Holiday trains & ‘Polar Express Train Rides’ (2024) - Trains (2024)

By Nastassia Putz | May 23, 2024

| Last updated on May 29, 2024

Spreading holiday cheer along the rails

Holiday trains & Polar Express Train Rides (2024)

Holiday trains & Polar Express Train Rides (2024): It’s never too early to start planning for a magical train ride with family and friends — especially when tickets go on sale during the spring and summer for some venues.

Purchasing a ticket for a holiday ride on a passenger train is a wonderful treat for anyone. The youngsters — and the young at heart, especially — like to gather on a cold, wintry day for a comfy, cozy experience that sparks wonderment in the eyes of all whom truly believe.

Depending on what you’re looking for this 2024 season, there are many different types of holiday trains to choose from. Some where you can meet Santa, visit the “North Pole,” sip hot chocolate or wine in a beautifully decorated vintage passenger car, or, for one magical night, be fully immersed in the classic children’s book, Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Whatever your choice may be, here is a list of the 2023 Polar Express and holiday trains by location.

ALABAMA

ARIZONA

  • Grand Canyon (Williams), thetrain.com (Polar Express & Ultimate Polar Express Nov. 1 to Dec. 30 — on sale now)

ARKANSAS

CALIFORNIA

COLORADO

CONNECTICUT

DELAWARE

  • Wilmington & Western (Wilmington), wwrr.com

FLORIDA

GEORGIA

ILLINOIS

  • Chicago Union Station (Chicago) chicagounionstation.com (Polar Express — TBD)
  • Fox River Trolley Museum (South Elgin), foxtrolley.org (Polar Express — on sale June 1, 2024)
  • Illinois Railroad Museum (Union), irm.org
  • Monticello Railway Museum (Monticello), mrym.org (Polar Express — TBD, on sale Sept. 7, 2024)

INDIANA

IOWA

KANSAS

KENTUCKY

  • Big South Fork Scenic Railway (Stearns), bsfsry.com (Polar Express Nov. 15 to Dec. 23 — on sale now)
  • Bluegrass Scenic Railroad (Versailles), bgrm.org
  • Kentucky Railway Museum (New Haven), kyrail.org
  • My Old Kentucky Dinner Train (Bardstown), kydinnertrain.com

MAINE

MARYLAND

  • B&O Railroad Museum (Baltimore), borail.org (Polar Express — on sale July 20, 2024) (Christmas in July on July 20/21, 2024)
  • Walkersville Southern (Walkersville), wsrr.org
  • Western Maryland Scenic (Cumberland), wmsr.com (Polar Express Dec. 8 to 17 — on sale in July)

MASSACHUSETTS

MICHIGAN

MINNESOTA

  • Minnesota Streetcar Museum (Minneapolis), trolleyride.org
  • North Shore Scenic (Duluth), northshorescenicrailroad.org
  • Railroading Heritage of Midwest America & Friends of the 261 (St. Paul), 261.com/npe/npe-sponsorship/

MISSOURI

MONTANA

NEVADA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

NORTH CAROLINA

  • Great Smoky Mountains (Bryson City), gsmr.com (Polar Express Nov. 7 to Dec. 31 — on sale now)
  • New Hope Valley Railway (New Hill), triangletrain.com
  • North Carolina Transportation Museum (Spencer), nctrans.org (Polar Express Nov. 8 to Dec. 23 — on sale June 6, 2024)

OHIO

OKLAHOMA

OREGON

PENNSYLVANIA

RHODE ISLAND

SOUTH CAROLINA

  • South Carolina Railroad Museum (Winnsboro), scrm.org

SOUTH DAKOTA

TENNESSEE

TEXAS

UTAH

VERMONT

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON

WEST VIRGINIA

WISCONSIN

MULTIPLE STATES

CANADA

Interested in learning a bit more about the Polar Express… check out this online article, “Behind the scenes of Polar Express,” or the more in-depth print version in Trains’ December 2023 issue!

