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 Train Fares & Travel Costs in Turkey

 

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Turkish trains give you the most passenger room and amenities, and are usually cheaper but slower than bus, car or plane.

FARE COMPARISON
A full-fare one-way/single ticket between Istanbul (Haydarpasa Station) and Ankara would cost...

YTL22 on the Baskent Ekspresi or Cumhuriyet Ekspresi (7 hours)

YTL50 per person for two people sharing a compartment on the Ankara Ekspresi all-sleeping-car train

YTL90 for one person alone in a private compartment on the Ankara Ekspresi all-sleeping-car train (but only YTL64 for the longer journey on the Pamukkale Ekspresi in a sleeping car)

Keep in mind that passengers aged 60 years or older are entitled to a 20% discount on the train fare (but not the sleeping car cost) for any one-way/single trip.

Round-trip/return tickets are discounted by 20%, but as only one discount applies, there is no saving for seniors on round-trip fares.)

You may also save money with a Train Tour Card good for unlimited train travel for 30 days.

However, the trains don't go everywhere in Turkey (map); except for the Istanbul-Ankara route, they're often slower than the bus; and outside of the Istanbul-Ankara route, the equipment may be well-used, and in some cases even dilapidated, though serviceable.

Istanbul-to-Ankara on the Baskent (Capital) Ekspresi costs less than the bus for more comfort, but the train trip is one to 1.5 hours longer than the bus trip—and that is among Turkey's fastest trains. Other trains are even cheaper, but even slower.

The real bargain is in sleeper train travel. A longer travel time can be an advantage when you're asleep!

If two persons stayed in a two-star hotel for one night (US$60) and took the bus (US$30 each), their Istanbul-to-Ankara travel cost would be US$120, so the sleeper train is the cheaper alternative.


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Train Board in Haydarpasa Station, Istanbul, Turkey

The main train board in Istanbul's Haydarpasa Station, the terminus for Anatolian and Asian trains. (An old photo—don't use it for train times!)