  There are links to other websites about travel by freighter at the top of the 'shipping' section on the useful links page.

There are planes, of course, but you'll see nothing of America at 30,000 feet...  And there's Greyhound, but three days solid on a bus - no thank you..!  But the USA has an excellent rail network.  Trans-continental and inter-city trains in the USA are operated by Amtrak, www.amtrak.com.  Pictured, right:  The observation-lounge on a double-deck 'Superliner' train crossing the States from Chicago to the Pacific coast.

Above:  Arguably the most scenic train route across the USA is via the 'California Zephyr' linking Chicago, Denver, Salt lake City, Reno, Sacramento & San Francisco.  This shows a lunchtime view from the dining-car as the Zephyr negotiates a Colorado canyon.  You'd be crazy to fly and miss it all...  Photo courtesy of Sue Smith.

Click here for more detailed Amtrak route map

Each of the long-distance transcontinental routes shown on the map has one train a day, except for New York to Florida (2 trains a day) and the Sunset Limited from Jacksonville-San Antonio-Los Angeles (3 trains a week).  Important short distance routes (for example, Washington-New York-Boston or Los Angeles-San Diego) have regular intercity services.  It's easy to check Amtrak train times at www.amtrak.com - just click on 'Reservations' and use their online system.  It's impossible to list all Amtrak trains, but here is a summary of trains on the main routes, including coast-to-coast.

Boston - New York - Washington DC

A fast and frequent inter-city service links Boston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC.  New York to Washington takes as little as 2 hours 48 minutes, New York to Boston just 3 hours 30 minutes.  There are two types of train - 'Acela Express' 150mph high-speed trains with 1st class and business class (premium fares apply) and regular trains with coach class and (in most cases) business class.  There are also services from Boston to Portland (Maine) and from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. See www.amtrak.com for times, fares and online booking.

Crossing the USA by train, coast to coast...

Crossing the United States by train is one of the world's great travel experiences.  It is easy, comfortable, safe, and an affordable alternative to flying.  In fact, the fare from NYC to LA starts at an amazing $154 (£80) in a reclining seat, booked at www.amtrak.com.  There is a choice of about 5 different coast to coast routes.  Free route guides are available on board each train, telling you what to look out for from the window, and the scenery on many routes is world class. 

If you make the whole journey in one go it will take three nights:  One night from New York, Boston or Washington to Chicago, then two nights from Chicago to Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle.  You can also travel coast to coast via New Orleans, although this takes an extra night as you need to stay overnight in New Orleans.  Below is a summary of coast-to-coast train times and a brief description of each train.  Bear in mind that these trains run for over 2,000 miles, and can arrive several hours late, so don't book any tight connections.  You can see how your chosen trains have performed on-time-wise over the last three weeks using www.amtrakdelays.com.  This will give you a good idea of what to expect!

Recommended coast-to-coast train route:

If you have a choice, one particular route stands out as the most spectacular for both scenery and US historical significance.  This is the 'California Zephyr' from Chicago to San Francisco, in connection with either New York to Chicago on the 'Lake Shore Limited' or Washington DC to Chicago on the 'Capitol Limited'.  The California Zephyr is one of world's greatest train journeys, and in around 48 hours you will cross the farmlands of Nebraska, scale the Rockies beyond Denver while you eat ham and eggs for breakfast in the diner, snake through rocky river valleys in Colorado and pass through the Sierra Nevada mountains to reach Reno, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay area.  The route covers much of the very first historic trans-continental railroad route, and there's a commentary for the most significant section.  To give you a snapshot of what it's like sipping a cocktail in the sightseer lounge on the California Zephyr as it passes through Colorado, click here.  However, all the trans-continental routes are scenic, and all have their own character.  The Southwest Chief, for example, will take you from Chicago to Los Angeles over the famous Santa Fe railroad, alongside the equally famous Route 66, through Navajo Indian country, another amazing trip.

Treat these times as just a guide - Always check times & fares at www.amtrak.com as they change from time to time.

For a description of Amfleet & Superliner cars, see below.  For Viewliner & Superliner sleepers, see below.

