Sleeper Trains Greece to Turkey
One of my most memorable moments was getting on my first sleeper train. I had the entire room to myself and I was able to fully enjoy the experience without some random stranger.
My travel started about 8:30pm in Thessaloníki Greece and was destined for Istanbul Turkey. The cost of the ticket was 50 Euro, but I considered it both transportation and a nights accommodation so really it wasn't "too" expensive.
As you can see the cabin was very small, two beds per cabin. If you are the only passenger you can fold up the top bunk to make the room seem larger. There is a small sink, garbage can, and electrical outlet for charging your mobile or shaving.
The problem with the Greece to Turkey run is that around 2AM you are going to be abruptly woken up by the conductor as he gathers up the passports with the borders guards. You are required to do this twice, first the train is inspected by the Greek officials, this takes about 20 minutes on average. Then the train moves for a few minutes and goes to the Turkish border inspectors, this takes a while to handle as many people have to purchase their visa stamps and it's a slow process.
You must pay for your visa in hard currency. US Dollars or Euros are acceptable. I've heard from some travelers that Turkish border guards sometimes would only accept US Dollars, despite their governments website stating they take Euros also.
After nearly two hours of sitting in the foggy night we were back on the move. You sleep for a couple more hours then the sun comes up and you get the most magnificent view of the mosque minarets as the train chugs down the tracks on it's way to Istanbul.
I arrived about 2 hours late in Istanbul at about 10am, disembarked the train and headed towards the blue mosque area. The cheap hostels and primary tourist area of Istanbul is located in the Sultanahmet area about 7-8 minutes walk from the train station (European side train station). You have two options, either walk and enjoy the view, or jump on the tram for two stops. If you want to find the blue mosque, simply follow the tram lines "UP" the hill as opposed to "DOWN" towards the water. It'll be on your left side.
Cheap hostels are all in behind the 4 Seasons Hotel.
My travel started about 8:30pm in Thessaloníki Greece and was destined for Istanbul Turkey. The cost of the ticket was 50 Euro, but I considered it both transportation and a nights accommodation so really it wasn't "too" expensive.
As you can see the cabin was very small, two beds per cabin. If you are the only passenger you can fold up the top bunk to make the room seem larger. There is a small sink, garbage can, and electrical outlet for charging your mobile or shaving.
The problem with the Greece to Turkey run is that around 2AM you are going to be abruptly woken up by the conductor as he gathers up the passports with the borders guards. You are required to do this twice, first the train is inspected by the Greek officials, this takes about 20 minutes on average. Then the train moves for a few minutes and goes to the Turkish border inspectors, this takes a while to handle as many people have to purchase their visa stamps and it's a slow process.
You must pay for your visa in hard currency. US Dollars or Euros are acceptable. I've heard from some travelers that Turkish border guards sometimes would only accept US Dollars, despite their governments website stating they take Euros also.
After nearly two hours of sitting in the foggy night we were back on the move. You sleep for a couple more hours then the sun comes up and you get the most magnificent view of the mosque minarets as the train chugs down the tracks on it's way to Istanbul.
I arrived about 2 hours late in Istanbul at about 10am, disembarked the train and headed towards the blue mosque area. The cheap hostels and primary tourist area of Istanbul is located in the Sultanahmet area about 7-8 minutes walk from the train station (European side train station). You have two options, either walk and enjoy the view, or jump on the tram for two stops. If you want to find the blue mosque, simply follow the tram lines "UP" the hill as opposed to "DOWN" towards the water. It'll be on your left side.
Cheap hostels are all in behind the 4 Seasons Hotel.
