Train travel within Turkey . . .

An excellent way to travel in Turkey..!

Guidebooks often say that Turkey has a good bus network and that 'buses are faster than trains'.  But do you really want to spend 12 hours in a bus..?  When you can travel on a comfortable air-conditioned train, with a bed to sleep in in your own room, a restaurant for your meals and space to move around, through fantastic scenery, unspoilt by roadside development..?

Train travel in Turkey can be a wonderful experience, with the best trains now modern and air-conditioned.  Sensible travellers will use a train for long distances (for example, Istanbul to Konya, Ankara, Kars or Pamukkale) then a short bus trip where necessary to reach places off the rail network, for example Antalya or Gorëme.

The rail network was mostly built by the Germans, and the joke goes that the Turks paid them by the mile, hence the twisting and curvaceous nature of Turkish railways..!  However, the best air-conditioned Istanbul-Ankara trains now travel at up to 95mph and take just 5 hours after major improvements.  The first section of a new high-speed Istanbul-Ankara line opens in Autumn 2007, with a 3.5 to 4 hour journey time, soon to be reduced to just 3 hours, beating both road and air.  Overnight trains with sleeping-cars, some now air-conditioned, provide a comfortable, romantic and time-effective way to travel between major cities.

Train routes, times & fares within Turkey

There is an excellent train route map at Turkeytravelplanner.com, or see the map above.  There are no trains to Antalya, Marmaris, Bodrum, Alanya, nor to Gorëme in Cappadocia, so use a combination of train+bus to reach these places.  Here are train times and fares for key routes:

Istanbul - Ankara		Ankara - Istanbul
Istanbul - Konya - Adana		Ankara - Izmir
Istanbul - Denizli (Pamukkale)		Ankara - Adana
Istanbul - Gorëme (Cappadocia)		Ankara - Konya (line under construction, opening 2007/8)
Istanbul - Antalya, Marmaris, Fethiye, Bodrum		Ankara - Erzurum, Kars, Eastern Turkey
Istanbul - Izmir		Izmir - Selçuk (Ephesus) - Denizli (Pamukkale)
Istanbul - Edirne
Istanbul - Bursa
Istanbul - Erzurum, Kars, Eastern Turkey

You can check train times & fares at the Turkish Railways (TCDD) website, www.tcdd.gov.tr.

International train travel from Turkey:

Istanbul - Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna, Paris & London

Istanbul - Sofia & Belgrade

Istanbul - Thessaloniki & Athens

Istanbul - Aleppo & Damascus  (Syria page)

Istanbul - Tabriz & Tehran  (Iran page)

Istanbul - Ukraine, Iraq, Armenia, Georgia, Cyprus

Istanbul - Cyprus

How to buy tickets, at the station:

It's easy to buy tickets at the station when you get to Turkey.  Most major stations have a fully computerised ticketing and reservation system, so can book any journey in Turkey.  It's not usually difficult to get seats or berths on the day of travel or a day or two before, although occasionally sleepers can get full.  Alternatively, you can buy tickets in advance either online or via a TCDD-authorised agency as shown below.

How to buy tickets, online:

Turkish Railways website has an online booking facility, now available in English.  If the English version plays up, it really isn't difficult to book using the Turkish version with minimal knowledge of Turkish using the step-by-step instructions below.  The system will book most long distance trains within Turkey (but not international trains), including seats, couchettes and sleepers.  You print out your reservation details and pick up the tickets in Turkey.  Reservations for Turkish trains open 30 days before departure, you cannot book further in advance than this.

How to buy tickets, via an agency:

Above:  Tur-ISTA Travel in Istanbul can arrange your train tickets by email.

If buying tickets online in Turkish seems too daunting, but you still want to book your Turkish train tickets in advance, just email or call one of these authorised travel agencies in Istanbul:

Tur-ISTA Tourism Travel Agency, Divan Yolu Caddesi No. 16/B, 34410 Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey. Telephone +90 (212) 527 7085 or 513 7119.  Fax +90 (212) 519 3792.  E-mail erdemir@tur-ista.com.  I can personally recommend their service.

Viking Turizm, Mete Caddesi No. 24, Taksim, Istanbul, Turkey.  Telephone +90 (212) 334 2600.  Fax +90 (212) 334 2660.  E-mail info@vikingturizm.com.tr.

