Trains in Turkey

Overnight trains are a fantastic means of transport across Turkey. The Turkish railroad is operated (and heavily subsidized) by the national government. A private first-class sleeper compartment for one or two on routes joining major tourist destinations provides Orient Express luxury for about US$ 30-40. Make sure to ask for it by name, yataklı vagon.

Especially useful routes include:

• İstanbul - Ankara
• İstanbul - Denizli (Pamukkale, Heiropolis, Aphrodisias, and Laodykia)
• İstanbul - Konya
• Ankara - İzmir
• Ankara - Adana

Yes, it takes 12 hours to cover a distance that an express bus covers in 8, but you got a night's lodging and didn't waste a day jammed in a crowded bus. The accomodations are not as luxurious as one might find in Cancun resorts or hotels in Jamaica but they are very nice for travel in this region. And don't even think about overnight buses! Buses are fine for a hop of a few hours, but if you have a long distance to travel, look into a train!

The National Railways of the Republic of Turkey, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari, or TCDD, has a web page at: http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/ Great stuff - schedules, complete route map, etc., but unfortunately it seems to be only available in Turkish. You can check out their full schedules at: http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/yolcu/trensaatleri.htm, the tables below only show stops in larger cities. And here are some crucial Turkish words for understanding those schedules:

Surprising Station Names

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Map Showing Turkish Rail Lines

Click on this map to open a larger version. The map shows most of the cities mentioned in the below schedules, and it shows rail lines in black. For more detailed railway maps of Turkey and many other countries, see the Railways Through Europe site.

İstanbul - Ankara - and points east

Lots of trains running about eight hours overnight between İstanbul and Anaka, plus an express daytime train. The Ankara Ekspresi is one of the nicest overnight trains in the world. Brand-new sleeper cars, they even have showers! It costs a little more, but is worth it - about US$ 40 for a compartment to yourself, or US$ 65 for two people.

Traveling from İstanbul to Cappadocia, you might take an overnight train to Ankara, see a few sights there in the morning, then continue by bus to Cappadocia.

İstanbul - Denizli

Denizli is 15 minutes by dolmuş from Pamukkale, and about 2-3 hours by bus from Ephesus. This is especially good for the north-bound route, as otherwise you spend all day on a bus only to arrive in İstanbul at rush hour!

İstanbul - Konya - Gaziantep

Ankara - İzmir

Ankara - Kayseri - Adana

Adana - Malatya - Elaziğ

Possibly of interest for the Adana-Malatya segment, a long day on a train versus a long day on buses.

Ankara - Çankırı - Karabük - Zonguldak

İzmir - Bandırma

In theory, you could travel from Selçuk (Ephesus) to İstanbul by taking a bus to İzmir, then a comfortable train to Bandırma on the Marama coast, and then a ferry across the Sea of Marmara arriving at İstanbul around dinner time.

In practice, this will be extremely difficult given the early departure out of İzmir.

İzmir - Selçuk - Isparta - Burdur

Do trains stop in Selçuk, adjacent to Ephesus? Yes. But they aren't very useful for travel, unless you are looking to leave Selçuk at 0516 to connect to the Marmara Ekspresi in İzmir! Goncalı is close to Denizli, but Denizli is on a branch off this main line and the only passenger train servicing it is the Pamukkale Ekspresi. Note that the eastbound train splits in Gümüşgün, part going to Isparta and part to Burdur. Westbound, the parts join in Gümüşgün. This is a mototren, upright seats only.

İstanbul - Damascus

Allegedly there is now a train once a week, leaving İstanbul on Saturdays at 0825, and taking at least 25 hours to reach Damascus.

Destinations in Turkey

İstanbul — Haghia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Golden Horn, Bosphorus, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire	Cappadocia — Rock-carved churches, cave homes, 1000 year old frescos, underground cities, Göreme	Ephesus — Well-preserved Greek city, major city of the Roman Empire, home of early Christianity
Gallipoli — World War I battlefield where the ANZAC forces faced the Turks in 1915	Nemrut Dağı — Mysterious statues on a mountain peak in eastern Turkey	Olimpos — Treehouses, the Chimera or burning mountain, ruins, beaches
Silk Road Hans — Caravanserais in central Turkey from 1000-1500 AD	Hattusha or Hatuşaş — Hittite Empire capital at Boğazkale	Konya — Home of the Sufi mystic poet Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes, distinctive Seljuk architecture
Aphrodisias — Greek religious center in a mountain valley and home of some of the best Greek sculptors	Temple of Artemis — One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, near Ephesus	Halicarnassus — The Tomb of King Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, at Bodrum, Köycegiz Lake, Kaunos, and Dalyan
Mountain Trek — Byzantine monastery ruins from 800-1100 AD in the Beşparmak Mountains, the Royal Road from Constantinople to Babylon	Pamukkale — Travertine formations, ruins at Laodicea and Hierapolis near Denizli	Selçuk — Basilica of Saint John, Isa Bey mosque, weekly market, and the storks
Maryemana — The House of the Virgin Mary on a mountain above Ephesus	The last Ottoman Sultan — Ertuğrul Osman V lived on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan: searching for his home	Turkish Food — Kebabs, simit, spices, coffee, tea pide, cacık, mercimek çorbası, plav, gözleme, and more
Turkish Bus Travel — Finding your way through the otogar or bus station, luxury long-haul buses, short rides on the dolmuş	Turkish Train Travel — Cross Turkey overnight in style in a first-class sleeper compartment	Konya'da dervişleri görüyorum. Konya'da dervişleri görürüm. Konya'da dervişleri göreceğim. Konya'da dervişleri görmüşüm. Konya'da dervişleri gördüm. Konya'da dervişleri görmeliyim. Konya'da dervişleri görsem, ... Konya'da dervişleri göreyim. Ç/ç, Ğ/ğ I/ı, İ/i, Ö/ö, Ü/ü, Ş/ş Turkish Grammar — An introduction and study guide: special characters, vowel harmony, and those complicated Turkish verbs
	All the way back to the introduction	How is the plumbing?

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