“An unforgettable train journey”: my night on the Istanbul-Sofia Express

Last week, Lonely Planet's annual Best in Travel list included the Istanbul-Sofia Express as an essential trip for 2023.
The night service restarted in April this year, after being suspended at the start of 2020. When introduced in 2017, it was the successor to former night train services, including several incarnations using variants named Orient Express. I boarded one of the fast commuter trains from Istanbul's Eminönü district to Sirkeci, leaving the city for Halkalı, an unassuming suburban station which is now the departure point for this overnight train.< /p>
Leaving Istanbul from here is like traveling from Euston to Watford Junction to board the Caledonian Sleeper: it's a modern and functional station, but not much to see. Once in Halkali, the night's pre-departure ceremony began. Shouts of "Sofia!" station staff summoned passengers from an uncomfortably hot waiting room through a baggage x-ray machine and then onto the platform. I was directed to my 1990s sleeper compartment by the train manager. The house for the night arrived air-conditioned, with a power outlet but no wifi and, exceptionally, a fridge full of water and some snacks.
Departure at the hour at 8:45 p.m., we rocked along the single-track line through the darkness. Somewhere along the way, I dozed off. Around 1am we approached Edirne, with the Selimiye Mosque illuminating the cityscape. Leaving Edirne, the train manager suddenly became unpopular, knocking on doors with a brisk "Check!". It was the signal to get up and enter a slowly shuffling queue of passports at Kapıkule on the Turkish-Bulgarian border. There were a few hundred passengers on the platform, most still half asleep. Waiting for that passport stamp was the perfect opportunity to meet other passengers. We were crossing the EU's busiest land border, and it was becoming apparent to all that taking this sleeper did not guarantee a restful night. Snacks and cigarettes were offered around, and stories were shared.

Lifestyle Nov 22, 2022 0 46 Add to Reading List

“An unforgettable train journey”: my night on the Istanbul-Sofia Express

Last week, Lonely Planet's annual Best in Travel list included the Istanbul-Sofia Express as an essential trip for 2023.

The night service restarted in April this year, after being suspended at the start of 2020. When introduced in 2017, it was the successor to former night train services, including several incarnations using variants named Orient Express. I boarded one of the fast commuter trains from Istanbul's Eminönü district to Sirkeci, leaving the city for Halkalı, an unassuming suburban station which is now the departure point for this overnight train.< /p>

Leaving Istanbul from here is like traveling from Euston to Watford Junction to board the Caledonian Sleeper: it's a modern and functional station, but not much to see. Once in Halkali, the night's pre-departure ceremony began. Shouts of "Sofia!" station staff summoned passengers from an uncomfortably hot waiting room through a baggage x-ray machine and then onto the platform. I was directed to my 1990s sleeper compartment by the train manager. The house for the night arrived air-conditioned, with a power outlet but no wifi and, exceptionally, a fridge full of water and some snacks.

Departure at the hour at 8:45 p.m., we rocked along the single-track line through the darkness. Somewhere along the way, I dozed off. Around 1am we approached Edirne, with the Selimiye Mosque illuminating the cityscape. Leaving Edirne, the train manager suddenly became unpopular, knocking on doors with a brisk "Check!". It was the signal to get up and enter a slowly shuffling queue of passports at Kapıkule on the Turkish-Bulgarian border. There were a few hundred passengers on the platform, most still half asleep. Waiting for that passport stamp was the perfect opportunity to meet other passengers. We were crossing the EU's busiest land border, and it was becoming apparent to all that taking this sleeper did not guarantee a restful night. Snacks and cigarettes were offered around, and stories were shared.