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The incredible Haghia Sofia (above) & beautiful Blue Mosque (below), both just 10 minutes walk from Istanbul's Sirkeci station...
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London to Istanbul in 4 days by train
Istanbul is Europe's most exotic city, at the very edge of Europe where east meets west. Can you still travel from London to Istanbul by train? Of course! The journey is pretty straightforward, safe & comfortable, see the video guide. Yet it's also an epic 2,000 mile 4-night adventure, rediscovering some of the mystery, intrigue and romance of long-distance train travel through the Balkans.
On this page you'll find an easy step-by-step guide to planning, booking & making a train journey between London or Paris and Istanbul, one-way or return, eastbound or westbound, using an Interrail pass or normal tickets, with schedules, fares, what the journey is like, suggested stopovers and how to book.
Important update 2023: The Zagreb-Belgrade & Belgrade-Sofia trains remain suspended, so you should use the route via Budapest & Bucharest until further notice.
Train times, fares & tickets
London to Istanbul via Paris, Budapest,
Bucharest
London to
Istanbul via Paris, Zagreb, Belgrade
Variations
via Amsterdam, Brussels or Zurich
Video guide, London to Istanbul by train
London
to Southern Turkey via the Greek islands
London to Southern Turkey via ferry from Italy
Useful country information: dial code,
currency...
Travel insurance, mobile data, VPN & other
tips
Venice-Simplon-Orient Express to Istanbul
Hotels in Istanbul & the famous Pera
Palas
On other pages
Starting from other UK towns & cities
About the
train from Bucharest & Sofia to Istanbul
Train travel in Turkey, beyond Istanbul...
Trains from
other European cities to Istanbul
Trains from Istanbul to
other European cities
General information for
train travel in Europe
Luggage on trains &
luggage lockers at stations
Taking your bike &
Taking dogs
Eurail pass guide &
Interrail pass guide
The Orient Express, the truth
behind the legend
Istanbul-Aleppo-Damascus-Jordan
& on to Cairo
Istanbul-Tehran by Trans-Asia Express train
Istanbul-Thessaloniki-Athens by train
Istanbul-Cyprus by
train+ferry
Istanbul-Odessa
(Ukraine) by ferry
Route map: London to Istanbul by train
Useful country information
Which route to choose?
Via Budapest & Bucharest or via Zagreb, Belgrade & Sofia? At the moment the choice of route is a no-brainer, as trains are operating normally on the route via Bucharest, but on the route via Belgrade the Zagreb-Belgrade & Belgrade-Sofia trains have still not resumed after the pandemic. Serbia is becoming a rail travel black hole!
Istanbul Sirkeci closed to mainline trains
Sadly, Istanbul's historic Sirkeci station closed to mainline trains in March 2013. The suburban trains now call at Sirkeci's new underground platforms before passing through the Marmaray tunnel under the Bosphorus to the Asian side of Istanbul. The one daily international train now terminates at Halkali, a suburban station some 25km west of Sirkeci station from where you can take a Marmaray suburban train to Sirkeci in the city centre.
Sirkeci station's long-term future is not clear. It may become a museum, it's just possible that a single-track connection to one or two platforms will be restored and the international train will once again reach the shores of the Bosphorus at Sirkeci. Or they may continue to use Halkali permanently. We shall see...
London to Istanbul via Bucharest
This section explains the train times, the cost, what the trains and the journey are like, and how to arrange tickets. For the route via Belgrade & Sofia, click here. If you'd prefer to travel via Brussels & Cologne rather than Paris & Stuttgart, or would prefer to take a ferry via Harwich-Hoek van Holland instead of Eurostar, no problem, see here for details.
London ► Istanbul
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Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar...
You leave London St Pancras at 10:22 on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:57. On Saturdays, leave London St Pancras at 09:24 arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 12:57.
By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like more time in Paris or if it has cheaper seats available.
In Paris it's an easy 7 minute 500m walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.
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Day 1, travel from Paris to Stuttgart by TGV Duplex...
Travel from Paris to Stuttgart by TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 15:55 Monday-Friday & Sunday arriving Stuttgart Hbf 19:04. Or on any day of the week you can leave Paris Gare de l'Est at 13:55 arriving Stuttgart Hbf 17:04.
The 320 km/h double-deck TGV Duplex has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. I recommend an upstairs seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck. Times may vary, so check for your date at int.bahn.de.
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Day 1, travel from Stuttgart to Budapest by sleeper train...
Travel from Stuttgart to Budapest by sleeper train Kalman Imre, leaving Stuttgart Hbf at 20:29 and arriving Budapest Keleti at 09:19.
The Kalman Imre has a modern air-conditioned Hungarian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), a modern Hungarian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments) and ordinary seats (not recommended).
You now have a day to explore Budapest. Luggage lockers are available. Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.
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Day 2, travel from Budapest to Bucharest by sleeper train Ister, leaving Budapest Keleti at 19:10, arriving Bucharest Nord 11:19.
Ister is the ancient name for the River Danube. The Ister has a modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car with safe, comfortable & carpeted 1, 2 & 3-bed compartments with washbasin, plus several deluxe compartments with 1, 2 or 3 beds and private shower and toilet. It also has Romanian couchette car with 4-berth & 6-berth compartments (basic flat bunks with rug & pillow) and ordinary seats. Travel in ordinary seats is not recommended. Sleepers can be converted to private sitting rooms for evening/morning use, and there's a shower at the end of the corridor which may or may not work. Take your own picnic and bottle of wine along, although a Romanian bar-bistro car is attached within Romania which can serve a cooked breakfast. The train crosses Transylvania by night, calling at Brasov (for Dracula's castle) at 09:54 next morning, well worth a stopover, before ascending the pass through the Carpathian mountains, a wonderfully scenic and almost Alpine section of route.
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Day 3, stay overnight in Bucharest. A same-day connection is too tight, so stay overnight in Bucharest and continue to Istanbul on day 4, as shown below. In Bucharest, the Hotel MyContinental Bucuresti Gara de Nord is walking distance from the station, inexpensive and gets great reviews. Search for other hotels in Bucharest.
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Day 4, travel overnight from Bucharest to Istanbul...
In summer from 10 June to 9 October 2023, travel from Bucharest to Istanbul by direct couchette car.
The Bosfor leaves Bucharest Gara de Nord at 10:50 and arrives Halkali (Istanbul) at 06:34 next morning.
The through car is an air-conditioned Turkish TVS2000 couchette car with comfortable 4 berth compartments. It's a lovely scenic journey across Romania & Bulgaria via the Shipka Pass, then overnight to Istanbul. Bring your own supplies of food and beer as there's no catering car. Be prepared to get off the train with your bags at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to put your luggage through an X-ray machine and get your passport stamped.
Tip: The train calls at Veliko Tarnovo in late afternoon, the ancient Bulgarian capital. It's well worth a 24 hour stopover!
For full details of this journey with timings, photos & tips, see the Bucharest to Istanbul page.
