All About Orient Express and Orient Express Ticket Tips
Last year was our year of traveling by train! We returned from each new train journey with great happiness and with those ‘romantic’ feelings that train journeys left on us.. And then we made it up to board the Oriental Express like we’ve never been so sure about a trip before! In the last week of 2019, we said how beautiful Kars would be, why not, and we took our breath away on the Eastern Express! Then Orient Express
There are some places, even if you don’t go from the photos, you’ll be gone. The Eastern Express experience is nothing like that.. It was so impossible to enjoy the time spent on that train, the beauty of Kars and the warmth of its people without going there…
If we have fastened our belts, we can start our article Everything About the Orient Express, in which we describe our Orient Express journey in all details!
What is the Eastern Express, What is the Touristic Eastern Express, Eastern Express prices, Eastern Express rooms, how to find the Eastern Express ticket, Eastern Express Route, Eastern Express preparation, food on the Eastern Express, and Eastern Express suggestions in detail.
What is the Orient Express?
The East Express is the name of the train that has been operating on the Ankara – Kars, Kars – Ankara line since 1949 and goes between Ankara and Kars in approximately 25 hours. What makes the Eastern Express so indispensable and popular is that it is the first sleeper train journey of anyone who has not experienced many long train journeys before, and the people, memories and landscapes you see along the way!
Well, how to travel on this Oriental Express and what is the price?
Oriental Express wagon types and Eastern Express price information
As of 2019, a ‘Touristic Eastern Express‘ has now entered our lives.. So we will explain in detail.
There are two types of wagons ‘covered bunks’ and ‘pulman’ on the classic old-fashioned Eastern Express (we boarded it). On the Touristic Orient Express, there is only ‘sleeper car’. So what are they?
With Covered Bunks What Does It Mean?
Rooms for 4 people are called. Inside the room, there are 4 long armchairs that can be opened as bunk beds and become beds.. We traveled in the covered bunk. This option is currently only available on the regular Orient Express. No touristic.
If you are two people like us, we recommend you to buy all 4 tickets in the covered bunk.. As far as we know, everyone does this.. If you buy only 2 tickets instead of 4 tickets, then two other people will definitely buy the remaining two tickets, which means traveling in a tiny room 24 hours a day with two people you don’t know..
Let’s not go without saying something very important here; For example, you are two people (one woman – one man) and you bought two tickets in a covered bunk.. Later, two more women bought the remaining two tickets for the same room.. The only man in the room will be the only man in the room who will be removed from the room because it is forbidden to sleep in the same room for people of the opposite sex who do not know each other at night.. So you may have to go with your girlfriend and sleep in separate rooms in this case.. They can even send the “male part” to the pulman if there is no room in the room.. That’s why the most logical thing to do is not risk and buy all 4 tickets in the room..
When you get on the train and settle into your room, the staff brings the number of bedding to the room.. The linens felt pretty clean to us.. We didn’t take any other bedding with us anyway, we used them.. They were all packed and smelled good..
There is a tiny table in the middle of the beds in the room. The glass also opens a little at the end. Finally, you can adjust the temperature of the room.. We went in December and although it was minus degrees outside, the room was warm inside.. We could stand comfortably even with short sleeves. When you pull the curtain on the door of the room, you have almost no connection with the outside.. So you can sleep well at night.
Socket Issue in Wagons
As for the socket part, there is one socket in the room but it is not enough. That’s why bringing a triple socket with you is the most logical. Do not plug anything other than charging into the sockets (especially the kettle) because there is a warning that the electricity of the entire compartment may be cut off.. We are sure that there are those who wear it, but you still do not wear it..
The last thing we can say about the covered bunk is the suitcases.. If you are going to stay 4 people in the room, there will be no room for 4 big suitcases + 4 big people.. That’s why those who come for 4 people should bring as little suitcases as possible.. Two people can put the suitcases on the beds they are not using. We slept on the upper bunk beds and put the suitcases on the lower beds. Cabin luggage usually fits under the beds, so we recommend you to choose cabin suitcases.
Room with Bed
inside the bunk-shaped double bed, refrigerator, table and a mini there is a sink. no toilet. This option is only available on the touristic Orient Express.. It was in the normal before, but it has been removed as of 2019.
In the bed room option, linens are provided immediately while the train is moving.. You know that regulates the temperature of the room and you can open the window a little..
The issue of the socket is the same, you need to bring a triple socket when you come.. As for suitcases, rooms with beds are more comfortable because the space is larger.. Even though the suitcases are big, they fit comfortably.