If you book with one of these agencies, you will need to pick up your tickets at their offices in Istanbul.  They can't book International trains from Turkey in their capacity as official TCDD agents, but they may be willing to buy tickets for international trains on your behalf as a private transaction, for a booking fee.

Haydarpaşa station...

Trains for Asian destinations leave from Haydarpaşa Station (pictured above left), a ferry ride across the Bosphorus from Sirkeci Station where the European trains arrive.  Ferries sail to Haydarpaşa station every 10-30 minutes from the Karaköy ferry terminal next to the Galata Bridge on the European side of Istanbul.  The fare is 1 YTL.  The Haydarpaşa ferry terminal is right in front of the station.  Haydarpaşa station was built in 1908, a gift from the German Kaiser to the Ottoman Sultan, and named after one of the Sultan's generals.  It may be closed in 2009, when a new rail tunnel under the Bosphorus opens, allowing both suburban and long-distance trains to run through from Asian Turkey to the European side of Istanbul.  Map of Istanbul.

What are Turkish trains like..?

Trains in Turkey have several types of accommodation to choose from:

• Pullman seats.  1st class reclining seat in an carpeted open-plan saloon.

• 1st class ordinary seats, usually in 6-seat compartments.

• 2nd class seats, usually in 8-seat compartments.

• Sleeping-cars ('yatakli wagon' in Turkish).  Private 1- and 2-bed rooms with washbasin.

• Couchettes ('kuşet' in Turkish).  Shared 4-bunk compartments (6-berth on some routes).

Modern Turkish trains...

The best Turkish trains now use modern air-conditioned 'TVS2000' coaches like these, which are excellent and as good as anything in western Europe.  TVS2000 trains run from Istanbul to Ankara, Istanbul to Denizli/Pamukkale, Ankara to Izmir, Ankara to Adana, and Ankara to Erzurum & Kars.  Restaurant cars serve very cheap full meals.  A 3-course meal and a half-bottle of wine cost only about TL9 (£5 or $8).  Treat yourself..!

Above:  TVS2000 pullman cars on an Istanbul - Ankara express...		...Treat yourself to a meal and some wine in the elegant TVS2000 restaurant car.  ...		Above:  1st class reclining Pullman seats in a TVS2000 car.

Modern Turkish sleeping-cars...

The best overnight trains in Turkey use modern air-conditioned TVS2000 sleeping-cars and there's usually a TVS2000 restaurant car too.  Sleeper compartments have beds and a washbasin, soap and towels provided.  There is a shower at the end of the corridor.  Compartments convert from a bedroom at night to a private sitting room with armchairs and small table for the daytime part of a journey.  Trains with TVS2000 sleeping-cars include the Ankara Express from Istanbul to Ankara, the Pamukkale Express from Istanbul to Denizli, the Meram Express from Istanbul to Konya, the night trains from Ankara to Izmir, the Curacova Express from Ankara to Adana, and the Erzurum Express from Ankara to Erzurum & Kars.  Travelling in these sleepers is like staying in a good hotel, a great way to travel that saves on hotel bills, too.

Light and airy - a TVS2000 sleeping-car corridor, just like a hotel corridor...		2-berth sleeper in daytime mode, beds folded away.		2-berth sleeper compartment in night-time mode, with upper and lower berths folded out.  There is a washbasin in the corner.
Left and far right sleeper photos courtesy of Shigeki Murao, Japan

Older sleeping-cars... Older sleeping-cars are still used on most long-distance trains to Eastern Turkey.  The older sleepers are still very comfortable, with 1- and 2-bed compartments with washbasin.  They convert from bedrooms at night to private sitting rooms for the daytime parts of a journey.
Above:  An older sleeping-car.  The right-hand photo shows a comfortable, carpeted 2-berth sleeper in daytime mode, with beds folded away, seats folded out to form a private sitting room.

Turkish couchette cars...

Couchettes are basic padded bunks, with 4 bunks per compartment.  Couchettes convert to ordinary seating compartments for the daytime part of a journey.  On some trains, couchettes are provided without bedding, but on other trains there are 'covered couchettes' (örtülü kuşet), with sheet, blanket and pillow supplied.  The best overnight trains such as the Istanbul-Ankara, Istanbul-Konya and Ankara-Izmir trains now have modern air-conditioned TVS2000 couchette cars like the one below.  Older trains may have the old type, shown further below.

