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Travel Info & Tips Taking the Orient Express routes to and from Athens and Istanbul
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Taking the Orient Express routes to and from Athens and Istanbul

How to travel between both Athens and Istanbul and central Europe by train.

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How to travel between Greece or Turkey and central Europe by train:

The days on which The Orient Express provided a direct train service from central Europe to Athens and Istanbul are a distant memory, but if you're happy to make multiple connections in order to reach a destination, then it's still feasible to make flight-free international journeys to and from both Greece and Turkey by train.

However, what had been the usual service pattern of trains for many years between countries to the west and both Greece and Turkey was suspended as consequence of the pandemic.
Though the trains to and from Turkey;

  • the year round Sofia-Istanbul Express, and
  • the summer only Bosphorus Express to/from Bucuresti / Bucharest, which in summer 2024 will be available from June 13th
    have both resumed.
    Also resumed are the trains which enable connections on the Bucuresti / Bucharest ↔ Sofia route, which enable a Bucuresti/Bucharest ↔ Halkali (connect for Istanbul) journey during the periods of time when the Bosphorus Express isn't operating.

What is also operating as normal* are the train and boat connections which involve travelling on ferries between Bari in Italy and Patras in Greece.
*= the railway route between the ferry port at Patras and Kiato, from where trains depart for Athina / Athens, has been closed for reconstruction work for several years, with buses replacing the trains.

The rail route The Balkans remains suspended

However, the trains between Beograd, Sofia, Bucuresti and Thessaloniki (connect for Athina / Athens) were suspended back in 2020 they're still listed as unavailable on the Greek national rail website.

They have also been removed completely on the latest versions of the European Rail timetable.

Hence the 'Orient Express' rail route through The Balkans to/from Athens is not an option until further notice; And in the summer it was also possible to travel via Beograd and Sofia when heading to/from Istanbul by train and this route is inevitably also suspended.

No trains between Beograd and both Ljubljana and Sofia

What's new on the current timetable is the lack of availability of trains, day and overnight, on the Zagreb ↔ Beograd route.
Presumably this is due to construction work in Serbia - the country is in the midst of a radical update of its entire rail network.
Though what needs to be verified is whether these trains will be restored on the summer timetable.

Also currently not available are the trains which had operated during the day on a Beograd ↔ Sofia route.
ShowMeTheJourney's understanding is that this situation, which also affects the route usually taken by the summer only Beograd - Sofia ↔ Thessaloniki overnight train, is due to reconstruction work on the railway.
However, no alternative rail service is available, nor are there any specific rail substitution bus services, so this unhappy scenario has also shut down the Beograd ↔ Istanbul rail route.

Using Eurail / InterRail Passes

For those using Eurail and InterRail passes, all of the trains on these journey guides can be accessed with a pass, but most of them require seats, couchette berths and sleeping cabin beds to be reserved prior to boarding; all of the night trains fall into this category.

If you want to book these rail pass reservations before setting off on your trip, you can try using the Eurail reservation service or the InterRail reservation service - though you will be charged a €2 booking fee per reservation, per person.
Though [rail pass reservations](Bosphorus Express ) for the Bosphorus Express cannot be be booked online.

The only other means of booking these reservations is at stations; do so when you first arrive in a city from which you'll be making an onward journey.
Or if you will be travelling via Munchen/Munich hbf or Wien/Vienna hbf stop by the Reisezentrum travel desks in those stations, you should be able to book most of the reservations for these trains and you won't be charged a booking fee.

If you'll be buying tickets, any necessary reservations should automatically be included with your booking.
Additional ticket booking links will be added to this guide as online bookings become available - which on these routes is typically 1 - 2 months ahead of the travel date.

Athina <> Istanbul

Something worth keeping in mind if you are planning a multi-destination rail travel itinerary, with a rail pass or by using separate tickets, is that currently there no trains operating in either direction over the Greek and Turkish border.
The train service which used to operate between Thessaloniki (for connections from/to Athens) and Istanbul (Halkali) had been suspended pre-pandemic.

