These are the best luxury trains in the U.S. for a posh ride on the rails

New in 2026, the routes through the American Southwest previously offered through the Rocky Mountaineer will now be operated by Armstrong Collective’s Canyon Spirit, and two new cities have been added to the original routes that previously ran between Denver and Moab: Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. On board you’ll be treated to incredible views and regional cuisine with two classes of service, signature and premier. Passengers traveling with the premier upgrade receive a larger seating space, exclusive drinks and other perks. Meals are served at your seat, and each ride includes storytelling about the landscapes and wildlife you see. The train only runs during the day to showcase beautiful views, so mid-journey, you will stay at a partner hotel along the route. The Canyon Spirit’s season is April through November.

Don’t miss: Throughout your journey, the train will slow down at certain places that are particularly beautiful so that you can take photographs.

Route: Rockies to the Red Rocks (Denver to Moab)

Travel time: Two days with an overnight hotel stay

Price: $1,723 which includes an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs en route.

The My Old Kentucky Dinner Train takes you through 35 miles of beautiful Kentucky countryside on a buzzed round trip, fueled by tasting local bourbons—Bardstown itself is home to more than 11 bourbon distilleries. The ride also includes a four-course gourmet meal. Your ride embarks on a restored 1940s dining car pulled by a 1950s diesel locomotive. You must be at least 21 to ride (duh), but if you want to try an excursion open to the general public, the train also has lunch and dinner rides, a murder mystery ride and the seasonal North Pole Express.

Don’t miss: Before your ride even starts, order a specialty cocktail at the historic depot’s bar, which stocks more than 35 types of bourbon.

Route: Out and back from Bardstown, going through the countryside

Travel time: 2.5 hours

Price: $150, or book a private table for two for $299 per person

You’ll want to dress up a little for this excursion into Napa's wine country with gourmet meals and tastings on the train. The experiences change, but right now, the Legacy Experience includes a day on the rails winding past the vineyards and enjoying a four-course wine country-inspired meal, three tastings of 11 wines and spectacular photo ops at each stop. The experience is six hours, four of which are on the train. You’re welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine and a one-hour tasting right on an open-air Pullman rail car, then you'll train your way towards two hours of tasting at Charles Krug and V. Sattui wineries.

Don’t miss: Dancing in the open-air car as you drift past beautiful sun-touched vineyards.

Route: Legacy experience: travel through vineyards with stops for seated tastings at Charles Krug & V. Sattui

Travel time: Six hours, from 10:15am to 4:30pm

Price: $668.

Go luxe for 45 minutes in southeastern Pennsylvania inside the exquisite President’s Car with wood paneled interior and built-in furnishings (it’s currently off the rails for renovation, but check the website for its glorious return)—or there are four other first-class options to pick from. One is the parlor car, where you lounge on cabernet-colored sofas and order confections and beverages for purchase in the last car in line with a view of the vanishing rails behind you. Or choose two separate lounge cars with plush captain’s chairs that swivel to catch the views, or the club car, which is a private charter experience if you have a group to travel with. The Dutch Country Railroad is the oldest continuously operating railroad in North America, dating to 1832.

Don’t miss: The wine and cheese experience ride with wines from Waltz Vineyards and paired cheeses.

Route: It’s a 4.5-mile track: ride in reverse on the way out, then ride forward for the return trip. Along the way, you’ll travel through rural Amish country.

Travel time: 45 minutes

Price: $39 for ages 2 and up. Younger infants ride free but must sit on a lap. If you book the wine and cheese experience, it is $79 for ages 21 and up, while the Whiskey on the Rails experience is $99 for whiskey sampling on board.

The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad just outside the national park gates offers a classic steam train excursion through the Sierra National Forest—and if you want to go luxe, you can upgrade your ticket to the First Class Caboose, available on any excursion. This includes a jazz train, a logger steam train ride, a moonlight special train, a moonlight melodrama train (with a theatrical performance during the creekside stopover), a Halloween Limited and, most recently, a holiday magic train. The railroad runs April through December. The First Class Caboose has a renovated wood-paneled interior with wrought iron seats holding padded upholstery, and if you can climb the narrow interior stairs to the cupola, the cute aerie has two seats facing each other (the main part of the caboose is ADA accessible). There’s even a personal conductor to describe the gorgeous things you’re seeing, plus a drink and snacks included. Riding the train with my family, I brought our own sandwich lunch to enjoy on the brief stop at Lewis Creek Canyon, sitting at a picnic table in a beautiful grove.

