California’s Gold Rush Rail Adventure

California, here we come! Our new California Gold Rush Rail Adventure is perfect for anyone who delights in riding the rails and taking a trip back in time. Start your adventure in the City by the Bay where you’ll enjoy the famous sights. Wind your way along the Pacific coast, through beautiful old-growth redwood forests and into the heart of Old Sacramento. Come take a seat and enjoy the ride!

Highlights include

Day 1—San Francisco: Mighty railroads were essential to the success of the Gold Rush miners and loggers in the early days of Northern California. You’re on the right track to relive this glorious era on our exclusive itinerary for California’s Gold Rush Rail Adventure.

Day 2—San Francisco/Sonoma Valley/Mendocino: Board a deluxe motorcoach for an exciting tour of San Francisco—”the City by the Bay.” You’ll see so many famous sights, including Chinatown, Nob Hill, Union Square and Golden Gate Park. Then take in the spectacular surroundings as we cross the world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge to Sonoma Valley, the heart of California’s beautiful wine country.

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Arrive Montreal
Welcome to Montreal. A city of sophistication and style, where the restaurant guide is required reading. Where fashion calls home and the shopping is hard to beat.

Montreal is a very modern city, the eighth cleanest in the world, yet full of history and vibrancy which give it an old world feel. Check out some of the views of the city on this webcam site, plan a trip using the wiki travel site or brush up on your French to better enjoy your stay.

Here are some highlights of the 10 day train trip:

Montreal to Moncton
You have the full day to enjoy Montreal. Your city sightseeing tour will help you understand Montreal’s history and achievements.

Arrive Moncton
Today would be a great day to visit Water Theme Park, Magnetic Hill Zoo, and Magnetic Hill, where you can put your car in neutral and go uphill!

Bay of Fundy
On the way to the “Rocks” & “Fundy National Park” there is the Salem & Hillsborough Railroad Museum, with an operating 1912 steam engine.

Arrive Montreal
You arrive early morning, leaving the opportunity to spend time in Montreal.

For more information about this fantastic round trip rail journey from Montreal then visit here.

The trains were originally used for the sugar plantations, taking the sugar to the boats for transport. There were originally seven private companies on four of the islands. Now there is only a band of Haiwaiian railway volunteers maintaining the railroad on Ohau island.

They have three desiel engines and several different cars, and trips run throughout the week around the year. The journey is 90 minutes long and fully guided.

If you’re going to Hawaii then finding something a little exotic and special is almost a prerequisite for this delightful island.

11 Day/10 Night Tour Features

Day 1 – Los Angeles Union Station Welcome to Los Angeles! Without a doubt the wide windows of a railroad coach serve up better and more accessible views than any mode of transport. 

Day 2 – Rail Through the Southwest – San Antonio After a leisurely breakfast enjoy the views as the landscape changes from painted canyons to red rock vistas and Texas Longhorn working ranches.

Day 3 – San Antonio Enjoy a leisurely morning along the famous Riverwalk. Today the history of San Antonio comes alive as we are joined by a local guide for a highlights tour. 

Day 4 – San Antonio – Board the Grand Princess Today, board our deluxe motorcoach bound for historic Galveston. View the seawall area and the restored buildings along the Strand before boarding the Grand Princess…our home away from home for the next 7 nights.

Day 5 – At Sea

Enjoy all of the amenities onboard. The Grand Princess has 9 restaurants, 3 show lounges, a Casino, Disco, Card Room, Game Arcade, 4 outdoor swimming pools, 1 indoor pool, 9 Whirlpools, 12 lounges, a putting green, basketball, fitness room, jogging track, volleyball, beauty salon, library, internet café, and even a Wedding Chapel! (All shipboard meals included)

Day 6 – Puerto Costa Maya Puerto Costa Maya is the newest port of call in the Mexican Caribbean. Built around the culture of the ancient Maya, and the rich expanse of the Yucatan Peninsula, enjoy sapphire blue seas, emerald green jungles, and a wealth of experiences ranging from diving shipwrecks to shopping.

Day 7 – Roatan, Honduras

Roatan is the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands with small towns and fishing villages built along the water’s edge. Ideal for snorkeling, explore the offshore coral reefs inhabited with brilliantly colored fish. (All shipboard meals)

Day 8 – Belize

Belize offers a thousand years of history. Formally known as the British Honduras, this area has the second largest barrier reef in the world. Dive, snorkel, explore the ancient Mayan ruins, take a once-in-a-lifetime canopy tour through the rain forest or visit the sanctuary for Howler monkeys. (All shipboard meals)

Day 9 – Cozumel Sitting off the Yucatan coast, Cozumel revels in its white sand beache

Day 10 – At Sea

Catch up on a good book and enjoy life at sea. (All shipboard meals)

Day 11 – Galveston-Fly to Los Angeles After breakfast this morning, disembark the Grand Princess in Galveston. Our motorcoach driver will shuttle you to the Houston Airport for your flight back to Los Angeles. Welcome Home!