You arrive at Halkali, a suburban station 25 km west of Istanbul, early morning on day 5, probably an hour or so late. The international train now terminates here, since 2013 it no longer continues to the historic Istanbul Sirkeci station. You transfer from Halkali to Sirkeci station in central Istanbul by frequent Marmaray suburban train, see advice on how to transfer here. These Marmaray suburban trains continue beyond Sirkeci through the Bosphorus rail tunnel to Söğütlüçeşme, starting station for the high-speed YHT trains to Ankara & Konya
When the direct couchette car isn't running, travel from Bucharest to Istanbul as follows:
Travel from Bucharest to Dimitrovgrad on a series of connecting trains, leaving Bucharest Nord at 10:50 & arriving Dimitrovgrad at 22:12.
Times may vary, but it should all go like clockwork, it's a lovely scenic journey across Romania & Bulgaria via the Shipka Pass. Bring your own supplies of food and beer as there's no catering car. Tip: The train calls at Veliko Tarnovo in late afternoon, the ancient Bulgarian capital. It's well worth a 24 hour stopover.
Then travel from Dimitrovgrad to Istanbul by Sofia-Istanbul Express, leaving Dimitrovgrad at 23:03 arriving Istanbul Halkali at 06:34.
This train has comfortable Turkish TVS2000 air-conditioned sleeping-cars with 1 & 2 bed compartments and a Turkish TVS2000 air-conditioned couchette car with 4-berth compartments, see the photos below.
Be prepared to get off the train with your bags at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to put your luggage through an X-ray machine and get your passport stamped.
For full details of this journey with timings, photos & tips, see the Bucharest to Istanbul page
You arrive at Halkali, a suburban station 25 km west of Istanbul, early morning on day 5, probably an hour or so late. The international train now terminates here, since 2013 it no longer continues to the historic Istanbul Sirkeci station. You transfer from Halkali to Sirkeci station in central Istanbul by frequent Marmaray suburban train, see advice on how to transfer here. These Marmaray suburban trains continue beyond Sirkeci through the Bosphorus rail tunnel to Söğütlüçeşme, starting station for the high-speed YHT trains to Ankara & Konya
Istanbul ► London
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Day 1, travel overnight from Istanbul to Bucharest...
In summer from 8 June to 7 October 2023, travel from Istanbul to Bucharest by direct couchette car.
First transfer from Istanbul Sirkeci to Halkali by frequent Marmaray suburban train, see advice on how to transfer here. Halkali is a suburban station about 25km west of central Istanbul, the international train now starts here. At Halkali, there's a brief baggage X-ray check when accessing the platform for the train to Bucharest.
Then travel from Halkali to Bucharest by direct couchette car, leaving Halkali at 20:00 & arriving Bucharest Nord 17:08 next day.
The through car to Bucharest is an air-conditioned Turkish TVS2000 couchette car with 4 berth compartments. Be prepared to get off the train at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to get your passport stamped. Next day it's a lovely journey across Bulgaria, up the Shipka Pass and across the world's longest steel girder bridge over the Danube into Romania. If you want to stop off at the ancient Bulgarian capital, Veliko Tarnovo for 24 hours, it's well worth a stop, the train calls there at 10:11. Bring your own supplies of food and beer as there's no catering car.
For full details of this journey with timings, photos & tips, see the Istanbul-Bucharest page.
In the off-season whenever the direct couchette car isn't running, travel from Istanbul to Bucharest as follows......
First transfer from Istanbul Sirkeci to Halkali by frequent Marmaray suburban train, see advice on how to transfer here. Halkali is a suburban station about 25km west of central Istanbul, the international train now starts here. At Halkali, there's a brief baggage X-ray check when accessing the platform for the train to Bucharest.
Then travel from Istanbul to Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria on the Istanbul-Sofia Express, leaving Istanbul Halkali station every night at 20:00 arriving Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria at 04:17. This train has comfortable Turkish TVS2000 air-conditioned sleeping-cars with 1 & 2 bed compartments and a Turkish TVS2000 air-conditioned couchette car with 4-berth compartments, see the photos below.
Be prepared to get off the train at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to get your passport stamped.
Then, travel from Dimitrovgrad to Bucharest on a series of connecting trains, leaving Dimitrovgrad at 06:00 & arriving Bucharest Nord 17:08.
It's a lovely journey meandering through the lush green valleys of Bulgaria, including an ascent of the Shipka Pass. You crosses the Danube from Ruse in Bulgaria to Giurgiu in Romania over the world's longest steel girder bridge, 2.5km long. Bring your own supplies of food and beer as there's no catering car.
For full details of this journey with timings, photos & tips, see the Istanbul-Bucharest page
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Day 2, spend the night in Bucharest. Spend day 3 exploring Bucharest...
The Hotel MyContinental Bucuresti Gara de Nord is walking distance from the station, inexpensive and gets great reviews. Search for other hotels in Bucharest. Changes to train times over the last few years mean that a same-day connection is no longer possible, even if the Bosfor arrives on time, which it won't. The traditional 3-night journey has become 4 nights, but this does give you a stopover in the interesting city of Bucharest.
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Day 3, travel from Bucharest to Budapest on the sleeper train Ister...
You leave Bucharest Gara de Nord at 18:25 & arrive Budapest Keleti at 08:50 next day (day 4).
The Ister has a modern Romanian air-conditioned sleeping-car with safe, comfortable & carpeted 1, 2 & 3-bed compartments with washbasin, plus several deluxe compartments with 1, 2 or 3 beds and private shower & toilet. Compartments convert to private sitting rooms by day and there's even a shower at the end of the corridor which might work if you're lucky. There are also ordinary seats (not recommended) and 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes (basic bunks with rug & pillow). The Ister also has a bar-bistro car attached within Romania for dinner.
You now have a day to explore Budapest. Luggage lockers are available. Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.
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Day 4, travel from Budapest to Stuttgart by sleeper...
Travel from Budapest to Stuttgart by EuroNight sleeper train Kalman Imre leaving Budapest Keleti at 20:40 & arriving Stuttgart Hbf 08:37.
The Kalman Imre has a modern air-conditioned Hungarian sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin, an air-conditioned Hungarian couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats. A restaurant car is available from departure until after midnight. See more information about this sleeper train.
If you have a sleeping-car berth, you can use the business lounge in Budapest on platform 9, see here for opening hours.
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Day 5, travel from Stuttgart to Paris by high-speed train...
Travel from Stuttgart to Paris by ICE train, leaving Stuttgart at 10:52 & arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 14:05.
The high-speed ICE train has a restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Do not risk earlier connections.
In Paris, it's an easy 7 minute 500m walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.
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Day 5, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:03, arriving London St Pancras at 18:32.
Can I stop off on the way?
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Of course. As each train is ticketed separately and runs daily, you can book each train for whatever date you want. So feel free to spend time in Paris, Stuttgart, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Sighisoara or Brasov (for Dracula's castle) in Transylvania, Bucharest or Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria's ancient capital) on the way, it makes no difference to the cost. Just remember that most of these trains are reservation compulsory, so you need to have made a seat, couchette or sleeper reservation before you board each train, you can't just hop on without a reservation.