Don’t miss: The traditional whistle blow emerging from this Shay steam engine. It ricochets through the woods and makes you think you are a lumber worker back in the day!

Route: The most popular excursion, the Logger Steam Train, is a four-mile ride.

Travel time: 1 hour

Price: The first-class caboose is $70, while the cupola is $85. Infants 2 and under can sit on laps for free. Friendly dogs ride free, too!

The Alaska Railroad seats may not be that fancy, but the views are spectacular. The premium GoldStar Service class includes a chance to glide through Alaska’s incredible scenery viewed through the glass-dome ceilinged car. You can also walk around to visit an upper-level viewing platform or the full-service dining room, but if you choose to just stay seated, your glass will be filled by a dedicated bar attendant. Not all train rides include GoldStar service, so check the website before booking—but we’d argue that the railroad’s Adventure Class is just as fun.

Note: the Denali Star runs seasonally. For this year, it operates from May 15 to September 15, 2026.

Don’t miss: Just south of Talkeetna, you can catch views of Denali rising grandly above the Susitna River. And seeing Hurricane Gulch from atop a dramatic 296-foot bridge may feel tantalizingly adventurous.

Route: Between Anchorage and Fairbanks via Wasilla, Talkeetna and Denali National Park

Travel time: 12 hours

Price: $553 for adults going the full one-way route. 

In these opulent parlor cars, you’ll see amazing views out of the Observation Dome, which has gigantic windows that capture the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. Kids under 16 aren’t allowed, so the ride is engineered to be a little more sophisticated; your sparkling wine toast is included in the ticket price, as are snacks. The two-story train has a downstairs lounge with a full bar, entertainment center and plush furnishings. Besides the luxury dome class, there’s also a luxury parlor class at the same price point, including a private bar and access to the outdoor platform. It’s best to book in even numbers for your party, so you won’t have a stranded stranger in the open seat.

Don’t miss: Musicians roam the cars to add an upbeat rhythm to your ride, while an attendant shares facts about the canyon. If you’re into entertainment that leans towards hokey, fantastic! Each morning before the train departs, there’s a staged dust-up between the town marshal and the Cataract Creek Gang.

Route: Williams, Arizona to the Grand Canyon.

Travel time: The ride itself is about two hours each way, but you can craft it into an all-day experience. Board at 9:30am and arrive at the Grand Canyon at 11:45am. You have more than three hours to explore (unless you stay overnight), and then the train departs at 3:30pm and returns to Williams at 5:45pm.

Price: Starting at $120 one way ($240 round trip) for adults.

Although Amtrak is more known for serviceable rides (all the luxury is found in the view out the window!), there is a first-class cabin on the Acela train, where you receive complimentary meal service at your seat, priority boarding at certain stations and, perhaps best of all, access to station lounges. The seating is spacious one-by-two seating (in other words, you’re either alone or with one other person). The seats feature adjustable headrests, lumbar support, footrests and individual outlets for device charging. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a seat on the NextGen Acela, the fast (160 mph) all-new trains with innovative features like free 5G W-Fi and ergonomic seats. The NextGen Acela is available on select departures.

Don’t miss: Beautiful coastline views between New Haven, Connecticut, and Kingston station in Rhode Island.

Route: Between Boston and Washington, D.C., with stops in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Travel time: The full route is 7 hours.

Price: Amtrak pricing rises dramatically for the same train depending on how late you book (early bird devours this worm), but a one-way first-class Acela ticket from Boston to Washington, D.C. will start around $346.

The Cape Cod Central Railroad runs through quaint New England villages, and its three-hour candlelight dinner train offers three levels of luxury, from first class to platinum class. In the 21+ platinum class, you’ll be dining in an exclusive 1917 lounge car at a linen-covered table as romantic music plays. The five-course gourmet meal changes seasonally, so hopefully, you’ll get to try some of that fantastic Cape Cod seafood. Tickets for 2026 rides will be released in April.

Don’t miss: When maritime traffic permits, the train crosses over the scenic Cape Cod Canal railroad bridge. This is an arresting WPA-built vertical lift bridge whose entire span lifts into the air for marine traffic to dart beneath. Crazy factoid: Because of the difference in tides between Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay, the canal changes direction four times a day.

Route: Hyannis to Buzzards Bay, via West Barnstable and Sandwich, and back.

Travel time: 3 hours

Price: $165