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	The incredible Haghia Sofia (above) & beautiful Blue Mosque (below), both just 10 minutes walk from Istanbul's Sirkeci station where you arrive by train from London...

London or Paris to Istanbul by train in 3 nights...

Istanbul is Europe's most exotic city, where east really does meet west.  Can you still travel from London or Paris to Istanbul by train?  Of course!  The train journey is perfectly feasible and an adventure.  It's safe & comfortable too, if you book a sleeper.  The journey takes 3 or 4 nights, and departures from London or Paris are daily all year except Christmas day.  Just remember that a London-Istanbul train journey will naturally cost more than the air fare, as it's an epic 2,000 mile 3- or 4-day adventure, rediscovering some of the mystery, intrigue and romance of long-distance sleeping-car travel across Europe into the Balkans.  On this page you'll find a step-by-step guide to planning, booking & making a train journey between London or Paris and Istanbul, one-way or return, eastbound or westbound, with schedules, fares, what the journey is like, and how to buy tickets.

Routes, train times, fares & how to buy tickets...

Which route to choose?

London-Paris-Munich-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul  - recommended route.

London-Brussels-Cologne-Budapest-Bucharest-Istanbul - a variation.

London-Paris-Munich-Zagreb-Belgrade-Sofia-Istanbul - alternative via Serbia.

London to Southern Turkey via the Greek islands

London-Paris-Ancona or Brindisi-ferry-Turkey  Alternative by ferry from Italy.

Tailor-made holidays & tours from the UK to Turkey by train

Danube Express & Venice-Simplon-Orient Express luxury trains to Istanbul.

Onward travel from Istanbul to other destinations in Turkey

Useful country information - dialling code, time zone, currency

Hotels & accommodation in Istanbul including the famous Pera Palas Hotel.

Information on other pages...

Train travel within Turkey:  Istanbul to Ankara, Konya, Izmir & eastern Turkey

General information for train travel in Europe

Luggage on trains & left luggage at stations   

Taking your bike   Taking dogs  

Railpass guide    InterRail pass guide

Buy an add-on train ticket to London from other UK towns & cities

The Orient Express, the truth behind the legend

Istanbul-Aleppo-Damascus-Jordan by train & onwards to Cairo & Egypt

Istanbul-Tehran by Trans-Asia Express train

Istanbul-Thessaloniki-Athens by train

Istanbul-Cyprus by train+ferry

Istanbul-Odessa (Ukraine) by ferry

Route map...

Sponsored links...

Useful country information

Which route to choose?

London to Istanbul via Bucharest, or via Belgrade & Sofia?

There are many possible routes across Europe by train from London to Istanbul.  However, at the eastern end just one train a day links Europe with the former Constantinople, an overnight train with two portions, the Bosfor from Bucharest to Istanbul and Balkan Express from Sofia to Istanbul, which combine into one train within Bulgaria.  So the possible routes divide broadly into a route via Bucharest and a route via Belgrade & Sofia, see the route map above.  The route via Bucharest is the recommended option, being significantly more comfortable than the route via Belgrade & Sofia, even if it currently takes an extra night.  Here's a brief assessment:

• Quality & comfort.  On the Bucharest route, carpeted, air-conditioned sleeping-cars operate on each of the overnight sectors, giving a good standard of comfort as well as safety.  This is the prime reason why I recommend the Bucharest route over the Sofia route.  On the Sofia route, high-quality air-conditioned trains with sleeping-car operate west of Belgrade, but the standard deteriorates sharply east of the Serbian capital.  For the second night, the Belgrade-Sofia train now only has a couchette car but no proper sleeper.  For the third night, there may now be no sleeping accommodation at all on the Sofia to Istanbul train, making it a significantly rougher route then the one via Bucharest, even if it's an adventure.

• Speed.  Both routes originally took 3 nights in each direction, with the route via Bucharest in fact being slightly quicker and more reliable.  However, timetable changes in Romania mean that in the westbound direction, you now need to spend a night in Bucharest between trains.  Eastbound, more recent timetable changes mean that connection in Bucharest between the train from Budapest and the train to Istanbul (12:10 to 12:30) is just too close for comfort, so you really need to overnight in that direction as well.  So the Bucharest route now takes 4 nights from London to Istanbul, but the Sofia route can still be done in just 3.

• Stopover opportunities.  You may want to stop off on the way, and your choice of stopovers may determine your route.  The Bucharest route offers stopover opportunities in Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Sighisoara & Brasov (Transylvania), Bucharest, and Veliko Turnovo.  The Sofia route offers stopovers in Munich, Salzburg, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Sofia, and you could also stop off in Vienna and Budapest if you routed yourself that way en route to Belgrade.

• History.  The classic direct Simplon Orient Express route to Istanbul was via Belgrade & Sofia.  The Orient Express and Simplon Orient Express would have gone this way in the 1920s, 1930s, 1950s & 1960s.  However, it's not now practical to retrace the whole of the Simplon Orient Express route (Calais-Paris-Milan-Venice-Zagreb-Belgrade-Sofia-Istanbul) as although you can still travel from London to Venice or Trieste via the Simplon route, and for that matter from Zagreb to Istanbul as set out below, from December 2011 there are no longer any trains whatsoever across the border between Italy and Slovenia.  EU transport policy and Trenitalia have succeeded where 50 years of Communism failed, an iron Curtain has descended across the border at this point.  So even if you go via Belgrade & Sofia, you need to reach them via Munich, not Venice, see the route map above.  Having said that, the Bucharest route is not without its Orient Express history.  The very first Orient Express in 1883 ran Paris-Vienna-Budapest-Bucharest, initially with a ferry connection from Varna (and later Constanta) to Istanbul, and later still when the railway was completed, running direct to Istanbul via Bucharest.  Only in the Twentieth century was the train diverted via Belgrade.  For more historical information, see the Orient Express page.  If this aspect of the trip interests you, you'll also want to stay at the famous Pera Palas hotel.

• In conclusion, if you want a more comfortable, secure and civilised journey, aren't worried about an extra night, and relish the chance to see Transylvania & Bucharest as well as some great scenery in rural Bulgaria, you should travel via Bucharest.  On the other hand, if you are happy to rough it a bit east of Belgrade, want to see Belgrade & Sofia, want to reach Istanbul in the shortest possible time, or are determined to retrace some of Agatha Christie's traditional Orient Express route, you can travel via Belgrade & Sofia.  Both options are explained below.

London to Istanbul via Bucharest (recommended)

The route via Paris, Munich, Vienna, Budapest & Bucharest is arguably now the most comfortable & practical rail route from London & Paris to Istanbul, even if not the fastest, and it's a wonderful way to reach Turkey overland.  This section explains the train times, the cost, what the trains and the journey are like, and how to arrange tickets.  If you'd prefer to travel via Brussels & Cologne (shown in light blue on the map above) rather than Paris & Munich, no problem, see here for details.  For the alternative route via Belgrade & Sofia, click here.

In this section...

London ► Istanbul

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:31 (14:01 on Saturdays), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  On Fridays, there's also a 16:01 Eurostar arriving 19:17.  In Paris, it's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Day 1:  Travel from Paris to Munich overnight on the excellent City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05 and arriving in Munich at 07:10 next morning.  It has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, either economy with washbasin or deluxe with private toilet & shower), 4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats.  More pictures & information about this City Night Line sleeper train.

• Day 2:  Travel from Munich to Budapest by air-conditioned 140 mph Austrian RailJet train, leaving Munich at 09:27 and arriving in Budapest Keleti station at 16:49.  A bar-bistro car is available, so treat yourself to lunch.  If you want to stop off for a day or two in Salzburg or Vienna for a day or two, no problem, this train calls at both Salzburg (arrive 10:56, depart 11:02) and Vienna Westbahnhof (arrive 13:24, depart 13:48).  There are of course plenty of other trains between Munich, Salzburg, Vienna & Budapest if you're stopping off in those cities which may suit your plans better.  You can check train times using http://bahn.hafas.de.  Look out for great views of Salzburg citadel & castle on the right as you cross the river Salzach approaching Salzburg.  The train crosses the Danube just before arrival in Budapest.  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.  Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.

