All Aboard for California’s Holiday Trains!

California Travel Tips

All Aboard for California’s Holiday Trains!

Published on: November 27, 2018

Pictured is the Holiday Lights Train between Felton and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The annual holiday attraction also includes Santa Cruz Chanukah Train.

Wildly popular holiday trains are leaving the station and you better be there on time! In California some of these seasonal attractions sell out months in advance. However, there are still plenty of seats open at many fantastic holiday train attractions — and during the first weekend in December there’s one special train where people come to make new toy donations.

On December 1 & 2, 2018 the Caltrain Holiday Train departs San Francisco, making nine station stops in the Bay Area to collect toy donations and entertain the crowds with Santa, Mrs. Claus, carolers, a brass band and Santa’s extended family (Rudolph, Frosty, etc.) More than 50,000 new toys have been collected since the tradition first started in 2001, and last year 35,000 residents came and donated 3,000 gifts in Caltrain’s partnership with U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program and the Salvation Army’s Season of Giving program.