Above:  TVS2000 air-conditioned 4-berth couchettes.  This compartment is shown in daytime position, with berths folded against the wall.

Above:  An older Turkish couchette compartment, as used on some trains to Eastern Turkey.  It is shown in daytime mode (above left) and night-time mode, with bunks folded out (above right)....

For more information, the train travel section of www.turkeytravelplanner.com is highly recommended.

When the trains are this good and this cheap, forget flights or long-distance buses...  The Istanbul-Ankara express trains are excellent, as good as any in western Europe, with air-conditioned TVS2000 pullman seats and an elegant TVS2000 restaurant car serving meals, beer and wine at what to westerners are ridiculously cheap prices, see the photos above.  The best overnight train is the Ankara Express, a rolling hotel with modern air-conditioned TVS2000 sleeping-cars and a TVS2000 restaurant car for breakfast, see the sleeper photos above. 

New high-speed line under construction:  The first section of the 250 km/h Istanbul-Ankara high-speed line was due to open in late 2007, with brand-new high-speed trains due to slash journey time initially to between 3.5 and 4 hours, then to just 3 hours in a few years' time.

Istanbul ► Ankara
Notes:	ord	lux	ord	lux	cc	sleeper	cc
Istanbul (Haydarpaşa) depart:	08:35	10:00	13:30	14:30	22:00	22:30	23:30
Ankara arrive:	18:08	16:30	22:27	21:21	07:12	08:04	07:20

Ankara ► Istanbul
Notes:	ord	lux	ord	lux	cc	sleeper	cc
Ankara depart:	08:00	10:20	12:15	14:30	22:00	22:30	23:30
Istanbul (Haydarpaşa) arrive:	16:45	16:50	21:45	21:34	07:15	08:00	07:30

lux = Fast air-conditioned express with modern TVS2000 pullman seats & restaurant car.

ord = ordinary train, with comfortable reclining pullman seats & 2nd class seats.

cc = overnight train with modern TVS2000 air-conditioned 4-berth couchettes & TVS2000 reclining pullman seats.

sleeper = Ankara Express.  Excellent modern TVS2000 sleeping-cars (1- & 2-bed rooms) & TVS2000 restaurant car.

Trains leave from Haydarpaşa station in Istanbul, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.  Ankara station is in central Ankara, unlike the long-distance bus terminal or airport, which are 2-3 miles outside the city.

How to buy tickets

Fares:
Ordinary train pullman seat	Fast air-con train pullman seat	Air-con couchette (4-berth)	Air-con sleeper - sharing 2-bed room	Air-con sleeper - single-bed room
TL 18 (£7, $12)	TL 22 (£9, $16)	TL 27 (£11, $18)	TL 45 (£19, $33)	TL 65 (£27, $45)

These fares are one-way per person.  Return tickets cost 20% less than two one-way fares.  You can check train times and fares at www.tcdd.gov.tr, which now has some English pages.  Also see www.turkeytravelplanner.com.  Buy your ticket at the ticket office in Istanbul or use one of the travel agencies in Istanbul recommended above.

Easily the best way to travel between Istanbul and the historic city of Konya is the daily overnight 'Meram Express', with sleeping-car and restaurant car, a wonderful way to travel.  There's also the Içanadolou Mavi Train (shown as 'Mavi' below) also with an air-conditioned sleeping-car & restaurant.  Westbound, the Içanadolou Mavi Tren can arrive in Konya from Adana running late, so the Meram Express is the better choice.  TVS2000 cars are modern, sound-proofed and smooth-riding, see the photos above.

Istanbul ► Konya ► Adana				Adana ► Konya ► Istanbul
	Daily	Daily			Daily	Daily
	Meram	Mavi			Meram	Mavi
Istanbul (Haydarpaşa) depart:	19:20	23:50 *		Adana depart:	-	14:10
Konya arrive:	08:21	12:30		Karaman depart:	-	19:35
Karaman arrive:	-	13:57		Konya depart:	17:50	21:15
Adana arrive:	-	18:35		Istanbul (Haydarpaşa) arrive:	06:30	09:09

Meram = Meram Express, air-conditioned TVS2000 sleeping-car (1- & 2-bed rooms with washbasin), TVS2000 couchette car (4-berth compartments), TVS2000 pullman reclining seats cars.

