Solana Beach Amtrak Station

Super location pretty close to my house. Great way to avoid the highway and have an amazing view of the coast. Free wi-​fi, not a great signal, but again it’s free. Comfortable and relaxing. It’s definitely the way to go!

One star for timeliness. With track work happening between Solana Beach and Oceanside they scheduled a bus to run between the two stations until the train could start running in Oceanside. Bus is currently an hour behind schedule and we are now just crossing our fingers for them to hold the train in Oceanside for us.
However, I have to give the crazy lady at the desk in the station one more star. This is like a one woman comedy show. She is raising her voice, blaming the drivers, berating other Amtrak personnel and just going on and on and on and on about how unacceptable this is because apparently it happened last week for the same time as well. It’s like an extra little show we didn’t even have to pay for! We are all sitting on the edge of our uncomfortable concrete seats waiting for the phone to ring again so we can listen to her reaction.
Oh and to top it all off-​she parked her car in the drive through where there are posted no parking signs and then had the audacity to yell at someone that stopped there for just a few minutes.
Good morning Amtrak, drink some coffee and get yourselves together because it feels like you’re falling apart.

I was travelling to Irvine with my road bike. I didn’t make a bike reservation. The ticketing staff was extremely helpful and friendly. So was the conductor lady that helped me check in and out my bike. Very pleasant experience. It’s nice to travel with bike.

Did you know there is a dedicated transit bus that runs a continuous loop between the Santa Fe station and the airport? The transit bus stops every 20 minutes or so in front of the American Plaza station, across the street from the Santa Fe station.
So you can park for FREE at the very safe suburban Solana Beach Amtrak station and only pay transit bus fare to the airport.

This stop is in the middle of a street, so it’s a little weird. It’s a clean station though and the coaster as well as the amtrak stops here. It’s not as big as the one in Oceanside but reliable nonetheless.
Just make sure to avoid this station during the Del Mar races, it’s insane, especially Opening Day. Either get here early or drive, trust me, it’s not worth it!

The amtrak/​coaster schedule and destinations are sooo limited, plus its never on time. Public transportation is a joke in San Diego. No wonder there are so many DUI’s, I guess DUI’s are good business $$$$! Sad!!!

As a student who doesn’t drive, I go on the Amtrak all the time to go back home. I buy my ticket online (you don’t have to print it out — just have the QR code saved on your phone) but you can also buy one at the ticket machine or station. A one-​way trip from San Diego to LA is $ 31. Northbound trains like to LA run on track 2 and southbound runs on track 1. There’s a seating area in the station itself but it’s best to wait down at the tracks just to make sure you don’t miss the train. If you have some time on your hands, go take a stroll through the surrounding streets — there are a lot of restaurants and food places if you’re hungry!
The two carry on rule is not strictly enforced on the train. Actually, they don’t even check to see how many bags you have. Clean interior and generous air conditioning. There are outlets and desks. There’s a mini café downstairs with sandwiches, salads, chips, beer, etc. Your ticket gets scanned a couple of minutes after you get seated.

What this station lacks in amenities, it makes up for in convenience. You can literally buy a ticket and walk right out to where the platforms are — it’s really easy and even those that aren’t familiar with traveling should have no problem figuring out where to go.
There is no wifi and no place to purchase snacks or drinks. Luckily it’s within walking distance of some great coffee shops that provide both of those things. If you have time to kill before or after your train comes in, it’s adjacent to the Design District so there are plenty of places to shop, and close to a lot of eateries or even the water. Lots to do.
If it’s hot outside, they have a nice air conditioned place for you to sit. It’s not the most comfortable since all of the furniture and stools are made of cement. It looks cool though.
Parking is a cinch and if you’re just dropping off/​picking up, there are plenty of spots and a place to pull up and wait.

I went here last night to pick up my mom from her trip up north to San Francisco (though she didn’t realize that the Amtrak also stops at Sorrento Valley — which is much closer to our place. But I digress…) — the Solana Beach Amtrak Station is relatively clean, with plenty of parking spaces. There really aren’t too many seats inside the station itself, but the Amtrak staffer behind the counter was a lot more helpful than the ones I’ve encountered in Fullerton and Anaheim.
Not a fan of having to go down two flights of stairs to reach the track, but at least I got my steps in!

Pretty quick to get a ticket if you have 5 minutes to spare upon arriving. Just be sure not to confuse the ticket machines with one another. There are two different ones. There is one — I believe it was traveling within san diego to old town and etc. And the other is the Amtrak Surfliner which travels alongside the coast northbound and southbound of the Californian Coast.
Depending on which train you are taking make sure you are on the right one! Northbound to places such as LA is on track 2, and Southbound is track1. Keep in mind that nearby the building is the ticket machines for the Surfliner since the ticket windows close 5 minutes before the train is scheduled to arrive.
Also bring chargers– unlike NY city trains, but like NJ Jersey trains they have outlets galore! A book is nice too especially on a ride to LA from SD.

