I visited Turkey three times, 1974, 1984 and 1992 by motorcycle. In 1984 I was with a friend and we visited the Nemrut Dağ volcano near Tatvan. From Tatvan there goes a ferry on lake Van to Van. In the Port of Tatvan a steam engine was waiting for the ferry to push and pull the railway cars on and off the ferry. (Four tracks) We wanted to make pictures but the engineer came running to us and asking to wait a moment because he will make the engine smoke. He did, the engine smoked terribly, we made photographs and we sent some to Turkey, 39 years ago.
i admire your patience, 5 days is a long time! thank you for a wonderful report. I like your commentary, not too much talk and let the video speak for itself.
Cool video. Brought back memories of an Interrail trip in 1986 from Basel via Zürich and Schwarzach St.Veit. In Schwarzach we caught the Istanbul Express coming from Munich on a Monday night and rode in Bulgarian Couchette cars to Istanbul all the way into the Sirkeci Station arriving there on Wednesday at noon, just about 2 hours late.
That was an impressive opening, with great graphics to make the journey clear to all. I'm from Australia, and I always think of the route east to west, and have started in Iran, Jordan and Iraq (Murder on the Orient Express had its prolog chapter on Taurus Express from Baghdad). Alas, when Simplon Orient was still running through, I watched it leaving Istanbul, but was catching a later train. I did travel on Direct Orient from Stuttgart to Paris, and on Simplon Orient after the cutback to Wien, but have traversed the route piecemeal (including via Vallorbe) over a few holidays. Hopefully, this great video will inspire others to match your achievement.
Thank you very much for your comment. I hope so too, maybe you can do the journey again one day. The Belmont Simplon Orient Express again runs from Paris to Istanbul, even to Sirkeci again since this years. But it's incredibly expensive.
Bonjour. Je suis passionnée des trains depuis mon enfance. Voyager à bord d'un train longue distance me plairait. Voyager avec de magnifiques paysages. Encore merci pour ce merveilleux voyage. Bonne continuation. Si vous avez d'autres vidéos de voyage longues distance je regarderai avec plaisir.
Merci pour votre commentaire, on partage la même passion alors. Malheureusement j'en ai pas plus pour le moment, mais je prévois retourner à Istanbul cet été en passant par Bucarest, et quelques autres projets. Bonne journée
There isn't any place called constantinople in the World. Do you still feel the pain of 600 years old story deep down? My advice to you is to focus on your own business and respect others You're probably a 60 year old radical christian french geezer.
There isn't any place called constantinople in the World. Do you still feel the pain of 600 years old story deep down? My advice to you is to focus on your own business and respect others You're probably a 60 year old radical christian french geezer.
There isn't any place called constantinople in the World. Do you still feel the pain of 600 years old story deep down? My advice to you is to focus on your own business and respect others You're probably a 60 year old radical christian french geezer.
There isn't any place called constantinople in the World. Do you still feel the pain of 600 years old story deep down? My advice to you is to focus on your own business and respect others You're probably a 60 year old radical christian french geezer.
Great video, it is kind of cute to see how a Swiss person is surprised by how the railways work in the Balkans. 😂 Anyway, what is the source of the map in the beginning? The country borders are weird in there... No German-Austrian border, Romania and Italy in its pre-WW2 sizes however Czechoslovakia and German-Polish border are post-1945... 😊
Thanks for your comment! Yeah, I'm not so much satisfied with it myself. After some research of reasonable interwar national boundaries, I went with the Historical National Boundaries. Retrieved from the Data Repository for the University of Minnesota, doi.org/10.13020/146x-1412. At least someone noticed ^^
The diesel locomotive towing the train from Nis (Serbia) to Bulgarian border is ZS 666 series. It's one of the most powerful GE diesel locomotives in their arsenal and it was originally used to pull the official "Blue train" of former SFRJ president Tito. The low speeds are actually due to appalling state of tracks on that section.
You can take many other trains and routes with interrail / eurrail pass, saves you a lot.. bought mine for 285 € for 10 travel days in 2 months.. was a blackfriday offer.. dec 2023.. from the north of Holland to Turkey and back.. the obb nightjet was 36 euro extra.. the Sofia -- Halkali 6 euro for sleeper..