Mavi = Içanadolou Mavi Tren:  TVS2000 sleeping-car (1 & 2 bed rooms with washbasin), TVS2000 pullman reclining seats & a TVS2000 restaurant car, although no couchettes.  Note this train may be temporarily cancelled (or at least re-timed) in summer/autumn 2008, due to construction of the new Istanbul-Ankara high speed line, so please double-check locally.

* IMPORTANT:  The Içanadolou Mavi Tren is reported as leaving Istanbul at 18:40, not 23:50, due to engineering works, though it may now have reverted to 23:50 so please check locally.

How to buy tickets

Fares:
	Reclining pullman seat	Couchette in 4-berth	Sleeper - sharing 2-bed room	Sleeper - single-bed room
Istanbul-Konya	TL 20 (£8 or $15)	TL 24 (£10 or $17)	TL 45 (£19 or $32)	TL 56 (£23 or $40)
Istanbul-Adana	TL 32 (£13 or $23)	-	TL 58 (£24 or $42)	TL 70 (£29 or $51)

All fares one-way per person.  Return tickets cost 20% less than the cost of two one-way fares.  You can check times and fares at www.tcdd.gov.tr.

It's easy to travel by train from Istanbul to Denizli for the magnificent natural spa at Pamukkale.  The 'Pamukkale Express' links Istanbul and Denizli overnight, with an air-conditioned TVS2000 sleeping-car with comfortable 1- & 2-bed rooms with washbasin, a modern TVS2000 couchette car with 4-berth compartments, TVS2000 pullman reclining seats cars, and an elegant TVS2000 restaurant car.  This train was re-equipped with ultra-modern, fully-air-conditioned, soundproofed and smooth-riding TVS2000 cars in 2005, see the photos above.

Istanbul ► Denizli (Pamukkale)			Denizli ►Istanbul
	Daily			Daily
Istanbul (Haydarpaşa station) depart	17:35		Denizli (for Pamukkale) depart	17:00
Denizli (for Pamukkale) arrive	08:20		Istanbul (Haydarpaşa station) arrive	08:34

How to buy tickets

Fares:
Air-con reclining pullman seat	Air-con couchette in 4-berth	Air-con sleeper - sharing 2-bed room	Air-con sleeper - single-bed room
TL 21 (£9 or $15)	TL 26 (£11 or $18)	TL 49 (£20 or $35)	TL 64 (£27 or $46)

All fares one-way per person.  Return tickets cost 20% less than the cost of two one-way fares.

There are direct buses from Istanbul to Antalya, Marmaris and the Mediterranean coast, but this is a nightmarishly long bus journey, especially if done overnight slumped in a cramped bus seat.  A much better, more civilised way is to take the comfortable air-conditioned 'Pamukkale Express' overnight from Istanbul to Denizli with reclining seats, couchettes (6-bunk), a modern sleeping-car (1- and 2-bed rooms) and a restaurant car for your dinner and breakfast.  Then take a bus from Denizli the last bit to Antalya, Marmaris, Bodrum or Fethiye.  See above for train times & fares for the Pamukkale Express.  Buses run every few hours from Denizli to Antalya, taking a few hours, and buses also run from Denizli to Marmaris, Fethiye and Bodrum.

Cappadocia is an incredible land of strange rock formations and cave dwellings that should not be missed.  Taking the sleeper train from Istanbul to Ankara or Konya then a relatively short bus ride to Gorëme in Cappadocia is a great way to get there, avoiding a nightmare 12+ hour bus journey all the way from Istanbul.  It lets you sleep in a comfortable sleeper on the train, with breakfast in the restaurant car, before taking a bus ride for the last bit.  Alternatively, for a really short bus section, take the train to Kayseri just 70 km from Gorëme and take a bus from there.

Option 1:  Take a train from Istanbul (Haydarpasa station) to Ankara as shown above.  Take the metro from the station to Ankara's long-distance bus terminal, located a couple of miles out of the city centre.  Buses run from Ankara to Gorëme or Nevsehir in Cappadocia every hour or two throughout the day, taking about 4.5 hours.