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You make all the reservations in advance in the UK, or you can stay flexible and make reservations at stations as you go, it's up to you. If you choose to make reservations as you go, you'll hardly ever find these trains fully booked, places are normally available even on the day of travel.
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There is only one daily train from Bucharest to Istanbul, but on most of the other stages (for example, London-Paris, Paris-Stuttgart-Munich-Vienna-Budapest & Budapest-Bucharest) there are other trains as well as the ones suggested above. You can check train times for each stage using int.bahn.de, although the timetable data is not always 100% reliable for trains east of Bucharest.
How much does it cost?
There are two different ways to ticket a London to Istanbul train journey: (a) Normal point-to-point tickets for each train or (b) an Interrail pass.
Point-to-point tickets are cheapest, if you buy cheap advance-purchase tickets for each train several months ahead at the cheapest prices.
But advance-purchase tickets commit you to a specific train with limited or no refunds or changes allowed. I recommend using an Interrail pass because of the extra flexibility it offers. With a pass you can simply reschedule or re-route if fire, flood, or missed connections affect your journey. If you live outside Europe, you qualify for a Eurail pass rather than Interrail, but pricing & reservations are exactly the same as for an Interrail. Here is a rough summary of the total costs:
Cost if you use point-to-point tickets
Calculating the cost of a London to Istanbul train journey is a black art. You're not buying a London to Istanbul ticket, there's no such thing. You're buying a separate ticket for each train, and the price varies depending how far ahead you book. So get a calculator and add up the fare for your chosen class or sleeper or couchette for each leg of the journey. Fares for Eurostar, TGV, Kalman Imre & Railjet are dynamic like air fares, varying depending on how popular that date & train is and how far ahead you book. Budapest to Bucharest also has some limited-availability offers if you book online direct with Hungarian Railways. From Bucharest to Istanbul, the price shown below is fixed and is what you pay even at the station on the day.
Cost if you use an Interrail pass
Using an Interrail pass is the most flexible way to travel from London or Paris to Istanbul. It costs almost the same as point-to-point tickets if you're under 28 years old, it costs a bit more than point-to-point tickets if you're over 28, but the extra flexibility is worth it, especially for a round trip. After buying the pass, you still need to pay for a Eurostar passholder fare & sleeper or couchette reservations. More information about Interrail passes & how they work. Here's the breakdown:
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1) The Interrail pass itself...
For a one-way trip to Istanbul, a 5-days-in-1-month flexi Interrail pass gives 5 days of unlimited train travel in all the countries you pass through within a maximum overall period of 1 month, which is plenty to make an eastbound journey, even with a day or two in Vienna, Budapest & Bucharest if you want (eastbound, you could in fact get away with a 4-days-in-1-month pass). A 5-days-in-1-month costs £185 if you are under 28 years old, £246 if you're 28-59, or £221 if you're over 60. Children 4-11 inclusive get a free £0 Interrail pass if accompanied by an adult.
For a return trip to Istanbul, a 10-days-in-2-months pass costs £262 if you are aged under 28, £350 if you're aged 28-59, or £315 if you're over 60. Children 4-11 inclusive get a free pass if accompanied by an adult. This gives a total of 10 days of unlimited train travel in all the countries you pass through within an overall period of 2 months, enough to make the outward & return journeys, even with a day or two in Vienna and Budapest or Bucharest, as long as you complete both outward & return journeys within an overall 2 month period.
It's not usually worth bothering with a 1st class pass, as only a 2nd class pass is needed for most sleepers & couchettes on the Stuttgart-Budapest & Budapest-Bucharest trains, and the Balkan trains are often 2nd class only, so a 1st class pass would cost a lot more but only make any difference on the London-Paris-Stuttgart sectors.
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2) Eurostar passholder fare from London to Paris...
Interrail passes now cover Eurostar, but you still need to pay a Eurostar passholder fare of €30 in standard class if you have a 2nd class pass or €38 in standard premier if you have a 1st class pass. See the Eurostar page for full details of this passholder fare and how to buy it.
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3) Paris-Stuttgart TGV reservation fee...
This costs around €10 one-way in 2nd class.
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4) Stuttgart to Budapest sleeper reservation...
Passholders pay the following supplements for the Stuttgart-Budapest sleeper train, per person per bed: Couchette in 6-berth compartment €20, couchette in a 4-berth compartment €25, bed in a 2-berth sleeper €50, bed in a single-berth sleeper €100. Information from int.bahn.de.
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5) Budapest to Bucharest couchette reservation...
Couchette in 6-berth €15, couchette in 4-berth €22, bed in 3-bed sleeper €28, bed in 2-bed sleeper €42. Bed in single-bed sleeper (1st class ticket or pass required) €98. Information from www.cfrcalatori.ro.
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6) Bucharest to Istanbul couchette reservation...
Couchette in 4-berth €14. Information from www.cfrcalatori.ro.
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Remember the new rule for using Interrail flexi passes on overnight trains: As from 2019, overnight trains only require one day of a flexi pass to be dated, the date it leaves, as long as you don't change trains after midnight. See the more detailed explanation here.
How to book using an Interrail pass
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I recommend using an Interrail pass for a London to Istanbul journey because of the extra flexibility this offers, even though it's a bit more expensive than buying the cheapest possible no-refunds no-changes-to-travel-plans point-to-point advance-purchase tickets for each train.
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You'll need a pass, Eurostar passholder tickets, and TGV & sleeper passholder reservations.
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Step 1, plan your trip using the times above and decide what trains you want to take on what days. This may help: How to plan an itinerary & budget. Then work out what type of Interrail pass you need to cover these plans, see pass durations & prices on the Interrail page.
A 4-days-in-1-month pass is enough to make an eastbound journey as described on this page, but if you want stopovers in (say) Vienna or Budapest (thus spreading your travel over an extra day), you'll need a 5-days-in-1-month pass. Westbound one-way you'll need a 5-days-in-1-month pass because of the way the overnight sleeper rule works. For a round trip, a 10-days-in-2-months pass covers it.
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Step 2, buy the Interrail pass online at www.interrail.eu or (if you live in the UK) www.myinterrail.co.uk,
There's now a mobile pass which sits in the Railplanner app on your phone. When you buy the pass you get a pass number. Download the Railplanner app and follow the instructions, entering your pass number to load the pass into the app.
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Step 3, make the necessary reservations, most can be made online...
Start by setting up an account at www.interrail.com so you can use their reservations service. You will need your pass number for this, so you need to have bought the pass first. Once you have an account, click BOOK RESERVATIONS at the top and use the journey planner for each train.
First book a Eurostar passholder ticket from London to Paris. It's automated, the Eurostar passholder ticket will be emailed to you immediately after booking, you can either print it out or load it into the Eurostar app. See more information about Eurostar passholder tickets here including how to check availability before you buy your pass.
Tip: After booking a Eurostar passholder ticket you can go to www.eurostar.com, click Manage booking, enter your booking reference and change your seat(s) to whatever seats you prefer.
Now make the Paris to Stuttgart TGV reservation, again using the Interrail reservations service at www.interrail.com. It's automated, the reservation will be emailed to you immediately after booking.