I have never used the train myself, but friends and family use it quite often and this is the station where I pick them up. It’s located right at a major intersection and there is a bus stop right at the train station if you are trying to get to it.
I’ve lived here a long time and remember when the tracks were above ground and such a traffic nightmare. Eminently better with the tracks underground! There is free parking and typically plenty of parking.
Buying a ticket is incredibly easy. Online, phone app or right at the tracks. They even have ticket vending machines that are incredibly easy to use, but if you insist, there are people inside that can help answer questions. Once we got to the station just a few minutes late and they just exchanged our tickets for the next train. No charge… no hassle.
If you are waiting for a train, there are several places to eat withing walking distance. Great burgers at Chief’s, fantastic pizza at Pizza Port and sushi at Station Sushi. Likewise, if you are getting in and want to grab a bite to eat right away, these are fantastic places to eat.
During the summer, there is easy transportation to and from the fairgrounds for the Del Mar Fair and for horse racing season.

Nice station to catch the train up to Orange County, LA, or beyond. Clean, cool design, well lit, and plenty of free parking. The lines inside the station used to be pretty long, but now you can your tickets online and bypass the station altogether. Just give yourself a little extra time to park and cross over to the other side of the tracks. Best way to commute to LA!

So far out of the 4 stations I have recently traveled, this is by far the nicest one. Located in the heart of Solana Beach it houses one of the nicest and cleanest train stations around. You can see that by the employees that work here taking pride in the station and its surrounding area. The Train boarding is actually located down a flight of stairs and can be easily accessed by several different stairwells.
If your every in the area its a nice little move breeze when the train pulls up if your standing on the bridge overlooking the train station.
I will definitely be using this station for my future travels.

Been to this train station a few times but have only rode it twice (both times to LA). There is a pretty good size parking lot but definitely make sure you have time to look/​wait for parking if you are leaving your car over night. I’ve left my car overnight once and it was fine. Just make sure not to tempt thieves by leaving your valuables.
The train station itself is pretty small and has no WIFI. There’s some stores/​restaurants nearby so killing time can be pretty easy. There’s bathrooms in the station and I feel pretty safe here when I am here.

Picked up my parents at this train station. It was the week of the Del Mar Fair, so it was really crowded. I had to drive around the parking lot and was going to park I the curbside where everyone else. There were no spots available near the drop off. Luckily I got a hold of them as I turned the corner.
It’s a great station if you are just dropping them off. I haven’t rode it yet myself.

You can grab a ticket in a matter of minutes and then hit the track and board the train. The ticket attendant was really nice and very knowledgeable about the local Solana Beach area. I appreciated the polite chit chat while she issued my ticket. The train was clean, air conditioned, and the view to Irvine was fantastic. The train goes right alongside the beach!
The parking lot is pretty big. Expect it to be packed on a Friday.

It’s nice that there are a ton of shops and restaurants right when you exit the tracks, but this review isn’t for the shopping across the street. It’s for the station, and the station isn’t very impressive.
To start, there are a ton of steep stairs you have to climb to get up to street level. There was only one teeny-​tiny elevator that we saw, and it annoyed me to see able-​bodied people trying to cram in with the strollers and wheelchairs.
Once you exit the train, you’re subject to a bit of chaos. There weren’t any clear signs (that I saw, at least) that pointed you to the exits. So, we followed the flow of people, only to find that they were going to the above-​mentioned elevator, and the group of people clustered around it. We didn’t want to wait, and we had no problems climbing stairs, so we had to reverse direction and swim upstream, in order to get out.
Then, when you’re waiting for the train to depart, the «waiting space» is super sparse. There aren’t many shaded areas, so if the two or three covered bench areas are taken, you’re going to have to stand in the sun until the train arrives.
The station itself (upstairs from tracks) is clean and very modern-​looking. It’s very sleek, completely different from what I expected from a beach-​side station, but it was functional, and they had a lot of seats for those that were stuck there for a while.
It’s functional, I guess. More seating and more shade down by the tracks would be nice to have, especially during the summer, or hell, even during the few days of «winter» we get.

Although the Golden age of trains is gone,
and Amtrak is a government subsidized, little-​used provider of public transportation, there’s no reason that the station can’t be attractive and utilitarian. This place is a great example of that. There are oodles of free parking (wow, free!), friendly and attentive staff, and trains that tend to run generally on time. What more could you want?

Solana Beach wins the «best looking train station» award. It was completely redone a few years back and boasts a modern building with a nice rounded roof. The entire stretch of road along the railway has various art, sculpture, paintings and a walking trail. This train station is top notch in my book.
When I travel to Ventura or Santa Barbara on the train I drive south to catch the northbound train. I could easily depart from Oceanside but this way is just much better for me. The station itself is fun to go to and the added benefit is that there still may be some seats on the west side of the train which is a great way to view California’s gorgeous coastline.
I would love to give this train station 5 stars but there is a big reason that i can not. There is a physical barrier separating the tracks for safety reasons and if you get off of a southbound train you have to hoof it up and down a bazillion stairs to get to the other side of the tracks.

A solid train station with minimal service. Give yourself a little time so you can aptly navigate the stairs/​elevators.
Pizza port is across the street (from the Northbound track) and there is a nice little yogurt shop too. There is a good little burger place on the Southbound side.
The station is right off Cedros Street which is a nice little area to stroll, shop and have lunch.
All in all this station offers nice walkability to local attractions if you are looking for a day trip!