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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/

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.

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 ;)

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

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”:

 

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

Be advised that this has quite categorically not worked for me today!

I arrived in Konya and went through two very impatient booking agents. Neither had any idea about this scheme, and didn't take the time to properly read through (or to distinguish between) my explanation of what I wanted and a translation of the post above. When the one who begrudgingly did not shut the service window on me realised that my ticket was for 1st class, she called a supervisor over the phone who confirmed her incorrect belief that 1st class Interrail passes did not exist, and thrust my tickets back in my face shouting "no business, no business!" repeatedly until I went away. I called TCDD's English-language helpline to try and get someone to talk to the ticket desk staff, but gave up after 35 minutes on hold.

Maybe this method works if you start the Turkish part of your trip in Istanbul where there are more likely to be better customer service agents with strong English skills, but I wouldn't recommend it elsewhere...

Be advised that this has quite categorically not worked for me today!

I arrived in Konya and went through two very impatient booking agents. Neither had any idea about this scheme, and didn't take the time to properly read through (or to distinguish between) my explanation of what I wanted and a translation of the post above. When the one who begrudgingly did not shut the service window on me realised that my ticket was for 1st class, she called a supervisor over the phone who confirmed her incorrect belief that 1st class Interrail passes did not exist, and thrust my tickets back in my face shouting "no business, no business!" repeatedly until I went away. I called TCDD's English-language helpline to try and get someone to talk to the ticket desk staff, but gave up after 35 minutes on hold.

If this meant you ended up paying double, then you can request a reimbursement from Interrail:

https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001/requests/new

AFAIK, the pass reservations for a seat are free of charge.

Include as many details as you can remember: date, time, location, which ticket window, etc. Also mention that they still don't know that 1st class Interrail exists, even a few decades after it was introduced.

Thanks so much for the response @rvdborgt ; but it hasn't yet meant I have paid double as I am on a Flexi pass.

Like most people though, my timetable is fairly fixed, and if I save the travel day (knowing that I am unable to obtain a free seat reservation) I am unlikely to be able to find an alternative use for it further down the line, so I wonder whether you would advise that I do activate the travel day for the purpose of making this claim, or not?

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