Now make the Stuttgart to Budapest sleeper reservation. Don't use the Interrail reservations service for this as they have to post hard copy tickets to you at extra cost with the risk of tickets going astray, you should book this at the Austrian Railways website, following the same instructions for booking Nightjet sleepers. Then you can simply print the reservation out or even show it on your phone.
Now make the Budapest to Bucharest reservation, again using the Interrail reservations service at www.interrail.com. This time it's not automated, and a hard copy ticket has to be sent to you, so you have to allow time (maybe 2 weeks) for this to happen reliably.
Tip: You could consider buying a normal advance-purchase sleeper ticket from Budapest to Bucharest online at bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro and printing it out. If you book a month or so in advance and get a cheap deal, the difference between this cost and reservation-only booking to go with a pass isn't that great.
The final reservation, Bucharest to Istanbul by summer-only direct couchette car, can be made at the station or by emailing Andy as shown here. If going when the direct couchette car doesn't run, book from Bucharest to Ruse at the station in Bucharest, and book the sleeper from Dimitrovgrad to Istanbul when you change trains at Gorna Orjahovitsa, there's no way to book from outside Bulgaria.
Tip: There's a minor irritation when using your Interrail pass from Bucharest or Dimitrovgrad to Istanbul. You are of course using a direct overnight train so the Interrail night train rule applies and only one pass day (the date of departure) is used. However, the Railplanner app incorrectly thinks it's a separate train from Kapikule to Istanbul, therefore if you add it to your pass directly from the Railplanner timetable it will trigger the use of a second pass day to cover what it thinks is a second train leaving after midnight. The solution is to add the Bucharest or Dimitrovgrad to Istanbul train to your pass manually.
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If you have any problems making reservations online you can make them by phone. Call DB's English-speaking telesales line on 00 49 (0)30 311 68 29 04, lines open 08:30-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday UK time, 1.5% fee for phone bookings. You can also try International Rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, overseas callers +44 844 2482483. You have to allow time for these reservations to be posted as hard copy.
How to book using point-to-point tickets
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You can buy tickets online for the London-Bucharest part of the journey in either direction, it's the cheapest way to book because you can see all the cheap deals direct from the train operators and don't pay any booking fees. However, you'll still need to book the Bucharest-Istanbul train by phone or at the station as this can't be booked online.
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When does booking open?
Booking opens up to 6 months ahead for Eurostar, for the Paris-Stuttgart TGV and the Stuttgart-Budapest sleeper. It only opens 60 days ahead for Budapest-Bucharest. Hotels can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use www.booking.com with free cancellation. Before you start, make a list of the specific trains & dates you need to book as each train is effectively a separate booking.
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Step 1, book the Eurostar...
Go to www.eurostar.com & buy Eurostar tickets between London & Paris. Use the times above as a guide, by all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards or a later Eurostar on the way back if this has cheaper fares available of if you want to stop off in Paris. You print your own ticket. See tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.
If you don't live in London, see the advice on buying connecting tickets from other UK towns & cities here.
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Step 2, book the Paris to Stuttgart TGV...
Book this at the German Railways website int.bahn.de and print your own ticket.
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Step 3, book the Stuttgart to Budapest sleeper train...
Book this at www.thetrainline.com. Use the journey planner to bring up the Stuttgart-Budapest sleeper train marked EN with 0 changes. You print your own ticket. You can also book at Austrian Railways www.oebb.at.
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Step 4, book the Budapest to Bucharest sleeper train...
Book at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro. Click EN top right for English. Bucharest is listed as Bucuresti (Romania). Booking opens 60 days ahead. For Hungary to Romania journeys you print your own ticket.
You can also book at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu. Read my tips & advice for using mav-start.hu and how your tickets are collected. For Bucharest type Bucuresti.
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Step 5, now book the Bucharest to Istanbul journey...
...from early June until September when the direct couchette car operates:
You can normally buy tickets for the direct Bucharest to Istanbul couchette car at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro. Click EN top right for English. Booking usually opens 60 days ahead, but much less than this at the start of the season. For Bucharest enter Bucuresti (Romania) and for Istanbul enter Halkali (Turkey). Tickets must be collected from a CFR station ticket office in Romania such as Bucharest Nord, so only use this site for one-ways or round trips starting in Romania. Feedback would be appreciated.
Or email Andy at tickets@discoverbyrail.com (the same rail expert that runs www.discoverbyrail.com). He can arrange couchette tickets on this train in either direction with tickets sent to your hotel in Bucharest or he may be able to arrange a handover in Bucharest.
Or book at the station in Bucharest, the direct couchette car usually has sleeping berths available even on the day, although not always. For international tickets go to ticket window 1 in a room marked Case de Bilete with a large blue sign, not far from the information kiosk in the centre of the station, see photos of this ticket office so you know what to look for.
In the westbound direction, you can buy tickets for this direct couchette car at the international ticket window at Istanbul Sirkeci station, or try contacting Amber Travel, www.ambertravel.com, a reliable and experienced agency who can arrange tickets if you email them.
...In the off-season when there's no direct couchette car:
Step 1, book the train from Bucharest to Ruse (in winter) or to Gorna Orjahovitsa (in the spring/autumn shoulder periods, see the timetable above for dates) using at the Romanian Railways international website, bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro.
You need to collect hard-copy tickets from the ticket office at Bucharest Gara de Nord (or other main station in Romania), so only use this site for one-way or round trip journeys starting in Romania. Booking usually opens 60 days before departure.
Step 2, now book the Bulgarian train from Ruse or Gorna to Dimitrovgrad at the Bulgarian Railways website www.bdz.bg. You need to register, tickets can be printed out. Booking usually opens 60 days before departure. If you don't manage to book this sector online, don't worry, you can buy a ticket at the station when you get to Ruse (or Gorna) or (if necessary) buy one on the train.
Step 3, book a sleeper or couchette from Dimitrovgrad to Istanbul at Gorna Orjahovitsa station, you have enough time between trains to do so, and Gorna ticket office is (obviously) equipped with the Bulgarian Railways ticketing system so can do this. The train is busy, berths are often available on the day but not always. There is no easy way round this.
Tip: if there are no berths tonight, but berths are available tomorrow, book tomorrow and stop off at Veliko Tarnovo, it's well worth the stop!)
Or you can buy in person at Bucharest Nord, from the international ticket window in the booking hall, see the Bucharest Nord station page. In the off-season they can only sell you a ticket as far as Ruse (or at times, Gorna Orjahovitsa), don't worry, buy that, then buy an onward ticket from Ruse or Gorna to Dimitrovgrad at the station when you get to Ruse or Gorna or (if necessary) buy one on the train. When you change trains at Gorna, book the Dimitrovgrad to Istanbul sleeper train at the ticket office there, you have time between trains.
In the westbound direction, you can buy tickets from Istanbul to Dimitrovgrad at the international ticket window at Istanbul Sirkeci station. You'll then need to buy a ticket from Dimitrovgrad to Ruse at the station when you get to Dimitrovgrad, or if necessary just pay on the train. Then buy a ticket from Ruse to Bucharest at the station when you get to Ruse. This is no problem, there are almost always places available.