New York - Niagara Falls

Three daily trains link New York via Albany with Niagara Falls.  Journey time is a leisurely 8 hours 30 minutes, a relaxing journey along the Hudson River Valley out of New York, past Storm King Mountain and West Point Military Academy, a very scenic route, highly recommended.  See www.Amtrak.com for times, fares and online booking.

New York - Toronto, Montreal (Canada)

A daily train (the Maple Leaf) links New York with Toronto via Niagara Falls, and another daily train (the Adirondack) links New York with Montreal via the scenic Adirondack mountains.  Both trains travel along the Hudson River Valley out of New York, past Storm King Mountain and West Point Military Academy, a very scenic route, highly recommended.  See the Canada page for train times.

New York & Washington - Florida

SILVER METEOR.  Daily.  Amfleet reclining seats, Viewliner sleeping-car, dining-car.

SILVER STAR.  Daily.  Amfleet reclining seats, Viewliner sleeping-car, dining-car.

Intercity trains in California

Regular trains link Los Angeles, Anaheim (for Disneyland), and San Diego.  Regular trains link San Francisco (Oakland) with Sacramento, Bakersfield and San Jose.  A daily train links Los Angeles with San Francisco (Oakland).  See www.Amtrak.com for times, fares and online booking.

It's easy to check fares at www.amtrak.com, just click 'Reservations'.   Here are some examples to give you an idea of cost:

Children 2-15 (inclusive) travel at reduced fare,  Children under 2 travel free (limit one child under 2 per adult).

Return fares are twice the one-way fare.  For sleeper travel, you add the reclining seat fare for each passenger to one sleeper supplement for the whole room (whether occupied by 1 or 2 passengers).

3,000 miles coast-to-coast overland for as little at $133 has to be one of the world's greatest travel bargains!

Sleeper supplements are per room, not per person, so you pay just one supplement for the room whether two of you occupy it or just one, in addition to a basic coach fare (or railpass) for each passenger.  Sleeper supplements vary enormously by season and in accordance with demand, which is why a range is shown.  The sleeper supplements include all meals in the dining car, morning tea or coffee and fruit juice and various other first class privileges.  Roomettes are very small 1- or 2-berth rooms, bedrooms are larger 2-berth rooms with en suite shower and toilet.

A bargain for overseas visitors is a USA railpass giving rail travel across the United States coast-to-coast, see the railpass section further down this page.

Short distance trains come in various types, all with comfortable air-conditioned seating and often with a café car.  On the Boston-New York-Washington DC route, there is now the premium fare, 150mph 'Acela Express' high speed train, based on French TGV technology, but running on conventional tracks.

Long distance trains in the East

Long-distance trains east of Chicago (except the Washington DC-Chicago 'Capitol Limited') have Viewliner sleeping-cars (see below), Amfleet reclining seat cars, a lounge car serving snacks and drinks, and a 'heritage' restaurant car serving full meals at reasonable prices - if you have paid for a sleeper, meals are included in the fare.

Amfleet seating...		Amfleet cars...		Heritage dining-car...

Long distance trains in the West:  'Superliner' trains

Long-distance trains west and south of Chicago (also the Washington DC-Chicago 'Capitol Limited') use double deck Superliner cars.  Superliner trains have reclining seats, sleeping-cars, a dining car and an observation / lounge car.  Reclining seats are spacious with lots of legroom - comparable with business class on an airliner.  They recline to about 40 degrees, and are quite easy to sleep in.  Pillows are provided at night, and you can either bring a blanket or buy an Amtrak blanket from the lounge car.  Sleeping-cars are described below.  The Superliner observation-lounge (pictured below) is the social centre of the train, with a café downstairs and a large lounge with huge side and roof windows giving an unparalleled view of the scenery.  Seats in the observation lounge are open to both reclining seat and sleeping-car passengers on a first-come, first served basis.  The dining car serves full meals at affordable prices - if you have paid for a sleeper, meals are included in the fare.  A route guide is available free on these trains, telling you want to look out for along the way.

Superliner coach class reclining seats on the upper deck.  There is loads of space and legroom, and a 40 degree recline.  See 3-D panorama photo		An impressive Superliner lounge car...
Superliner dining car.  Meals are always a great opportunity to meet and talk with fellow passengers... 3-D panorama photo		Inside the Superliner lounge, where you'll spend much of the day..!  See 3-D panorama photo