This Scenic Lakeside Train From Chicago To New York Is One Of The Best In North America

Compared with Amtrak's other long-distance train routes, the Lake Shore Limited is one of the best in the U.S. In 2024, its on-time performance was 75%, putting it ahead of every other route except the City of New Orleans. The train runs from Chicago to New York's Albany-Rensselaer station, where its two sections uncouple, branching off to Boston or Manhattan, depending on which one you take. Leading up to that is one of the best rides in North America for lake views, according to train enthusiasts.

You can enjoy views of Lake Michigan even before you leave Chicago. Spend a day or two in the city and take a cruise with Shoreline Sightseeing to see the fireworks over Navy Pier on Wednesday and Saturday nights. The pier itself is a Chicago tourist trap you should avoid unless you want to ride a Ferris wheel in the city that showcased the very first one back in 1893. Book a hotel that evening near the historic Union Station; designed by architect Daniel Burnham, it celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025. You may recognize the interior from movies like "The Untouchables," where a slow-motion shootout involving gangsters and a stroller took place on one marble staircase. The next evening, you'll board the Lake Shore Limited in Union Station for the overnight haul from Chicago to Cleveland (which should take about seven hours, barring delays).

If you don't mind waking up 90 minutes earlier, you can disembark the train when it makes its pre-dawn arrival in Sandusky, Ohio. This is where one of America's oldest amusement parks, Cedar Point, is located. The park's first simple attraction, a mile-long beach along Lake Erie, opened to the public in 1870. Since then, it's evolved to include 18 roller coasters, so you can also visit this staple Midwest amusement park for thrills.

Like Cedar Point, Cleveland's top tourist attraction, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is on the shore of Lake Erie. Inside the museum's glass pyramid, you'll find exhibits on everything from the British Invasion to Sun Records, which helped launch the careers of artists like The Beatles and Elvis Presley. The 1984 exhibit explores "pop music's best year ever," displaying the jacket Michael Jackson wore in the music video for "Thriller," among other artifacts. For a piece of American history, head across town to the James A. Garfield Memorial in Lakeview Cemetery, where the 20th U.S. president was interred under a mosaic dome with stained-glass windows following his assassination.

After stopping off in Cleveland, you can head out again bright and early the next morning on the Lake Shore Limited. One important thing to note is that a left-side seat on the train's eastbound route offers a better chance for actual lake views. If you take the westbound route, ending in Chicago, you'll miss the lakeside stretch from Buffalo, New York, to Erie, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, since the train passes through those cities at night. Unlike Amtrak's double-decker trains, the Lake Shore Limited has no observation car or "sightseer lounge" offering floor-to-ceiling views of the passing scenery, either. Even when riding east, you might find that you're seeing Lake Erie from afar or glimpsing it through trees.

This is why it helps to break up the 20-hour journey with stopovers in waterfront destinations like Buffalo, where you can even board a submarine at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. Head inland for a guided tour of the National Historic Site where President Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1901. Football fans can cheer on the Buffalo Bills at the new Highmark Stadium, while architecture lovers can check out Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House and the 32-story, Art Deco tower that is Buffalo City Hall.

At Depew Station in Buffalo, you could transfer to Amtrak's Empire Service train for a 65-minute ride to Niagara Falls. Otherwise, keep heading east on the Lake Shore Limited for the train's split at Albany-Rensselaer. The station itself is located in Rensselaer, where lyrics to the American folk song "Yankee Doodle" are said to have been composed at Crailo State Historic Site during the French and Indian War. Just across the Hudson River is Albany, where you can visit the New York State Capitol, a building with an ornate blend of architectural styles that makes it look more like a French chateau than the seat of government.

Despite its name, the most scenic part of the Lake Shore Limited route might actually be the Hudson River Valley, which you'll see on the way to New York City. That's especially true during October, when the fall foliage is at its peak. The train runs right alongside the river, giving passengers on the right side a view looking out over the water as it chugs along and eventually reaches Moynihan Train Hall in Midtown Manhattan. This is something you'd miss if you flew into LaGuardia or JFK Airport, and it's a great way to make your inbound journey part of the whole autumn in New York experience.

Even if you're headed to Boston on the Lake Shore Limited, you might still be able to catch some beautiful fall colors in Western Massachusetts. Make a pit stop in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and you can visit Arrowhead, the home where Herman Melville wrote the novel "Moby Dick." When you arrive in Boston, you can head back out on the water, taking a harbor cruise or visiting a unique national park spread out across dozens of islands.