Overnight on Amtrak: California Surfliner and Pacific Coast Starlight Review
Are you considering an overnight journey aboard the Amtrak train in California? In this post, we share about our experience on this coastal route across California to Oregon.
From sandy beaches to towering forests, sunny San Diego to snowy Shasta and beyond, we think it’s one of Amtrak’s most scenic routes in the USA.
Our Amtrak California Trips
Here’s a glimpse into what we experienced, and some advice for first-time train travelers.
Apart from a few short train trips between Seattle and Portland, our experience with Amtrak was pretty limited.
We were really intrigued by the possibility of taking an overnight train trip, and finally made it happen in October 2015 from California to Oregon. We took the Pacific Surfliner from San Diego, changed trains in Los Angeles, and booked a roomette in the sleeper car on the Coastal Starlight to Portland.
We liked the experience of riding the train from San Diego to Portland so much, we sought out an opportunity to take the trip again in November of 2018.
Last updated: 2023. Originally published: 2015.
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Free Travel to San Diego
On our first trip, we traveled from Portland to San Diego – and back – for FREE.
We took advantage of three key “travel hacks” that got us a free plane ticket from PDX to SAN, free Car2Go minutes to drive ourselves to the train station, and a free overnight train trip from SAN to PDX (sleeper car and meals for two included).
On our second trip, we arrived to San Diego after a six week stay in Colombia. We used miles for the international flight to California.
We again used Amtrak points so the overnight train ride was also free. On top of free transportation, we were visiting my brother and his wife, so our accommodations were free as well!
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In a nutshell, we signed up for an Amtrak rewards credit card with a big sign up bonus to quickly earn enough points for the overnight train trip.
The sign up benefits of the Amtrak credit cards change from time to time. In both 2015 and 2018, we were able to cover the full cost from San Diego to Portland with a sign up bonus from one card application.
The ticket includes a roomette for two people as well as all four meals on the Coastal Starlight.
The bonus points are earned after meeting a minimum spend (in this case, $1,000) within the first 3 months of opening the card. There is also an annual fee for the cards with higher sign up bonuses, but it’s nominal compared to the value you get from an overnight train journey.
Trip Details
San Diego to Los Angeles – California Surfliner
Business Class seats, includes “snack bar” in the car (2015)
Amtrak points devalued, so in 2018, we only had enough points for Economy on this first leg.
Departs 6am – 3 hours 30 minutes
Stops: Oceanside, San Juan Capistrano, Anaheim, etc.
Los Angeles to Portland/Seattle – Coast Starlight
Private roomette, includes meals for two in dining car
Departs 10:30am, 1 day and 5 hours
Stops: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Jose, Sacramento, Redding, Klamath Falls, Eugene, Salem, etc.
Typical cost for 2 from SAN to PDX:
$760 – $990 USD (2023 price examples)
Or:
27,000 – 35,000 Amtrak points (2023)
Even with increased prices over time, the overnight Amtrak trip cost is usually roughly equivalent to purchasing flights for two, plus a hotel night.
The Beauty of Riding Amtrak
We began our journey at 6am from the downtown San Diego station on the California Surfliner. On our second trip, we left from Solana around 6:30am.
Amtrak asks you to arrive at the station about 30 minutes in advance. You can go straight to the tracks and show your ticket (printed or e-receipt on your phone are fine) when asked by a conductor on the train.
In no time, we had a captivating and ever-changing view of the sunrise, waves cresting toward us, and scattered dots of surfers out in the water.
The trip to Los Angeles took about three hours.
On our first journey, we were hungry for brunch so when we arrived at the Los Angeles Union Station, I hopped across the street to Olvera Street market and grabbed us a plate of Mexican food.
On our second journey, we brought our own breakfast to eat on the train from San Diego.
The layover was a little more than an hour. We tried the Amtrak ClubAcela lounge, which is available only for sleeper car passengers or rewards members with a pass.
We opted not to take their shuttle cart to board the train so that we could stretch our legs and walk before the long journey.
The roomettes in the sleeper cars have two large chairs facing each other, a thin closet to hang a few jackets, reading lamps, power outlet, and pull-out table.
There is a sliding door and curtains for privacy from the hallway. The attendant of our car explained how to turn the chairs into a bed and pull the bunk down above it.
For meals, we had the option of eating communal style in the dining car or alone in our rooms but with a limited menu.
A couple hours before the meal, you choose where you’ll eat and make a reservation with an attendant who walks through the car. We always opted for the dining car.
We were seated with a Norwegian-American gentleman at lunch, a couple getting off at San Jose at dinner, and another single gentlemen at breakfast the following day.
All of our dining companions had done a lot of train travel already and continue to do so because they thoroughly enjoy the experience and believe in the importance of mass transit.
The highlight of our trip was staring out the windows.
The California coastline was absolutely stunning, and – unlike our recent road trip through the same area – we didn’t have to worry about navigating!
We saw countless surfers among the breaks. Since it was December, the “golden hour” came in the early afternoon and gave our ocean views a magical glow.
By dinner on the first night, we were nearing San Jose and the sun had set.