@@felixonrails Cevabın için çok teşekkür ederim.Uzun yıllar Zürih’te yaşadım ve aynı zamanda İsviçre vatandaşıyım.Zürih’e sık sık gelirim.Trenle ve uçakla seyahat etmeyi severim.Umarım Zürih’te karşılaşır kahve içeriz.İstanbul’da yaşıyorum.Yolunuz buraya düşerse misafirim olun.İstanbul’dan selamlar
I did Euro Night 262/3 quite a few times in 1990's it was called the Orient Express but only ran from Vienna Westbahnhof(no Hauptbahnhof then although the site was the Sudbahnhof) to Paris Gare de la Est but when they put in the TGV line from Strasbourg to Paris it terminated at Strasbourg which wasn't popular as most passengers were going to Paris.Euro Night 262/3: Orient Express was just a normal train with bed and sitting up coaches.I think that the original Orient Express went from London to Istanbul?
ÖBB has no RegioJet , thats only by Czech Railway , may refresh up yr researches. In the ÖBB RailJET u can pay indeed with CreditCard but may not in yr Train or in Italy coz of the phone connection.
Yes, thanks for the hint - I realized that unfortunately just shortly after publishing the video. For payment, it can't be the phone connection as we had perfect 4g connection.
That was a truly amazing video! I had no idea that trains could be so costly. I reside in Niš, Serbia, and a plane ticket from Niš to Basel typically costs around 120-140 euros for a 2 hour journey. Best regards.
sirkeci will be reconnected again in 2023?! that's wonderful news if that's a fact! I would so much rather have the old route around the Topkapi palace and the Strait of Marmaray rather than having this subway station, which is indeed very anticlimactic! also, haven't the connections between Budapest, Belgrade and Sofia been disconnected now due to maintenance/modernization work?
Yes, not only Sirkeci, but apparently also Haydarpaşa! It's great news and works are in full progress. The line to Sofia and Bukarest are restored. There were no trains for a few years to Belgrade and Budapest anymore afaik.
Wonderful video man, but your girlfriend was way more busy and worried about her freaking phone then making a video with u hahaha❤… keep filming man u good at this! PS. Did u see that couple on the harley davidson driving all alone same path as u? Thats my dream traveling:))
Nah, that's alright. We like to make videos, but we aren't videogenic (is that a thing?) so filming each other is also pretty awkward and looking at the phone is a bit distracting when filming 😉
Your question puzzled me, and I did some research. The P sleepers from CWL were built in the 1950s and indeed with a licence built Budd Company process. The rolling stock construction company Carel et Fouché, who built these sleepers (and a lot of other French rolling stock) produced in licence for Budd Company in France since 1935. I never knew, thanks for the interesting question.
I animated the map in Apple Motion and locked the camera on the line; if you use apple motion, I can share a few tutorials with you. The background map was generated in QGIS with the material in the description IIRC
@@henrikwessels3843 I created the map as background in QGIS, depending on the location. Then I animated the maps in Apple Motion by using the custom maps as background and by adding the lines as animations.
@@felixonrails The through service from Bucharest to Istanbul only operates in summer, no? The rest of the year it seems you have to use a series of trains to get to Bucharest.
In Bulgaria, most of the route has been modernized and the Bulgarian trains run on it at 160 km/h. I don't know why your train was moving in Bulgaria at only 80 km/h.
that must have been on 27th of june at 3:40 pm last year. I was not able to record it unfortunately - or more corrrectly, I recorded it with one camera - but by accident I deleted the footage
Một chuyến du hành bằng xe lửa từ lausanne - Swiss đi Istanbul-Turkey ( thuyết minh tiếng Anh/ phụ đề tiếng Đức) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Riq-v7cfgAg.htmlsi=vwThxTUaSMoBuh0F
Of course a long way to go. America and the west ruined that magnificent country and now eu boss said that the west is blooming garden and the rest are -jungle .