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Fantastic rail/sea trip taking in a California and Mexico resorts.

Trip highlights: 

Round-trip passage and sleeping car accommodations aboard Amtrak’s Coast Starlight from Seattle to Los Angeles

4 nights Baja California Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s “Monarch of the Seas”

1 night accommodation aboard the Queen Mary

1 night deluxe accommodation in Los Angeles Local sightseeing

Day 1–Board Amtrak's Coast Starlight

Today we depart from Seattle's King Street Station. Embark on Amtrak's Coast Starlight and enjoy a full day of daylight rail travel through beautiful Washington State and Oregon. Settle into your sleeping accommodations after a wonderful meal in the dining car. (L/ D on board train)

Day 2: Coastline–Arrive in Los Angeles

Another full day of daylight rail including the spectacular coast of California. Enjoy the scenery from the Pacific Parlour Car, complete with afternoon wine tasting. Arrive Los Angeles and check in to the Queen Mary, one time luxury ocean liner, now a floating hotel! (B/L/D on board train)

Day 3: Embark on the Monarch of the Seas

Enjoy an included breakfast aboard the Queen Mary. Explore this grand ocean liner that once sailed the oceans of the world, or the many attractions of Long Beach. In the afternoon, transfer to the cruise terminal to board Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas cruise ship. Settle into your cabin and enjoy the amenities of this intimate ship. (B/D)

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Experience the perfect day trip from San Francisco to majestic Yosemite National Park via Amtrak's San Joaquin train and its luxury motor coach connection. Start your journey to Yosemite aboard a shuttle bus to the Emeryville Train Station. Board the train and wind through California's famous San Joaquin Valley, the "Fruit Basket of America".

At the Modesto Amtrak Train Station, board your motor coach, receive a box lunch, and continue with your sightseeing tour of Yosemite while enjoying the drive through the Gold Rush town of Mariposa.

Upon arrival in Yosemite Valley, you will board the "open air" tram tour with a Yosemite Park Ranger to "Inspiration Point" for a panoramic view of Half Dome, El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, and more. At the end of the tour in Emeryville, our motor coach will meet and return you to your San Francisco hotel.

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Here is an example schedule of the Golden Circle/Whistler tour: 

Day 1 Vancouver Arrival

You will be met on arrival at Vancouver International Airport and transferred to your downtown Vancouver accommodation.

Day 2 Vancouver to Whistler (Whistler accommodation), Glacier Dome Experience

Travel on board the Whistler Mountaineer Glacier Dome Experience from the coastal city of Vancouver to the resort town of Whistler (a great Whistler condo rental is here), renowned for outstanding skiing and year-round outdoor activities. Following your motor coach transfer from Downtown Vancouver, the Whistler Mountaineer takes you on a breathtaking rail journey through the stunning scenery of this "Sea to Sky" region.

Day 3 Whistler (Whistler lodging) to Quesnel, GoldLeaf Service

Travel on board the Rocky Mountaineer in GoldLeaf Service style from the four-season mountain resort of Whistler to the charming rural town of Quesnel, the gateway to the North Cariboo. Enjoy breathtaking and varied scenery, from the river canyons and lush farmland of the Pemberton Valley, to the desert-like conditions of the Fraser Canyon, and the Cariboo Plateau with its rolling hills and vast ranch lands. Highlights include the shorelines of Anderson Lake and glacial fed Seton Lake, sweeping views of the Fraser Canyon and Deep Creek Bridge, one of the highest railway bridges in the world.

Day 4 Quesnel to Jasper, GoldLeaf Service

Your journey continues eastward today to the majestic Canadian Rockies and Jasper National Park. From Quesnel the Rocky Mountaineer follows the Fraser River north to the town of Prince George and then travels east through the forests of Northern British Columbia, home to plentiful wildlife including a large population of moose. Entering the Rocky Mountain Trench you are surrounded to the north by the steeply rising Rocky Mountains and to the south by the Cariboo Mountains. Continue climbing past Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies at 3,954 metres (12,972 feet), and through the Yellowhead Pass into the province of Alberta. Your rail journey ends today on arrival in your overnight destination of Jasper. Overnight at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

Day 5 Jasper Sightseeing

All traveling in the Canadian Rockies is onboard a specially designed motor coach providing extra legroom and additional comfort. The remainder of the day is at your leisure. Overnight at The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

Day 6 Icefields Parkway Tour from Jasper to Lake Louise

Continue your trip through the Canadian Rockies traveling along one of the most scenic highways in the world, the Icefields Parkway. Among the highlights are Crowfoot Glacier, Peyto Lake, the Columbia Icefield, Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls. The Columbia Icefield is one of the largest accumulations of ice south of the Arctic Circle and it is here that you will ride an Ice Explorer to the middle of Athabasca Glacier to learn more about its geological features. T

Day 7 Lake Louise to Banff

Enjoy a full-day tour of Yoho and Banff National Parks. Begin your morning in Yoho Park visiting the Spiral Tunnels, Emerald Lake and a natural Rock Bridge that spans the Kicking Horse River. 