• Day 2:  Travel from Budapest to Bucharest on the EuroNight sleeper train Ister, leaving Budapest Keleti station at 19:10 and arriving at Bucharest Nord station at 12:10 next morning (day 3).  Ister is the ancient name for the River Danube.  The EuroNight sleeper train Ister has a modern 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 and toilet.  It also has more basic 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes (basic flat bunks with rug and pillow), a restaurant car for dinner and breakfast, and ordinary seats.  Travel in ordinary seats is not recommended.  A couchette is fine, but a bed in the sleeper is the recommended option.  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 provisions in case the restaurant car doesn't show up, there's usually one attached but sometimes it's not.  The train crosses Transylvania by night, and after reaching Brasov at 08:19 next morning it descends the pass through the Carpathian mountains, a wonderfully scenic and almost Alpine section of route.

• Day 3 or 4:  Travel from Bucharest to Istanbul on the international sleeper train Bosphor, leaving Bucharest Nord daily at 12:30 and arriving at Istanbul's Sirkeci station at 07:50 next day (day 4 or 5 from London).  Yes, this is a tight connection, as they've extended the Ister's arrival time from 11:00 to 12:10 in this current timetable.  The Ister has a reputation for being reasonably punctual most days, but by all means stay a day and night in Bucharest to see something of the city if you'd prefer.  Note that the Bucharest station departure boards will show Sofia as the train's destination even though the train has through cars to Istanbul.  Expect an arrival in Istanbul an hour or two late.  The Bosfor consists of a modernised air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car with safe, comfortable and carpeted 1, 2 & 3-bed compartments with washbasin, and a Turkish couchette car with more basic 6-berth compartments.  A bed in the sleeper is the recommended option.  Bedrooms can be converted to private sitting rooms for daytime use, assuming the sofa under the bottom bunk isn't too dusty - you'll probably have to do the beds-to-sofa conversion yourself!  There's a shower at the end of the corridor which might even work.  There's no buffet or restaurant car at all on this train, so take plenty of food and bottled water, and your own supply of beer or wine.  It's a very scenic and enjoyable journey, meandering sedately through the lush green hills and valleys of Bulgaria, see an account of the journey here.  Be prepared to get off the train at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to buy a tourist visa and get your passport stamped, you arrive Kapikule 01:45 and depart at 02:55.  This is certainly a tad inconvenient, but it's no big deal really and you're soon back in bed, looking forward to the train's dramatic arrival into Istanbul at the very edge of Europe.  Map of Istanbul showing Sirkeci station. 

• Important:  Bus replacement for last part of the journey into Istanbul until October 2013: At present, the Eastbound Bosfor from Bucharest and Balkan Express from Sofia are terminating at Cerkezköy at 05:44, 115km short of Istanbul Sirkeci.  Passengers change onto an air-conditioned bus chartered by TCDD (Turkish Railways) for the onward transfer to Istanbul Sirkeci station, where it arrives at a similar time to the scheduled arrival of the train.  Feedback suggests the bus replacement works smoothly, so don't let it put you off...  This will continue until at least October 2013, while tracks are upgraded as part of the massive Bosphorus rail tunnel project to link the rail networks in Europe & Asia, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaray.

Istanbul ► London

• Day 1:  Travel from Istanbul to Bucharest on the international sleeper train Bosphor, leaving Istanbul's Sirkeci station daily at 22:00 and arriving in Bucharest Nord at 18:30 next day (day 2).  Expect an arrival an hour or two late, occasionally 3 hours.  The Bosfor has a Romanian sleeping-car with safe, comfortable & carpeted 1, 2 & 3-bed compartments with washbasin, and a Turkish couchette car with 6-berth couchettes (basic bunks).  There are no ordinary seats.  A sleeper is the recommended option, rooms can be converted to private sitting rooms by day, there's even a shower at the end of the corridor which  might even work.  Bring your own food, water and wine or beer, as there's no restaurant or buffet car at all.  There used to be a handy wine shop directly across the road from the entrance to Sirkeci station, it may have closed now but there is a small supermarket outside the station to the left in the road with the tram.  Travelling in the comfort & security of the sleeping-car, this is a very pleasant journey, although be prepared to get off the train at the frontier (Kapikule, reached at 02:52 and depart 04:05) to have your passport stamped.  In the morning the train wanders through lush green Bulgarian valleys before crossing the wide brown Danube into Romania.  Relax and enjoy the ride...

• Important update:  Bus replacement between Istanbul & Cerkezköy until October 2013:  Until October 2013, the Istanbul to Bucharest Bosfor will be replaced by a bus from Istanbul as far as Cerkezköy, 115km (72 miles) from Istanbul.  The bus will leave from outside Sirkeci station at 22:00, the same time as the train was scheduled to, and will accept your train tickets.  It will transfer you to the train, due to leave Cerkezköy at 00:02.  This is while railways in Istanbul are transformed with the new Bosphorus rail tunnel, and a new underground station in European Istanbul, serving train to both Europe and Asia.

• Day 2:  Spend the night & following day in Bucharest.  Changes to train times over the last few years mean that a same-day connection is no longer possible, unless the Bosfor arrives on time, which it almost certainly won't.  The traditional 3-night journey has become 4 nights westbound, but this does give you a stopover in the wonderful city of Bucharest.  The Hotel Ibis Gara de Nord is walking distance from the station, inexpensive and gets reasonable reports.

• Day 3:  Travel from Bucharest to Budapest by EuroNight sleeper train Ister, leaving Bucharest Nord at 17:40 and arriving at Budapest Keleti station at 08:50 the 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.  This is the recommended option, the rooms can be converted 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 and pillow).  The Ister also has a restaurant car for dinner and breakfast.  Spend a few hours exploring Budapest, left luggage is available at the station.

• Day 4:  Travel from Budapest to Munich by air-conditioned 140mph RailJet train, leaving Budapest Keleti station at 13:10 and arriving in Munich Hauptbahnhof at 20:34.  A bar-bistro car is available, so treat yourself to lunch.  The train travels via Vienna (arrive 16:12, depart 16:36) & Salzburg (arrive 18:58, depart 19:02) if you want to stop off for a day or two at either of these cities.  Watch for great views of the Danube & citadel soon after the train leaves Salzburg.  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.

• Day 4:  Travel from Munich to Paris by the excellent City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof daily at 22:50 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est 09:24 next morning (day 5).  The trains has ordinary seats, couchettes (6-berth & 4-berth) and a sleeping-car with 1, 2 or 3-bed rooms, deluxe with toilet & shower or economy with washbasin.  More pictures & information about this City Night Line sleeper train.  Walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 5:  Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.

Can I stop off to see places on the way?

Of course.  The train times shown above assume you are travelling straight through without stopovers, but as each train is ticketed separately and runs daily, you can book each leg of the journey for whatever date you want.  So feel free to spend some time in Paris, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Transylvania or Romania on the way, it makes little or 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.  You make all the reservations in advance in the UK, or you can stay flexible and make reservations at station ticket offices as you go along, it's up to you.  If you choose to make reservations as you go, you will hardly ever find any of these trains fully booked, places are normally available even on the day of travel.  There is only one daily train from Bucharest to Istanbul, but on most of the other stages (for example, London-Paris, Paris-Munich, Munich-Vienna, Vienna-Budapest & Budapest-Bucharest) there are other trains as well as the ones suggested above.  You can check train times for each stage using www.bahn.de.

What are the trains like? 

See the Eurostar page for photos & information about Eurostar.

From Paris to Munich by City Night Line sleeper train...

The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  Called the Cassiopeia, it has a modern Comfortline sleeping-car with 1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe compartments with private shower & toilet, or 1, 2 & 3-berth economy compartments with washbasin.  There is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in economy sleepers, and all sleepers have power-points for laptop computers.  It has modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4 or 6-berth compartment), and ordinary seats (not recommended for an overnight trip).  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast. More pictures & information about this City Night Line train. 

Dinner before boarding?  For a good meal in a classic Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in Paris, catch the earlier 14:01 Eurostar & dine at the Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road from the Gare du Nord.  Alternatively, you can have a meal or beer at the Brasserie Flo at the Gare de l'Est whilst waiting for your sleeper, it's just inside the entrance in what was once the left luggage office.  For a cooked breakfast in Munich or evening meal before boarding the Paris-bound sleeper on your return, try the typically Bavarian Mongdratzerl restaurant, located in the hauptbahnhof itself.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable option, economy with washbasin or deluxe with toilet & shower.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		"Night train to Munich":  The Comfortline sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est... More pictures & information about this train...

From Munich to Budapest by RailJet...

