North America › From Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis-St. Paul → Spokane

1 a dayfastest 29h31AmtrakNight train

Direct trains · no change

23:13 → 02:44⁺²
Empire Builder 27 Night train
St. Paul-Minneapolis → Spokane · via Whitefish
29h3122 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 02:44

The plane is 22h31 quicker on paper, but the night train uses your night instead of a day and saves a hotel.

Train · fastest direct29h41

Before departure10 min
Empire Builder 2729h31

Plane · nonstop MSP to GEG7h10

To Minneapolis–Saint Paul (MSP)40 min
Check-in & security2h00
Flight MSP to GEG3h25
Landing to exit35 min
From GEG30 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 → Spokane

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

Delta Air LinesMSP→GEGBook direct ↗
Sun Country Airlines SeasonalMSP→GEGBook direct ↗

Compare on picktheflight ↗