Riding the Orient Express to Devfest Istanbul

We have been trying to reduce our carbon footprint by taking the train in preference to flying whenever possible and last year we showed it was really viable (even preferable) for travelling to Switzerland.

So when we decided that we would be going to attend the Devfest conference in Istanbul, the obvious questions became ‘Is the train viable?’ and ‘Do we want to?’.

Can you get to Istanbul from London by train?

London and Istanbul are 1,900 miles apart. While there is no longer an ‘Orient Express’ train service, it is perfectly possible to schedule a selection of overlapping trains to get there following the route.

An excellent resource is the The Man in Seat Sixty-One website which is a treasure trove of advice on train travel (even recommending where to stay).

There are multiple routes to get there. On the way we are going:-

• London -> Brussels
• Brussels -> Prague (overnight on the European sleeper)
• Prague -> Budapest
• Budapest -> Bucharest
• Bucharest -> Istanbul

and coming home we are following a slightly different route:-

• Istanbul -> Bucharest
• Bucharest -> Vienna
• Vienna -> Brussels
• Brussels -> London

You can also put together a route through Belgrade and lots of other minor variations.

You need to leave time between trains to allow for delays (or wait for the next train). But this provides the opportunity to explore the cities of Prague, Budapest, Bucharest and Vienna.

In a nice twist, our final stop in Istanbul will be the Sirkeci train station, which was also the terminal for the Iconic Orient express trains.

Why take the train when you can fly for less in a few hours?

It is definitely true that the plane is cheaper, quicker and more direct. If you are viewing it in that way, you should take the flight. The reasons why you would take the train are:-

1. Much lower carbon footprint
2. The chance to see Europe as opposed to just Zoom over it
3. The opportunity to visit several major cities (you can arrange your schedule to spend time in each).
4. The sense of adventure

This is also the journey that has been immortalised by numerous writers – most famously Agatha Christie in her ‘Murder of the Orient Express’ and Graham Greene in ‘Stamboul train’. Who wouldn’t want to follow in their footsteps!!!

But we will take care to avoid any dubious American gangsters, spies or Belgian detectives…

Find out more about us