Activity Strasburg, Lancaster

Strasburg Rail Road

An activity in Strasburg, Lancaster, moderately priced ($$) and worth about 1.5 hours. Best time to go: Weekend morning.

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Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Lancaster — Photo: Dough4872 · Public domain

Why go

America's oldest operating short-line railroad, running steam trains through Amish farmland, with Santa trains in December.

It is one of 8 curated places we feature in Lancaster, alongside 2 sights, 2 shops and 1 activity. The closest of our other picks is Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 0.0 mi away as the crow flies.

Type: Activity · Adventure
Neighborhood: Strasburg
Price: $$
Time needed: 1.5 hr
Best time: Weekend morning

Nearby

The 6 closest curated picks in Lancaster, measured as straight-line distance.

1
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
State railroad museum across the road from the Strasburg Rail Road, with a hall full of restored locomotives.
Sight · 0.0 mi straight-line
2
Kitchen Kettle Village
Cluster of shops in Intercourse selling jams, relishes, quilts and crafts, in the heart of Amish country.
Shopping · 4.7 mi straight-line
3
Lancaster Central Market
Brick market hall that calls itself the oldest continuously operating public farmers market in the US, with Amish and Mennonite stands.
Shopping · 8.6 mi straight-line
4
Shady Maple Smorgasbord
Huge Pennsylvania Dutch buffet in East Earl with roast turkey, chicken pot pie, shoofly pie and dozens of other dishes.
Food · 12 mi straight-line
5
Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery
Lititz bakery opened in 1861, the first commercial pretzel bakery in the US, with short tours and a hand-twisting lesson.
Activity · 14 mi straight-line
6
Lititz Moravian Church
1787 church on Lititz's Church Square, the heart of the town's Moravian settlement, with candlelight services at Christmas.
Sight · 14 mi straight-line

On these curated routes

Strasburg Rail Road is a stop on our Philadelphia, Longwood & Lancaster route. Open it to see the full day-by-day plan.

Philadelphia, Longwood & Lancaster
Market stalls, garden lights and steam trains
5 daysStop 3 of 3Best Late Nov – Dec

More to do in Lancaster

Strasburg Rail Road is our only activity pick in Lancaster; here is what else we recommend there. See the full Lancaster guide.

Lititz Springs Inn
Historic inn on the main square of Lititz, long known as the General Sutter Inn, with the Bulls Head pub downstairs.
StayLititz$$

When to go

Average daily highs in Lancaster run from 37°F in January to 86°F in July; June is usually the wettest month. For Strasburg Rail Road itself, we suggest: Weekend morning.

Modelled monthly averages for Lancaster from NASA POWER, not a forecast. Full Lancaster weather by month.

Getting there

Map links open a live search for Strasburg Rail Road, so hours and directions come straight from the map app.

Coordinates: 39.98314, -76.15986
Destination: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Website: strasburgrailroad.com