2026 Christmas & holiday train guide

A little Christmas magic. A real train ride.

Santa at the station. Lights along the rails. Hot chocolate on the way to the North Pole. Find your family’s holiday train, from a small park railway to a mountain excursion.

Choose your state ↓Explore Polar Express rides →Compare Polar Express ticket prices →

Niles Canyon Railway passenger coaches covered in Christmas lights at night — Niles Canyon’s Train of Lights during a test run in November 2017. Historical holiday photograph; this season’s decorations can differ. Display crop. Scott Capen / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0
Sold out when checked 2026-10-26
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Start with the train tickets. Check the exact date and seating class before booking a hotel or planning a long drive. Reviewed schedules and sold-out notices help you compare; they do not promise remaining seats.

Where will your holiday begin?

Christmas train rides by state

Open a state guide for its rides and boarding details. 118 reviewed programs are listed across the contiguous USA. Research continues; states marked “In review” do not yet have verified rides in this selection.

Your holiday departure

Find a ride worth the trip

Search rides or townsStateHoliday experienceRailway typeBooking and schedule status

118 rides match your filters · Showing 1–4

See these rides on a map

All 118 selected rides at 99 mapped locations, including results on the other pages. Shared depots list every selected program. Pins mark stations or event campuses; route references and inactive events are labeled in the pin details.

Passengers at a table inside a Christmas-decorated Adirondack Polar Express coach — Historical · 2021 · display crop
MattCC716 / Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0

Utica, NY · Heritage railroad

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride

Adirondack Railroad

2026 program listed — confirm departures

2026 ticket-sale notice published; select performance dates in official booking

Adirondack Railroad’s Utica Polar Express includes a station opening show and a train journey with cocoa, cookies and Santa.

Ticket status and source check

The operator supplies ticket information; date-specific remaining seats have not been verified. Availability has not been rechecked today.

Source reviewed 2026-10-12

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Illustrative stock photo: Grand Canyon Railway locomotive 237 decorated with a Christmas wreath — Illustrative stock · 2013 · display crop
Bill Morrow / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Bertram, TX · Heritage railroad

North Pole Flyer

Austin Steam Train Association

2026 dates published

November 28–29; December 5–6 and 12–13, 2026

Austin Steam Train’s North Pole Flyer runs on three holiday weekends and requires the event’s own reservation.

Ticket status and source check

The operator supplies ticket information; date-specific remaining seats have not been verified.

Source reviewed 2026-10-26

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Baltimore, MD · Museum train

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride

B&O Railroad Museum

2026 dates published

November 28–29; December 5–6, 12–13 and 19–22, 2026

Baltimore’s Polar Express pairs an onboard performance with a North Pole experience at the museum. The current operator name is National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation.

Ticket status and source check

The official page says tickets are now on sale; seat inventory for a selected performance was not checked.

Source reviewed 2026-10-26

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Illustrative stock photo: Tweetsie Railroad locomotive No. 12 with Christmas lights and a wreath at the station — Illustrative stock · 2018 · display crop
ET&WNC12 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Baltimore, MD · Rail trolley

Santa’s Streetcar

Baltimore Streetcar Museum

2026 dates published

December 5, December 6, December 12, December 13, December 19, December 20, 2026

Baltimore Streetcar Museum lists Santa’s Streetcar over three December weekends. The published event hours describe the visit window, rather than every trolley departure.

Ticket status and source check

The museum’s current season page lists Santa’s Streetcar dates and a January–February 2027 closure. Remaining seats and event-specific ticket choices were not checked.

Source reviewed 2026-10-26

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How we check the holiday guide

Official operator pages support each source review. Licensed Polar Express status and actual rail operation are checked separately. A season window is not a daily timetable, and older fares are not current prices.

We are an independent planning guide. Optional affiliate travel offers appear separately from official train tickets, with a commission disclosure. Historical photographs are captioned with their date; they do not guarantee this season’s train or decorations.