As there is limited availability for booking tickets, purchasing is required. It is advised to book ahead of time.
Your ticket to the train journey is automatically sent to your device after you have processed payment on the site. This can be done with the link listed as the booking site. It's worth noting that our round trip journey for two was just over 800, splitting the cost came to over 400 per person. Please note that sleeper accommodations can only be booked by the room and not by individual berths. Thus, traveling with an entire group of friends is recommended for value reasons as you could take a room for four. Selecting Your Seat
There is coach seat selection along with class sleeper select and observation select. Those are different from coaches and there's an entire observation car for even better views than the passing landscape thanks to the glass that goes over the roof as well.
While first class offers three configurations, they are separated by:1. Single occupancy
2. Double occupancy
3. Quad occupancy
Room occupant limits apply and vary the pricing. Only two of us went so we were forced to take a room for two, which I should mention was very cramped so I didn't take photos as it was only two to three square meters max. The lower berth was actually not bad, but the upper one was extremely small and narrow which made it very difficult to sleep so that was the worst part of the journey for me. It's a good thing that there are four person rooms which are a lot bigger. So, if you're traveling with four people then that is the best option for both comfort and value. The room can only be locked from inside, not from the outside. Taking valuables when you leave the train may be a good idea. Leaving my belongings was fine, but it’s better to be safe. Tips: Washing and showering facilities exist on the train, and I found the first-class facilities to be clean. Showering on the train was better than I expected. Dining Car and Café The train has a dining car and a café. The café is mainly for grabbing a water and a few little things, while the dining car takes up a whole railcar. If the dining car is full, you can put your name down, and when it is your turn, they will call you by number over the train speaker. For breakfast and lunch you can just walk in, but for dinner you have to reserve a time. The staff come to set up dinner before it starts. Sleeper passengers get their meals included and get to reserve dinner before other passengers. The dining car has a decent selection, but I found the food to be disappointing. American standard food is usually not my preference, but fellow travelers may feel the opposite. Dining car Tips: There is little to no internet service for a good part of the trip, so when traveling near big cities, don’t rely on it for watching movies or reading books. Come prepared to slow down and just watch the scenery instead. Scenery Along the Route Day 1 — Through Forests and Plains We boarded the train in the small town next to where the California Zephyr starts in San Francisco. No one checked our tickets, and the conductor just said to us that everything was fine, and we could move around the train.
The Observation Car
My roommate and I headed upstairs to the observation car. We couldn't believe just how big and open it was.
Observation car
Leaving California
The first stop was Sacramento, which is the capital of California. Honestly, it felt really rural and didn't look like a capital city at all. After, we headed towards the countryside starting with farmland and ranches.
Old Sacramento
Gradually we got deeper into the mountains. You could see the American River flowing through the valley, and there was mist around the mountains. Even though California has a reputation for having a lot of sunshine, it was a nice change to see a little from what we had been seeing.
As we traveled further into the mountains, I began experiencing ear pain due to the high altitude, and I saw snow outside the windows. There were streams that were snow-fed and about halfway through the mountains the scenery was an uninterrupted white.
Finally, we began to descend, and the snow-covered peaks gave way to a picturesque view filled with greenery and scattered dry grasses. This small river was likely formed by mountain melt which is an important freshwater source in California.
Nevada
I found the regions between California and Nevada the most beautiful out of the trip.