RailJet is Austria's brand-new high-speed train, linking Munich, Vienna & Budapest.  It will soon also link Zurich, Innsbruck & Vienna.  Designed to run at up to 230km/h (143 mph) on sections of upgraded track, it currently reaches 200km/h on part of the route, but in other parts snakes around beautiful scenery at a more sedate pace.  Look out for great views of Salzburg citadel & castle on the right as you cross the river Danube approaching Salzburg.  RailJet has three classes, Economy (2nd class), First (1st class), and Business class (€15 supplement over normal first class).  From 1 March 2012 Business class replaced Premium Class with the same seating but a reduced surcharge and free drinks but no free meals.  The Railjet has a bistro car providing drinks, snacks and hot dishes, which are served on proper china at your seat in first and premium classes.  TV screens in each car tell you the train's speed, show maps of the train's location, and display a list of next station stops and times.  There's even a small children's TV area for the kids.  A great way to travel - simply order one of the regional beers from the bistro, sit back and enjoy the scenery...  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.

The RailJet has landed...  Train RJ 63, the morning RailJet from Munich has arrived spot on time at Budapest's historic Keleti station, built 1881-1884...		Business class costs €15 more than normal 1st class...		Economy class on RailJet, comfortable open saloons with large picture windows.  Some seats are arranged around tables, some are unidirectional.

From Budapest to Bucharest on the EuroNight sleeper train Ister...

Deluxe sleeper...  The en suite toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper from Budapest to Bucharest.  Photo courtesy of Andy Brabin.		A sleeper set up as a  single-berth compartment with the middle & top berths folded away against the wall.  Photo courtesy of Andy Brabin.		The EuroNight sleeper train Ister:  This is the train's modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car.  The letters above the windows say 'Voiture-Lits - Sleeping-car - Carrozza Letti - Vagon de Dormit'...  Welcome to your hotel on rails:  Some compartments have an en suite toilet & shower!  Photo courtesy of Andy Brabin.

The vagon cuseta (couchette car) on the Ister, at Budapest.		6-berth couchettes.		4-berth couchettes.

From Bucharest to Istanbul by sleeping-car on the Bosfor...

Travelling in the comfort & security of a sleeper is the recommended option.  The sleeping-car on the Bucharest-Istanbul train is operated by CFR (Romanian Railways) and is usually of a type bought second-hand from German Railways.  Each compartment can be used for 1, 2 or 3-person occupancy, and each room converts from a bedroom with washbasin at night to a private sitting room with sofa and coffee table by day (though you might have to fold away the bunks yourself, and the seats may be a bit dusty!).  There's even a shower at the end of the corridor which may or may not be working, although temperature and water pressure could be better.  Compartments are single-sex, unless all berths in the compartment are occupied by people travelling together.  All rooms have both a normal lock on the door, and a security lock which cannot be opened from outside (even with a staff key), so you'll be both safe and snug.  More information about travelling in sleepers.  The Bucharest to Istanbul train also has a Turkish 6-berth couchette car, but couchettes are far more basic and not a lot cheaper, so a proper sleeper is strongly recommended.

A bedroom at night...  Set up here as a 1-berth, middle & top berths unused.		A sitting room by day, with sofa & table. The seats might be a bit dusty!		The Bucharest-Istanbul sleeping-car ('vagon de dormit'), seen at Giurgiu on the Bulgarian/Romanian frontier... Panorama photo inside a sleeper compartment (when in German use)

What's the journey like?

Travelling in the comfort & security of the sleeping-car, the journey from Bucharest to Istanbul is a pleasant, leisurely and enjoyable journey.  A couple of hours after leaving Bucharest the train crosses the Danube from Romania into Bulgaria on a long steel bridge (2.5 km long, in fact, making it the longest steel bridge in Europe, built in 1954), then for most of the rest of the day it meanders slowly through pleasant river valleys past small Bulgarian villages.  The Turkish frontier at Kapikule is reached very late at night (01:25), and here you will need to leave the train briefly to buy a Turkish visa and then get your passport stamped, see the visa information below.  You'll be back in bed soon enough, but make sure you're awake for the dramatic entry into Istanbul, through the impressive Byzantine Walls of Theodosius and along the Bosphorus right underneath the walls of the Topkapi Palace, into Istanbul's historic Sirkeci station built in 1888 in the heart of the city, walking distance from all the sights.  There's no more traditional way to arrive in Istanbul than by sleeping-car into Sirkeci station - why not hop into a taxi to the famous and equally traditional Pera Palas Hotel?  Expect an arrival an hour or two late, occasionally 3 hours late or more, just relax and enjoy the ride...  Map of Istanbul showing Sirkeci station.

Across Bulgaria...  After crossing the Danube into Bulgaria, the Bosfor spends a lazy afternoon meandering along pleasant river valleys like this.  Relax in your private sleeper, pour yourself a beer or glass of wine (remember to bring your own food & drink!), read away the hours & enjoy the trip...  Left & centre photos above courtesy of Kester Dampney

Above:  The Bosfor in the green countryside of Bulgaria, coupled with other cars from Belgrade and Sofia to Istanbul...		After midnight, under the arclights at Kapikule on the Turkish frontier. You need to get off the train briefly here to buy your Turkish visa & have your passport stamped. Visa info...		In the last minutes of the journey, the train swishes through the Walls of Theodosius (above) at the edge of the city.  Courtesy of Kester Dampney

Above left: A 2-bed sleeper on the train from Bucharest to Istanbul.  Above centre & right:  Journey's end, Istanbul's Sirkeci station, just a stone's throw from the Bosphorus at the very edge of Europe.  The shores of Asia are only a 20 minute ferry ride away.  The old station building (left) is at the side, a new section (right) now fronts the station forecourt.  There are restaurants just off the forecourt and a wine shop across the road, handy for your return journey.  The tram for Sultanahmet (for the Blue Mosque, Haghia Sofia, Grand Bazaar & many hotels) leaves from just in front of the station, or it's easy enough to walk...

How much does it cost? 

The quick answer...

Calculating the cost of a London to Istanbul train journey is not an exact science (more of a black art), as you're not buying a London to Istanbul ticket, there's no longer any such thing.  You're buying a separate ticket for each train you take right across Europe, and the price for each ticket can vary, so treat the costs below as a rough estimate for budgeting purposes.  Using an InterRail is the cheapest option if you're under 26, it's also the cheapest for a return journey if you're over 26.  However, for a return trip where you're away for longer than 22 days, the balance swings back to point-to-point.

The full cost break-down, if you use point-to-point tickets...

Now for the detailed answer.  Get a calculator and add up the fare for your chosen class or type of sleeper for each leg of the journey...

The full cost breakdown, if you use an InterRail pass...

Using an InterRail pass is the most flexible way to make a train journey from London or Paris to Istanbul.  It's usually cheaper than normal tickets if you're under 26 years of age, but usually a few pounds more than normal tickets if you're over 26, depending on what point-to-point prices you manage to get for your dates of travel.

• For a one-way trip to Istanbul, a 5-days-in-10-days flexi InterRail pass gives a total of 5 days of unlimited 2nd class train travel in all the countries you pass through within an overall period of 10 days, which is plenty to make the journey, even with a day or two in Vienna and Budapest and Bucharest if you want.  It costs £148 if you are aged under 26, £225 if you're aged 26-59, or £203 if you've over 60.  Children 4-11 inclusive £113.

• For a return trip to Istanbul, a 10-days-in-22-days pass costs £216 if you are aged under 26, £321 if you're aged 26-59, or £289 if you're over 60.  Children 4-11 inclusive £161.  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 22 days, which is enough to make the outward and return journeys, even with a day or two in Vienna and Budapest or Bucharest if you want, with over two weeks in Turkey, as long as you complete both your outward and return journeys within the 22 day period covered by the pass.  If you plan to be away for longer than 22 days, you'll need either a 1-month continuous InterRail, or you could buy one 5-days-in-ten-days flexi pass for the outward trip and another 5-days-in-ten-days flexi pass to cover your return trip, and spend however long you like in Turkey and the middle east.  The only limiting factor is that you can only buy InterRail passes a maximum of 2 months before their start date.

• InterRail passes do not cover Eurostar, so you need to add the cost of a Eurostar ticket.  You have two options:  Buy a normal cheap Eurostar ticket, from £69 return, £39 on-way, no refunds, no changes to travel plans allowed, or you can buy a special passholder fare, £82 one way £144 return, refunds and change of travel plans allowed.  The cheapest place to buy Eurostar tickets is www.eurostar.com.

