Turkish State Railways in Turkey

Turkish State Railways (TCDD, DDY) trains are useful, and even the best way to travel in Turkey on some routes (especially the high-speed trains and sleeping car trains between Istanbul and Ankara).

Here are the cities served by trains in Turkey:

(Haydarpasa = Istanbul; Basmane = Izmir).

Here are the most important train routes in Turkey.

Here are complete lists of main line trains by city of departure and by train name.

Click here to download a .pdf schedule of main line trains, their departure and arrival times

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.)

Here's a detailed train route map. Here are the types of trains.

For international trains, see the pages on trains to Greece, trains to Bulgaria and Europe, trains to Syria, and trains to Iran.

Foremost is the Istanbul - Ankara route, on which there is now some high-speed train service. Intercity trains between Istanbul (Haydarpasa) and Ankara, and between Izmir (Basmane) and Ankara, are relatively fast, comfortable, and moderately priced, and the train-&-ferry service between Istanbul and Izmir is also useful.

Bus travel is faster than the train on most routes, however, and twice as fast on some routes.

Note there is no train service to Bodrum, Antalya, Alanya, or indeed to any point along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts between Izmir and Mersin. Nor is there any service to the eastern Black Sea coast.

Please read this safety notice about sleeping car travel.

Here's how to reserve and buy train tickets in advance.

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 pass called a Train Tour Card. More...

The Turkish State Railways website used to be quite useful, but in 2007 they "improved" it so that now it is much more difficult to use. In 2009 they "improved" it again, making it as difficult to use, but in new and unfamiliar ways (sigh). More...

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.

Discounts and monthly passes can save you money on train travel costs.

Turkish Trains Route Map

Types of Turkish Trains

Trains Istanbul-Ankara

How to Buy Train Tickets

Train Fare Discounts

Monthly Passes

Pullman Car

Couchette Car

Sleeping Car

Transportation