I didn’t mind missing out on seeing Northern California, but was surprised when I awoke at 5:30am, cracked open the curtains, and saw snow-covered evergreens and a starry night sky!
We were passing through Shasta. (Although our second journey was a month later on the calendar, that time, there wasn’t any snow until we got further into Southern Oregon.)
At breakfast, we pulled into Klamath Falls where there was still a bit of snow on the ground and ice forming over the nearby lakes and streams.
Continuing up toward Bend, we made use of the wifi (which was slow back then) in the parlor car while the winter wonderland continued outside.
Update: Amtrak has apparently removed and sold all their Parlour Cars. The Coastal Starlight had an Observation Car but signs indicated that it was reserved for Business Class passengers.
As I mentioned, the best part of our Amtrak trip was staring out the windows at the changing scenery – from the sunny California coast to the snowy mountains of southern Oregon.
Riding in the train itself was like a blast from the past.
Traveling by Amtrak may not be for everyone. But if you have time to move a little slower, prefer scenery over battling traffic, and value “public” transit options, then it’s definitely worth a try.
Although our ability to work online was limited, we were able to catch up on a lot of reading, writing, reflecting, and relaxing. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience!
A Few Cons of Train Travel
Although we were absolutely delighted to see the countryside roll by and to experience travel by train, Amtrak certainly showed some room for improvements.
If you’re considering a train trip, it’s good to be aware of these things so you don’t have unfair expectations.
For one, the limited funding for Amtrak improvements is evident. Wear and tear in the passageways was noticeable and the electronics in our sleeper cars were definitely from an earlier era.
There was open wifi on the Surfliner route. On the Starlight, the Parlour Car had slow wifi, but those cars have since been removed. We didn’t check the common areas, but our roomette did not pick up any wifi signals.
Hopefully internet service has been improved since then.
The refrigeration on the first train was also out, so their usual breakfast items were unavailable for the day. On the first Starlight trip from LA to Portland, the coffeepot for our sleeper car didn’t work and the movie theater room had been out of commission for three weeks, waiting for repairs.
On our second voyage, everything seemed to be in better order.
Once, when we pulled into a “fresh air stop” where you could step off the train for about ten minutes, they discovered a cord between cars had been dragging on the ground, sparked, and shredded. Fortunately, they were able to fix it and return power to the train in less than 30 minutes.
In the past, we’ve experienced delays on Amtrak since they had to give priority to freight trains. However, on both of these overnight trips, we were actually on time or ahead of schedule most of the time.
Finally, if you’re looking for a luxury experience or don’t enjoy interacting with other travelers, an overnight on Amtrak may not be for you.
Roomette passengers have a few shared bathrooms and one shared shower room per car. The “full” bedrooms each have their own private “wet” bathrooms, however, which includes a toilet and shower in a little compartment of your room.
For meals, you could arrange to bring your own food, order hot dogs from the cafe, or eat from a limited menu in the Parlour car. But for the best selection of hot meals (which is included with your room reservation), you’re required to eat community style in the dining room.
As a couple, I didn’t mind being seated with a stranger or two, but as an introvert, I don’t think I would have been very excited about that if I were traveling solo. So that’s something to consider.
Conclusion: Traveling by Amtrak on Surfliner and Coast Starlight
We’re ready to do it again!
We’re seriously considering putting more points into our Amtrak account to do an even longer trip – maybe to Chicago… The East Coast to New Orleans is also on our list.
Or maybe we’ll save up for a cross-country Canada voyage (which is not Amtrak but we’ve heard it’s amazing).
Have you ever done an overnight trip on Amtrak? What do you consider to be the pros and cons of train travel? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment below.
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I did a long distance trip from Barstow Cali to Chicago. It was an interesting trip, I didn’t have the sleeper room going, but since it was my first time traveling by train, I really didn’t think I needed it . It takes almost 2 days to get to Chicago, I was ok, but by the time we got inside of Illinois I was so over it. The seats are comfortable but I was so ready to be off, lol. Its not as scenic as the Pacific Surf liner you guys were on, but it was ok, a lot of trees, hills, greenery, however, it was peaceful. Now coming back I got the sleeper which was much better. I got the roomette which to me its not meant for 2 only for 1, which was enough room for me. So I was good with that, we had a 30min stop in Albuquerque New Mexico which was pretty cool, they have a big Union Station but due to the coronavirus the café was close, so we had to walk a block and half to a small grocery store to get cooked food because on the train all they had was a snack bar, however, since I was in a sleeper I got food for free but it was microwave food but it was good, lol. It was a lady selling jewelry and ponchos. Overall, I would do it again,
Hi Bridget. Thank you for sharing your experience on Amtrak to Chicago. It definitely has its pros and cons, but generally is a nice way to travel. We’d still love to do more overnight train trips.
“Little craft and food market” across from Union Station. I like this piece a lot, except for that. Do you mean Olvera Street? The oldest street and neighborhood in Los Angeles? http://www.olvera-street.com You could have spent the day there. 🙂
Thanks for letting us know about Olvera Street. We didn’t know it was there until I had a few minutes to run across the street and grab food! I’ve updated the post now that you’ve told us what it is. Thanks!