North America › From Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis-St. Paul → Seattle

1 a dayfastest 38h16AmtrakNight train

Direct trains · no change

23:13 → 11:29⁺²
Empire Builder 7 Night train
St. Paul-Minneapolis → Seattle · via Whitefish, Spokane
38h1628 stops
Runs: DailyAmtrak ↗

Local times at each station. Times from official open data: Amtrak (file of 26 Oct 2026). Checked Mon 26 Oct 2026; they cover 26 Oct to 22 Nov 2026. Timetables change, so check with the operator before you travel. How we build this.

Door to door vs flying

Overnight: leave 23:13, arrive 11:29

The plane is 30h32 quicker on paper, but the night train uses your night instead of a day and saves a hotel.

Train · fastest direct38h27

Before departure10 min
Empire Builder 738h16
From Seattle1 min

Plane · nonstop MSP to SEA7h55

To Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP)40 min
Check-in & security2h00
Flight MSP to SEA3h55
Landing to exit35 min
From SEA45 min

From city centre to city centre unless you pick otherwise. Getting to stations and airports: typical public-transport times (estimates). Airport: check-in & security 2h before, 35 min to get out after landing. Flight time is typical for the distance.

Flying instead? Minneapolis-St. Paul → Seattle

3 airlines fly it nonstop. Book direct on the airline's own site:

Alaska AirlinesMSP→SEABook direct ↗
Delta Air LinesMSP→SEABook direct ↗
Sun Country AirlinesMSP→SEABook direct ↗

Compare on picktheflight ↗