Turkish State Railways (TCDD, DDY) trains can be useful during your Turkey trip.
The high-speed trains between Istanbul, Eskişehir and Ankara; Eskişehir and Konya; and Ankara and Konya are particularly useful. More...
For the one train to/from Europe, see the Istanbul - Sofia Express.
Here's my summary of all Turkish trains. More...
Here are the cities traditionally served by trains in Turkey:
(Haydarpaşa = Istanbul; Alsancak = İzmir; Basmane = İzmir).
Here's a more detailed map of Turkish train routes.
Here are complete lists of main line trains by city of departure and by train name.
You can also go to each city's page for information on trains serving that city. (Here's a map of Turkey's major cities.)
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Regional train service between İzmir, its Adnan Menderes Airport, Selçuk (for Ephesus and Şirince) and Denizli (for Pamukkale) is useful. More...
Bus travel is faster than the train on most routes, however, and twice as fast on some routes.
Note there is no train service toBodrum, Antalya, Alanya, or indeed to any point along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts south of İzmir and west of Mersin. Nor is there any service to the eastern Black Sea coast.
Please read this safety noticeabout sleeping car travel.
Here's how to reserve and buy train tickets in advance.
Discounts and monthly passes can save you money on train travel costs.
Note that you cannot break your journey and re-use the same ticket. You must either buy a separate ticket for each portion of your journey, or you must buy a monthly rail passcalled a Train Tour Card. More...
The Turkish State Railways website is now more useful than in the past, but still problematic. More...
Confirm That Your Train is Operating
They're really working on the railroad all over Turkey, upgrading many bridges, tunnels and sections of track, so there are frequent schedule changes and even temporarysuspensions of service on some lines. These disruptions are not necessarily noted in the train information I give in these pages. Be sure to check that the train you want to take will be running on the exact day you want to take it.
Trains Between Turkey & Europe
There's only one train daily between Turkey and Europe, the Istanbul - Sofia Express to Sofia, Bulgaria and Bucharest, Romania, and from thereby connection to other European destinations.
For information on train travel from London and Europe to Turkey, see the Turkey page of Mark Smith's excellent railophile website, The Man in Seat 61.
You may also enjoy TrainsOfTurkey.com, a Turkish-train enthusiasts' site.
—by Tom Brosnahan
| Turkish Trains Route Map |
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