This page explains how to travel by train from Istanbul to other key European cities, and how to buy the cheapest tickets. Click here to for journeys starting in another city. Train information updated for 2020. COVID-19 update.
I want to go from Istanbul to...
Before you buy your
tickets...
Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets. It answers all the usual questions, "Do I need to book in advance or can I just buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or just buy a €35 point-to-point ticket online?". Click here to understand how far ahead you can buy train tickets.
European train travel
FAQ...
Istanbul to Ankara, Izmir & other destinations in Turkey...
See the train travel in Turkey page...
Istanbul to Sofia & Belgrade...
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The Istanbul-Sofia Express links Istanbul with Sofia every night, leaving Istanbul Halkali station at 21:40 in summer from 5 June until 5 October 2020 or at 22:40 until 4 June & from 6 October 2020, arriving Sofia's impressive communist-era central station at 08:42 next morning.
This sleeper train started running in 2017. The train has with two safe & comfortable Turkish air-conditioned sleeping-cars and one Turkish air-conditioned 4-berth couchette car. There's no catering, so bring some snacks and maybe a bottle of wine. You need to get off the train briefly at the Turkish border at Kapikule (01:32-02:30 June-October, 02:31-03:15 in the off-season) to have your passport stamped.
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How much does it cost?
The fare from Istanbul to Sofia is €18.48 for the travel ticket + either €10 supplement for a couchette in 4-berth compartment or €15 supplement for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper. A single-bed sleeper all to yourself costs €27.72 for a 1st class ticket + €35 sleeper supplement. The train is priced in euros, but you will be charged in Turkish lira.
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How to buy tickets...
You cannot book this train online, but you can easily buy tickets at Istanbul Sirkeci station window 4, even on the day of travel. Credit cards accepted. There are always plenty of spare places, even up to departure, so no worries. You can buy a ticket to Sofia, for Belgrade you'll need to rebook in Sofia.
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How to reach Halkali station...
Halkali is a suburban station some 25km west of central Istanbul. It's easy to transfer from Istanbul Sirkeci to Halkali by frequent Marmaray suburban train. These Marmaray trains run every 15 minutes, journey time around 35 minutes, fare around TL 11 (€1.70). At Sirkeci, Marmaray trains leave from the new underground platforms, not the original (now trainless) above-ground station. To be on the safe side, I'd leave Sirkeci at least 1h15 before the sleeper is due to leave Halkali. Buy food and drink before you leave as there are few or no facilities in or around Halkali station, just a waiting room. Alternatively, a taxi from central Istanbul to Halkali should take an hour and cost around 60 YTL (€16).
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Change in Sofia for Belgrade.
From 12 June to 20 September 2020, the Balkan leaves Sofia Central at 09:30 and arrives at Belgrade Centar station at 18:18. It's 2nd class only, and there's no catering car, so take a picnic and some beer! See the Sofia to Belgrade page for more information & photos.
Until 11 June and from 21 September 2020, you take the 09:30 from Sofia Central, change at Dimitrovgrad (arrive 10:30, depart 11:25) & Nis (arrive 14:44 depart 15:50) and arrive Belgrade Centar station at 21:04. See the Sofia to Belgrade page for more information & photos.
The fare from Sofia to Belgrade is around 45 Lev (€22). You cannot buy tickets to Belgrade at Istanbul, so simply rebook in Sofia.
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The free transfer bus from Istanbul to Halkali, outside Istanbul Sirkeci station. Courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry. |
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1 & 2 bed sleepers: An air-conditioned Turkish TVS2000 sleeping-car as used on the Istanbul-Sofia Express. Comfortable, carpeted, with compartments bookable as singles or doubles. Above right, a sleeper compartment shown with beds folded away and seats folded out. |
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4-berth couchettes: The Istanbul-Sofia Express usually has two couchette cars. One is an air-conditioned Turkish TVS2000 couchette car with comfortable 4-berth compartments, shown above left with beds folded away and seats folded out. Exterior shots courtesy of Paul Bateman |
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Istanbul to Veliko Tarnovo & Bucharest...
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In summer, 4 June to 3 October 2020: Direct trains Istanbul Halkali to Bucharest...
A direct air-conditioned couchette car runs from Istanbul Halkali to Bucharest, leaving Halkali at 21:40 and arriving Bucharest Gara de Nord at 17:00 next day. It is attached to the sleeping-cars & couchette car of the Istanbul-Sofia Express as far as Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria.
The Istanbul-Bucharest through car is a modern 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, you arrive Kapikule 01:32 and depart at 02:30. But you'll still get some sleep! 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, 2.5km long. 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 10:01. Bring your own supplies of food and beer as there's no catering car.
The fare from Istanbul to Bucharest is about €38 even bought on the day at Istanbul Sirkeci station. Add a couchette supplement of around €11 for a bunk in a 4-bunk compartment. You cannot book this train online, but can easily buy tickets at Istanbul Sirkeci station window 4, even on the day of travel. There are always plenty of spare places, even up to departure.
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In the off-season, until 3 June & from 4 October 2020...
Travel from Istanbul to Dimitrovgrad in Bulgaria on the Istanbul-Sofia Express, leaving Istanbul Halkali station at 22:40 every night and arriving Dimitrovgrad at 04:51. 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, you arrive Kapikule 02:32 and depart at 03:15.