The alternative route was to travel between Greece and Istanbul the long way round, by connecting in Sofia, but the trains between Thessaloniki and Sofia are also now not available until further notice.

To Athina / Athens via Bari & Patras

With no trains currently crossing Greek borders, this is route is currently the only option for using Eurail and InterRail passes to travel to and from Athina / Athens.

Though this route involves taking the ferry between Bari in Italy and Patras in Greece.

Though when travelling to Athens/Athina, taking this route is generally less complicated if a Bari departure on Sundays can be avoided.
It's a good idea to allow a minimum of three hours between the arrival by train in Bari and the departure of the ferry to Patras, but on Sundays the ferry typically departs at 13:30, which doesn't allow sufficient time to make the ferry when travelling to Bari by train from the likes of Bologna, Milano, Roma or Venezia/Venice.

So to avoid having to overnight in Bari, it's best to target the ferry departures at 19:30, which are typically, but not always, available on Monday to Saturdays.

The first trains of the day from Milano and from Roma and from Venezia should allow time in Bari to make the 19:30 ferry departures.

However, the railway between Patras and Athina/Athens has been closed for several years now, due to a seemingly never-ending reconstruction project.
Trains are only available from Kiato to Athina, so substitute bus services operate between Patras station and Kiato.

There are hourly trains from Kiato to Athens, the bus should from Patras should arrive in Kiato around 15 mins before the train departs.

Eurail and InterRail passes allow for travel as a 'deck-passenger' on the ferries, if you have a 2nd class pass you can take a seat in one of the on-board lounges, but users of first class passes can access reclining seats - though when using a rail pass, you will have to pay port taxes.
When using Eurail and InterRail passes the sleeping cabins must be reserved in advance and fairly expensive fess are charged for doing so.

To Istanbul

On the **summer timetables(( prior to 2020, there were two rail routes available when travelling by train between European cities and Istanbul:

  1. The Balkan route via Beograd and Sofia - which is now not available until further notice
  2. A route from Budapest via București / Bucharest - by taking The Bosphorus Express.

The Sofia-Istanbul Express is available year round, so outside the summer months when the Bosphorus Express is not available, the only viable route is Vienna / Budapest - Bucharest ↔ Sofia (requires connections) - Halkali (for Istanbul).
This is due to what had been a Zagreb - Beograd ↔ Sofia (requires connections) - Halkali (for Istanbul) not currently being an option.

The Sofia-Istanbul Express conveys couchettes with 6 berths or 4 berths in a compartment (a place in a 6-berth compartment is cheaper), plus sleeping cabins with one bed or two beds - the price difference between travelling in couchette or a sleeping cabin is the equivalent of around €20.
The train is typically scheduled to depart from Sofia at 18:45.

The Bosphorus Express

The Bosphorus Express is a summer only service - in Summer 2024 it will be available from June 13th and it conveys seats and 4 / 6 berth couchettes and sleeping cabins.
It is scheduled to depart from Bucuresti Nord station at 10:47 and will spend the day travelling to Dimitrovgrad in eastern Bulgaria where it will be attached to the Sofia-Istanbul Express for the remainder of the journey on to Turkey.

Over the Turkish border and Arriving in Istanbul

On arrival at the Turkish/Bulgarian border station, Kapikule, at around 00:30, all passengers have to disembark from the train in order to pass through customs control.

The train from Sofia and Bucharest no longer arrives at Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, as that station has been closed to long-distance trains since the opening of the Marmaray Tunnel - and its resulting transformation of local rail services in the city.

Instead the train from Sofia (and Buccuresti) travel no further than Halkali station, which is located to the west of Istanbul - it scheduled to arrive there shortly after 06:45am.
Local trains connect Halkali to central Istanbul every 15 minutes, with a journey time of around 20 mins - and those 'Marmary line' trains make multiple stops in Istanbul city centre.