Holiday trains & ‘Polar Express Train Rides’ (2024) - Trains (2024)

FAQs

How much are tickets on The Polar Express? ›

TICKETS: £43.95 TO £57.95

If you call and book accessible tickets, you will be seated in the Premium Class section of THE POLAR EXPRESS ™, which will feature all the usual Premium Class benefits. The coach which is accessible has a widened doorway, and is accessed via a ramp for wheelchairs.

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Where is the best Polar Express train ride? ›

Top Polar Express Train Rides in the U.S.
  • Grand Canyon Railway | Williams, Arizona. ...
  • Colorado Railroad Museum | Golden, Colorado. ...
  • Great Smoky Mountains Railroad | Bryson City, North Carolina. ...
  • Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. ...
  • Branson Scenic Railway | Branson, Missouri. ...
  • French Lick Scenic Railway | French Lick, Indiana.

Keep Reading ›
How long is The Polar Express train ride in NJ? ›

The train ride itself is one hour in length.

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What do you get on The Polar Express train ride? ›

Beloved characters from the story including the chefs, Conductor and maybe even the ghost on the train will draw you ever deeper into the story of the Polar Express. As the train steams along it's journey, everyone will be served hot chocolate and a tasty cookie just like in the film.

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Is The Polar Express ride worth it? ›

Honestly, we had the best time and everyone was so friendly and in character and everything was executed so well. It was definitely a wonderful and festive way to kick off the holiday season. You could REALLY feel the magic of Christmas!

See Details ›
Do you wear pajamas on The Polar Express? ›

We encourage our guests, young and young at heart to wear pyjamas just as in the book with a dressing gown for good measure also.

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Is Polar Express better at night or day? ›

DEFINITELY at night. The lights are amazing and it is so much more of a Polar Express experience! Go on another excursion sometime during the day! For children.....the night is the BEST.

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Do you get off the train on The Polar Express? ›

You are on board the train for approximately 1 hour. Once your experience is over you can spend as much time in our gift shop as you wish but we tend to find guests spend around 15min – 30min here before you head back on the shuttle to the car park. Therefore we find guests are with us around 1:30-2 hours.

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What do you wear to a Polar Express train ride? ›

Children under two receive a silver sleigh bell from Santa but do not receive a treat or hot chocolate. What should my family wear? Families are encouraged to wear warm pajamas just like passengers from THE POLAR EXPRESS™ book and film.

Find Out More ›
Is there a toilet on The Polar Express? ›

The carriages are stationed so you can't see either end of the train. The carriages were decorated with tinsel and lights and there are toilets on the train. The journey was entertaining with music, dancing chefs, ghost hobo and the conductor.

Get More Info Here ›

Do you eat on The Polar Express? ›

The difference between classes are the amenities and seating options. Standard: Passengers receive hot cocoa (served in a quality paper cup), a cookie, a silver sleigh bell, and a golden ticket. Tickets are for seats in coaches, without tables.

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Does everyone get a bell on The Polar Express train ride? ›

Every customer travelling on the POLAR EXPRESS™ will receive Hot chocolate, a cookie and the sleigh bell from Santa, (the first gift of Christmas). Customers in the premium carriages will also receive the special ceramic mug each and the special POLAR EXPRESS™ bag (per pair of seats).

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What is the difference between standard and premium tickets on The Polar Express? ›

Premium class passengers will each receive the special limited edition ceramic POLAR EXPRESS™ mug and a POLAR EXPRESS™ bag for each pair of seats.

Keep Reading ›
How to get Polar Express for free? ›

Although The Polar Express isn't available on free legal streaming services such as PlutoTV or Tubi, you can find it for free on the Internet Archive website. Watching films on Internet Archive is completely legal, as the movies on there are in the public domain.

Get More Info ›
How many hours is The Polar Express? ›

All Aboard to the North Pole!

The ride lasts a little over an hour, with the train leaving each night at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. TOTAL ROUND-TRIP TIME: Approximately 90 minutes. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

Get More Info Here ›
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