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Or let Tailor Made Rail arrange it for you...
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The easiest, most hassle-free and secure option is to let a professional organise all your train & hotel bookings. Tailor Made Rail can create a London to Istanbul tour package to your exact specification, complete with stopovers. As it's then a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip (for example, a national strike) and they're TTA-protected (like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel).
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They have a suggested 9-night London to Istanbul package with stopovers, see www.tailormaderail.com/itinerary/london-to-istanbul-epic-journey, but of course they can arrange a journey with any stopovers you want, one-way or round trip, via Bucharest or via Sofia, or out one way back the other.
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Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking. From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461. Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.
Or buy tickets by phone
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You can buy all your London-Istanbul tickets by phone, but please don't phone up a ticketing agency, say "I want to book a train ticket from London to Istanbul" and expect them to know which route and trains you want and to work it all out for you. You aren't buying a ticket from London to Istanbul as such tickets no longer exist, you're buying 5 separate tickets for 5 different trains. So use the train times on this webpage to list the specific trains you want to book between specific cities on specific dates (you may find How to plan an itinerary & budget helpful). When you're ready to book, call one of these agencies:
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International Rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday. Overseas callers call +44 844 2482483. Unlike some other agencies, International Rail are equipped with the French, German & Italian rail ticketing systems, so can sell the cheapest fares for all these trains from the UK to Italy and within Italy. They charge a £10 booking fee for bookings under £100, £20 for £100-£300, £30 above £300.
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Deutsche Bahn's English-speaking line on 00 49 (0)30 311 68 29 04, lines open 08:30-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday UK time, 1.5% fee for phone bookings. Tickets can be sent to any address worldwide for a small fee. Just be aware that their staff aren't always familiar with complex bookings like this and may need gentle persuasion. You will need to talk them through exactly what train bookings you want, and be polite but persistent if necessary.
If you're in Istanbul, how to buy tickets to western Europe
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There are occasions when you might want to buy train tickets from Istanbul to western Europe, including Amsterdam, Paris or London, when you're already in Istanbul (perhaps just arrived from Iran, say).
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Go to Istanbul's Sirkeci station, ticket window 4, open 10:30-12:30 & 13:00-19:00 every day. Credit cards are now accepted.
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They can sell tickets to Bucharest or Sofia. You can find the cost of tickets from Istanbul to these cities at www.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr (click English top right, click PASSENGER then Trains then International trains). However, they can't sell tickets or make reservations beyond Bucharest or Sofia because they have no reservation computer linked to the reservation system for the rest of Europe.
Note that in the off-season when there's no direct couchette car from Istanbul to Bucharest, you'll need to by a couchette or sleeper ticket from Istanbul to Dimitrovgrad and rebook there (or pay on the train if there isn't time) to Ruse, then rebook again in Ruse for the train to Bucharest.
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So buy a ticket from Istanbul to Sofia or Bucharest, you can buy a Sofia-Belgrade-Budapest or Bucharest-Budapest ticket when you get there.
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Then go to an internet cafe, check they have a printer, and book the sleeper train from Budapest to Munich and the TGV from Munich to Paris online at int.bahn.de, with cheap fares available if you book in advance. You can buy a Eurostar ticket from Paris or Brussels to London online at www.eurostar.com. If you simply turn up in Budapest or Munich, you can of course book these trains on the day if there are spaces available (and there usually will be), but you'll pay the full fare, no cheap deals available at the station on the day of travel. Eurostar can also be booked on the day at the station in Paris or Brussels if all else fails, but you'll pay a much more expensive price than if you-pre book in advance online.
What's the journey like?
1. London to Paris by Eurostar
Eurostar trains link London & Paris in 2h20, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Gare du Nord station guide.
2. Paris to Stuttgart by TGV Duplex See the video guide
In Paris it's an easy 7 minute 500m walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est for the TGV to Germany. Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride - book an upper deck seat for the best views. The train is equipped with power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats in both classes, and a cafe-bar serves drinks, snacks & microwaved hot dishes. The train soon leaves the Paris suburbs behind and speeds across a vast wide open plateau of woods & farmland at up to 320 km/h (199 mph), past picturesque French villages of the Champagne region. An hour or two later, the train leaves the high-speed line and slowly meanders through pretty wooded hills, the countryside eventually flattening out towards Strasbourg. On leaving Strasbourg, look out for Strasbourg cathedral on the left with its famously missing second tower. Minutes afterwards you rumble across the river Rhine into Germany, before heading on to Stuttgart. Paris Gare de l'Est station guide.
3. Stuttgart to Budapest by sleeper train Kalman Imre
Cosy & inviting, the photo below shows the modern air-conditioned Hungarian sleeping-car of the Kalman Imre at Munich. The sleeping-car has 11 compartments with washbasin, each of which can be used as a 1, 2 or 3 berth room, with toilets at the end of the corridor. The fare includes a light breakfast of coffee, juice & croissant. See more information about the sleeper train Kalman Imre.
4. Budapest to Bucharest by sleeper train Ister
The Ister from Budapest to Bucharest has a modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car with carpeted 1, 2 or 3-berth compartments with proper beds & washbasin, plus several deluxe 1, 2 or 3 bed compartments with private toilet & shower, see the photos below. Travelling in the sleeping-car is safe, comfortable & civilised. The Ister also has a Romanian couchette car with 6-berth & 4-berth compartments, each berth with rug, sheet & pillow, berths converting to seats by day. Couchettes are fairly basic, and a proper bed in the sleeper is much more comfortable and secure yet costs very little extra, so is the recommended option. There's a Romanian bar-bistro car attached in Romania serving a cooked breakfast eastbound and dinner westbound, but taking some supplies of your own is always a good idea. The Ister also has air-conditioned seats cars, but a mere seat is not recommended.
Traveller Philip Dyer-Perry reports: "Budapest to Bucharest on the Ister is an absolute pleasure. I booked online with MAV and travelled in the new sleeping car, which was comfortable, smooth, and clean. There is a shower, but obviously not intended for use as most of the hose assembly was missing. There was a dining car, and if you ask you can get a menu, but it's better to ask the man what he's got and negotiate a price. If you have hard (non-Romanian) currency there is a certain amount of flexibility. In the evening it was chicken & potatoes, next morning it was a rather tasty omelette. Just be aware that the main purpose of the dining car is as a place for the traincrew to smoke! It's good though, and a world away from Western Europe. The Ister was around 20 minutes late on arrival in Bucharest, but the sleeping car attendant assured a fellow traveller that he would make the connection to Istanbul. In fact he even phoned his colleague on that train. Once we pulled in we both ran, he to the Istanbul car, me to the Sofia portion, and we made it..."
5. Bucharest to Istanbul
In summer between June & early October, an air-conditioned Turkish couchette car with 4-berth compartments operates direct from Bucharest to Istanbul Halkali. In winter between October & June you travel in seats cars on a series of connecting trains from Bucharest to Dimitrovgrad, then in the sleeping-cars or couchettes of the Sofia-Istanbul Express to Istanbul. The route and scenery are the same.