Step 3, travel from Dimitrovgrad to Bucharest on a series of connecting trains, leaving Dimitrovgrad at 05:55, changing at Gorna Orjahovitsa (arrive 10:25, depart 12:55) & Ruse (arrive 15:15, depart 16:10) and arriving Bucharest Gara de Nord at 18:54. Bring your own supplies of food and beer as there's no catering car. But 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.
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How much does it cost?
Istanbul to Bucharest costs around €38 even bought on the day at Istanbul Sirkeci station. Add a couchette supplement of around €11 for a bunk in a 4-bunk compartment.
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How to buy tickets...
You cannot book this train online, but can easily buy tickets at Istanbul Sirkeci station window 4, even on the day of travel. There are always plenty of spare places, even up to departure. Credit cards accepted.
In summer when the direct couchette car operates, you can book a ticket from Istanbul to Bucharest. In the off-season, ask Istanbul ticket office for a ticket from Istanbul to Dimitrovgrad, then simply buy your Dimitrovgrad-Ruse & Ruse-Bucharest tickets at the stations, or simply board the train and pay the conductor.
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How to reach Halkali station...
TCDD (Turkish Railways) run a transfer bus from Istanbul Sirkeci station to Halkali (a suburban station some 25km west of downtown Istanbul) in connection with this train, leaving Istanbul Sirkeci station at 20:30 from 1 June until 1 October 2018 or at 21:30 from 2 October 2018 until May 2019, arriving Halkali roughly 50 minutes later. Rail tickets and passes are valid on this bus. Alternatively you can make your own way from downtown Istanbul to Halkali using either a taxi or frequent local bus. Bus number BN1 runs from near Sirkeci station taking up to 90 minutes depending on traffic. A taxi should take around an hour & cost around 60 YTL (€16). Buy food and drink in Istanbul as there are few or no facilities to do so at Halkali.
Alternatively, in March 2019 a suburban train service started operating between Gebze, Söğütlüçeşme (where YHT high-speed trains from Ankara & Konya arrive), Istanbul Sirkeci in the city centre (the new underground Marmaray station, not the historic station above-ground), and Halkali. So you can now travel from central Istanbul to Halkali by rail if you prefer. Trains link Istanbul Sirkeci with Halkali every 15 minutes, journey time 49 minutes, fare around TL 11 (€1.70).
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The free transfer bus from Istanbul to Halkali, outside Istanbul Sirkeci station. Courtesy of Philip Dyer-Perry. |
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Couchette car: Between June & September there is a direct air-conditioned Turkish couchette car between Istanbul Halkali and Bucharest with 4-berth compartments, as shown above. The seats convert to flat bunks with rug, sheet and pillow. |
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Istanbul to Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Paris, London...
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See the London to Turkey page for train times & prices in either eastbound or westbound directions between all these cities.
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You first catch the sleeper train from Istanbul Sirkeci to either Sofia or Bucharest, then change there for onward trains, see the London to Turkey page.
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If you are currently outside Turkey, see the How to buy tickets section on that page. If you are already in Istanbul, see this section on buying tickets to European destinations at Istanbul Sirkeci station.
Istanbul to Brussels & Amsterdam...
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See the London to Turkey page and follow the advice for travel from Istanbul as far as Vienna, using the route via Bucharest.
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Then take the Vienna to Cologne Nightjet sleeper train, and change in Cologne for an ICE to Brussels or Amsterdam. See the Vienna to Amsterdam or Vienna to Brussels sections.
Istanbul to Athens & Greece...
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There is no longer any Istanbul-Thessaloniki train, not since 2011. However, you can travel from Istanbul to Sofia by overnight train as explained above, spend the morning in Sofia, then take the daily afternoon train from Sofia to Thessaloniki as explained here. Stay overnight in Thessaloniki, then take a scenic 5 hour train ride to Athens. Alternatively, you can travel from southern Turkey to Rhodes and then mainland Greece by ferry, see the Train travel in Turkey page.
Istanbul to Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan...
Istanbul to Tehran & Iran...
Istanbul to Odessa & Ukraine...
Hotels
in Istanbul & other cities
Other hotel sites worth trying...
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www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
Backpacker hostels...
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www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance &
health card
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Take out decent travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy myself. Here are some suggested insurers. Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.
In
the UK, try
Columbus Direct or use
Confused.com to compare prices & policies from many
different insurers.
If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.
If
you live in
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try
Columbus Direct's other websites.
If you live in the USA try
Travel Guard USA.
Get a free Curve card to save on exchange rates & foreign transaction fees...
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Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then charge you a currency conversion fee on top. A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing. The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.
How it works: 1. Download the app for iPhone or Android. 2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK. 3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app. 4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose. You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.
I have a Curve Blue card myself and it's great - I get some commission if you sign up to Curve, but I only recommend such things when I've read up on reviews and tried it myself. See details, download the app and get a Curve card. Use code MAN61 to get £5 cashback after signing up and using your Curve card the first time.
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Get a VPN for safe browsing when you travel. VPNs & why you need one explained...
When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure. A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi. In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions. And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN. VPNs & why you need one explained. NordVPN & ExpressVPN are the two best buys and I use ExpressVPN myself.