Travel time:
London to Istanbul with Interrail
Plan your own legendary rail adventure
It’s one of the world’s most iconic rail journeys: London to Istanbul (once Constantinople) via Paris. Agatha Christie’s exciting detective novel Murder on the Orient Express, gave the route a legendary status.
Now, the latest film adaptation starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer and Penelope Cruz shows that the route still evokes a sense of grandeur. Athough the service itself doesn’t exist anymore, it’s still possible to travel by rail from London to Istanbul - with an Interrail Global Pass!
Click here or on the map to view this route in our Trip Planner.
Cities visited in this trip:
1. London, Great Britain
2. Paris, France
3. Munich, Germany
4. Zagreb, Croatia
5. Belgrade, Serbia
6. Sofia, Bulgaria
7. Istanbul, Turkey
For this itinerary we recommend:
- Interrail Pass: Global Pass
- Travel days: 7 days within 1 month
Our route to Istanbul
Many train tracks lead to Istanbul. For this itinerary we’re focusing on the route through Sofia, since that is the itinerary depicted in Murder on the Orient Express.
Because it’s likely that London will be the starting point of your Interrail trip, we’ll travel the other way round than Hercule Poirot and his murder suspects, who started their suspenseful journey in Istanbul.
1. London, Great Britain
The first part of your epic rail adventure involves boarding the Eurostar high-speed train from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. The trip can take as little as 2 hours and 23 minutes.
With Interrail you're covered for travel on the Eurostar – you’ll just have to reserve a seat.
From London to Paris
2h23m
Transfer:
0
Reservation needed:
-
London, Great Britain
London St Pancras
-
2h 23m
-
Paris, France
Gare du Nord
2. Paris, France
Spend a while exploring the French capital, giving yourself time to look around the beautiful Parisian train station. It witnessed the very first departure of the legendary train services in 1883.
When you’ve seen enough of Paris (has anyone ever, by the way?), hop on the daily direct TGV service to Munich from Gare de L’est – it takes you there in just 5 and a half hours, arriving in Munich in the evening.
Again, with Interrail you're covered for the TGV high-speed train, just make sure you reserve a seat well beforehand.
From Paris to Munich
Travel time:
5h30m
Transfer:
0
Reservation needed:
-
Paris, France
Gare de l'Est
-
5h 30m
-
Munich, Germany
München Hbf
3. Munich, Germany
Don’t let a visit to Munich – the capital city of the Bavaria region – pass by without taking one of the free walking tours.
Ready to venture further east? Take the daily Euronight Lisinski train from Munich to Zagreb, passing through Austria and Slovenia. You’ll arrive in Zagreb in the morning.
Choose to nap in a seat or have your own bed aboard the night train.
From Munich to Zagreb
Travel time:
9h18m
Transfer:
0
-
Munich, Germany
München Hbf
-
9h 18m
-
Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb Glavni Kolod
4. Zagreb, Croatia
In Zagreb, be sure to visit the historic luxury hotel Esplanade Zagreb Hotel. Built in 1925, it provided accommodation for the well-to-do rail travellers who passed by.
When it’s time to travel deeper into the Balkans, hop on the daily direct train service from Zagreb to Belgrade.
The train journey takes 6 and a half hours, arriving in the Serbian capital at the beginning of the evening.
From Zagreb to Belgrade
Travel time:
6h30m
Transfer:
0
-
Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb Glavni Kolod
-
6h 30m
-
Belgrade, Serbia
Beograd Glavna Železnička Stanica
The daily train from Zagreb to Belgrade is not running at the moment.
5. Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade has been through the wars! It has been fought over 115 times and earned the nickname, the White Fenix, as it has been destroyed and rebuilt more than 44 times during its history. Stay at least one day in Serbia's captivating capital, and let it surprise you with its upbeat cafes and bars.
Remember, just like the passengers back in the 19th century, we are looking for an adventure into the unknown. So let’s keep an open mind and head off the beaten track.
First, take the train from Belgrade to Nis, Serbia’s second biggest city. This takes about 5 hours. From here, change trains and head to the Serbian border town of Dimitrovgrad. There are several bus companies here that take you across the border to the Bulgarian capital in about an hour for only a few euros.
From Begrade to Sofia
Travel time:
9h47m
Transfer:
2
-
Belgrade, Serbia
Beograd Glavna Železnička Stanica
-
4h 27m
-
Niš, Serbia
Železnička Stanica Niš
-
4h 20m
-
Dimitrovgrad, Serbia
Železnička stanica Dimitrovgrad
-
1h 0m
-
Sofia, Bulgaria
Sofia
6. Sofia, Bulgaria
Take some time to relax in laid-back Sofia as you embark on the final part of your journey into the exotic: the Sofia-Istanbul Express. This new train service takes you from Bulgaria to Turkey overnight, arriving in Istanbul in the early morning.
Couchette reservations start from just €10
From Sofia to Istanbul
Travel time:
10h0m
Transfer:
0
Reservation needed:
-
Sofia, Bulgaria
Sofia
-
10h 0m
-
Istanbul, Turkey
Halkali
7. Istanbul, Turkey
As soon as you hear the call for prayer from the numerous mosques around the city, you know that you’ve made it to the Orient. You did it: you relived the classic London to Istanbul rail journey!
Get your Interrail Global Pass
With flexible days of travel, an Interrail Pass makes it easy to break your journey up, linger in the places that intrigue you and continue only when it feels necessary. The best Pass for this trip is the Interrail Global Pass.
Standard prices start from € 251
Valid for travel in 33 European countries
No booking fees
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