A few hours after leaving Bucharest the train reaches the Romanian border point, Giurgiu. It then crosses the Danube into Bulgaria on a 2.5 km long steel bridge, the longest steel bridge in Europe, built in 1954 and now fitted with a road deck above the railway. The Bosfor then spends a lazy afternoon meandering along pleasant river valleys across rural Bulgaria. Pour yourself a beer or glass of wine (remember to bring your own food & drink as there's no catering), read away the hours & enjoy the trip.
After a late-night passport check at the Bulgarian border at Svilengrad, the train reaches the Turkish frontier at Kapikule well after midnight. Here you will need to leave the train briefly to get your bags X-rayed then your passport stamped.
The train used to make a dramatic entry into Istanbul, passing through the Byzantine Walls of Theodosius and skirting the Sea of Marmara underneath the very walls of the Topkapi Palace, but now it terminates at Halkali and you take a Marmaray suburban train for the last bit into Istanbul. However, you still arrive at Istanbul's historic Sirkeci station built in 1888 in the heart of the city, albeit at the new Marmaray platforms which are underground. Sirkeci station is walking distance from all the sights, or you can hop into a taxi to the famous Pera Palas Hotel. Expect an arrival an hour or two late, so allow for this and enjoy the ride. Map of Istanbul showing Sirkeci station. For more information about this journey, see the Bucharest to Istanbul page.
London to Istanbul via Belgrade & Sofia
The traditional route from London or Paris to Istanbul is via Belgrade & Sofia rather than Bucharest, that's the way the Orient Express would have gone in the 1920s and 1930s. It's a fascinating & scenic ride, see video of the Belgrade-Sofia-Istanbul train journey. If you use the journey suggested below (which more or less follows the route of the Arlberg-Orient Express) you'll find decent quality air-conditioned trains from London as far as Belgrade, and indeed an excellent Turkish air-conditioned sleeper train between Sofia and Istanbul, the weak point in this route is the Belgrade-Sofia section, as you can see from the journey details below.
Update 2023: This route remains out of action until the Serbians reinstate the Zagreb-Belgrade train post-pandemic.
London ► Istanbul
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Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar
There's also an 07:55 Eurostar on Mondays-Saturdays, but I'd play safe and book an earlier Eurostar when available.
Cross Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon, 2 stops on RER line D.
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Day 1, travel from Paris to Zurich by TGV-Lyria, leaving Paris Gare de Lyon at 12:22 arriving Zurich HB at 16:26.
The 320 km/h double-deck TGV-Lyria has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see more about TGV-Lyria. I recommend an upstairs seat for the best views, any seat number >60 is upper deck.
In Zurich, there's time for dinner while waiting for the sleeper, I recommend steak-frites and a beer at the Brasserie Federal inside Zurich HB, see this & other restaurant suggestions.
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Day 1, travel from Zurich to Zagreb by Croatian sleeper train, leaving Zurich HB at 20:40 and arriving at Zagreb at 10:39 next morning.
The train has an excellent air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), a modern air-conditioned Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments) and ordinary seats (not recommended). Watch the Croatian sleeper video.
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Day 2, travel from Zagreb to Belgrade on the daily train, leaving Zagreb at 11:04 arriving Novi Beograd 18:04 & Belgrade Centar 18:12.
This train is still suspended due to Covid-19.
This train has air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats (no 1st class). There's no catering, so bring along a picnic and maybe some beer or wine.
Tip: Belgrade Centar station is closer to the city centre, but you have to rely on a single bus line to reach the centre. You may prefer to get off at Novi Beograd and take a tram, trams 7 & 9 link Novi Beograd station with the site of the original now-defunct Belgrade station on the edge of the old city every 5-10 minutes, see the Belgrade station page for more information.
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Stay overnight in Belgrade. I recommend the famous Hotel Moskva at the start of Belgrade's main pedestrianised street. You have an evening to explore Belgrade & have dinner - see map of Belgrade showing station. Make sure you wander through Belgrade to the fortress at sunset, overlooking the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers.
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Day 3, travel from Belgrade to Sofia by train, see the Belgrade to Sofia page for timetable, photos, tips & information.
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Stay overnight in Sofia. For an inexpensive hotel with great reviews just outside Sofia Central station, I recommend the Best Western Hotel Terminus, or 10 minutes walk away, the excellent Hotel Favorit which I've used myself. Spend the next day exploring Sofia.
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Day 5, travel from Sofia to Istanbul on the overnight Sofia-Istanbul Express.
The Sofia-Istanbul Express leaves Sofia central station at 18:30 & arrives Istanbul Halkali around 06:00 (day 6 from London).
The Sofia-Istanbul Express has two safe & comfortable Turkish air-conditioned sleeping-cars and one Turkish air-conditioned 4-berth couchette car. Be prepared to get off the train at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to put your luggage through an X-ray machine and get your passport stamped.
For full details of this journey with exact timings, photos & tips, see the Sofia to Istanbul page.
You arrive at Halkali, a suburban station 25 km west of Istanbul, early morning on day 5, probably an hour or so late. The international train now terminates here, since 2013 it no longer continues to the historic Istanbul Sirkeci station. You transfer from Halkali to Sirkeci station in central Istanbul by frequent Marmaray suburban train, see advice on how to transfer here. These Marmaray suburban trains continue beyond Sirkeci through the Bosphorus rail tunnel to Söğütlüçeşme, starting station for the high-speed YHT trains to Ankara & Konya
Istanbul ► London
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Day 1, evening, transfer from Istanbul Sirkeci to Halkali by frequent Marmaray suburban train.
First transfer from Istanbul Sirkeci to Halkali by frequent Marmaray suburban train, see advice on how to transfer here. Halkali is a suburban station about 25km west of central Istanbul, the international train now starts here.
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Day 1, evening, travel from Istanbul Halkali to Sofia on the daily Istanbul-Sofia Express.
The Istanbul-Sofia Express leaves Istanbul Halkali station at 20:45 and arrives at Sofia central station at 09:35 (day 2).
The Istanbul-Sofia Express has two safe & comfortable Turkish air-conditioned sleeping-cars and one Turkish air-conditioned 4-berth couchette car. Be prepared to get off the train at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to have your passport stamped.
For full details of this journey with exact timings, photos & tips, see the Sofia to Istanbul page.
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Spend day 2 in Sofia & stay overnight. For an inexpensive hotel with great reviews just outside Sofia Central station, I recommend the Best Western Hotel Terminus, or 10 minutes walk away, the excellent Hotel Favorit which I've used myself. Spend the next day exploring Sofia.
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Day 3, travel from Sofia to Belgrade by train, see the Sofia to Belgrade page for full details, photos, tips & information.
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Stay overnight in Belgrade. I recommend the Hotel Moskva at the start of Belgrade's pedestrianised main street, great for an evening wander.
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Day 4, travel from Belgrade to Zagreb on the daily train, leaving Belgrade Centar station at 10:05 & Novi Beograd at 10:19 arriving Zagreb 18:13.
This train is currently still suspended due to Covid-19.
This train has two air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats. There's no 1st class. There's no catering, so bring along a picnic and some beer or wine.
