Wild West Day Trip to Virginia City from Tahoe with Train Ride
Lake Tahoe, USA
- 7 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Travel back to the old Wild West—and see a side of the region many other visitors miss—on this tour from South Lake Tahoe to Virginia City, Nevada. Start your day trip by minibus, driving part of the old Pony Express route. When you reach Virginia City, a National Historic Landmark District, take a round-trip ride aboard the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad before enjoying free time in town.
- Round-trip transit from South Lake Tahoe makes getting around seamless
- Take a ride on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad (tickets are included)
- Enjoy guided tour portions plus free time for independent sightseeing
- Explore the sights of historic Virginia City, Nevada at your own pace
What's Included
- Transport by air-conditioned shuttle bus
- Train ride
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (selected hotels only)
- Lunch
- Admission to attractions (optional)
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Hilton Vacation Club, bus stop on Ski Run Blvd., departure time: 8:20am Marriott Resorts, Red Curb pullout on Hwy 50 by Heavenly Gondola 8:30am Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe, main lobby area, departure time: 8:40am
Operating hours.8:30 am
Itinerary
Your day trip begins as you depart South Lake Tahoe with your driver/guide by minibus, with seats that recline and large windows that provide views of the mountain scenery. Continue on the approximately 90-minute drive across state lines to Virginia City, Nevada.
During the drive, listen to commentary about the area’s history during the days of the Wild West. Travel along a portion of the old Pony Express, the route from the 1860s that transported mail across the United States, before arriving in Virginia City, which was founded when the country’s first major silver deposit was discovered.
Hop off the minibus at the Virginia & Truckee Railroad station for your 6.5-mile (10.5-kilometer) round-trip train ride that takes you to the town of Gold Hill and back. During the journey, learn about the history of the railroad, which dates back to 1869.
After your train ride, you have several hours of free time in Virginia City to spend at your leisure. Explore the historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and admire 19th-century buildings that line Main Street. Perhaps check out a museum or two, or have lunch at a local eatery. (All entrance fees, food and drinks are at your own expense.)
At the end of your trip, re-board the minibus for the return drive to South Lake Tahoe, where your day trip ends.
During the drive, listen to commentary about the area’s history during the days of the Wild West. Travel along a portion of the old Pony Express, the route from the 1860s that transported mail across the United States, before arriving in Virginia City, which was founded when the country’s first major silver deposit was discovered.
Hop off the minibus at the Virginia & Truckee Railroad station for your 6.5-mile (10.5-kilometer) round-trip train ride that takes you to the town of Gold Hill and back. During the journey, learn about the history of the railroad, which dates back to 1869.
After your train ride, you have several hours of free time in Virginia City to spend at your leisure. Explore the historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and admire 19th-century buildings that line Main Street. Perhaps check out a museum or two, or have lunch at a local eatery. (All entrance fees, food and drinks are at your own expense.)
At the end of your trip, re-board the minibus for the return drive to South Lake Tahoe, where your day trip ends.
1
Virginia & Truckee Railroad
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Comstock Lode
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
3
Virginia City Visitor Center
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
The Delta Saloon
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
5
The Way It Was Museum
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
6
St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Genoa Bar (Pass By)
7
Piper's Opera House
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Historic Fourth Ward School Museum
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- It is recommended to bring comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and a reusable water bottle
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 26 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Alan_B
First off this is not a train ride to Virginia City. This is a 90-minute narrated bus tour from South Lake Tahoe to Virginia City where you then take a 30 minute train ride. That said, it was a great day! Our guide on the bus, Nevada Smith told us all about the area and its history. We rode through a spectacular mounatin pass, through the historic town of Genoa and on through the desert to Virginia City. There we took a short train ride out and back, learning more about the history of the Comstock Lode and the railroad itself. The conductor, Don was equally informative. After that we had three hours in Virginia City for lunch, shopping and to experience a real "old west" town. There is a great museum, The Way It Was, with artifacts going back to the pioneer and mining days... a lot of cool old stuff and a video. The town has several saloons that serve pizza, burgers and drinks. I recommend the Red Dog Saloon. There's also Hi Me Cafe which serves the most amazing iced coffee! And there's plenty of gift shops, ranging from simple souvenirs to unique clothing, artwork and jewelry. All in all I definitely recommend this excursion for anyone who wants to step back to the 1800's without leaving the present day. A perfect day trip from Tahoe.
