You can get to Istanbul without flying! Turkey may be partly on another continent, but you can get there relatively easily, taking just three trains from Paris. It's a long way, butthe journey is superb and makes for some interesting stops. We also take a look at the other options available, the budget involved and the carbon footprint associated with such a trip.
First stage: getting to Vienna by night train
The first step in travelling to Istanbul without a plane is to get to Vienna, the Austrian capital. A night train connects the two cities, making Vienna one of our selection of destinations where you can spend 10 days without flying. The journey is operated by ÖBB, the Austrian airline, on whose website you can buy your tickets. It takes around 15 hours. It leaves Paris Gare de l'Est in the early evening and arrives at Vienna station mid-morning. On board, you can choose between a single seat, which is the cheapest option, a bed in a couchette for 4 to 6 people or a bed in a compartment for 1 to 3 people. This last option is the most comfortable, especially as the compartment has a private hygiene area with a washbasin, and sometimes a toilet and shower. However, there is a significant difference in cost between these three options. Note also that for shared rooms, it is possible to choose a compartment reserved for women. Both sleeper options include a basic breakfast. When you arrive in Vienna, you can choose between visiting the Austrian capital over a few days, or leaving straight away that evening on the next train.
Second stage: getting to Bucharest by night train
Once you have arrived in Vienna, a second night train will take you directly to Bucharest, the capital of Romania. Once again, tickets can be purchased on the ÖBB website. The train departs from Vienna station at around 7.30pm. The journey takes around 18.30 hours andpasses through Hungary, in particular Budapest. It then crosses the long stretches of Hungarian steppes at sunset. The next day, the train arrives at Bucharest Nord station at around 2.30pm. Once again, passengers can choose between a seat, a couchette and a more comfortable compartment, and the costs involved are very different. You will need to spend at least one night in Bucharest, as the train to Istanbul usually departs in the morning. Here again, you can choose to spend a few days exploring the Romanian capital.
The article to read: organise more trips by reading our list of destinations accessible without taking the plane.
Third stage: getting to Istanbul by night train
Once you've arrived in Bucharest, you can take a third and final night train to Istanbul without flying. This is one of our selection of the most beautiful night trains in Europe. The only problem is that you can only buy your train ticket directly at the station, as online booking is not available. So buy your ticket the day before you arrive at Bucharest station from Vienna. Out of season, you may need to make a stopover in Sofia, Bulgaria. The direct night train from Bucharest to Istanbul takes around 20 hours. You will only have a choice of shared couchette carriages, with 4 to 6 seats per compartment. Water and food are essential for the entire journey. The journey is pleasant, and takes in some beautiful scenery, particularly the Bulgarian countryside. In the early hours of the morning, at around 5 o'clock, you will be woken by customs at the entrance to Turkey. You'll have to go outside to have your passport and luggage checked. You will then arrive at Istanbul Halkalı station in the early hours of the morning. To get to the centre of Istanbul, all you have to do is take the Marmaray, a Istanbul suburban train, which is fairly easy to use and comfortable. When you arrive, you can plan your trip using our article on the best things to do in Turkey.
Other itinerary options
Apart from the classic route to Istanbul without flying via Vienna and Bucharest, there are other alternatives. The most common is to travel via Italy, by train from Paris to Milan, take a direct train down Italy to Bari, in Puglia, and from the port of Bari hop on a ferry to Greece, specifically Igoumenitsa or Patras. You can then cross Greece by train or bus to Istanbul. This option is longer, more complicated because it involves a lot of changes, and more expensive, but it can offer the advantage of a break in Italy or Greece.
Another alternative, if the night train from Paris to Vienna is not available, is to travel via Munich or Stuttgart to Vienna. It is also possible to cross the Balkans by land, passing through Croatia and Serbia before reaching Bulgaria and finally Istanbul, but this route requires more changes and timetables are sometimes irregular.
Istanbul by air in a nutshell
To sum up, the simplest route to Istanbul without flying is as follows:
- Night train from Paris to Vienna, taking around 15 hours.
- Night train from Vienna to Bucharest: approx. 19.30 hrs.
- Night train from Bucharest to Istanbul: approx. 20 hrs.
- For a total journey time of around 54 hours 30 minutes, not including stopovers.
What is the approximate budget for travelling to Istanbul without a plane?
It's difficult to give an accurate estimate of the budget for a trip to Istanbul, as it depends on a number of factors. For example, tickets will be cheaper if you book them early, school holidays and weekends are generally more expensive periods, and the price can vary by as much as double depending on whether you opt for a seat, a couchette or a bed in a more comfortable compartment... All the same, we advise you to opt for at least one couchette on each journey, as the journeys are long and tiring, and spending them sitting on a seat can be a real test of endurance! To reduce your budget, book your tickets as early as possible, favour off-peak periods whenever possible, and look into the loyalty schemes offered by the rail companies. Don't forget to read our article on how to pay less for train tickets.
To get a precise idea of the budget you need to set aside to travel to Istanbul without a plane, and to ensure that it really corresponds to your dates and needs, we advise you to carry out a booking simulation on the websites of the rail companies concerned. Here, however, is an estimate that might give you an initial idea:
- Night train from Paris to Vienna: €45 to €200.
- Night train from Vienna to Bucharest: €60 to €120.
- The night train from Bucharest to Istanbul: €30 to €50.
- For an average total of €135 to €370 for the whole journey.
What is the carbon footprint of such a trip?
One of the good reasons for practising slow travel is that you can reduce your environmental impact. Over the same distance, train travel produces far less CO2 and other pollutants than air travel. To estimate the carbon footprint of travelling to Istanbul from Paris without a plane, we used the ADEME tool, as explained in this article. Here are the results:
- Night train from Paris to Vienna: 12.4 kg ofCO2.
- Night train from Vienna to Bucharest: 10 kg ofCO2.
- Night train from Bucharest to Istanbul: 6.4 kg ofCO2.
- For a total of 28.8 kg ofCO2 for the whole journey.
It's important to bear in mind that trains are not TGVs and therefore consume a little more fuel, but they are still much less polluting than air travel. By way of comparison, and again according to ADEME, the same journey from Paris to Istanbul without a plane would represent 423 kg ofCO2.