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Day 4, travel from Zagreb to Zurich by Croatian sleeper train, leaving Zagreb at 19:38 and arriving in Zurich HB at 09:20 next morning.
The train has an excellent air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), a modern air-conditioned Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments) and ordinary seats (not recommended). Watch the Croatian sleeper video.
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Day 5, travel from Zurich to Paris by TGV-Lyria, leaving Zurich HB at 11:34 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at 15:38.
The 320 km/h double-deck TGV-Lyria has a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi, see more about TGV-Lyria.
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Day 5, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 daily except Saturdays, arriving London St Pancras at 19:30. On Saturdays, leave Paris Gare du Nord at 19:03, arriving London St Pancras at 20:39.
Can you stop off?
Of course. Each train is ticketed separately, so it makes no difference to the cost if you want to spend some time in Paris, Zurich, Zagreb, Belgrade or Sofia - although even travelling non-stop in 4 nights as shown above you get an evening in Belgrade and a whole day to explore Sofia. Just book each train for whatever dates you like.
Point-to-point tickets or Interrail pass?
There are two completely different ways to ticket a London to Istanbul journey, (a) buy normal point-to-point tickets, or (b) use an Interrail pass. If you are under 28 years old, the cheapest option is to use an Interrail pass as shown here. If you are over 28, point-to-point tickets are a fraction cheaper for a one-way trip, assuming you get the cheapest deals for each train, but even so, the extra flexibility of an Interrail pass can make the pass option worthwhile as you can make side trips or change your itinerary or route on the hoof. For a return journey, an Interrail pass is definitely the cheapest option assuming you will be spending less than 22 days away from home (giving you up to two weeks in Turkey), but if you plan to be away for more than 22 days, so cannot use a 10-days-in-22-days Interrail pass, point-to-point tickets are likely to be cheaper than two 5-day or one 1-month Interrail passes. If you live outside Europe, overseas visitors don't qualify for Interrail, they must buy the more expensive Eurail pass range instead, which makes point-to-point tickets the cheaper option.
Cost using point-to-point tickets
Each train is ticketed separately, so add up the price for each leg of the journey. At the western end, fares work like air fares, varying depending on how popular that date and train is, and how far ahead you book. From Zagreb onwards, prices are fixed, and the price shown below is what you pay whenever you book, even if you bought at the station on the day.
Cost using an Interrail pass
Using an Interrail pass is the most flexible way to make a train journey from London to Istanbul, and often the cheapest. But after buying the pass, you still need to pay for a Eurostar ticket and various sleeper or couchette supplements, so here's the breakdown:
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1) The Interrail pass itself...
For a one-way trip to Istanbul, a 5-days-in-1 month flexi Interrail pass gives a 5 days of unlimited 2nd class train travel in all the countries you pass through within an overall period of 1 month starting any date you like, which is plenty to make the journey, even with a day or two in Vienna and Budapest and Bucharest. It costs £185 if you are under 28 years old, £246 if you're 28-59, or £221 if you're over 60. Children 4-11 inclusive get a free £0 Interrail pass if accompanied by an adult.
For a return trip to Istanbul, a 10-days-in-2-months pass costs £262 if you are aged under 28, £350 if you're aged 28-59, or £315 if you're over 60. Children 4-11 inclusive get a free pass if accompanied by an adult. This gives a total of 10 days of unlimited 2nd class train travel in all the countries you pass through within an overall period of 2 months, which is enough to make the outward and return journeys, even with a day or two in Zurich and Budapest or Bucharest if you want, as long as you complete both your outward and return journeys within the 2 month period covered by the pass.
It's not usually worth bothering with a 1st class pass, as only a 2nd class pass is needed for most sleepers & couchettes on the Zurich-Zagreb train, and the Balkan trains are often 2nd class only, so a 1st class pass would cost a lot more but only make any difference on the London-Paris-Zurich sectors.
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2) A Eurostar passholder fare from London to Paris: Interrail passes now cover Eurostar as from 2017, but you still need to pay the Eurostar passholder fare of €30 in standard class if you have a 2nd class pass or €38 in standard premier if you have a 1st class pass. See the Eurostar page for full details of this passholder fare and how to buy it.
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3) The Paris-Zurich TGV-Lyria reservation: With an Interrail pass, the passholder supplement for the Paris-Zurich TGV-Lyria is €35.
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4) The Zurich-Zagreb sleeper or couchette reservation: Expect a couchette in 6-berth to cost around €13, couchette in 4-berth €20, bed in 3-bed sleeper €22, bed in 2-bed sleeper €33. Bed in single-bed sleeper (1st class ticket or pass required) around €77.
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On the Zagreb-Belgrade & Belgrade-Sofia daytime trains, a seat reservation is optional. No fee to pay for passholders, just show your pass.
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5) The Sofia to Istanbul couchette reservation: A couchette in a 6-berth compartment costs around €10.
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Remember the new rule for using Interrail flexi passes on overnight trains: As from 2019, overnight trains only require one day of a flexi pass to be dated, the date it leaves, as long as you don't change trains after midnight. See the more detailed explanation here.
How to book, using an Interrail pass
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Step 1, plan your trip using the times above. Decide which type of Interrail pass you need, by reading the information above and on the Interrail page. Decide which route you want to use, and make a list of which train reservations you want on which specific dates. This may help: How to plan an itinerary & budget.
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Step 2, buy the Interrail pass online at www.interrail.eu or (if you live in the UK) www.myinterrail.co.uk,
There's now a mobile pass which sits in the Railplanner app on your phone. When you buy the pass you get a pass number. Download the Railplanner app and follow the instructions, entering your pass number to load the pass into the app.
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Step 3, make the necessary reservations, most can be made online...
Start by setting up an account at www.interrail.com so you can use their reservations service. You will need your pass number for this, so you need to have bought the pass first. Once you have an account, click BOOK RESERVATIONS at the top and use the journey planner to find each train you want to book.
First book a Eurostar passholder ticket from London to Paris. It's automated, the Eurostar passholder ticket will be emailed to you immediately after booking, you can either print it out or load it into the Eurostar app. See more information about Eurostar passholder tickets here.
Tip: After booking a Eurostar passholder ticket you can go to www.eurostar.com, click Manage booking, enter your booking reference and change your seat(s) to whatever seats you prefer. Tips on choosing Eurostar seats.
Now make the Paris to Zurich TGV-Lyria reservation, again using the Interrail reservations service at www.interrail.com. It's automated, the reservation will be emailed to you immediately after booking.
Now make the Zurich to Zagreb sleeper reservation. You can use the Interrail reservations service again for this if you like, but hard copy tickets have to be posted to you at extra cost with the risk of tickets going astray, so I recommend booking this at the Austrian Railways website, following the same instructions for booking Nightjet sleepers. If you do it this way, you can simply print the reservation out.
You may also be able to make a Zagreb-Belgrade seat reservation this way, or just make it when you get to Zagreb, there are always places. Or just board the train and find an empty seat.