Pulman
Pulman is the seat wagon you know.. Inside, the seats are arranged two on one side and one on the other.. The cheapest ticket option, of course, is the seats in pulman, but generally those who want to travel from one city to another take the train for a short time in pulman.. In other words, there are not many people who ride in the touristic sense..
As it will be difficult to spend 24 hours on the sofa, you do not have your own socket here.. If you don’t really need to go to Kars and you do the Eastern Express for pleasure, pulman will force you..
That’s all we have to say about the room. Let’s come to the Eastern Express travel guide part!
Oriental Express Travel Guide – Eastern Express stops
Eastern Express both normal and touristic in Ankara- Kırıkkale- Kayseri- Sivas- Erzincan- Going on the Erzurum-Kars route. The difference between the two trains is the waiting time at these stops.
Classical Eastern Express Stops and Waiting Times
Normal Eastern Express stops at 53 stops in total and stops at these stops for a maximum of 2-3 minutes to reach Kars. reaching. It stops for about 10 minutes in Erzurum, Erzincan and Sivas.. The train reaches Kars from Ankara in approximately 25 hours.. You can also think of following the route in reverse for those getting on from Kars.
Touristic Eastern Express Stops and Waiting Times
Touristic Eastern Express is a little different.. Since its name is ‘touristy’, it stops for 2-3 hours on a few stops on the route, so you can get off the train and visit those areas.. The stops and waiting times of the Touristic Eastern Express are as follows;
- On the Ankara-Kars line; In Ilic (3 hours), Erzincan (3 hours) and Erzurum (4 hours)
- On the Kars-Ankara line; In Divriği (2.5 hours) and Bostankaya (4 hours)
Touristic Eastern Express arrives in Kars in approximately 31 hours due to the breaks it takes.. The good thing is that you spend some of this time outside, not on the train..
Let’s leave the official site where you can find the necessary information about the Eastern Express, by the way.. Click here
Oriental Express Prices and Touristic Eastern Express Prices 2020
First, let’s start with classical Eastern Express ticket prices. One-way prices are as follows;
Pulman seat per person: 57.5 TL
Per person with covered bunks: 77.5 TL. In other words, those who want to close their 4-person covered bedded room have to pay a total of 310 TL..
Touristic Eastern Express prices are as follows:
If you want to stay in a double room with bed, 480 TL. If you are staying for two people, 300 TL per person, 600 TL in total for two people..
Let’s come to another curious subject; Security on the Eastern Express;
Security on the Eastern Express and Internet on the Train
The rooms on the Eastern Express can be locked from inside, so we can say that you are quite safe at night while you sleep. But you don’t have a chance to lock the door from outside. In other words, the door of the room will be able to be opened when you go to the dining car or go to another place in the train.. That’s why we recommend that you always carry your valuables with you..
The internet, on the other hand, surprisingly did very well along the way.. We thought it would only be at the main stops of the cities, but we almost always had internet, although it slowed down at times along the way.. Although it’s best not to pick up the phone at all during the trip, but whatever..
What should we take with us for Food and Orient Express on the Eastern Express?
We’ve come to the most crucial part, are we ready!
There is a dining car on the Eastern Express and it provides 24/7 service. Prices are also quite reasonable.. Before we went, we had read that the food was very bad, but we found it very tasty (Maybe because we came from Germany, everything tasted very good because of homesickness). For example, a portion of stuffed olive oil was 10 TL and it was very tasty.. In the mornings, a breakfast plate is available for 20 TL..
The only thing we didn’t like was their coffee.. There is only granulated coffee and our stomach was a bit bad since we haven’t consumed granulated coffee for a long time.. Apart from that, we are the dining car heart.
Well..what did we take with us? Or rather, what did we not get?. Because we took so few things with us that we received comments such as ‘how unprepared you went’, ‘why is that room empty’, ‘where is the tube?’. Let’s continue by saying that simplicity is good;
There is one Migros jet at the station where the Eastern Express departs in Ankara, we got all our needs from there and it was more than enough. No need to carry remotely. The things we took with us were;
- 6 liter of water, wine, bread, hungry breakfast, toilet paper, garbage bag, candle, wet wipes, dry shampoo, soap, snack wafers, crackers , chips. And the tiny detergent that Umut bought at the last minute.. Alcohol is not sold in the dining car, but you can take it with you and drink it in your room.. Nobody interferes.
- What we brought from home was our favorite blanket, triple socket, two thick socks, two mugs, and two books.. Believe me, that’s enough..
- The only thing we forgot was to take our dinner with us. The train from Ankara leaves at 5 pm and you get hungry after two hours.. We thought later that we could at least take two burrito with us.. When we forgot our dinner, we took the way to the dining car. Luckily, the stuffed stuff we ate there was pretty good, but we saved it..
