Which station in Istanbul? See map
Istanbul originally had two termini: Sirkeci on the European side where the Orient Express arrived, and the magnificent Haydarpasa on the Asian side where trains left eastwards for Ankara, Konya, Aleppo, Tehran & Baghdad. Ferries shuttled across the Bosporus between these two stations, a 20-minute crossing from Europe to Asia.
Today, the daily international train from Sofia & Bucharest terminates at Halkali, a suburban station 25 km west of Sirkeci. The high-speed YHT trains to Ankara and Konya leave from a former suburban station called Söğütlüçeşme, 2 km southeast of Haydarpaşa.
Frequent suburban trains called Marmaray link Halkali, Sirkeci & Söğütlüçeşme using the Marmaray rail tunnel under the Bosphorus opened in 2013.
Halkali station - where the train from
Sofia/Bucharest arrives, 25 km away.
Sirkeci station - in the city centre closest to
recommended hotels.
Haydarpasa station - a historic landmark on the Asian side,
closed since 2012.
Söğütlüçeşme station - on the
Asian side where trains to Ankara & Konya leave.
Halkali station
Halkali is a modern 8-platform suburban station 25 km west of Istanbul where the international train to/from Sofia & Bucharest now starts/terminates.
It's the starting point for the frequent Marmaray suburban trains to Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, these continue through the Bosporus tunnel to Söğütlüçeşme station & Gebze on the Asian side. Mainline trains to/from Edirne also start/terminate at Halkali. One or two high-speed YHT trains to Ankara and the sleeper to Ankara start from here, also using the Marmaray tunnel under the Bosporus, although most YHT trains start from Söğütlüçeşme.
The station has 4 island platforms serving 8 tracks. Steps and an escalator connect each island platform with an overbridge. You need to go through ticket gates to access the platforms served by the Marmaray trains.
Halkali, with the sleeper from Sofia/Bucharest arrived on the right. In the background you see the steps/escalator up to the overbridge. Courtesy of @SimplyRailway.
Arriving at Halkali
When arriving from Sofia or Bucharest, there are few facilities and no ATM at Halkali, you should hop on the next Marmaray train to Sirkeci station in the city centre.
How to transfer Halkali ► Sirkeci
By Marmaray train: Marmaray suburban trains run from Halkali to Sirkeci every 15 minutes or better, journey time 35 minutes. Easy!
The Marmaray trains travel above ground as far as Yenikapi, then go into tunnels to reach the underground platforms at Sirkeci. They continue through the Bosphorus rail tunnel to Söğütlüçeşme station on the Asian side for high-speed YHT trains to Ankara & Konya,
The fare is the Turkish Lira equivalent of 2.90 using contactless or 1.55 using an Istanbulkart public transport smartcard.
The easiest way to pay is to tap in & out with any contactless bank card, no need to buy a ticket.
However, I recommend buying an Istanbulkart from the self-service ticket machines as fares are cheaper and you will find it useful for all public transport in Istanbul during your stay. One Istanbulkart can be used by up to 5 people. In 2025 the card itself costs 130 TL (3.30).
At least one ticket machine at Halkali accepts contactless bank cards, look for this one. The others only take cash in small-denomination 10, 20, 50 lira notes.
Switch the machine to English language by selecting the UK flag with the buttons on the left. Then select Istanbulkart Buy (in English) or Istanbulkart Satın Al (in Turkish) using the buttons on the right. Then select Credit / Debit card. Then select the amount of credit you want to load onto the card. TL 100 for 1 person or 200 TL for 2 is more than enough to reach Sirkeci, or select up to 500 TL to cover more train, tram and Bosporus ferry journeys during your stay.
Pay, and your Istanbulkart clatters into the machine's tray loaded with the selected credit. This video shows you the process.
You can now tap in and out through the Marmaray ticket gates using your Istanbulkart. If there's more than one of you, tap it against the gate reader multiple times to let each person through the gates. You can check your card's credit balance and top it up at any ticket machine in Istanbul, some only take cash, some also take cards.
By Marmaray train over the original railway: If you'd like experience the original railway into Istanbul (and you should), passing through the Walls of Theodosius and along the shores of the Bosporus under the walls of the Topkapi Palace into the ground-level platform at Sirkeci just as the Orient Express did until 1977 and the regular international trains did until 2013, simply get off the Marmaray train at Kazlıçeşme. Then take a U3 suburban train from Kazlıçeşme to Sirkeci's surface platform (Sirkeci Yüzeysel in Turkish), these run every 25 minutes along the original main line through Kumkapi & Cankurtaran. The fare is the same, you can use contactless or an Istanbulkart. This route map makes it clear (please let me know if the link stops working).
By taxi: If you prefer to go direct to your hotel by taxi, it will cost the equivalent of around 18 from Halkali to central Istanbul, but have Turkish lira with you to pay the driver as there is no ATM at Halkali.
Leaving from Halkali
When catching the train from Halkali to Sofia or Bucharest, check that day's departure time carefully with Turkish Railways as it can vary.
To be on the safe side, I'd leave Sirkeci at least 1h15 before the sleeper is due to leave Halkali.
Stock up with food and drink before you leave Sirkeci as there are few or no shops or facilities in and around Halkali station.
How to transfer Sirkeci ► Halkali
By Marmaray train: The easiest way to reach Halkali from central Istanbul is to take a frequent Marmaray suburban train from Sirkeci station. These run at least every 15 minutes, journey time from Sirkeci to Halkali 35 minutes.
These trains leave from Sirkeci's underground platforms, having come from the Asian side of Istanbul via the tunnel under the Bosporus. The remain underground as far as Yenikapi, where they emerge onto the surface.
