We took the California Zephyr from Sacramento to Chicago as one of our segments for a trip around the world . We had already taken trains in Europe and Japan on this journey . The scenery for the portion between Sacramento and Denver is amazing : it ranks amongst the best in the world ; that alone is worth the... More

We enjoy train travel. Have taken sme of the wolds best train ride, the glacier express ,the bullet train in japan, the Royal scotsman ,-and even the orient express . Was told the best train ride in the US is the California zephyr. We booked the most expensive room .it was terribly uncomfortable. Bad ventilation , and the second sea... More

We took the California Zephyr all the way from Chicago, IL to Emeryville, CA at the start of May 2012. The lounge for sleeping car passengers at Chicago Union Station was a good bonus (as we'd travelled for 16hrs on the train from DC to Chicago overnight and weren't in the mood to sit in a dirty crowded waiting hall... More

My husband and I had really looked forward to riding on Amtrak. We booked passage on the Zephyr from Salt Lake City to Chicago and then the Cardinal to Virginia (Clifton Forge) roundtrip in coach. That's 2 1/2 days each way. Sitting in a chair for that long with very, very little sleep each night was terribly hard. Climbing up... More

We really looked forward to the trip between San Francisco and Salt Lake City and back again but were very disappointed by the quality of the rolling stock. The trip out especially showed up the standard to be far below that of European stock; dirty surfaces and windows, unwiped mirrors, cracked surfaces, worn carpet, broken seats, torn and tatty harnesses... More

Some reviews on here made us concerned about this trip. Having done it the advice I would offer is you don't go camping and expect a luxury hotel - you go for the experience. The accommodation is cramped, it is difficult to sleep. It doesn't run entirely to schedule. Those are the negatives. The positives: Relaxing journey, stunning scenery, chance... More

What a wonderful experience! I am normally a "wound pretty tight" type of person, but discovered that traveling by train is a tranquil, relaxing experience. You just learn to go with the flow and let the trip happen. We boarded in Chicago after checking into a quite full Metropolitan Lounge. Took some time to explore Union Station and see the... More

When we told our friends we were taking the California Zephyr from Chicago to San Francisco, the universal response was "wow, what an amazing thing to do" - and they were right. This was our first rail trip in the USA, and what an introduction. We checked in at Union Station,Chicago, not really knowing what to expect. Our bags checked... More

First took this trip back in 1991 from Chicago to San Francisco. I was a teenager then and it was one of the most beautiful and memorable experience I've had in my life. 21 years later and now married, I shared the experience with my wife and took her on the same trip, this time from San Francisco to Chicago.... More