Where to order cag kebab on the Eastern Express and where to eat cag kebab?
You may have heard that there is such a famous activity.. You can order cağ kebab as the train approaches Erzurum and when the train stops at the station, they bring it to your room.. In fact, this cag kebab order has become so famous that an “officer” gets on the train about 2 hours before arriving in Erzurum and takes orders from everyone one by one.. Then, when the train stops at the station, you get off and take your order from the buffet at the station.
And by ordering this way, we ate the worst kebab of our lives! The wrap menu we told consisted of (25 TL per person), one tiny cold cağ wrap, one tainted buttermilk and a tainted tiny salad.. I guess they’re giving whatever they have, just because we’re not tourists anyway.. When you arrive in Kars, you can eat the best Cağ kebab.. That’s why you don’t need to order the attendant on the train..
Or alternatively, you can find a good wrap shop in Erzurum that does this job well, you can call there to order.. We haven’t tried it for this, but one of the suggestions we get is to order by phone from Gel Gör in Erzurum.. You can reach their phones and order online..
You may be wondering if I can smoke on the Orient Express, let’s explain it; Generally, smokers go down to the door and smoke during the 2-3 minute breaks of the train.. Smoking is not allowed inside the train.. Despite the ban, there are those who drink. If you ask what’s going on with the drinkers, the attendant comes and puts it out.. We don’t think it’s anything more, but of course it’s better if nobody drinks inside the train..
How are the Eastern Express toilets?
The meticulous can skip this part……:D
Think of it this way; There are a total of 2 toilets, one in the front and one in the back, in each compartment of the train, and an average of 25 people use these two toilets for 24 hours.. As far as we understand, the toilets are not cleaned during those 24 hours.. Although everything is normal for the first 5-6 hours, the toilets get very dirty afterward.. Toilet paper is running out. That’s why we recommend that you take your own wet wipes and toilet paper with you.
When we wanted to brush our teeth, we could not rely on the water flowing from the tap and brushed with the drinking water we bought from outside.. It is good to be careful in these matters..
How is the environment inside the Eastern Express?
We’re going to tell you something that surprised us; On the train we took, more than half of the people actually went to their hometown.. Aunts and grandchildren from Kars, Erzurum, got on the train and fell asleep within 1-2 hours.. In the morning, the people who came to their house one by one, got off.. And we were really surprised because we thought that there would be only young people on the train with pine trees and decorations, or those who came for touristic purposes just like us..
As such, there was hardly any noise in the hallway.. People usually hung out in their rooms and socialized in the dining car from time to time.. We can say that the whole car was asleep around 11 pm.. We also fell asleep at half past 11 after having dinner – chatting – reading a little book.. More precisely, let’s say we tried to sleep because it is not for us to have a sound sleep on the train, while some people find peace from their clicking sounds, we wake up on the contrary..
Photo Tips on the Orient Express
Everyone gets on the Orient Express to have a good time and see beautiful views. we were one of them. We took out our books, we read. We chatted and of course took lots of photos.. So, what should you pay attention to when taking pictures?
You take the train from Ankara after 5 pm and it starts to get dark slowly and the sights you want to see start around 6 am and continue until you get off (we think. the best ones between 6-10 am). It usually happens after passing Sivas.. You come out of one tunnel and enter the other.
We have to give this information.. Because “some doors” open while the train is going (we don’t know anymore if it is opening by itself or someone!). Pay attention to this, please close open doors! be a good boy and don’t hang from the train. Please be careful.
For those returning from Kars; this is the opposite because after you get on the train, beautiful views begin. The train leaves at 8 o’clock and you see all the beautiful sights until the evening..
Can I travel with my girlfriend on the Orient Express?
This was one of the most frequently asked questions we received about the Orient Express.. You can also travel with your lover. You don’t have to be married to stay together in a covered bunk or sleeping car..
Before we finish our guide, let’s make the following reminders one by one;
Reminders about the Eastern Express;
- For those who take the Classical Orient Express from Ankara, there are incredible views around 8 in the morning.. We strongly recommend that you set a clock and wake up.
- If you are meticulous about linens, you can bring your own linens.. We didn’t buy it, but there were areas.
- They will take the train from Ankara. If you are planning to go to Ankara by high-speed train, do not leave the high-speed train tickets to the last minute.. We left And there was no place left so we had to go to Ankara by bus.
- There is no age limit for children. You can come with your children of all ages.
This information will update itself over time Then everyone, nice train journeys. On the road bi’ Blog wishes you a journey with lots of photos, lots of conversation and lots of beauty.. We love you
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How to Find Eastern Express Ticket? Our article is also fresh with Additional Tactics