Reviews
4.2
based on 142 reviews
Alan_B, Oct 2025
First off this is not a train ride to Virginia City. This is a 90-minute narrated bus tour from South Lake Tahoe to Virginia City where you then take a 30 minute train ride. That said, it was a great day! Our guide on the bus, Nevada Smith told us all about the area and its history. We rode through a spectacular mounatin pass, through the historic town of Genoa and on through the desert to Virginia City. There we took a short train ride out and back, learning more about the history of the Comstock Lode and the railroad itself. The conductor, Don was equally informative. After that we had three hours in Virginia City for lunch, shopping and to experience a real "old west" town. There is a great museum, The Way It Was, with artifacts going back to the pioneer and mining days... a lot of cool old stuff and a video. The town has several saloons that serve pizza, burgers and drinks. I recommend the Red Dog Saloon. There's also Hi Me Cafe which serves the most amazing iced coffee! And there's plenty of gift shops, ranging from simple souvenirs to unique clothing, artwork and jewelry. All in all I definitely recommend this excursion for anyone who wants to step back to the 1800's without leaving the present day. A perfect day trip from Tahoe.
Pamela_B, Oct 2025
Great tour guide! Learned lots of info.
A little too long in Virginia city .
Great little church to see.
Ronald_C, Oct 2025
It was interesting and informative, the driver/tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. Well worth the money.
Lionna_S, Oct 2025
Overall, the experience was very “informational”. The driver was very knowledgeable about the tour as well as keeping people on the bus entertained with the trivia questions he was giving us. But I must say, I thought the tour would be different than what we envisioned. I thought the train ride was going to be several hours as we overlooked Lake Tahoe and other significant landmarks. Instead, we has roughly a 1.5 hour tour by bus (both ways) and a roughly 30 minute train ride. We got dropped off to visit “old school” markets and stores which was kinda refreshing. We made some homemade candles which was pretty fun and we also had a good time speaking to the locals.
catherine_G, Oct 2025
Our driver was so informed about the area and made the bus ride so much fun . We even sang !
Our adventure in Carson city allowed plenty of time to see everything and shop and have lunch
Misty_P, Sept 2025
The tour had too much down time and people were sitting on benches waiting for the bus to load and leave.
We waited at a the Golden Nugget for a gentleman who was in line at Starbucks for a bottle of water.
The tour guide dropped us off across the street as he didn’t want to turn the bus around.
Never again.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We're bummed that your experience wasn't what you had expected, thank you for your input, we'll work on improving this experience.
Faith_F, Sept 2025
Excellent tour guide, careful driver over mountain roads, good suggestions for sights in Virginia City. Nice, new bus. Prompt pickup and return.
Alice_M, Sept 2025
Beautiful views and friendly people but train ride says 7 miles, 1 hour. From the start to finish it was 35 minutes total. Was expecting longer.
Michael_J, Sept 2025
Our guide gave us a lot of information and history . Virginia City has lots of shops and restaurants and a gun shoot out play . All were good and we had a full day
Susan_R, Sept 2025
Awesome experience. Would recommend this tour to anyone. Loved the train ride. Keep up the good work
Richard_B, Aug 2025
Bring water or other beverages during the bus and train ride. Eat at one of the local restaurants for lunch, great bargains and delicious food. Very friendly people. The bus driver was very knowledgeable and answered all questions. Overall, a very good experience.
Alba_S, Aug 2025
It was nice but wish the train was longer than 30 min round trip.
Our tour guide was great, and scenery awesome.
Greg_H, Aug 2025
We opted out of the shuttle bus thinking that the majority of the tour was via train so we drove straight to the train depot in Virginia City. The cost to ride the train there is $18 per person. We were wrong. The train ride seemed about a half hour and literally went down a track and then backwards. Conductor was enjoyable but wish we didn’t purchase this through Viator. Spent way too much for what we experienced.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
The write up on this experience is pretty straight forward but obviously needs improvement so guests in the future aren't confused on what to expect.
