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Sirkeci Station (Sirkeci
Garı) is Istanbul's
terminus for trains from Edirne and Europe. Though
officially named Istanbul Gar, everyone
knows it as Sirkeci (to differentiate
it from Haydarpaşa
Garı on the Asian
shore of the Bosphorus.)
This is where the famed Orient
Express ended its
run from Paris, at the 19th-century
Orientalist station near Seraglio
Point beneath the walls of Topkapı
Palace, right next to Eminönü,
its ferry docks,
and Galata
Bridge.
Whether you take a train or
not, it's worth it just to stroll
through the station and imagine
the famous 19th-century luxury train
pulling into Sirkeci with its eminent
passengers being met by uniformed dragomans (guide-interpreters)
from the great European embassies.
The Sirkeci
district is becoming
known for its good—and good value—hotels
and restaurants.
More...
Buses and airplanes now
carry more passengers between Istanbul and
Europe than do trains. The conflict
in Bosnia during the 1990s further
reduced train traffic, as the trains
couldn't run through the war zone of
dismembered Yugoslavia.
Several trains still run between Sirkeci
and Edirne each
day, and one, the Bosphorus
Express,
heads off to Eastern Europe,
but the best train out of Sirkeci is
the Dostluk/Filia
Express to Thessaloniki,
Greece.
As for Edirne,
it's much faster to go there by bus from
Istanbul's Büyük
Otogar (main bus
terminal).
If you ride trains in
Turkey, they'll most likely depart
from Haydarpaşa
Station on the Asian
shore of the Bosphorus,
reached by frequent ferries from Eminönü and Karaköy (Galata),
at either end of the Galata
Bridge.
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Above, Sirkeci
Station in the
days
of the Orient
Express.
Below, Sirkeci
Station today.
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