Option 2:  Take the overnight 'Meram Express' from Istanbul to Konya as as shown above.  Konya, home of the whirling dervishes, is well worth a stop in itself.  Buses run several times a day from Konya to Gorëme, taking about 5 hours.

Option 3:  Take a sleeper train from Istanbul to Kayseri as as shown below.  Kayseri is only 70 km from Gorëme, so this is the shortest bus journey (maybe 1.5 hours) though a longer overall trip.

By ferry+train via the Sea of Marmara...

An enjoyable year-round way from Istanbul to Izmir is across the Sea of Marmara to Bandirma by fast ferry, then on the connecting air-conditioned '6 Eylül Express' to Izmir.  Much nicer than 9 hours stuck in a bus!  The service runs daily.

Istanbul ► Izmir			Izmir ► Istanbul
By SeaCat fast ferry:			By '6 Eylül Express' train:
Istanbul (Yenikapi ferry terminal) depart:	07:00		Izmir (Basmane station) depart *	09:30
Bandirma arrive:	09:00		Balikesir depart:	13:14
By connecting '6 Eylül Express' train:			Bandirma arrive:	14:51
Bandirma depart:	09:45		By connecting SeaCat fast ferry:
Balikesir arrive:	11:23		Bandirma depart:	15:30
Izmir (Basmane station) arrive *	15:50		Istanbul (Yenikapi ferry terminal) arrive:	17:30

The ferry is a fast SeaCat run by the IDO ferry company.  See www.ido.com.tr to check ferry times and fares (the ferry terminal in Istanbul is called 'Yenikapi').  The Marmara Express has modern air-conditioned TVS2000 reclining pullman seats & restaurant car.

Fares:  Izmir to Bandirma in a pullman seat is YTL 15.  A combined ferry & train fare from Istanbul to Izmir is YTL 32 (about £13 or $25)

* Important:  Due to the final stages of upgrading this rail route, the Marmara Express may be replaced by a bus between Çiğli (30 minutes north of Izmir) and Izmir.

Traveller's report:  Ryan White travelled in 2008. "I went Istanbul to Izmir & back with the ferry+train and it was great.  The train and ferry were both very comfortable and on time.  Because of engineering works on the line, the train does not go all the way to Izmir Basmane Station at the moment, but to Çiğli where you need to switch to a bus to Basmane.  They make it really easy for you, at Çiğli the bus is waiting for all the train passengers outside the station.  In Izmir, note that the bus arrives at (and northbound, departs from) Basmane railway station and not the bus station.  The bus ride is probably about 30 minutes but I think its duration is included on the departure-arrival time printed on the ticket.  So a traveller can count on leaving Izmir and arriving in Istanbul at the time printed on his train ticket.  The bus ride is included in the train fare.  One way Izmir to Istanbul or visa versa was about 30 YTL ($20 dollars).

By train all the way via Eskişehir...

Southbound, take the 13:30 'Bogazici Express' (reclining pullman seats and restaurant car) from Istanbul Haydarpasa station to Eskişehir, arriving 18:45.  Depart Eskişehir at 21:20 on the 'Mavi Tren' (seats and sleeping-cars with restaurant car) overnight to Izmir (Basmane station), arriving at 07:52.  Both trains can be reserved in Istanbul at Haydarpaşa station.

Northbound, the 18:55 from Izmir has seats and couchettes arriving Eskişehir at 06:44, or the 18:15 Mavi Tren has seats and sleeping-cars arriving Eskişehir at 05:04.  The 11:40 from Eskişehir (1st class only with restaurant car) arrives back in Istanbul at 16:45.

Istanbul to Izmir by direct ferry...

There used to be a cruise ferry from Istanbul to Izmir, run by Deniz Lines.  As of April 2008 this now sails from Istanbul to Bodrum, no longer serving Izmir.

Two trains a day links Istanbul's Sirkeci station with the historic city of Edirne.

Istanbul ► Edirne				Edirne ►Istanbul
Note:	A	B		Note:	A	B
Istanbul (Sirkeci station) depart	15:50	22:00		Edirne depart<