• You'll also need to add the cost of sleeper or couchette supplements for the 3 nights each way:  In addition to the cost of the pass, you'll need to pay a supplement for a couchette or sleeper for each of the 3 nights from London to Istanbul in each direction.  For a couchette, budget for around €27.50 (£24) per person for the first night between Paris & Munich, then around €16 (£14) for each of the next two nights between Budapest & Bucharest and Bucharest & Istanbul (but sleeper rather than a couchette is recommended east of Budapest).  For a bed in a 2-berth sleeper, budget for €75 (£64) per person for the night between Paris and Munich, €45 (£38) per person for the night between Budapest & Bucharest and €33 (£28) per person for the night between Bucharest and Istanbul.

• The 'after 19:00' rule for using InterRail flexi passes & overnight trains:  When you use an InterRail flexi pass, overnight sleeper trains leaving after 19:00 count as the following day, as long as the overall 10- or 22-day pass validity period has started.  For example, if you left Paris at 20:05 on 1 January on the sleeper to Munich using a 5-days-in-10-days InterRail, you should ask for a pass which starts it's 10-day validity period on 1 January, but as the sleeper train leaves Paris well after 19:00, you would write '2nd January' in the first of the 5 'unlimited travel day' boxes printed on your pass.  This free travel day would then cover both the Paris-Munich sleeper and the Munich-Budapest train next day.  You don't need to use up a free travel day for the Eurostar, as Eurostar passholder fares don't require a pass day to be used, and you will probably end up buying a normal (non-passholder) Eurostar ticket anyway as these are usually cheaper.  Similarly, travelling westbound, if you left Istanbul at 22:00 on 1 January on the Bosfor, you'd need a pass which was dated to start its 10-day validity period on 1 January, but the first date you'd write on it would be 2 January, as you're leaving on a sleeper train after 19:00.  It's not rocket science!

• How to book a London-Istanbul journey using an InterRail pass.

• More information about InterRail passes & how they work.

How to buy tickets...

Option 1, buy tickets online...

You can easily buy tickets online for the London-Bucharest part of the journey in either direction, and this is the cheapest way to book because you can see all the cheap deals direct from the train operators and don't have to pay any booking fees.  However, you'll still need to book the Bucharest-Istanbul train by phone because this cannot be booked online.

• When does booking open?  Booking usually opens 92 days ahead for City Night Line, 120 days ahead for Eurostar.  However, I strongly recommend waiting until 92 days so you can buy all tickets together, doing a dry run on all 3 websites first to check times and prices before booking for real.  Hotel accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.  Before you start, I recommend making a list of the specific trains and dates you want to book, as each train is effectively a separate booking.

• Step 1, book the Paris to Munich sleeper train:  Go to www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to Munich and back on the direct overnight sleeper train, looking for the CNL train with 0 changes in the search results.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  Note that the prices shown on www.bahn.de are in euros and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.  Always book the sleeper first and check its actual arrival & departure before booking the Eurostar connection, as times occasionally vary.  I strongly recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings and re-print tickets at any time.

• Step 2, book the Munich to Budapest Railjet train:  Still on www.bahn.de, now use the journey planner to bring up the connecting Munich-Budapest Railjet train shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  You simply print out your own online ticket.

• If you want to stop off in Vienna for (say) a day, when booking the Munich to Budapest train at bahn.de simply look for the 'Via (1)' box and enter 'Vienna', then enter '24:00' in the 'hh:mm stopover' box.  It'll then book you a 24 hour stopover in Vienna, but still let you buy a cheap €39 fare from Munich to Budapest (if it's available, obviously).  You can even spend a few hours in Salzburg on the way as well, by entering 'Salzburg' in the via box and (say) '04:00' in the stopover box, then clicking 'add another stopover' and entering 'Vienna' & '24:00'.  All still for €39!

• Step 3, book the Eurostar:  Go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris.  Use the Eurostar times above as a guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  You print out your own ticket.  You don't live in London?  At www.eurostar.com, you can not only book tickets starting in London, you can buy a cheap 'through ticket' from 130 other UK towns and cities to Paris.  If your town isn't listed, you can buy a separate ticket up to London to connect with Eurostar, see the advice on buying connecting tickets from other UK towns & cities here.  Want to choose your exact seat on Eurostar?  www.eurostar.com allows you to choose an exact seat from a numbered seating plan, look closely for the 'choose exact seat' link towards the end of the process.  See tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

• Step 4, book the Budapest to Bucharest sleeper train:  Go to www.mav-start.hu (Hungarian Railways).  Click 'EN' top left for English and enter Budapest to Bucuresti (Bucharest) or Brasov in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, select 'couchette' or 'sleeping' car, make sure you tick 'own compartment' and enter all passengers as 'male' if you are booking 2 or 3 people and want sole occupancy of a whole 2 or 3 bed compartment.  Enter your date of birth in format YYYY.MM.DD and click 'Tickets and prices'.  On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Now select and book the train.  You can book couchettes or sleepers on the Ister online using this system, with various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket such as 'Fortuna', just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, just persevere, it will indeed book this train!  You pay online and collect tickets from one of the internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station simply by entering your booking reference.

  Location of internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station.

• Then book the Bucharest-Istanbul sleeper by phone, calling either Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee).

Option 2, buy from Erail using a booking request form...

Let's make buying train tickets to Istanbul easy, even if you're not a dab hand with the internet.  Click the button (or click here) and a booking form will appear which lists all the specific trains you need to book.  Fill in the form & email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  European Rail will make the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they will send you the tickets.

European Rail is an experienced agency whose staff are used to making more exotic bookings like this.  They are equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing system, so can access all the cheap fares for travel via Germany.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  European Rail will normally book your journey as a series of point-to-point tickets, unless you specify that you'd prefer to use an InterRail in the 'special requests' section.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.  How to buy tickets, the full story.  Buy a special add-on ticket from almost any station in Britain to London International (St Pancras).

Option 3, buy tickets by phone....

Alternatively, 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 separate train journeys.  So use the train times on this webpage 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 two agencies:

• European Rail Ltd (www.europeanrail.com) on 020 7619 1083 (please quote 'Seat61', lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays).  From overseas call +44 20 7619 1083, tickets can be sent outside the UK if necessary.  It may be better to edit this special booking form and email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy using this form.  European Rail is an experienced London-based booking agency who use the German Railways reservation system and whose staff are familiar with complex bookings like this.  When they get your form, they will make all the reservations (without obligation) and call you back to confirm the price and take your credit card details.  There's a £35 booking fee per transaction.

• Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66, lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday.  They also (obviously) use the German Railways reservation system so charge the same prices as European Rail but on the plus side don't charge a booking fee, just a 2% credit card fee.  Tickets can be sent to UK or Irish addresses, or (for a fee) overseas addresses.  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.  For booking a journey to Istanbul, the booking fee charged by European Rail can be worth the extra few pounds.

Option 4, buy tickets at stations as you go...

If you like, you can stay flexible and buy tickets as you go.  However, I'd strongly recommend buying the Eurostar ticket well in advance at www.eurostar.com, because prices rise steeply as departure date approaches, like air fares.  I'd also suggest pre-booking the Paris-Munich train, using either www.raileurope.co.uk or www.bahn.de (check prices on both!) as there are also cheap deals if you pre-book.  The Munich-Vienna-Budapest train doesn't require a reservation and there are always places available, but again it might cost just €39 if you book in advance, but three times this if you leave it until the day of travel.  From Budapest to Bucharest and from Bucharest to Istanbul, buying at the station can actually be cheaper than pre-booking from the UK, as (a) the price is the same whether you buy in advance or buy on the day, and (b) the station in Budapest can sell you a ticket for these journeys using cheaper local tariffs, whereas UK agencies can only sell tickets using the standard international tariff.  There are almost always places in the sleeping car available, even on the day of travel, although of course nothing is 101% certain if you leave it till the day of departure, so buying as you go is probably a good option only if you have plenty of time and/or are planning to stopover en route anyway..

Option 5, tailor-made train travel & hotel arrangements, the hassle-free option...

If putting the trip together yourself seems too complicated (even with the booking forms and advice I provide!), one experienced company offers a compete tailor-made travel service with all your rail tickets expertly booked for you and good quality hotels arranged at stops along the way.  You simply tell them where you want to go and where you'd like to stop off on the way, and they will do the rest.  Contact www.railbookers.com, on 020 3327 0761.  US residents can call them on (646) 770 2894 (please quote seat61) and Canadian residents on (416) 800 0732 (please quote 'seat61').  Australian residents can call their Australian office, www.railbookers.com.au on 02 8096 0550.  Railbookers get very positive reviews, and they look after their customers very well.  Browse suggested holiday itinerary to Istanbul & prices.  At the time of writing, they offer a 7-night train journey to Istanbul with hotel stops in Budapest & Belgrade for around £699 including a flight back, but they can arrange return trips by train with whichever routes and stopovers you like, just ask them!  One or two other companies offer this service too, see the details here.

  UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.com. 

Call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or see website.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au. 

  New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website.

How to book a London-Istanbul journey using an InterRail pass...

• Plan your trip using the information on this page.  Decide which type of InterRail pass you need, by reading the information about InterRail passes 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 you plan your trip: How to plan an itinerary & budget. 

• You can buy your InterRail pass online from the www.raileurope.co.uk (UK residents only).  

• Then buy your Eurostar ticket from www.eurostar.com, as that's the cheapest way, passholder fares usually being more expensive than normal cheap fares. 

• Call Rail Europe on 0844 848 5 848 to make a sleeper reservation from Paris to Munich using your pass (£8 booking fee), or call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (no booking fee, 2% credit card fee).  There's no supplement to pay for the Munich-Budapest RailJet and reservations aren't compulsory on RailJet, although paying £4 or so to reserve a seat is a good idea for such a long journey. The remaining sleeper or couchette reservations from Budapest to Bucharest and Bucharest to Istanbul can either be made as you go along at the stations in Munich, Vienna, Budapest or Bucharest, there's almost always places available, or you can also get these in advance from Rail Europe or Deutsche Bahn.

• Alternatively, call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge) or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (£35 booking fee, but the staff can be more experienced in booking journeys like this) and buy your InterRail pass, Eurostar ticket and all the reservations you need by phone, all together.

If you're in Istanbul, and want to buy tickets to western Europe...

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 or Syria, say).  Here's how:

• Go to Istanbul's Sirkeci station, ticket window 4.

• They can sell open travel tickets to destinations as far away as Budapest (189 Turkish lira, £82 or €94), Vienna (245 lira, about £105 or €120) or Munich (392 lira), valid 2 months and allowing unlimited stopovers at places on the way within that period.  You can find the cost of tickets from Istanbul to these and other cities at www.tcdd.gov.tr (click for 'English' at top right, click 'passenger transportation' then 'trains to Europe').  However, they can't sell Eurostar tickets or tickets for any other western European train with reservation-based ticketing.  They can only make reservations on direct trains leaving Istanbul as far as Bucharest, Sofia or Belgrade, because they have no reservation computer linked to the reservation system for the rest of Europe, so can't book any trains beyond Belgrade or Bucharest.

• So buy an open ticket from Istanbul to Budapest or Vienna, and ask for a sleeper reservation from Istanbul to Bucharest.  One report suggests they are only willing to sell tickets as far as Bucharest, so be polite but persistent, feedback would be appreciated.

• Then go to an internet cafe, check they have a printer, and book the City Night Line sleeper trains from Munich to Paris or Vienna to Cologne or Amsterdam online at www.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 Vienna or Munich, you can of course book these sleeper 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.

• On arrival in Bucharest, approach the sleeper attendant on the Bucharest-Budapest train and ask if he has any spare berths.  You'll already have the open travel ticket, so you'll just need to pay him the sleeper supplement, about €35-€45.

Ferries sail frequently across the Bosphorus from Europe side to Asia.  They also run occasional cruises through the Bosphorus to the edge of the Black Sea, well worth taking...		The Haghia Sofia (left) & Blue Mosque (right) seen from the top of the Galata Tower.  The equally famous Topkapi Palace is just out of shot to the left.

Turkish visas...

• UK citizens don't need a visa for Hungary, Romania or Bulgaria, but they need a tourist visa to enter Turkey. 

• You can buy your Turkish visa in advance online, or buy it at the Turkish border at Kapikule.  Either way, Kapikule is one of the only borders in Europe where passport control is not done on board the train, you have to get off the train and go to the passport office on the platform.  The eastbound train from Sofia & Bucharest arrives at Kapikule at around 01:50 and leaves again at 02:56, so there's plenty of time for this, but don't worry, you'll soon be back in bed.

• Option 1, buy a Turkish e-visa in advance online.  Turkey has introduced an e-visa system, as of April 2013.  If you plan to visit Turkey you can buy an e-visa online and print it out for $20 at www.evisa.gov.tr.  It's very simple to use, you can print your e-visa within seconds of applying.  You'll still need get get off the train at Kapikule (remembering not to leave any valuables in your compartment, but you can leave your larger bags), and follow everyone else into the passport office on the platform to have your passport stamped.  Then you can get back on the train.  There's no need to queue at the visa office first to buy a visa as you used to.

• Option 2, buy a visa at the Turkish border:  It's still possible to buy a visa at the border if you prefer.  You must take pounds sterling or euros with you for the visa, in 2013 the visa costs £10 or €15, payable in pounds sterling or euros (Scottish banknotes not accepted).  On arrival at Kapikule, leave the train with everyone else, remembering not to leave any valuables in your compartment, and look for the visa office on the station platform.  Don't blindly follow the other passengers into the passport control office, as most of them will be Turks, Bulgarians or Romanians who don't need a visa.  After getting your visa in the visa office, go to the passport control office next door (where by this time the queues should be very short or gone) to get your passport stamped.  The train stops at Kapikule for plenty of time for this to be done, so don't worry, it doesn't leave again until 02:56.  You'll soon be back in bed!

London to Istanbul via Brussels & Cologne...

If you prefer, you can travel from London to Istanbul via Brussels & Cologne instead of Paris and Munich.  It makes little difference to the journey time or cost, in fact it takes an hour or two longer, that's all, but avoids the walk between Paris Nord and Paris Est if that's a problem for you.  You take the 12:58 Eurostar from London to Brussels, a connecting high-speed Thalys train to Cologne, the Austrian EuroNight sleeper train from Cologne to Vienna and a connecting Railjet train to Budapest.  From Budapest onwards the journey is the same as that described above.  See the London to Hungary page for full details of train times & fares between London and Budapest via the Brussels & Cologne route.  You can buy tickets for this route in exactly the same way as that suggested above.

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 still possible to travel this way especially if you want to stop off and see Belgrade and/or Sofia.  It's certainly a fascinating & scenic ride, see video of the Belgrade-Sofia-Istanbul train journey.  If you use the journey suggested below you'll find modern high-quality air-conditioned trains all the way from London as far as Belgrade, but once past Belgrade the trains get much more basic.  BDZ (Bulgarian Railways) lacks serviceable sleeping-cars so there is only a basic couchette car, not a proper sleeper, on the overnight train between Belgrade and Sofia, and there are usually no sleeping berths at all on the overnight train between Sofia and Istanbul - although this is largely academic given that until October 2013 the train is replaced by a bus between the Turkish border and Istanbul anyway.  For comfort, stick with the route via Bucharest set out above, as this features a safe and comfortable sleeping0car for each of the three overnight sectors, give or take the bus replacement between the Turkish border and Istanbul, of course!  There are several permutations of route and train between London and Belgrade, including a route via Budapest & Belgrade, for alternatives to the one shown here see the London to Serbia page.

London ► Istanbul

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:25 (11:01 on Saturdays) arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47 (14:17 on Saturdays). It's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like more time in Paris or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Day 1:  Travel from Paris to Munich by 200 mph double-decker TGV Duplex on the new TGV-Est high-speed line, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 15:19 and arriving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 21:36.  Cafe-bar available.  In Munich, you can have a late dinner or a beer at the typically Bavarian Mongdratzerl restaurant located inside the Hauptbahnhof while waiting for the sleeper to Zagreb, it's open until late.

• Day 1:  Travel from Munich to Zagreb overnight on the sleeper train Lisinski, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 23:40 and arriving at Zagreb at 08:53 next morning (day 2).  The Lisinski has a smart modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), and ordinary seats (not recommended).  From early April until late summer, it also has a modern Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments).

• Day 2:  Travel from Zagreb to Belgrade by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Zagreb at 10:55 and arriving Belgrade station at 17:32.  This train has modern air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats (no 1st class).  There's no dining-car, so bring along a picnic and maybe some beer or wine.

• Day 2:  Travel overnight from Belgrade to Sofia, leaving Belgrade station at 21:50 and arriving Sofia at 08:04 next morning (day 3 from London).  In theory, this train should have a basic Serbian or Bulgarian sleeping-car and couchettes, but as the Serbians and Bulgarians are short of serviceable sleeping-cars, you may find only a couchette (simple flat sleeping bunk, 6 per compartment) is bookable.

• Day 3:  Spend a free day exploring Sofia. 

