Orient Express

Orient Express is an international train line recognized as Europe’s first luxury train, offering regular services between Paris and Istanbul since 1883. Over its history, it operated on various routes, carrying distinguished passengers including royalty, diplomats, writers, and spies, and has inspired numerous literary works and films.

^{Orient Express (}Anadolu Ajansı⁾

The foundations of the Orient Express were laid when Belgian engineer Georges Nagelmackers decided to introduce the sleeping car concepts he had observed in America to Europe. In 1876, he founded the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (International Sleeping Car Company), which became one of the continent’s most important railway operators.

The train made its inaugural journey on 4 October 1883. Departing from Paris, it traveled by rail to Varna Port, where passengers transferred to a ship for the final leg to Istanbul. Among the first passengers were diplomats from various countries, a correspondent from The Times, and the writer and traveler Edmond About. About documented his journey in his 1884 book De Ponteise à Stamboul.

^{Orient Express: A Historical Adventure (Anadolu Ajansı)}

With the inaugural journey, the travel time of up to two and a half months was reduced to 80 hours. This dramatic improvement quickly made the train a preferred mode of transport among Europe’s elite.

^{The First Journey from Paris to Istanbul (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

The Orient Express stood out for its opulence, evoking the grandeur of royal palaces. Sources describe its curtains as silk, its glasses as crystal, and its tableware as silver. Passengers changed outfits several times a day and wore formal attire for evening meals.

Among the famous travelers on the train were French President Paul Deschanel, spy Mata Hari, Bulgarian King Ferdinand, and writer Agatha Christie. Christie wrote her novel Murder on the Orient Express while staying at the Pera Palace Hotel. Other literary works associated with the train include Graham Greene’s Stamboul Train and John Dos Passos’s Orient Express.

The train originated in Paris and traveled via Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest to Istanbul. Between 1883 and 1889, a connection across the Black Sea was also used. This route operated during the periods 1883–1914, 1919–1939, and 1945–1962.

Launched in 1919, this route began in Paris and passed through Lausanne, Milan, Venice, Belgrade, and Sofia before reaching Istanbul. It operated from 1919 to 1939 and again from 1945 to 1962, later continuing under the name Direct Orient Express until 1977.

Operating between 1930 and 1939 and again from 1945 to 1962, this route began in London, passed through Calais, Paris, Zurich, Innsbruck, Vienna, and Budapest, and terminated in either Bucharest or Athens.

Between 1883 and the present day, cities such as Milan, Venice, Varna, and Sinaia were at various times incorporated into the train’s itinerary.

^{The Orient Express Luxury Dining Car (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

During World War I, services on the Orient Express were suspended. When operations resumed in 1919, Germany and Austria were excluded from the route, and journey times were reduced to 58 hours.

Carriage No. 2419 of the Orient Express hosted the signing of the armistice between Germany and the Allies in the Forest of Compiègne on 11 November 1918.

World War II also disrupted services. The final regular journey between Paris and Istanbul took place on 27 May 1977. Regular services were fully discontinued in 2009 with the cessation of the Strasbourg–Vienna route.

^{Train Arriving at Sirkeci Station (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

In 1982, the Belmond company launched a nostalgic version of the train under the name Venice Simplon Orient Express, using a portion of the original Orient Express carriages. Today, this service reaches Istanbul several times a year, preserving the original concept.

The train offers a bar car named “3674”, special menus, champagne tastings, boutique shopping opportunities, and comfortable cabins. The Istanbul–Paris journey lasts five nights, with overnight stops and city tours arranged in Bucharest, Sinaia, and Budapest.

^{Espionage and Literary Journey (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)}

Venice Simplon Orient Express visited Türkiye twice in 2025. The first journey took place between 4 and 6 June. The second journey entered Türkiye through Kapıkule and arrived in Istanbul on 1 October. The train reached Türkiye via Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.

The journey carried 71 passengers and 40 staff across 16 carriages. Stops were made in Budapest, the Peleș Castle in Sinaia, Bucharest, and Varna. Some passengers who arrived in Istanbul returned by air, while a new group joined the Istanbul–Paris service.