Author Topic: Istanbul by train  (Read 3107 times)

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Offline JohnF

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Istanbul by train
« on: August 29, 2016, 15:17:46 PM »
I got to admit that I do fancy giving this a try sometime when time is not an issue, and I know its got nothing to do with flights, airlines or airports, but we don't have a trains section  :)

Appears to be a variety of routes, either via Belgrade or Bucharest with other choices such as through Vienna, Salzburg and Zurich with enough time for stopovers (beer sampling research  ;)) wherever you want.  As the web site says:

"Even if you travel as quickly as the train schedules make possible, the 4-night Bucharest route gives you a day & night in Bucharest.  The 3-night Sofia route gives you an evening in Belgrade and a day between overnight trains in Sofia.  But if you're not in a rush, you may well want to stop off at other places on the way and the choice of stopovers may determine your route.  On the Bucharest route you can stop off in Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Sighisoara (a walled medieval town in Transylvania) & Brasov (for Dracula's castle), Bucharest, and Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgaria's ancient capital).  The Sofia route offers stopovers in Munich, Salzburg, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Sofia, or you could also stop off in Vienna and Budapest if you routed yourself that way en route to Belgrade."

Just a pity that Sirkeci station on the Asian side of Istanbul is now closed and it looks like they're running a bus service from the Turkish border instead of the previous sleeper cars due to work on the Marmaray line at Sirkeci.

More here: http://www.seat61.com/Turkey.htm#.V8Q-aJgrK70

JF

Offline Colwyn

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Re: Istanbul by train
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2016, 16:19:25 PM »
I once caught the "Orient Express" from Vienna to Budapest. It wasn't much like Poirot's trip: nobody was murdered and the train was third class only (it appeared). Rather a disappointment. Mind you, that was in 1990 just a few months after the Bulgarian Communist Party gave up power. Crossing the Austrian/Bulgarian border was ... time consuming.

Offline Scunner

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Re: Istanbul by train
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2016, 16:23:38 PM »
You should have complained when you got home, they might have offered you free tickets and arranged for someone to be murdered.

Offline Colwyn

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Re: Istanbul by train
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2016, 19:53:45 PM »
At this point I should mention that the train journey was from Austria to Hungary, that Budapest it the capital of Hungary and that Bugaria has nothing to do with this story.

Offline KKOB

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Re: Istanbul by train
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2016, 20:14:09 PM »
Crossing the Austrian/Bulgarian border was ... time consuming.

I didn't know Austria had a border with Bulgaria. I must have been asleep during that geography lesson.  ;)

Offline davybill

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Re: Istanbul by train
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2016, 08:08:46 AM »
Crossing the Austrian/Bulgarian border was ... time consuming.

I didn't know Austria had a border with Bulgaria. I must have been asleep during that geography lesson.   ;)
That's why it was time consuming. LOL

Offline wickwilly

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Re: Istanbul by train
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2016, 20:00:02 PM »
I caught the train from Istanbul to Munich in February 1993. Big mistake. I had booked a couchette from Istanbul and when i got onto the carriage in Istanbul it looked ok. One hour into the journey, however, the train came to a halt, a guy in uniform came along and said that the couchette had broken down and I had to get into an ordinary carriage for the remainder of the journey. It was so cold that the toilet door at the end of the carriage froze shut. There was only one other toilet further up the train, which, needless to say, was always occupied. There was no restaurant car either. The train stopped in Bucharest for 4 hours but no announcements were made about duration or reason for the stoppage so I didn't risk getting off to get food. All in all the journey to Munich took 36 hours !!!. No loo, no food and freezing cold. Not the best journey I have ever undertaken !!! I am still waiting for the refund too.
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