• Day 3:  Travel from Sofia to Istanbul on the Balkan Express, leaving Sofia at 19:15 and arriving Istanbul Sirkeci station at 07:50 next morning (day 4 from London).  This train has ordinary seats and a couchette car with 6-berth compartments.  There is no restaurant car, so again, take you own food, water and beer or wine.  Note that you cannot reserve this train from outside Bulgaria, though there are always places available on the day.  Be prepared to get off the train at the Turkish border at Kapikule late at night to buy a tourist visa and get your passport stamped, you arrive Kapikule 01:45 and depart at 02:55.  Note that this train used to come through from Belgrade, leaving Belgrade in the morning, but the Belgrade-Sofia day train is currently cancelled.  All this makes the London-Istanbul route via Bucharest the superior option!

• Important:  Bus replacement for last part of the journey into Istanbul:  At present, the Eastbound Bosfor from Bucharest and Balkan Express from Sofia are terminating at Cerkezköy at 05:44, 115km short of Istanbul Sirkeci.  Passengers change onto an air-conditioned bus chartered by TCDD (Turkish Railways) for the onward transfer to Istanbul Sirkeci station, where it arrives at a similar time to the scheduled arrival of the train.  Feedback suggests the bus replacement works smoothly, so don't let it put you off...  This will continue until at least October 2013, while tracks are upgraded as part of the massive Bosphorus rail tunnel project to link the rail networks in Europe & Asia, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaray.

Istanbul ► London

• Day 1:  Travel from Istanbul to Sofia by sleeping-car on the Balkan Express, leaving Istanbul Sirkeci station at 22:00 daily and arriving in Sofia next morning at 10:55 (day 2).  This train has ordinary seats and a couchette car with 6-berth compartments.  There is no restaurant or buffet car, so take plenty of food, snacks, beer or wine.  You'll need to alight briefly at Kapikule at the Turkish border late at night to have your passport stamped.  Kapikule is reached around 02:52, departing 04:05.  Incidentally, this train used to have through cars beyond Sofia to Belgrade, however, the daytime Sofia to Belgrade train to which they were attached is currently cancelled indefinitely due to various problems.

• Important update:  Bus replacement between Istanbul & Cerkezköy until October 2013:  Until October 2013, the Istanbul to Sofia Balkan Express will be replaced by a bus from Istanbul as far as Cerkezköy, 115km (72 miles) from Istanbul.  The bus will leave from outside Sirkeci station at 22:00, the same time as the train was scheduled to, and will accept your train tickets.  It will transfer you to the train, due to leave Cerkezköy at 00:02.  This is while railways in Istanbul are transformed with the new Bosphorus rail tunnel, and a new underground station in European Istanbul, serving train to both Europe and Asia.

• Day 2:  Spend a free day exploring Sofia.

• Day 2:  Travel overnight from Sofia to Belgrade, leaving Sofia at 20:30 and arriving Belgrade station at 05:10 next morning (day 3).  This train should have a basic Serbian or Bulgarian sleeping-car and couchettes, but as the Serbians and Bulgarians are short of serviceable sleeping-cars, you may find only a couchette (simple flat sleeping bunk, 6 per compartment) is bookable.

• Day 3:  Travel from Belgrade to Zagreb by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Belgrade station at 10:30 and arriving Zagreb at 17:59.  This train has modern air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats (no 1st class).  There's no dining-car, so bring along a picnic and maybe some beer or wine.  You've now time for dinner in Zagreb.

• Day 3:  Travel from Zagreb to Munich overnight on the sleeper train Lisinski, leaving Zagreb at 21:20 and arriving in Munich at 06:15 next morning.  The Lisinski has a modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), and seats (not recommended).  From early April until late summer, it also has a modern Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments).  In Munich, you can have breakfast at the Mongdratzerl restaurant inside the Hauptbahnhof.

• Day 4:  Travel from Munich to Stuttgart by high-speed ICE, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 09:45 and arriving Stuttgart at 12:01.

• Day 4:  Travel from Stuttgart to Paris by high-speed double-decker TGV Duplex, leaving Stuttgart at 12:55 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 16:35.

• It's a 10-minute walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 4:  Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays), arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).

How much does it cost?

The cost of travelling using an InterRail pass is pretty much exactly the same as going via Bucharest, but here are the point to point fares for travel via Belgrade & Sofia.  Each train is ticketed separately, so add up the price for each leg of the journey.  If you stop off, it makes no difference to the price.

1. London to Paris      by Eurostar...	From £39 one-way, £69 return 2nd class.  From £107 one-way, £189 return 1st class.  Child, youth, senior fares
2. Paris to Munich       by TGV Duplex...	From £34 one-way, £68 return in 2nd class  From £53 one-way, £106 return in 1st class.  Limited availability, book in advance to get these fares.  Full fare £81 one-way, £142 return.
3. Munich to Zagreb  on the Lisinski...	In a seat:	In a couchette		In the sleeping-car
		6-berth	4-berth	3-berth	2-berth	single
Savings fare one-way, from:	€29	€49	€59	€69	€79	€139
Savings fare return, from:	€58	€98	€118	€138	€158	€278
Savings fare = Advance-purchase fare, price varies, no refunds, no changes to travel plans. Berths are sold individually, so one ticket means one bed.  The other beds in your compartment will be sold to other passengers.  For sole occupancy, simply book 1 ticket in a 1-berth sleeper or 2 tickets in a 2-berth sleeper or 4 tickets in a 4-berth couchette & so on.
3. Zagreb to Belgrade       by day train...	£44 each way.
4. Belgrade to Sofia       by night train...	£45 each way plus £15 couchette supplement
5. Sofia to Istanbul       by night train...	Not known, but bought in Sofia around €30 plus  €20 sleeper supplement (if available) for a bed in a 2-berth.

How to buy tickets online...

• If you live in the UK, you can easily book the London-Paris Eurostar, the Paris-Munich TGV, the Munich-Zagreb Lisinski and the Zagreb to Belgrade train all in one place, at www.raileurope.co.uk.  However, you should book London-Paris, Paris-Munich, Munich-Zagreb & Zagreb-Belgrade as four separate bookings, identifying and booking each of the trains mentioned above, adding each in turn to your basket and paying for all four tickets at the end as one transaction.

• Before booking the Paris-Munich TGV with Rail Europe, I recommend checking the price on the German Railways website www.bahn.de as I have often known this to be cheaper than the French Railways system used by Rail Europe.

• The Belgrade-Sofia night train cannot be booked online, so you'll need to book by phone.  Call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee), or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee).

• The Sofia-Istanbul night train cannot be booked from the UK.  Either buy the ticket when you reach Sofia (there are always places available).

• If you don't live in the UK, you can book the Eurostar at www.eurostar.com, then the Paris-Munich TGV at www.bahn.de, then the Munich-Zagreb sleeper & Zagreb-Belgrade daytime train at www.raileurope-world.com (Tip: click 'fare details' to see if the price is for a seat, couchette or sleeper).  The Belgrade-Sofia night train cannot be booked online, so you will need to book by phone with an agency in your home country, or buy when you reach Belgrade, at the station.  There are always places available.  The Sofia-Istanbul night train cannot be booked online wither, so simply buy this ticket when you reach Sofia (there are always places available).

How to buy tickets by phone....

Alternatively, 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 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 6 separate tickets for 6 separate train journeys. So use the train times on this webpage 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 two agencies:

• European Rail Ltd (www.europeanrail.com) on 020 7619 1083 (please quote 'Seat61', lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays). From overseas call +44 20 7619 1083, tickets can be sent outside the UK if necessary. It may be better to editthis special booking form and email it to sales@europeanrail.com. Seat61 gets some commission if you buy using this form. European Rail is an experienced London-based booking agency who use the German Railways reservation system and whose staff are familiar with complex bookings like this. When they get your form, they will make all the reservations (without obligation) and call you back to confirm the price and take your credit card details. There's a £35 booking fee per transaction.

• Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66, lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday. They also (obviously) use the German Railways reservation system so charge the same prices as European Rail but on the plus side don't charge a booking fee, just a 2% credit card fee. Tickets can be sent to UK or Irish addresses, or (for a fee) overseas addresses. 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. For booking a journey to Istanbul, the booking fee charged by European Rail can be worth the extra few pounds.

What are the trains & scenery like?

By Eurostar from London to Paris:  See the Eurostar page.