The fare is the Turkish Lira equivalent of around 2.90.
The easiest way to pay is to tap in & out with any contactless credit card, there's no need to buy a ticket at all.
Alternatively you can use an Istanbulkart public transport smartcard. Or use ticket machines to buy a one-way Marmaray ticket, some accept cards, some only cash.
By Marmaray train over the original railway: If you'd like experience the original railway out of Istanbul (and you should), from the surface-level platform at Sirkeci along the shores of the Bosporus and through the Walls of Theodosius as the international trains from Sirkeci used to do until 2013, simply change trains at Kazlıçeşme. First take a suburban train from Sirkeci's surface platform (Sirkeci Yüzeysel in Turkish) to Kazlıçeşme, these run every 25 minutes. Change at Kazlıçeşme for a Marmaray train to Halkali, these run every 15 minutes. Just allow a little extra time if you do it this way. This route map makes it clear (please let me know if the link stops working), the original railway runs through Kumkapi & Cankurtaran.
By taxi: If you prefer to go from your hotel to Halkali by taxi, it will cost the equivalent of around 18.
Sirkeci station
Opened in 1890, Sirkeci is Istanbul's original terminus on the European side of the Bosporus, where the Orient Express arrived. However, it's been closed to mainline & international trains since March 2013, these now start/terminate at Halkali. Most people stay in hotels in this part of Istanbul, including my favourite, the famous Pera Palas built in 1892 for passengers arriving on the Orient Express. Read more about the station's history at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirkeci_railway_station.
Train service
Sirkeci is now mainly served by suburban trains: Marmaray trains link Halkali, Kazlıçeşme, Yenikapi, Sirkeci, Söğütlüçeşme & Gebze every 15 minutes, these use Sirkeci's two modern underground platforms. Suburban trains on line U3 start from a single surface platform and run to Yenikapi & Kazlıçeşme every 25 minutes, over what was the original main line to the rest of Europe.
Sirkeci station, viewed from the corner. On the left. the old station building alongside the tracks. On the right, the modern entrance. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
Inside Sirkeci there's a restaurant in part of the old building. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
Platforms
The station now has just two above-ground terminus platforms, one usually unused, the other a fenced-off platform with ticket gates for Marmaray suburban trains which start/terminate here. There are then two underground platforms for Marmaray suburban trains running between Halkali, Sirkeci, then through the tunnel under the Bosporus to Söğütlüçeşme and beyond. Access to these is through Marmaray ticket gates and down escalators.
On the left, the old building. Straight ahead is a platform that could be used for international trains, but currently isn't. On the right of this photo is the secure/gated platform used by the suburban trains to Yenikapi & Kazlıçeşme over the original railway. The international ticket window is behind the camera. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
Tickets & reservations
For Turkish domestic tickets go to the row of ticket windows inside the modern main entrance (In the photo below these are around the corner to the left). How to buy Turkish train tickets.
For international tickets & reservations to Sofia & Bucharest, go to ticket window 4, pictured below. Open 08:30-12:00 & 12:30-19:00 daily (but times can vary). Credit cards are accepted.
Above, ticket window 4 for international tickets and reservations. This is where to buy your ticket or reserve your sleeper to Sofia or Bucharest. The platforms are behind the camera, the modern main exit to the street is visible on the left. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
Haydarpaşa station
The magnificent Haydarpaşa station was Istanbul's original Asian-side station from 1909 to 2012, handling expresses to Ankara and even Syria, Iran & Iraq. Ferries used to run from a quayside near Sirkeci to Haydarpaşa's ferry pier, and you'll see the station on the far shore if you cross the Bosporus by ferry. Sadly since 2012 it's no longer served by any trains at all, these all now start at Söğütlüçeşme 2 km away. There are supposedly long-term plans to bring the trains back to Haydarpasa, but no sign of that happening at the moment. Learn more about the station's history at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haydarpasa_railway_station.
Haydarpaşa station in 2009. The old Bosporus ferry terminal is the small white building in front of it. Photo Hasan Ataizi.
Söğütlüçeşme station
Söğütlüçeşme is a former suburban station 2 km southeast of Haydarpaşa which currently serves as the starting point for the YHT trains to Ankara and YHT trains to Konya. It also handles Marmaray suburban trains running between Gebze on the Asian side through the tunnel under the Bosporus to Sirkeci and Halkali.
How to reach Söğütlüçeşme
Simply take a Marmaray suburban train from Sirkeci to Söğütlüçeşme. These run every 7-8 minutes, journey time 13 minutes, fare the equivalent of 2.90. You can simply touch in and out on the ticket gates with any contactless bank card, or you can buy an Istanbulkart public transport smartcard from the ticket machines and top it up with sufficient value.
Söğütlüçeşme station. The tracks are one level above. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
Station entrance. To the left and right of this main entrance hall, ticket gates (for Marmaray trains) or X-ray/metal detector checks (for high-speed trains) lead to escalators & lifts up to each platform. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
Tickets & reservations
Inside the station is a small ticket office for YHT tickets (below left). How to buy Turkish train tickets.
Inside Söğütlüçeşme station. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
Platforms
Access to the Marmaray (suburban) platforms is through ticket gates then up escalators or a lift, the gates are visible in both photos above. Access to mainline trains is through a manual ticket check with metal detector and X-ray bag check, then up escalators or a lift to the platform, see the photo above right.
A YHT train (Siemens Velaro type) at Söğütlüçeşme. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.
A YHT train (CAF type) at Söğütlüçeşme. Courtesy of Discoverbyrail.com.