As a Malaysian, Serbia is the only country that we need to apply visa to enter. In this case, do I need to apply for a tourist visa, or transit visa or not all all? As I can't see its stopping in Serbia. Anyway, good experience though as alternative to tran-siberian train journey
Very good question. I’d assume that Serbia also provides Transit Visa, since you don’t exit the train at any point and you won’t spend much more than 24h in it. But probably Optima Express will know about it better
The Optima Express is a private carrier that sadly doesn't accept interrail. Enjoy, it's going a great trip, though it's unclear today if the through coach from Budapest is going to get in service again. Maybe you will have to travel to Bulgaria first.
the Problem with current simplton oriental express is overpricing. I love the art'deco of reviving historical rail car. But a bizzare sum of full journey of £16800, just kill me off. I thought EUR 4300 would be fine. 😂
Ja, man kann die Fahrtkarten auch Online einige Tage im voraus buchen. Es gibt genau einen Zug am Tag, Abfahrt um 8:20 in Edirne, Ankunft 12:29 in İstanbul (halkalı). Wenn du online buchst, dann musst du aufpassen, dass du Istanbul mit kleinem i suchst und nicht I, weil das sind im türkischen Alphabet zwei unterschiedliche Buchstaben. ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/view/eybis/tnmGenel/tcddWebContent.jsf
Eigentlich sollte es mögich sein. Das gilt als Regionalzug und es gibt eigentlich immer einen Schalter oder einen Kiosk für Fahrkarten. Aber der Zug ist immer rappelvoll ab Çerkezköy, daher würde ich lieber einen Sitzplatz vorher buchen.
Thanks! I considered it, but then decided that I'm glad enough that there is a service as Optima Express and I consider their efforts and hardships to be worth overlooking such a goof as a delay
Thanks for pointing it out 😄 Btw. Türkyie isn't a new name at all- it's the Turkish name of the country that it requested to be used in other languages as well ;)
Wir sind dann 2-3 Wochen in der Türkei geblieben und anschliessend zurückgeflogen. Dieses Jahr werde ich versuchen, via Bukarest zu fahren, aber der Kurswagen Bukarest Halkalı scheint ja auf der Kippe zu stehen.
Yeah, but the problem is: Orient Express was luxurious and direct, your trains weren't. Today's equivalent of Orient Express is simply 1st or business class on plane. Trains are great for distances up to 500 km (1000 km with high-speed ones like TGV), anything above that - airplane!
Would prefer to fly LCC for 100 euro one way and it would take 2-3 hrs only. Such long train trip is only for those who have plenty of time and go home. No A/C and can't take proper shower for 3 days. No thank you. BTW, your lady is pretty!~
Optima express one of the worst trains in Europe .. And also you can only book Edirne-Villach and I was said if I get off in Bulgaria ..They will be looking for me with police ..As it's illegal to disembark anywhere but Edirne
31:58 "İstanbu Sirkeci, or wahats left of it." Please explain the logic of this sentence to me. Neither Sirkeci Station nor any of its parts were ever demolished. Plus even you were there when this video was recorded, the restoration and recovery of the station was projected by UAB(ministry of transportation and infrastructure). The first rail welding of the now named t6 line was done just one month after this video war shared.
Have you seen the topology of the new station of Sirkeci that is currently being competed? It's a shadow compared to the station that Sirkeci used to be. The access is a single line, there are fewer tracks - and the tracks to the ferry don't even have a proper turnout track! Anyone who has a basic understanding of railway operations sees that what the ministry is rebuilding is a toy rather than a proper station. Ask anyone from TCDD.