Paris to Munich by TGV Duplex...  Click for TGV Duplex video guide

Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride - book an upper deck seat for the best views.  The train has power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats in both classes, and a cafe-bar serves drinks, snacks & microwaved hot dishes.  First class passengers on this route are given a simple but tasty meal box with a small bottle of beer or wine served at their seat, included in the fare.  The train soon leaves the Paris suburbs behind and speeds across a vast wide open plateau of woods and farmland at up to 200mph, past picturesque French villages of the Champagne region.  After an hour or two, 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 and Munich.
TGV Duplex at Paris Est. These impressive 200 mph double-deck trains link Paris & Munich, a relaxing journey with reading book & glass of wine...		2nd class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck.  There's a mix of unidirectional seating and tables for 4 like this...

1st class seats on the upper deck, with a 'club duo' on the left, a 'club quatre' on the right.		A TGV Duplex.  The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green indicates 2nd class.

Munich to Zagreb on the sleeper train Lisinski...

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 Munich before boarding, I recommend the typically Bavarian Mongdratzerl restaurant located inside the Hauptbahnhof, open until late.
The sleeping-car on the Lisinski:  The modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car of the Lisinski from Munich to Zagreb has 10 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.  Soap, towels and fresh clean bedding are provided.  Above left, the sleeper has arrived at Zagreb.

The couchette car on the Lisinski has modern air-conditioned 6-berth and 4-berth compartments.  Above right, the train is seen boarding at Munich. See panorama photo.
Wake up to scenery like this between Ljubljana & Zagreb, along the river Sava...

Zagreb to Belgrade by air-conditioned 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.

Belgrade to Sofia by overnight train...

East of Belgrade, you leave modern fripperies such as air-conditioning behind...  The Belgrade-Sofia night train now only has a couchette car, no sleeper.  It's an elderly Serbian Railways couchette car with lockable 6-berth compartments looked after by a couchette car attendant from Zelturist, Serbian Railways' sleeper and catering subsidiary.  Unless you have mobility problems, I recommend the top bunks for privacy, it's cosy up in the roof space.

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London to Turkey by ferry from Italy

In 2010 there were two ferry companies sailing from Italy (Brindisi or Ancona) to Cesme in Turkey, about 50 miles or one hour by bus from Izmir.  The companies were Marmara Lines (www.marmaralines.com) and Meslines (www.ferries.gr/mesline/brindisi-cesme.htm).  The voyages took 2 days.  See the London to Italy page for train travel from London or Paris to Ancona or Brindisi.  However, neither company ran in 2011, and they don't seem to be operating in 2012 or 2013.

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London to Turkey via Greece

London to southern Turkey via Italy, Athens & the Greek Islands...

If you're heading for southern Turkey, for example, Bodrum or Marmaris, this can be a better route than heading to Istanbul overland by train.

• Step 1:  Travel from London to Athens by train & ferry via Bari in Italy, see the London to Greece page for full details.  The journey takes 2 nights.  I'd recommend spending at least 1 night in Athens.

• Step 2: Take a ferry from Piraeus (the port of Athens, 25 minutes from central Athens by metro) to either Kos, Lesvos (the port on Lesvos is Mytilini), Samos (the port is Vathi) or Rhodes (Rodos in Greek).  For Piraeus-Lesvos (Mytilini) see www.hellenicseaways.gr to check sailing dates, times, fares and to book online.  The voyage takes 9.5 hours.  For Piraeus-Kos or Piraeus-Rhodes see www.bluestarferries.gr to check sailing dates, times, fares and to book online.  Ferries normally sail Piraeus-Rhodes overnight, often calling at Kos very early, with cabins available.  For Piraeus-Samos see www.kallistiferries.gr.

• Step 3, take an onward ferry to southern Turkey.  Ferries from Rhodes to Marmaris sail several times a week, see www.marmarisferry.com or rhodes.marmarisinfo.com for details.  Journey time 1 hour by catamaran, 2 hours by car ferry.  Ferries sail from Lesvos (Mytilini) to Ayvalik in Turkey daily Monday-Saturday, crossing 1 hour 10 minutes, fare €30.  Ayvalik is a few hours by bus north of Izmir.  A hydrofoil sails around 15:30 every afternoon from Kos to Bodrum, fare €28, crossing 1 hour, see www.bodrumexpresslines.com.  Ferries sail from Samos to Kusadasi at 08:30 & 17:00 from April to October, 1 hour 15 minute crossing, fare €30 (€50 open return), see www.meandertravel.com/ferrytosamos to check times, dates & fares.

• I recommend using this technique to plan out your itinerary to make sure everything works, and you book the right trains and ferries for the right dates!

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Holidays to Istanbul by train...

	Inside the Blue Mosque...
	Inside the Haghia Sofia...

Travel to Turkey by train, with tickets, sleepers, stopovers & hotels all sorted...

Many travel agencies offer holidays to Turkey by air, but if you want to go by train, you've always had to organise the journey yourself.  For many people that's a daunting task.  But two experienced agencies, Railbookers & Erail, have created the following holiday packages combining one-way or return train travel from the UK to Istanbul with stopovers & accommodation in key cities along the way.  It's the easiest way to see Istanbul & Turkey without flying:  Just tell them your departure date and they'll do the rest.  Please double-check the price & itinerary when you call them, as they may vary from the examples shown here.

You can leave on any date you like, unescorted using the same scheduled European trains that you'll find described above and on the Austria & Romania pages, but with tickets, accommodation & itinerary all provided for you by Railbookers or Erail.

   Railbookers London to Istanbul packages...

London to Istanbul with stopovers in Budapest & Bucharest...

• Available from Railbookers UK, www.railbookers.com, call 020 3327 0761 or from the USA or Canada call toll-free on 1-800-408-3280.

• Also available from Railbookers Australia, www.railbookers.com.au, call toll-free 1300 971 526 or from New Zealand 0800 002 034.

• Railbookers can arrange a train journey from London to Istanbul (or vice versa) for you to your own specification, with all your train tickets, reservations, stopovers, transfers and good-quality hotels booked for you.  Their website shows some suggested itineraries and prices. 

• London to Istanbul one-way in 7 nights with stopovers in Budapest (2 nights) & Bucharest (1 night) costs from around £829 per person for 2 people sharing, including private 2-berth sleepers and a one-way flight back from Istanbul to the UK (they can also arrange it without the flight at reduced cost).  Daily departures on almost any date you like.  The price includes lunchtime or morning Eurostar to Brussels, Thalys to Cologne, 1 night sleeper on the overnight train from Cologne to Vienna, 2 nights at the 4-star Novotel in Budapest, 1 night sleeper on the overnight train Ister from Budapest to Bucharest, 1 night 4-star Hotel K & K Elisabeta in Bucharest and 1 night in a sleeper on the Bosfor to Istanbul, plus flight back to the UK  Upgrades to first class on Eurostar or deluxe sleeper with shower on the Cologne-Vienna train are possible at extra cost.  You can vary the route, add extra stopovers or extra nights to meet your own requirements, just tell them what you want.

• London to Istanbul round trip by train in 14 nights with 1-night stopovers outward in Munich, Budapest, Bucharest, 3 nights in Istanbul, then 1-night stopovers on the return in Brasov (for Dracula's castle), Vienna and Nuremburg.  Daily departures on almost any date you like.

• Epic 14-night trip from London to Budapest, Bucharest, Istanbul, Izmir and Kusadasi, out overland by rail, back by air, from around £1,285.  They can easily arrange both ways by rail at extra cost if you like.  Daily departures on almost any date you like.

• Deluxe 15-night holiday to Budapest, Bucharest, Istanbul, Ankara and Cappadocia from around £1,799, out overland by rail, back by air.  They can easily arrange both ways by rail at extra cost if you like.  Daily departures on almost any date you like.

London to Istanbul round trip...

• Railbookers can also arrange a round trip by train to Istanbul, with a similar journey in the return direction at a similar price.  You can vary the stopovers on the return if you like.

How to arrange a trip through Railbookers...

  UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.com. 

Call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or see website.

Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au. 

  New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website.

   Erail's London-Istanbul packages...

Tour 1:  London to Istanbul one-way, with stopovers in Vienna & Brasov...

• Available from Erail, call 020 7619 1080 (or email sales@erailtravel.com) quoting "Seat61 London to Istanbul one-way tour with stopovers".

• London to Istanbul in 6 nights (7 days) with stopovers in Vienna (2 nights) & Brasov in Transylvania (1 night.)

• Daily departures.

• Prices from around £505-£642 in 2-berth sleepers, per person.