In addition to a new underground Sirkeci station, located on the west bank of The Bosphorus River, those local trains on from Halkali also call at stations on the east bank of The Bosphorous at Uskardar and at Ayrilik.
They also call at Yenikapi station, which offers interchange with Metro Line 1 and Metro Line 2

Via Bucuresti / Bucharest

On the dates when the 'Bosphor Express' isn't available, the Sofia-Istanbul Express is the only train which crosses the Bulgaria / Turkey border.
Though Sofia is some distance off the most direct Budapest > Bucharest > Istanbul route, but the Sofia-Istanbul Express also calls at the junction station of Dimitrovgrad - which can be reached on a series of trains from Bucuresti / Bucharest, which ultimately offer a connection into the Sofia-Istanbul Express.

The typically available alternative to making an early morning connection in Dimitovgrad is take the train from Bucuresti to Ruse; and to connect there for a train which is scheduled to arrive in Sofia at around 20:20.
You can then spend the night and much of the day in the Bulgarian capital, before departing on the Sofia-Istanbul Express at 18:40.

The year round option:

Dep:

Budapest-Keleti

15:10

 

Arr:

Buccuresti-Nord

08:42

 

Dep:

Buccuresti-Nord

10:55

 

Arr:

Ruse

13:39

 

Dep:

Ruse

14:15

 

Arr:

Goma Orjahovica

16:25

 

Dep:

Goma Orjahovica

17:30

 

Arr:

Dimotrovgrad

22:00

 

Dep:

Dimotrovgrad

23;15

 

Arr:

Halkali (connect for Istanbul)

05:34

 











Direct from Bucharest to 'Istanbul'

In the summer of 2024 it won't be possible to travel by train from central Europe to Istanbul without making an overnight stop on route, but this route via Bucuresti/Bucharest has the advantage of only requiring two trains to be taken.

Vienna and Budapest to Istanbul by train

from June 13th to early October:

Trains to Wien/Vienna

Dep:

Wien Hbf

19:42

EN

Dep:

OR Budapest-Keleti

23:10

 

Arr:

Buccuresti-Nord

16:50

 

Dep:

Buccuresti-Nord

10:47

 

Arr:

Halkali (connect for Istanbul)

06:34

 








The train from Wien/Vienna and Budapest to Buccuresti is the EuroNight 'Dacia' service.

Budapest to Istanbul by train option 2
from early June to early October: timings to be confirmed

Dep:

Budapest-Keleti

15:10

 

Arr:

Buccuresti-Nord

08:06

 

Dep:

Buccuresti-Nord

10:55

 

Arr:

Halkali (connect for Istanbul)

05:34

 







As can be seen, if taking a train to Budapest is a feasible option, heading for Istanbul from the Hungarian capital between June 5th and October 5th is one of the easiest options on these Orient Express routes, with only two train journeys required to complete the trip.

Via Beograd

This route isn't available until further notice

From Istanbul

Two regular overnight train services head west across the Turkey / Bulgaria border:
1 - The year round 'Sofia Express'
2 - The summer only Bosphorus Express which provides a direct services to Bucuresti / Bucharest from mid-June to early October - in 2024 it will be available from June 12th.

Both trains convey couchettes with 6 berths and 4 berth in a compartment, a place in a 6-berth compartment is cheaper, plus sleeping cabins
The price difference between travelling in couchette or a sleeping cabin is the equivalent of around €20.

However, the only train from Bulgaria on to Serbia is usually the 'Balkan Express' - a daytime train from Sofia to Beograd/Belgrade, but it didn't operate in 2022 / 2023 due to works on the line; and it's route has been removed completely from the latest version of the European Rail timetable.

Hence the Istanbul to western Europe route by train currently involves taking onward connections from Bucuresti / Bucharest - on the dates when the Bosphorus Express isn't available, the route is:

  1. Take the Sofia Express
  2. Trains on a daytime route from Sofia to Bucuresti / Bucharest - two connections are typically required
  3. A train from Bucuresti / Bucharest to Budapest, connect for Prague and Berlin, or by taking the direct train from Bucuresti / Bucharest to Wien / Vienna.

