Explore Turkey's best bits by rail
We would like to welcome the newest member country, Turkey to the Eurail Global Pass and Eurail Select Pass from January 1, 2013.
As from January 1, you'll be able to follow James Bond's footsteps and travel through Turkey by rail! Visit Istanbul to see top attractions like the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace. Spend a few days in Turkey's capital city Ankara in the heart of the country or relax along the Turkish riviera.
Engineering work in Turkey
At the moment the Turkish railway company (TDCC) is working very hard on extending it's rail network and constructing the country's first high-speed train line. The train line will connect the capital city, Ankara with the most-populated city, Istanbul through the new Bosporus tunnel. The new transport line is expected to serve around 17 million people and cut travel times as well as pollution levels. Due to the building of this new high-speed train line getting to and around Turkey may be harder than usual. We have some tips to make your trip easier!
Trains between Bulgaria and Turkey running again
The building of the high-speed line is suspended until the end of Februari, 2013. During this period trains between Sofia (Bulgaria) and Istanbul (Turkey) will be running again.
How to get to Turkey
Trains between Istanbul and the Bulgarian border are suspended. There is a replacement bus connecting Kapikule at the Bulgarian border with Istanbul, Turkey, operated by the Turkish railway TCDD. Eurail passes are valid for this journey. The bus makes no stops between Istanbul and Kapikule. This situation should be resolved later in 2013.
TCDD replacement bus schedule
Kapikule 02:55 – Istanbul Sirkeci 07:50 Istanbul Sirkeci 22:00 – Kapikule 02:52
Trains within Turkey
Within Turkey there are no more trains running between Istanbul Haydarpasa and Izmit. TCDD is not offering any alternative transport for this route, however there are regular buses connecting the two cities. This route is not covered by your Eurail pass. This situation will also be resolved later in 2013. From Izmit, trains run normally to Ankara and the rest of Turkey.