• The price includes lunchtime or morning Eurostar to Brussels, Thalys to Cologne, 1 night sleeper on the EuroNight sleeper train from Cologne to Vienna, 2 nights at a 4-star hotel in Vienna, 1 night sleeper on the direct overnight Dacia Express from Vienna to Brasov in Transylvania (16 miles from Dracula's castle at Bran), 1 night 4-star hotel in Brasov and 1 night in a sleeper on the Bosfor to Istanbul.  Upgrades to first class on Eurostar or deluxe sleeper with shower on the EuroNight are possible at extra cost.

Tour 2:  Istanbul to London one-way, with stopovers in Budapest & Munich...

• Available from Erail on 020 7619 1080 (or email sales@erailtravel.com) quoting "Seat61 Istanbul to London one-way tour with stopovers".

• Istanbul to London in 6 nights (7 days) with stopovers in Budapest (2 nights) & Munich (1 night)

• Daily departures.

• Prices from around £550-£650 in 2-berth sleepers, per person.

• The price includes 1 night sleeper on the Bosfor overnight train from Istanbul to Bucharest, 1 night sleeper on the Ister overnight train from Bucharest to Budapest, 2 nights at a 4-star hotel in Budapest, travel by air-conditioned RailJet train from Budapest to Munich, 1 night at a hotel in Munich, 1 night sleeper on the City Night Line overnight train from Munich to Paris, and Eurostar back to London.  Upgrades to first class on Eurostar or deluxe sleeper with shower on City Night Line are possible at extra cost.

Tour 3:  Istanbul to London & back by train with 2 nights in Istanbul...

• Available from Erail, call 020 7619 1080 (or email sales@erailtravel.com) quoting "Seat61 Istanbul Return Tour with 2 nights in Istanbul".

• A 14-day holiday from London to Istanbul & back by train with no flying necessary...

• Stopovers in Vienna, Brasov, Budapest & Munich;  3 days in Istanbul.

• Daily departures.

• Prices from £924 to £1,120 in 2-berth sleepers, per person.

• The price includes outward travel to Istanbul with stopovers in Vienna & Brasov as per option 1, two nights at a hotel in Istanbul, then train travel back to London with stopovers in Budapest & Munich as per option 2.

Tour 4:  Istanbul to London & back by train without accommodation in Istanbul...

• Available from Erail, call 020 7619 1080 (or email sales@erailtravel.com) quoting "Seat61 Istanbul Return Tour without accommodation in Istanbul".

• From £1,105 in couchettes or £1,240 in 2-berth sleepers, per person.

• The price includes outward travel to Istanbul with stopovers in Vienna & Brasov as per option 1 and train travel back to London with stopovers in Budapest & Munich as per option 2.

• No accommodation is included in Istanbul, so you can choose your own accommodation and stay as long as you like, visiting other parts of Turkey or even neighbouring countries such as Syria before your booked journey home.

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London to Istanbul by cruise train...

	Above:  The Danube Express

Two companies run private 'cruise' trains to Istanbul with all the facilities of a good hotel, although they don't run very often:

Venice Simplon Orient Express:  www.orient-expresstrains.com

The vintage luxury sleeping-cars, lounge-bar & restaurants of the Venice Simplon Orient Express normally run between London, Paris & Venice, weekly from March to November.  However, once a year in August it runs from Paris to Istanbul.  To find out more about this train, see the Venice Simplon Orient Express page.  It costs over £4,500 per person.  To check prices & to book online, go to www.orient-expresstrains.com.  The annual run to Istanbul is very popular and normally leaves fully-booked, so buy tickets as soon as you can!

The Danube Express:  www.danube-express.com or book through www.railbookers.com

The Danube Express is a new cruise train operation, which its inaugural run from Brussels & Budapest to Istanbul in May 2010, with connections from London by Eurostar.  Extra departures were soon added as they reported had lots of bookings!  Fares start at £3,790 per person from London to Istanbul for an 11-day 2,500 mile land voyage (click their 'Istanbul Odyssey' holiday).  The price includes 1st class Eurostar to Brussels, travel on the Danube Express cruise train from Brussels to Istanbul with stopovers & tours en route at Carlsbad, Prague, Vienna, Budapest (3 night hotel stop), Novi Sad & Sofia.  It also includes a flight back, but you can of course return overland (at extra cost) on either scheduled train services or the westbound Danube Express.  If successful, they plan to start monthly operation in 2010  between April & October between Brussels, Budapest & Istanbul.  The Danube Express has 'classic' wood-panelled sleepers with washbasin and 'deluxe' sleepers with private shower & toilet, a restaurant car, lounge-bar car.  See www.danube-express.com for details, or call 01462 441400 (+44 (0)1462 441400 from outside the UK).  Please quote 'Seat61' when booking (or write 'seat61' in the notes/special requests section of the online booking form), as seat61 can receive some commission this way.  You can also arrange a complete trip through train holiday specialist www.railbookers.com, with an 8 night deluxe trip from London costing around £3,559 per person with a return leg by air (Railbookers can arrange an overland journey back as well if you like).

Danube Express update 2012-2013:  The Danube Express is running normally to and from Istanbul, in spite of the engineering works causing bus replacement for the regular international trains between the Turkish border and Istanbul.  It is being let through the work area at times when the work is suspended.

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Train travel within Turkey...

There are some excellent modern train services in Turkey.  For train travel within Turkey, including onwards express trains from Istanbul to Ankara, Konya, Izmir, Cappadocia and Pamukkale, see the separate Train travel in Turkey page.

For trains from Istanbul to Aleppo & Damascus in Syria, see the London to Syria page.

For trains from Istanbul to Tehran in Iran, see the London to Iran page.

For trains between Istanbul, Thessaloniki & Athens, see the Train travel in Turkey page.

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The Thomas Cook European Timetable

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £14.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascookpublishing.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from selected UK branches of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria station in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2012/13 edition (Dec 2012 to June 2013) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2013 edition (June to Dec 2013)

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

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Guidebooks

To get the most out of your trip, definitely take a good guidebook - I'd recommend the Lonely Planets guides as about the best out there for independent travellers.  The Middle East guide is less detailed, but covers Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Israel and other countries as well as Turkey.

Buy Lonely Planet Turkey online

Buy Lonely Planet Middle East online

My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", is due to be published in June 2008, and Amazon will let you pre-order now.

 

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Find hotels in Istanbul & Turkey

◄◄◄◄ Search all the main hotel booking sites at once... I'm a big fan of www.hotelscombined.com as it checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, LateRooms etc.) to find the widest choice of hotels & the cheapest rates.  Try it and see!

Personal hotel recommendations in Istanbul...

Without a doubt, the famous and historic Pera Palas Hotel, where Agatha Christie, Mustafa Kemal Attaturk and even King George V have stayed, is the most interesting place to stay, see the section below.  It wasn't that expensive, by grand hotel standards, although prices have risen after its recent complete refurbishment.  The nearby Grand Hotel de Londres offers similar affordable grandeur, www.londrahotel.net, just 35 euros for a basic single, 50 euros for a double, more for a renovated room.  It's apparently a favourite with archaeologists working in Turkey!  Alternatively, the Yasmak Sultan is a good choice.  For a good cheap hotel in the Sultanahmet travellers' area, try the Park Hotel.  If you are on a tight budget and want a backpacker hostel room or dorm bed at a rock-bottom price, see www.hostelbookers.com.  For independent reviews of Istanbul hotels, see www.tripadvisor.com.

The Pera Palas Hotel, Istanbul...

Easily the most famous and historic hotel in Istanbul is the Pera Palas, built in 1892 by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits to accommodate the passengers arriving by train on the Orient Express from London and Paris.  It's been closed for refurbishment for several years now, but it's due to reopen on 1 September 2010 with its delightfully faded grandeur fully restored.   If your budget will stretch (prices after refurbishment will start at around 185 euros a night for a double room, up from maybe 100 euros in its previously faded form), it's a wonderful and historic place to stay.  The hotel's own website is www.perapalace.com.  One of it's rooms has been kept as a museum to Turkish leader Ataturk, another room (411) was regularly used by Agatha Christie, and can actually be booked by guests.  Book the Pera Palace online...

Pera Palas hotel, main entrance (before refurbishment).		Bedrooms have now been elegantly refurbished. Photo courtesy of the Pera Palas Hotel

The Pera Palas hotel, after its recent refurbishment. Courtesy of the Pera Palas Hotel		Agatha Christie's room 411 at the Pera Palas, where she wrote 'Murder on the Orient Express'.

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Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.

 

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