Find a Christmas train near you

Type your town in the search box at the top of this page, or tap Near me. It sorts all 214 holiday train events in the 50 states by distance from you, from licensed Polar Express rides to Santa trains, holiday lights trains and trolley rides. Each result shows dates, the lowest price and a link to the railroad's own ticket page.

From Los Angeles, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Irvine Park, Orange, about 1 hour; Perris (Polar Express), about 1 hour 15 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the California guide.

From San Diego, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Campo Depot, about 1 hour; Perris (Polar Express), about 1 hour 20 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the California guide.

From San Francisco, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Niles, Fremont, about 45 minutes; Los Gatos, about 1 hour; Napa, about 1 hour; Santa Cruz Boardwalk, about 1 hour 30 minutes; Sacramento (Polar Express), about 1 hour 30 minutes; Willits, about 2 hours 45 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the California guide.

From Phoenix, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Scottsdale, about 25 minutes; Mesa, about 25 minutes; Clarkdale, about 1 hour 50 minutes; Williams, about 2 hours 30 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Arizona guide.

From Denver, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Golden, about 25 minutes; Georgetown, about 1 hour; Leadville, about 2 hours; Cañon City, about 2 hours. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Colorado guide.

From Houston, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Alvin (Victory Camp), about 35 minutes; Galveston Union Depot, about 1 hour; Palestine Depot, about 2 hours 45 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Texas guide.

From Chicago, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Wheaton, about 45 minutes; South Elgin, about 1 hour; Union, about 1 hour 15 minutes; East Troy, WI, about 1 hour 45 minutes; North Judson (Santa Trains), about 1 hour 45 minutes; East Troy, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin guides.

From Minneapolis, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Jackson Street Roundhouse, about 20 minutes; Trego, about 2 hours; Duluth, about 2 hours 30 minutes; Green Bay, WI (Polar Express), about 4 hours 30 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Minnesota and Wisconsin guides.

From Detroit, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Flint (Crossroads Village), about 1 hour; Owosso, about 1 hour 30 minutes; Dennison, OH (licensed Polar Express), about 3 hours 30 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Michigan guide.

From Atlanta, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Stone Mountain, about 30 minutes; Blue Ridge, about 2 hours; Chattanooga, TN, about 2 hours; Cordele, about 2 hours 30 minutes; Bryson City, NC (licensed Polar Express), about 2 hours 45 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Georgia guide.

From Charlotte, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Spencer, about 45 minutes; Blowing Rock (Tweetsie), about 2 hours; Bryson City, about 3 hours 15 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the North Carolina guide.

From Washington, DC, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Alexandria King Street Station, about 20 minutes; Colesville, about 30 minutes; Baltimore B&O Museum, about 1 hour; Romney, about 2 hours 30 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia guides.

From Philadelphia, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Greenbank Station, about 40 minutes; Woodstown, about 45 minutes; New Hope, about 1 hour; Boyertown, about 1 hour; Strasburg (Ronks), about 1 hour 30 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania guides.

From Boston, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Carver, about 50 minutes; Buzzards Bay, about 1 hour; Woonsocket, RI (Polar Express), about 1 hour; Portland, about 2 hours; Lincoln, about 2 hours 15 minutes; North Conway, about 2 hours 45 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire guides.

From Kansas City, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Baldwin City, about 50 minutes; Abilene, about 2 hours 30 minutes; Branson, about 3 hours 30 minutes; St. Louis Union Station, about 3 hours 45 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Kansas and Missouri guides.

From Louisville, the closest holiday trains on our state guides are: Bardstown, about 45 minutes; New Haven, about 1 hour; French Lick (Polar Express), about 1 hour 15 minutes; French Lick, IN (Polar Express), about 1 hour 15 minutes. Drive times are typical for clear winter roads. Full dates, prices and booking links are on the Indiana and Kentucky guides.

The licensed Polar Express runs in 34 towns in 2026: Baltimore, Maryland; Branson, Missouri; Bryson City, North Carolina; Burlington, Vermont; Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts; Calverton, New York; Carson City, Nevada; Chehalis, Washington; Cumberland, Maryland; Dennison, Ohio; Durango, Colorado; French Lick, Indiana; Galveston, Texas; Golden, Colorado; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Hood River, Oregon; Jamestown, California; Kingston, New York; Medina, New York; Monticello, Illinois; New Orleans, Louisiana; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Palestine, Texas; Perris, California; Phillipsburg, New Jersey; Portland, Maine; Sacramento, California; Spencer, North Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri; Stearns, Kentucky; Utica, New York; Whippany, New Jersey; Williams, Arizona; Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

The first holiday trains of 2026 on our guides are THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride in Whippany, NJ, starting Nov 1; THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride in Williams, AZ, starting Nov 6; THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride in Golden, CO, starting Nov 6. Most rides start the weekend before or after Thanksgiving, and the most popular dates sell out first.

Yes. 38 of the 214 rides on this page still run on December 26 or later, often as New Year or holiday lights trains. Tap the Runs after Christmas filter in the search box to see only those, sorted by distance from your town.

Yes. 82 rides on this page start at $30 or less per person, and a few are free with a donation. Tap the Under $30 filter, or sort the results by lowest price. Prices on each card are the lowest adult or child fare we found on the railroad's own site.

On our guides, Pennsylvania leads with 16 holiday train events in 2026, followed by California with 13 and New York with 12. Even states without a tourist railroad usually have a holiday train within a few hours' drive, and each state guide lists the closest ones.

No. Every ticket link on this page goes straight to the railroad or museum that runs the ride, so you pay their price and get their confirmation. We are a family that wrote a picture book about a corgi's first train ride, and these guides are how we help other families find theirs.

This page is the search: every state and every town with a holiday train, so you can find what is near you fast. Our Christmas train guide by state on the blog explains the difference between licensed and unlicensed rides, what tickets cost and how to book without the stress.