TRAIN TRAVEL IN TURKEY
Train tours in Turkey tend to meander, meaning that train travel is usually much slower than bus travel—sometimes twice as long. Originally, the term express train is a misnomer in Turkey. The overnight sleeper from Istanbul to Ankara (Ankara Ekspresi) is the most comfortable and accessible to the trains, with private parts, attentive service, and a candlelit dining car. There is also daytime service between Istanbul and Ankara, and a high-speed rail link will connect the two cities in the coming years. The train journey from Istanbul to Ankara currently takes about 6½ hours nonstop, or approximately 10 hours overnight with stops along the way. High-speed service will decrease the travel time to about 3 hours. Trains also run within Istanbul and Edirne and between Ankara and Izmir. Note that work on the Marmaray undersea rail tube and the high-speed train tracks has profoundly disrupted service to and from Istanbul.
Dining cars on trains within the major cities usually have waiter service and give decent and reasonable food. Overnight expresses have asleep cars and bunk beds. The Istanbul–Ankara run costs about 60 TL for a bed in a two-bed room and 80 TL for a single-bed room, including tips; although tickets are a must, cancellations are expected, so you can often get a space at the last minute.
Fares are lower for trains than for buses, and round-trip train fares cost less than two one-way tickets. Student discounts are 10% (30% from December through April). Ticket windows in railroad stations are marked "giseleri." Some post offices and authorized travel agencies also sell train tickets. It's advisable to book in advance, in person, for seats on the best trains and for sleeping quarters.
Dining cars on trains within the major cities usually have waiter service and give decent and reasonable food. Overnight expresses have asleep cars and bunk beds. The Istanbul–Ankara run costs about 60 TL for a bed in a two-bed room and 80 TL for a single-bed room, including tips; although tickets are a must, cancellations are expected, so you can often get a space at the last minute.
Fares are lower for trains than for buses, and round-trip train fares cost less than two one-way tickets. Student discounts are 10% (30% from December through April). Ticket windows in railroad stations are marked "giseleri." Some post offices and authorized travel agencies also sell train tickets. It's advisable to book in advance, in person, for seats on the best trains and for sleeping quarters.
