London to Istanbul: Epic Rail Journey

Spend a free morning in majestic Hungarian capital Budapest. Perhaps take a stroll along the River Danube, take a guided tour of the famous Parliament Building or enjoy a morning dip in one of the city’s beautiful Art Nouveau spa complexes. Around midday, it’s time to return to the station and catch your sleeper train to Istanbul.

TMR RECOMMENDS: If you have the time, it’s well worth spending an extra night or two in Budapest so that you have time to explore this beautiful city.

Spend the morning onboard the sleeper train in your private cabin, continuing south through rural Romania to capital city Bucharest. On arrival, check in at the K + K Elisabeta (or similar) for an overnight stay.

Enjoy an afternoon at leisure exploring this dynamic city where 19th century, communist-era and ultra-modern buildings all jostle for space along side one another. The most famous building in the city has to be the gigantic Parliament Building, the world’s second largest administrative building after the Pentagon.

After breakfast this morning, head back to the station and take a train across the Bulgarian border to Ruse. Here, change onto a service bound for capital city Sofia. These trains are fairly basic, with limited facilities. We would strongly recommend taking your own food onboard and some toiletries as well.

You’ll arrive in the evening and check in for an overnight stay at Les Fleurs Boutique Hotel (or similar).

You have a free day to explore Sofia before your onward rail journey this evening. The Bulgarian capital has a history dating back a thousand years and offers many museums and historic landmarks including the onion-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. You might also like to browse the shops or enjoy a coffee along the bustling Vitosha Boulevard. We would also recommend having an early dinner in Sofia prior to boarding your sleeper train, bound for Istanbul, as there are limited catering facilities onboard.

Early this morning, you with pull into Istanbul Halkali station where you can take the modern metro or take a taxi into the centre of town. Your accommodation for the next 3 nights as the Yasmak Sultan Hotel (or similar).

Founded as Byzantium around 660 BC, Istanbul has been one of the most significant cities in the history of Western civilisation. Little wonder then that there is a huge wealth of historic monuments to see. For the perfect introduction to Istanbul’s history, the best place to head for is the magnificent Hagia Sofia, built as a Greek Orthodox basilica, briefly a Roman Catholic Cathedral, for five-hundred years a mosque, and then from 1935, a secular museum. You can also grab a bargain in the colourful Grand Bazaar, but be prepared to haggle over a glass of apple tea!

Enjoy some further free time in Istanbul before making your way to the airport for a flight back to the UK (not included).

TMR RECOMMENDS: Why not extend your holiday and travel further into Turkey? For example, we can look at rail travel to Cappadocia with its visually arresting fairy chimneys (pictured). Please call for details.