You can travel between Seattle and Vancouver with Amtrak Cascades
In August, my younger sister Carrie and I took a long weekend trip to Seattle. It was Carrie’s first time ever traveling by plane, so we decided to knock out a couple other firsts, too. She wanted to get her first stamp on her passport, so why not spend a day in Vancouver, B.C.?
Now, Vancouver is almost 150 miles away from Seattle. How would we get there? We (Carrie) couldn’t afford plane tickets, I didn’t want to rent a car because of the experience I’d recently had with Avis in Alaska, and hitchhiking was never really an option. That left good old Amtrak — and though I’d traveled quite a bit by train in Europe, this was my first time riding the rails in the U.S.
So we booked our train tickets from Seattle to Vancouver. Here’s my review of the experience with Amtrak Cascades.
Logistics
The Amtrak train that runs between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, B.C., is called Amtrak Cascades. You can find more information about trains and timetables, and book tickets on AmtrakCascades.com. We departed Seattle via King Street Station at 6:50 p.m. and arrived in Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station at 10:50 p.m.
Seats aren’t assigned in advance; before your train departs, you’ll present your documents (train tickets and passport), at which time you’ll receive a small slip with your assigned seat.
Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, where Amtrak Cascades arrives/departs
Convenience
Never having traveled by train in the U.S. before, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. When I imagined King Street Station, visions of the train stations I’ve visited in Europe came to mind. So Carrie and I arrived to King Street Station about 2 hours before our train was scheduled to depart.
Turns out, there was no need and nothing to do inside the station while we waited, so we went to a nearby Starbucks to kill the time. We returned about 45 minutes before the train was scheduled to depart and the ticket queue was forming, which kept us occupied until boarding.
That being said, I recommend arriving to Pacific Street Station in Vancouver at least an hour before the train departs, since you must first complete a U.S. customs form. The printed forms are on hand in the station, so you can fill it out when you get there.
Security
There’s no security checkpoint at either of the train stations, which was surprising to me considering we were technically crossing the border. But when it comes to immigration/passport control, it depends on which direction you’re going.
On the way to Vancouver, you’ll receive a Canadian customs form on the train. Upon arrival in Vancouver, the conductor will open each train compartment and you’ll join the line to go through immigration. This line can take quite a while. Also, if you’re American they probably won’t stamp your passport — unless you ask really nicely, like we did! And so Carrie did get her first passport stamp.
On the way to Seattle or elsewhere in the U.S., you must complete your U.S. customs form before boarding the train. As you cross the border, the train will stop and immigration officers will board the train and inspect your forms and passports. Once you arrive in Seattle, you can just get off the train and go on your way.
Experience
The train ride can feel long. It clocked in at 4 hours from south to north, and about 4.5 on the way back. It does take longer than it would to drive, as Amtrak is not one of those high-speed trains like you might find in Europe. That being said, it’s not a bad place to spend 4 or 4.5 hours. The Amtrak Cascades train does have Wi-Fi and power outlets at every seat, ample luggage racks, and there’s even a dining car. (I recommend bringing your own snacks, though.)
If you’re lucky, you’ll get a window seat facing west — it’s an incredibly scenic journey up the coast!
Value
We paid $64 per person, round trip, for our tickets. There are other tickets that cost more and other tickets that cost less, but we felt this was a fair price — much cheaper than renting a car or flying. Including time spent at the train stations before boarding, it was a 5-6 hour travel experience each way. We only spent one full day in Vancouver, so if you’re on a similar schedule, that may feel like a little much.
But when you’re on a whirlwind of a trip, sometimes it’s nice to sit back, relax, enjoy the view, and try something new.
Have you ever traveled by train in the U.S.? What was your experience? And would you ever travel with Amtrak Cascades? Let me know in the comments.
-Cathy
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Originally Published on September 26, 2017.
We took the overnight Empire Builder train from Seattle to Glacier National Park.
The King street Seattle station is small, quaint, and well organized. The train kept to schedule. We bought the private cabin which was made down for us during dinner and had a private bathroom. The sheets were clean, the train a little worn but not dirty. There were many backpackers who bought seats and they slept in their seats and did quite fine. They also have double decker beds with curtains. I had to walk through those cars when we went to dinner and I did not like them at all. They seemed overcrowded and the curtains looked old and if you have the second bunk you have to climb up.
The trip was overnight and the sound of the train whistle at night was haunting and romantic. I did sleep. We did not see much at night but in the morning we saw mountain goats , creeks, pines and hills. The train let us off at the Lodge and if you book there, they come pick you up at the station, although that is not necessary as the lodge is about 300 ft from the quaint station. We had no car at Glacier, but it was not necessary as they have little buses to take you to all the trailheads, Lake Mc Donald and town. There are also the Red Bus tours which are rehabbed station wagons from the 1930’s made specifically for the park so you can stand up and take photos out the roof.
The ride back to Seattle on the Empire builder was during the day and much more scenic with unusual landscapes, hills, curves. The only issue on the ride back to Seattle was our cabin’s toilet did not flush! So you can imagine that was terrible and it was a problem with all the toilets so it was some kind of electrical problem that could not be fixed immediately. We simply closed the door to the bathroom. We arrived in Seattle on time.
I enjoyed having the private cabin . It was an unusual experience. And it was expensive although I have to say all the backpackers who just bought the seats did just fine. They did have a National Park Service guide walking around for several hours telling us about the park and area. The seats in the glass car were all filled so we mostly stayed in our private cabin.
I would not do it again but it was a bucket list kind of thing so gald we did it.
Hi Jane,
Wow, what an experience! Thanks for sharing. I did not know there were trains that went all the way from Seattle to Glacier — that sounds like such an interesting journey. Glacier NP is beautiful. I went there once with my family as a teenager and have always wanted to go back. Props to you for checking off a bucket list item and doing something in an unusual way.
Thank you for stopping by and for the comment.
-Cathy
Hi
Traveling from Australia & doing the Canadian Rockies & Alaskan Cruise & then going to Las Vegas .
so looking at options rather than flying to Vegas & looking at the train, at this stage it looks like Vancouver to Seattle & then fly from Seattle to Vegas , so my question ? is the train trip scenic & worth the extra time
& also the train goes to the Airport ? open to any other suggestions & also any recommendation for Hotels in Vegas ? 3 or 4* is fine
thank you in advance
Dianne
Hi Dianne,
Thanks for your comment — sorry for the delay in reply!
The train trip is fairly scenic, as long as you do it during the day time! We went later in the day, so after the sun went down, there wasn’t much to see. But if you went during the day, it should be beautiful.
I don’t have too many recommendations for Vegas, but I usually look on sites like Booking.com.
I hope this helps, and thanks for stopping by!
-Cathy