Day 8 Banff to Kamloops, GoldLeaf Service

Travel onboard the Rocky Mountaineer from the mountain town of Banff to Kamloops, in the heart of British Columbia's interior. Your journey offers you a spectacular range of scenery as you travel between the high peaks of the Canadian Rockies, over mountain passes and through remarkable tunnels, along rocky lakeshores and across the ranchlands of the interior. Today's highlights include the Continental Divide, the Spiral Tunnels a remarkable feat of railroad engineering, the Kicking Horse Canyon, Rogers Pass, Craigellachie where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven and of course the glaciers and snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies. 

Day 9 Kamloops to Vancouver, GoldLeaf Service

Your journey continues west towards the Pacific Ocean and the coastal city of Vancouver. On today's journey you will again see dramatic changes in scenery, from the desert-like environment of the interior, through winding river canyons and forests surrounded by the peaks of the Coast and Cascade Mountains to the lush green fields of the Fraser River Valley. Highlights include the steep slopes and rock sheds along the Thompson River and the rushing waters of Hell's Gate in the Fraser Canyon. Overnight at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

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Coaches on the Santa Fe Southern Railway are charming vintage cars which have been authentically restored or renovated with a southwestern look.

Seats in rows have "walk-over" backs which allow passengers to face all one way or face each other. Interiors are graced with high ceilings and windows which can open.

Santa Fe Southern Railway's Silver Class cars are vintage ATSF Super Chief cars which afford riders a cozier, more intimate experience.

These carpeted, silver sided coaches with lounge chair seating transform into diners with two to six person table seating for our dinner trains. Whether you're riding on the authentically restored Acoma Lounge Car or the Plaza Lamy Pleasure Dome, you'll experience the comfortable luxury of America's train heyday. Silver Class is subject to availability.

Within the lovely Plaza Lamy Pleasure Dome car (description above) are 16 special seats "up top!" Eight of these seats are walk-over bench seats, and eight of them are swivel seats.

The dome seats are surrounded by a glass dome which affords the rider a 360 degree view. Dome Seating subject to availability.

The 120 year-old spur from Lamy to Santa Fe, the vintage railcars, and the charming California mission-style depot at 410 S. Guadalupe St., combine to make a charming slice of history.

Every year, tens of thousands of visitors come to see, photograph and paint the old Santa Fe Depot and ride the train along the original high-desert route that carried early tourist adventurers, settlers, artists and scientists into the city.

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Of all that may pull you to the Grand Canyon, nothing is more powerful than Grand Canyon Railway's fleet of vintage locomotives. As the mighty giant pulls you closer you're more than content to watch a remarkable world go by in the comforts of your train car.

Out your window, high desert turns to prairie, prairie to pine. It's a view that's ever changing until you come across a view that changes so dramatically, it could very well change you.

Each train engine, both steam and diesel, and each train car, from Coach to First Class, has been painstakingly restored to its original state by a staff of mechanics who see their work as more a labor of love than a job.

During the train tour, your crew is no less enthusiastic. Each is bursting with local and Grand Canyon folklore and history, as well as Grand Canyon Railway knowledge.

Strolling musicians catch you up with what was hot way back when. And there's even fun recreations of an old fashioned shoot out and a train robbery. 

The Sunset Limited  Grand Canyon train trip

An exclusive afternoon train will depart in the fall on its way through the changing seasons to an engagement with a Grand Canyon sunset. Travel in the Railway's fleet of First Class streamliner-era stainless steel rail cars to the South Rim.

Upon arrival, enjoy an exclusive motorcoach tour to witness the setting sun from the world's most spectacular backdrop. Then, travel back under the stars as a variety of hot hors d'oeuvres and appetizers are provided along with a full bar.

An early morning departure from the Canadian Pacific Railway Pavilion in downtown Calgary takes you along the foothills of Alberta. Delight in a scenic breakfast as the train winds its way into the Canadian Rockies through Banff National Park en route to Lake Louise – Canada's largest ski and snowboard area.

The train will park at Chalet Spur and you will be whisked off by motor coach for a day on the 4200 ski-able acres of mountain slopes. 

After a few turns down the mountain, enjoy a private lunch at the lodge prior to returning to the slopes for the afternoon.

Upon arrival back to the train, the gourmet dinner prepared by our world class chefs await you. Reminisce with your fellow guests over dinner and drinks, as the train journeys east back to Calgary for the final leg of your tour.

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