Taking the Train to San Diego

I’ve always wanted to ride the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train somewhere. I heard the views are gorgeous. In September, I was coordinating a friend’s wedding and I decided to take the train to San Diego and I loved it!

I don’t travel alone very often since I’ve had Charlie as my travel buddy for over 13 years. Since we’ve been traveling a lot, Charlie couldn’t take off work at Ninong’s so I ventured to San Diego alone.

So for those of you that are interested in taking the train to San Diego it’s a really easy process! Simply go to the Amtrak website and plan your fare. Savings tip: if you book in advance (2 days or more) you can redeem a AAA discount for your ticket. 

I left from the Chatsworth train station (party of the Ventura County Line) and it took me a mere 50 minutes to get to Downtown LA. It takes way longer than that in traffic! Once we got to DTLA there’s a bit of a wait so that they can switch attendants and assist new passengers with boarding. Once everyone boarded we were on our way to San Diego!

The whole trip (from Chatsworth to San Diego) has many convenient stops. There is a stop at Burbank Airport, Downtown LA, Anaheim (Honda Center, Angels Stadium, Disneyland), San Clemente Pier, and so much more. I’m really excited to take the train to these other stops!

All in all the trip was great! The Amtrak has outlets in every row, free wifi (mind you it’s spotty), and food /drink. I basically worked on iPad and watched YouTube all the way to San Diego. :

So I know what your waiting for, my tips for next time:
1. From Downtown LA to San Diego sit on the left side of the train so you have the ocean view. Sit on the opposite side on the way back.
2. The sooner you know you’re going to be taking the train to travel book your ticket. It generally doesn’t change in price so just take advantage of discounts (AAA, student, senior, military, etc.)
3. I’ve taken the train to Disneyland too! It’s awesome! The trains drop you off at the ARTIC station in Anaheim and you can take a bus or quick Lyft/Uber ride to the park.
4. You can also take the Metrolink Train for a cheaper fare. The Amtrak and Metrolink trains run on the same track, just make sure you use their trip planners to make sure their schedule works for you. Weekend and weekday schedules are different and the Amtrak and Metrolink Train rails run/stop in different cities. For example Metrolink Trains don’t currently go all the way to San Diego (only to Oceanside). The Ventura County Line doesn’t run on the weekends so Amtrak is the only option Sat-Sun.
5. The later the train the more delayed. Try to get onto an early train so you experience minimal delays. You can follow the Pacific Surfliner on Twitter or call their toll free number for the latest updates.

xoxo,