Travelling to Istanbul

Istanbul is connected to different cities in Europe and Asia, including the capital city of Ankara, by railway network.

Operated by Turkish State Railways or Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları (TCDD), the national railway network comprises high-speed trains, super express trains, blue trains, and other local & regional expresses. For those travelling from Ankara to Istanbul, trains are the most convenient option.

From Ankara Gar, around five express trains connect to Istanbul, covering the overall distance in 6 hours approximately. These trains stop at Haydarpasa Station, which is a major intercity rail station.

A transportation hub in Istanbul, Haydarpasa Station is also considered to be the busiest rail terminal in Turkey. Located on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus, this station is the terminus for trains to and from Asian part of Turkey, including Ankara.

The Haydarpasa Station has a main building, which houses headquarters of District 1. The facilities at this railway station include ticket sales offices, a waiting room and left luggage or baggage lockers.

Shops selling drinks and snacks, along with a classic rail-road restaurant are also housed within the station. The station is well connected through IETT bus, ferry service and tramways in the vicinity.

Another station in the city of Istanbul is Sirkeci Terminal. It is the terminus main station of the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) on the European part of Istanbul.

The international, domestic and regional trains running westwards depart from this station. This station is well-known for the many hotels and restaurants situated within the Sirkeci district.

From Ankara Gar, situated 567 km far from Istanbul, travellers can travel to the city of Istanbul through several trains. Trains like Baskent Express, which run during day time, take 6 hours 30 minutes to reach Istanbul.

Another day train is Bogazici Express, which takes almost 9 hours to reach Istanbul from Ankara. There are some overnight trains as well, such as Fatih Express, Anadolu Express and Ankara Express, travelling between the two cities.

Trains running from Ankara and other Turkish cities reach Haydarpasa Station in Istanbul. Situated on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus, this station is linked to different parts of the city through several transportation modes like ferries.

A train ferry boat carries rail cars from Haydarpasa Terminal to Sirkeci Terminal. Ferry boats also connect Kadikoy to Haydarpasa. Haydarpasa is linked to Gebze by suburban trains, while Kabatas can be reached from the station by sea buses. Few blocks south of the station, is the Moda Tramway. IETT buses are also available from outside the station.

The Sirkeci Station is also linked to different parts of the city through several bus routes. In addition, suburban trains operate between Sirkeci and Halkali. Using ferry boats, one can reach Kabatas from the station and continue the journey to Zeytinburnu, and from there travel by trams.

Sea buses operate from Sirkeci to Adalar, via Bostanci. Cars and ferry boats are also available from the station for travelling to Harem. From Eminonu, located at a distance of 200 metres from the Sirkeci station, ferries operate between Kadikoy and Uskudar.

Between the capital city and the largest city of Turkey, Ankara and Istanbul, several trains are scheduled by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD). The most prominent ones are high-speed trains, which link the two cities via Eskisehir.

Fast, comfortable and relatively cheap, these trains take around 5 hours and 30 minutes for reaching Istanbul from Ankara. One way fare for these trains is 921.38 INR, and in business class it is 1,151.72 INR.

On the old railway lines, run traditional express trains that also connect Istanbul and Ankara. Though these take longer, approximately 8 hours 30 minutes, traditional trains are comparatively cheaper than high-speed trains.

Some of these traditional express trains also include sleeping cars and restaurant cars. The Ankara Ekspresi is an all-sleeping-car train, which has a private sleeping compartment, for which one needs to pay.

Several day trains run between the two cities, like Baskent Express and Bogazici Express. Overnight trains like Fatih Express, Anadolu Express and Ankara Express are more popular as these take lesser time to travel between the two cities.