Departing from Istanbul:

The overnight train heading west into Europe from Istanbul no longer departs from Sirkeci station in central Istanbul, as that station has been closed to long-distance trains since the opening of the Marmaray Tunnel and its associated transformation of local rail services in Istanbul.

Instead the trains departs from Halkali station, which is located to the west of Istanbul.
The departure time from Halkali (the station which has easy connections from Istanbul) is typically 20:00 (8pm) - when the Bosphorus Express is operating it is attached to the Sofia Express for the part of the journey to eastern Bulgaria.

Local trains connect central Istanbul to Halkali every 15 minutes with a journey time of around 20 mins, though it's a good idea to head off from central Istanbul around an hour before the overnight train will be departing.

Those local 'Marmary line' trains make multiple stops in Istanbul city centre.
In addition to a new undergound Sirkeci station, located on the west bank of The Bosphorus River, these local trains to Halkali also call at stations on the east bank of The Bosphorous at Uskardar and at Ayrilik.
They also call at Yenikapi station, which offers interchange with Metro Line 1 and Metro Line 2.

On arrival at the Turkish/Bulgarian border, at around 02:30am, all passengers have to disembark from the train in order to pass through customs control.

via Sofia and Bucuresti

This routing is available on the dates on which the direct Bosphor Express service from Istanbul to Bucuresti/Bucharest doesn't operate.

Dep:

Halkali (Istanbul)

22:40

 

Arr:

Dimitrovgrad

04:45

 

Dep:

Dimitrovgrad

05:55

 

Arr:

Goma Orjahovica

10:35

 

Dep:

Goma Orjahovica

11:35

 

Arr:

Ruse

13:30

 

Dep:

Ruse

14:15

 

Arr:

Buccueresti-Nord

17:17

 

Dep:

Buccueresti-Nord

21:00

EN

Arr:

Budapest-Keleti

12:50

 

Dep:

Budapest-Keleti

13:40

RJ

Arr:

Wien Hbf

16:20

 












via Bucuresti

In contrast to the 'Istanbul-Sofia Express, the Bosphorus Express is a summer only service, it was available in 2022 / 2023, but its schedule has yet to be confirmed for 2024, so the timings below are provisional.

On departure from Halkali station in western Istanbul, 'The Bosphorus Express' overnight train from Istanbul to Bucuresti/Bucharest is attached to the coaches of 'The Istanbul-Sofia' Express - it proceeds as one train until it arrives over the Bulgarian border

On arrival at the Turkish/Bulgarian border station, Kapikule, at around 01:30, all passengers have to disembark from the train in order to pass through customs control.

Option 1:

Dep:

Halkali

21:40

 

Arr:

Buccuresti-Nord

17:05

 

Dep:

Buccuresti-Nord

22:05

 

Arr:

Budapest-Keleti

12:50

 

Dep:

Budapest-Keleti

13:40

RJ

Arr:

Wien Hbf

16:21

 








This Option 1 routing is a means of travelling from Istanbul to Budapest and Vienna/Wien by train without having to book any overnight accommodation during the journey.

The other options, described below, for an Istanbul to Budapest and Vienna train journey, show how to travel by choosing to spend the night in Bucuresti/Bucharest.

Option 2:

Dep:

Halkali

21:40

 

Arr:

Buccuresti-Nord

17:05

 

Dep:

Buccuresti-Nord

13:45

EN

Arr:

Wien Hbf

08:21

 






Onward connections from Wien/Vienna

As can be seen it's possible to travel from Istanbul to Wien/Vienna by only taking two trains, though it's a three night journey involving two sleeper trains and an overnight stay in Bucuresti/Bucharest.

That 13:45 departure train from Bucuresti also calls in Budapest, but it is due to arrive at Keleti station at 05:20am!

via Beograd

This route won't be available until further notice.

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Simon Harper

I wanted to share my passion for train travel and explain how anyone can take the fantastic journeys I have taken.

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This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.

So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.