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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 (Haydarpaşa
Station) and Ankara would
cost...
TL30 on
most daytime trains.
TL60 per
person for two people sharing a compartment
on the Ankara
Ekspresi all-sleeping-car train.
TL85 for
one person alone in a private compartment
on the Ankara
Ekspresi all-sleeping-car train
(but only TL72 for
the longer journey on the Meram
Ekspresi from Istanbul to
Konya 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.
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 (TL100)
and took the bus (TL40
each), their Istanbul-to-Ankara travel
cost would be TL120,
so the sleeper train is the more
comfortable alternative.
Unfortunately, the only way to find
detailed train fares (besides talking
to a train clerk in person) is to use
a difficult function on the Turkish
State Railways website. More...
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