Train in Turkey - Completely booked for a week

  • 27 June 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 590 views

Just wanted to let others know that it’s extremely hard to get anywhere by train in Turkey right now.  I had no problems getting the sleeper from Sofia to Istanbul the day of, and the train was half empty.

But you can’t BUY a ticket, much less get a reservation, for over a week on any of the routes I’ve checked across the country unless you’re in a wheelchair.  Many of the routes say they have one seat open, but when you check it’s only for wheelchair users.

Some of the routes like Ankara to Kar are booked up for almost two weeks.  So if you plan to come to Turkey, do your reservations as far our as possible.

 

The website to check tickets is https://ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/


5 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Trains tickets in TR are so cheap-also due to inflation-rate of the Lira, that a pass is not worthwhile.

Also-it would be nice if you have some more info-the last reliable notes (from quite some time ago now) stated that only the 3 hi-speed lines work and the route you mention-which has gained some cult-status due to TV programs, it only runs 1/week as a kind of all-in rail-cruise. Most other of the former (quite sparse already) network were said to be out of use. Not that they were of much use: most had only 1 train/day or even every 2nd day-whereas the bus would run a few times/hour.

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Google-from Tom Brosnahan- an USAperson fond of Turkey-he wrote the first Lonely Planetguidebook-is a site that lists the rail network as it was pre-covid.

Just wanted to let others know that it’s extremely hard to get anywhere by train in Turkey right now.  I had no problems getting the sleeper from Sofia to Istanbul the day of, and the train was half empty.

But you can’t BUY a ticket, much less get a reservation, for over a week on any of the routes I’ve checked across the country unless you’re in a wheelchair.  Many of the routes say they have one seat open, but when you check it’s only for wheelchair users.

Some of the routes like Ankara to Kar are booked up for almost two weeks.  So if you plan to come to Turkey, do your reservations as far our as possible.

 

The website to check tickets is https://ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/

 

Hi Jacob,

How did you manage to travel around Turkey ? 

Were you able to book through their website with the interrail fare or you paid the full ticket price everytime ?

Thanks ;)

Userlevel 1

Hello,

I am writing to share with you my recent experience traveling in Turkey and how I dealt with reservations, which I believe could be useful for new users.

In April 2022, I purchased full-priced tickets on https://bilet.tcdd.gov.tr/, which even offers a youth discount. Once in Turkey, I went to the ticket office and requested to switch the ticket from the standard to the interrail/eurail typology with the number of the pass. The customer service team at cozum@tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr suggested this method, which worked perfectly for me during my trip from Istanbul to Eskisehir, Denizli, Selcuk, Izmir, and Balikesir. The trains were new and safe, and the railway company is investing heavily in new lines.

It is worth noting that there is a full refund until 15 minutes before the train departure. If you miss this window, you can still get an 80% refund. The route from Eskisehir to Denizli takes a long time, but the landscape is breathtaking.

In summary, I highly recommend an interrail trip in Turkey, but some planning and organization are necessary. I hope this information will be useful for you.

Best regards,

Andrea

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

I am writing to share with you my recent experience traveling in Turkey and how I dealt with reservations, which I believe could be useful for new users.

Thank you very much for this. I have added this way of booking to the thread "How to get reservations”:

 

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