About The Orient Express

Have you ever heard about Eastern Express before? And have you ever taken a long train ride before? If your answer is no, how about a wonderful train ride in Turkey? The Eastern Express offers an experience that can be enjoyed only in Turkey and creates memories like no other. A train ride adventure, departing from Ankara and terminating at Kars. Here we will tell you what you need to know about the Eastern Express and share our recommendations.

Eastern Express is a train ride, which allows you to travel from one end of Turkey to the other, covering more than 1000 km in 24 hours by train. Here you can find everything you need to know about the Orient Express trip, one of the best trends of recent times. Here is the Eastern Express with its story and the scenery and extraordinary experience it offers…

Overview of Eastern Express

The Eastern Express departs from Ankara, stops in Kirikkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum and ends in Kars. The train departs at 17:55 and arrives in Kars at 18:30 one day later, which takes approximately 24 hours. Spring is usually recommended for warm weather, while winter is recommended for a unique snow vacation.

The wagon options include standard (Pullman) wagons, seated wagons, known as couchette and equipped with a foldable sofa that turns into a bunk bed (4 people) and bed linen, sleeping wagons (refrigerator, table, washbasin and double room) and dining wagons.  Air travel is often preferred for the return.

Our Recommendations for the Eastern Express

If you do not prefer a dining wagon, then you can take food with you. You can buy whatever you need from various stores in Ankara railway station and stock snacks. Internet access is not available, and your phone may sometimes have no service during the trip. So be prepared for this situation. You don't need to worry about the temperature inside the wagons since it is optimum both in the summer and winter.

The sleeping wagons are made available after sanitation and with clean bed linens. Even though the restrooms are usually sanitized, it is better to take your own sanitation materials with you. Your pets can accompany you with the 50% discount ticket. About the luggage, you should have all your bags and luggage with you. Sockets are also essential during the trip. No sockets are available in Pullman wagons, while two sockets in sleeping wagons and only one socket in couchette wagons are available.

We recommend you to take a trash bag with you, since the trash cans in the wagons are small. In addition, if you don't want to take food with you, we should note that food as affordable as a Turkish artisan restaurant is available. The train stops for 5-10 minutes at the stations. We also recommend you to always have cash on hand, remember to take the book you want to read, and have a plan about what to do when you arrive in Kars.

If you have not taken a train ride before, we strongly recommend you not to panic but enjoy the unique landscapes you will see and the villages you will pass by during the ride. You can immortalize your memories with fantastic photos you can capture, and you can enjoy to the fullest the 24-hour Eastern Express train ride.