Patricia_B, Aug 2025
Both conductor and van driver were excellent and entertaining! The town was charming and my friends really enjoyed ALL the saloons. Great watering holes.
Ruth_G, Jul 2025
We had a great and very knowledgeable bus driver! We had a lot of fun walking the streets, checking out the old saloons, and lunch at the Palace Saloon!
Heidi_S, Jul 2025
There was not much to see on the way to Virginia City although our guide shared information about the area. Train ride was ok, but we had too much time in Virginia City. After lunch we walked around, but we needed something to do..maybe a mine tour?
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for you input, we'll work on improving this experience.
Melissa_S, Jul 2025
The bus ride there is very scenic and informative. Once you get ON the train, it’s a very short ride. Little disappointed in that. The tour guides are very nice and knowledgeable. My highlight of the trip was seeing the wild mustangs. Virgina City was nice to dine and shop in. It’s a pricey tour but I’d recommend it.
Crystal_P, Jun 2025
Guide was so experienced and knowledgeable about the area. Had a blast in Virginia City and learning about the surrounding area.
Mario_M, Jun 2025
The bus ride from Tahoe to Virginia City is nice, the driver was on time, very personable and gave a good accounting of area history along the route. The train ride however was short and could benefit from a longer route.
Ilene_G, Jun 2025
In addition to Virginia City we got to see the area between Lake Tahoe and Virginia City. Virginia City is like an old western town. Our bus driver was super friendly and full of information on the area.
Randy_E, Jun 2025
Very informative. The drive from Lake Tahoe to Virginia City was very interesting. The short train ride once in Virginia City was Okay.
Alma_F, May 2025
We had a great time however we decided to drive our own car and stay as long as we want it rather than to take the shuttle, but if you don’t have a rental car, then the shuttle probably is a fine thing to have
Monica_G, Oct 2024
We enjoyed Virginia City and all the shops and history but it's better if you had a rental and drove there yourself. Ran out of time and the train ride was not what we thought it would be...very cheesy.
DiannCombi_C, Oct 2024
Excellent driver/guide. Shared much information and amusing stories. Lots of verbal interaction with passengers.
Teresa_W, Oct 2024
The drive from Lake Tahoe, through Carson City & to Virginia City was very interesting. Our tour guide shared interesting history & stories about the areas we were driving through. The ride on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad was narrated by the conductor with great stories of the gold rush & the silver discovered in the area. We then had 2 hours to spend in Virginia City where we could eat lunch & do some shopping. They have kept the 1800's feel with many original buildings. I would recommend this tour if you enjoy learning about the history of places you visit.
jill_c, Sept 2024
Visitor did not communicate clearly about contacting us. The “train” is just a few open your cars that go back and forth on a short track in the city of Virginia City No steam train. A shuttle bus took us to and from VC. The driver, however was a great entertainer. Nothing was as advertised.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
We're bummed that the tour did not meet your expectations, we strive to improve our tours based on the feed back. Thank you
William_C, Sept 2024
This holiday was much needed for my husband and I!! We got to our cabin in S. Lake Tahoe & started off our (8) day holiday!!! We enjoyed the train 🚂 ride & Virginia City!! I went to my “GO TO” jeweler & bought a few pieces of beautiful White Buffalo Turquoise jewelry!!! We had lunch @ our favorite restaurant, & topped it off with our favorite coffee @ our favorite coffee house!!
The tour bus operator & train 🚂 operator were a delight!! So, we’re satisfied!!🤩
edmund_p, Sept 2024
Seeing all the different wild life. The trip to Virginia City was well worth it. Our driver was very knowledgeable
BERNARDINO_S, Aug 2024
Amazing fun day with beautiful views and lovely train ride and fun show
Very good activity to do with kids
Connie_S, Jul 2024
We had a fantastic time on this tour.From getting on the bus with Dale the bus driver to the conductor on the train.It was amazing & informative!
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per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Wild West Day Trip to Virginia City from Tahoe with Train Ride
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