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Step 4, you cannot book the Sofia-Istanbul train online anywhere, or even book it by phone outside Bulgaria, so simply book this train at the international ticket window at Sofia station when you reach Sofia. There are always places available, so don't worry. When I last travelled there were just 8 of us in a 60-berth couchette car.
How to book, using point-to-point tickets
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Step 1, book from London to Zurich at www.thetrainline.com. Who are Thetrainline.com?
Using www.thetrainline.com allows you to book all your tickets in one place, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem, small booking fee.
Booking opens up to 6 months ahead for Eurostar, up to 4 months ahead for Paris-Zurich TGV-Lyria, and up to 6 months ahead for the Zurich-Zagreb sleeper, see more information about when bookings open. I recommend waiting until onward trains have opened for booking and times can be confirmed before buying a non-refundable Eurostar ticket, unless you're prepared to take a calculated risk.
Tip: Click via/avoid and enter Paris as a via station to limit the search to routes via Paris.
Tip: You can book from London to Zurich all in one go if you like, but for more control over the connection in Paris, I'd book London-Paris first, add to basket, then book Paris-Zurich and add to basket, ensuring at least an hour between trains. That way you can allow a more robust connection than the system would give you, and you can see if earlier Eurostars have cheaper prices.
Tip: If you are making a round trip, London-Paris return fares are significantly cheaper than two one-ways so it's cheaper to book this as a return. All other trains are one-way ticketed so it makes no difference how you book, and it can be easier to book one way at a time!
Tip: After booking you can use the Manage booking facility at www.eurostar.com to choose an exact seat from a seating plan, see tips on choosing a seat on Eurostar.
Tip: If you're travelling from a town or city north of London, see advice about buying domestic tickets to London to connect with Eurostar.
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Step 2, book the sleeper train from Zurich to Zagreb at www.thetrainline.com.
Use the journey planner to bring up the direct Zurich-Zagreb sleeper train marked EN with 0 changes. You print your own ticket.
Alternatively, you can book London to Paris at www.eurostar.com, then Paris to Zurich at the French Railways website www.sncf-connect.com, then Zurich to Zagreb at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at. This is more work on multiple websites, the prices should be the same, but no booking fee.
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Step 3, Zagreb to Belgrade cannot be booked online, buy at the station in Zagreb, this won't be a problem.
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Step 4, the Belgrade-Sofia train cannot be booked online, so buy it at the station in Belgrade when you get there (there will always be places available).
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Step 5, the Sofia-Istanbul night train cannot be booked online, so buy the ticket at the international ticket windows at Sofia station when you get there, there are usually spaces available. Alternatively, you can book this train in advance by contacting Andy at tickets@discoverbyrail.com (the same rail expert that runs www.discoverbyrail.com). He can arrange sleeper or couchette tickets on this train tickets will be posted to you, or possibly delivered in Sofia.
How to buy tickets by phone
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Alternatively, you can buy all your London-Istanbul tickets in one go by phone or email. But please don't phone up a ticketing agency, say "I want to book a train ticket from London to Istanbul" and expect them to work it all out for you. You aren't buying a ticket from London to Istanbul, such tickets no longer exist, you're buying 6 separate tickets for 6 separate train journeys. So use the train times on this page to prepare a list of the specific trains you want to book between specific cities on specific dates (you may find the technique shown on How to plan an itinerary & budget helpful). When you're ready to book, contact one of these agencies:
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International Rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday. Overseas callers call +44 844 2482483. Unlike some other agencies, International Rail are equipped with the French, German & Italian rail ticketing systems, so can sell the cheapest fares for all these trains from the UK to Italy and within Italy. They charge a £10 booking fee for bookings under £100, £20 for £100-£300, £30 above £300.
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Deutsche Bahn's English-speaking line on 00 49 (0)30 311 68 29 04, lines open 08:30-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday UK time, 1.5% fee for phone bookings. They (obviously) use the German Railways reservation system. Tickets can be sent to any address worldwide for a small fee. Just be aware that their staff aren't always familiar with complex bookings like this and may need gentle persuasion. You will need to talk them through exactly what train bookings you want, and be polite but persistent if necessary.
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Let Tailor Made Rail arrange it for you
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If you'd rather someone took care of all the train and hotel bookings for you, creating a tour package with stopovers to your exact specification, contact Tailor-Made Rail. As it's then a package, they'll take care of you if anything happens on one part of the trip (for example, a national strike) and they're TTA-protected (like ATOL, but not only for agencies that sell air travel).
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They have a suggested 9-night London to Istanbul package with stopovers via Bucharest at www.tailormaderail.com/itinerary/london-to-istanbul-epic-journey, but they can just as easily arrange a journey via Belgrade & Sofia, with any stopovers you want. Or a round trip, one way via Bucharest, the other via Sofia They specialise in complex itineraries!
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Call their dedicated seat61 phone line 020 3778 1461 and quote seat 61 when booking. From outside the UK call +44 20 3778 1461. Lines open 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday.
What's the journey like?
1. London to Paris by Eurostar
Eurostar trains link London & Paris in 2h20, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Gare du Nord station guide.
2. Paris to Zurich by TGV-Lyria
All TGV-Lyria trains are now 320km/h (199 mph) double-deck TGV Duplex like the one shown below. TGV-Lyria trains have 3 classes: Standard class (2nd), standard premiere (1st class) and business premiere (1st class with hot meal & drinks included in the fare). There's a cafe-bar car selling drinks & snacks. There are power points for mobiles & laptops at all seats in all classes. Lyria is a consortium of the French and Swiss national railways. More information about TGV-Lyria. Zurich HB station guide.
3. Zurich to Zagreb by sleeper train Watch the video
This modern sleeper train is a pleasure to travel on, whether in the privacy of your own sleeper or in economical couchettes. There's time for dinner in Zurich before boarding at a local restaurant, try the Brasserie Federal inside Zurich HB. Zagreb station guide.
4. Zagreb to Belgrade by train
This is a spacious and comfortable air-conditioned Serbian train, with modern 2nd class seats - there's no 1st class. There's no restaurant car, so take a picnic and some beer or wine with you. On arrival in Belgrade, you have time to go into town, perhaps visit the fortress overlooking the confluence of Danube and Sava. Belgrade station guide.
5. Belgrade to Sofia by Balkan Express. More photos & information
This train has only two carriages, it's old and graffitied but comfortable enough. Power sockets, WiFi, even catering? Forget those! Bring your own picnic and bottles of beer, and buckle up for an old-school ride through the Balkans on the route of the Orient Express. If you get any more photos of this particular train or especially the scenery please let me know! In summer this train runs direct, in winter it's a series of connecting trains, one even has air-con(!).
6. Sofia to Istanbul by Sofia-Istanbul Express...
This is now a decent train, with smart air-conditioned Turkish TVS2000 sleeping-cars with cosy 1 & 2 bed compartments plus an air-conditioned Turkish TVS2000 couchette car with 4-berth compartments. The sleepers have a washbasin in each compartment and even a small fridge to keep your been cold! But bring your own picnic and beer, as there's no catering. You have to get off the train at the Turkish border to have your passport stamped, but you will still get some sleep. For more information about this journey, see the Sofia to Istanbul page.