booking in advance on Amtrak
 

I plan to travel to Washington by Amtrak from New york 5 days after arriving in New York.
Is it advisablet to book this trip from Sydney before I arrive? I have been told that the tickets are cheaper if booked ahead.
Thanks

That has been my experience, yes.

www.amtrak.com

NYP = New York Penn Station
WAS = Washington Union Station

Yes, you'll get a better rate if you book 14 days in advance or more.
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Conten...=1241267321301

You should also check weekly specials and I think traveling certain days of the week may be cheaper.

My apologies for not replying to you both. Thank you for deciding my actions re train. Most helpful
Cheers

Hi stimps,

I wanted to add, that while (as stated above) it is a good bit cheaper with advance purchase, if you can't purchase in advance, you shouldn't have a problem finding an available train NYC-DC even at the last minute. (There are MANY trains daily on that route.) However, five days in advance would be cheaper than buying the day of travel.

I mention this since the Amtrak website for awhile wouldn't let me purchase a ticket by VISA with a Canadian postal code, so there may be similar difficulties with an Australian address.

Best wishes, Daniel

Thanks Daniel but the site did allow me to book and I ahve done so. Thanks for your help
Stimps

Here's a good compendium of all current Amtrak discounts, which vary by region on how far in advance you are purchasing.

http://www.railserve.com/amtrak_coupons.html

There are also discounts for buying even several days in advance versus walk up. (I just paid only $81 to Boston booking several days in advance and $126 back - since I didn;t know what time I would be ready to leave and had to just reserve on the way to the station.)