@@felixonrails 1- Yeah T6 project is a joke. There is no need to point elephant in the room again and again. 2- BUT: Marmaray project's main focus was building and linking "the new" underground station to the main line which was accomplished 10 years ago. The rest of stations that were closed down have less passanger traffic. New T6 line will easily overcome the demand on this renovated stations. 3- Neither Sirkeci nor Haydarpaşa train stations have enough space to handle the train traffic that will be brought by the ongoing intercity or high-speed train projects, and these stations do not have any capacity expansion opportunities. Assuming that these stations are outside the existing Marmaray train line, nothing better can be done topologically, as you say. 4- The best thing that could be done in these circumstances was to add high-speed train access to key stations on the existing line, which had already done. 5- Sirkeci - Haydarpaşa WILL provide YHT access in near future. I think you do not have this info. 6- I am 28 years old and as someone who has been to Sirkeci Station nearly fifty times, I cannot see any difference other than the rail layout of the train station and the current construction site situation. I wonder how many people will notice this difference when T6 opens and the renovation of the station is completed. If you came to Sirkeci Train Station in its new state for the first time, how much would you notice it? I think not at all. 7- When you see the finished version of the station and realize that there will be no difference, will you admit that you made a mistake? I do not think so. :( 8- If you say "what's left of it", anyone who has "basic" knowledge about buildings will understand that the building was demolished which is false and shallow comment to say the least. 9- "Ask anyone from TCDD." I think you should to it rather than me. Do your research before criticising and making pretentious comments about where you went.
Sizi incittiysem üzgünüm. Bina hakkında değil tüm tren istasyonunun kullanımına dair bir yorum yaptım. Bina çok güzel ve tabii ki yıkılmamıştı. İyi günler dilerim
Hey Felix, the last place you came from is not Constantinople, that place ISTANBUL. Constantinople died in 1453. Accept it or not. That place is ISTANBUL. Introduce the places you go to, or don't come.😡😡😡
Yabancı dillerde Konstantinopolis, erken Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'ne ve Türk dilinin Latinleşmesine kadar yaygın kaldı. Konstantinopolis kelimesini Orient Express reklamlarında kullanıldığı şekliyle tarihsel bağlamında kullandım. Bu ismi icat eden ben değilim, tarihi kaynaklar özellikle eski dönemler için bu ismi kullanıyor. Benim videom da bu dönemlerde kullanılan bir tren hattı yolculuğu hakkında. Biraz araştırma yaparsanız, 1920'lerden önceki Latin alfabeli belgelerin çoğunun Konstantinopolis'i kullandığını göreceksiniz. Türk milliyetçiliğinin gelişine kadar çoğu azınlık Konstantinopolis'i kullandı. Bir milliyetçiye Türk tarihini anlatmak zorunda kalmam üzücü ama çoğu zaman olan bu.
@@felixonrails 1920 lerdeki latin harfli belgeleri Türkler değil siz yazdığınızda İstanbula kostantinopolis diyordunuz.Neden sana yazdığım cevapları siliyorsun? göremiyorum?
Allah allah hiçbir şeyi silmedim. Videonun o kısmına tekrar bakın. Posterde Konstantinopolis yazdığında Konstantinopolis diyorum. Hatta sizin gibi kırılgan milliyetçiler incinmesin diye haritaya İstanbul yazdım. Bu anlamsız tartışmalardan sıkıldım daha çok uzatmak istemiyorum, size iyi akşamlar diliyorum.
@@felixonrails Güzel.İstanbul yazmanıza sevindim.Size de iyi akşamlar.Eğer bir gezginseniz,yer isimlerinde hata yapıyorsanız,eleştirilerden sıkılmamalısınız.
Honestly I much rather take the Ryanair over to Turkey. Taking into account that this journey costs about $418 Euro you actually might have saved money taking a flight over thank you very much and have a great day 🤗🤗
Unfortunately, you missed the most beautiful Part of the Journey on the first Night, in the Optima Express. From Ljubljana to Zidani Most, through the beautiful Sava Gorge. Not your Fault. But if you miss the second Highlight that you could marvel at during the Day just because you prefer to Walk around the Train a bit at that Time, it's better not to make any Videos. Because this is so unforgivable as well as very stupid. After Nish, the breathtaking, impressive Sicevac Gorge followed immediately.
Thankfully I could take the EC Mimara this summer and enjoy the wonderful gorges between Jesenice and Ljubljana with open windows. If you watched the video, you noticed that we crossed the Sicevac gorge during the night, but thanks for the snarky comment
@@felixonrails The Sicevo Gorge is not that long, but it is absolutely spectacular. It's almost unbelievable to imagine that the original Orient Express once passed through there. Thank you for the very nice Video.
