Rail and land
Grand Canyon Railway
Williams to the South Rim takes about two hours and fifteen minutes, through the pines. After you get off, the Rim Trail is the paved path along the edge, and the canyon is below it.
The train
The Grand Canyon Railway leaves Williams in the morning, most of the year at 9:30, and reaches the South Rim depot about 11:45. The line is 65 miles. You ride back the same afternoon, or you stay overnight in the village and return on a later train.
There are six classes: Pullman, Coach, First, Observation Dome, Luxury Dome, and Luxury Parlor. The dome is where the windows sit higher. The train still does the traveling.
The rim
The South Rim is the southern edge of the Grand Canyon, at Grand Canyon Village. From the depot it is a short walk to El Tovar and to the Rim Trail, a paved path along the edge. You walk it and look down into the canyon. A round trip the same afternoon gives you a few hours on that path. If you want sunset from the edge, or a longer walk west toward Hermits Rest, stay the night in the village and ride back to Williams on a later train.
Meals
The cafe car sells sandwiches, snacks, and drinks to every passenger. First Class and the dome and parlor cars add pastries and coffee on the way north, and cheese and vegetables on the way back. Breakfast is at the Fred Harvey restaurant in Williams. Dinner is at El Tovar, beside the Rim Trail.