Sirkeci railway station

The Orient Express station, in Istanbul

The Sirkeci station is the former terminus of the Orient Express, the mythical luxury train that linked Paris to Constantinople. The Istanbul audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this fine building of 1890, work of a Prussian architect invited by the sultan, and the epic of this train nicknamed "the king of trains", symbol of the prestigious journey and ground of expression of Art Deco.

History

See this pretty station: it is not a station like the others, it is the former terminus of the Orient Express. It was built in 1890 by a Prussian architect, invited by the sultan to work for the Ottoman Empire. This mythical train, created by the International Sleeping-Car Company, linked in 1883 Paris to Vienna, then Venice, before reaching Constantinople. The idea of a luxury train is owed to a young Belgian engineer who, during a trip to the United States, experienced the sleeping cars of the Pullman trains: he found them performant but uncomfortable, and saw there a niche in luxury travel. And it worked: it was nicknamed the train of kings and the king of trains. Its cabins offered all the comfort of the time, central heating, hot water, gas lighting, and a sumptuous decoration, silk sheets, marble sanitary facilities, crystal cups and silver cutlery. In the 1920s, its decoration was entrusted to renowned Art Deco artists, who adorned it with marquetry of precious wood and glass panels, making it a true ground of expression for this style.

What to see

Here you admire the former terminus of the Orient Express, a fine station of 1890 signed by a Prussian architect invited by the sultan; it evokes the epic of this luxury train linking Paris to Constantinople, nicknamed the king of trains, with its sumptuous cabins and its Art Deco decoration. The Orient Express station brings back to life the prestigious journey in Istanbul. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Sirkeci station, former terminus of the Orient Express, lies in the Eminönü district, near the Sirkeci tramway, in Istanbul, reachable on foot. You admire its façade and its hall; a small museum sometimes evokes there the history of the train, according to hours that vary. It is best to enquire before coming.

Why is the Sirkeci station of Istanbul famous?

Because it was the former terminus of the Orient Express, the mythical luxury train that linked Paris to Constantinople; built in 1890 by a Prussian architect invited by the sultan, it evokes the epic of this "king of trains" with its sumptuous cabins, whose decoration was entrusted in the 1920s to great Art Deco artists.

Where is the Orient Express station in Istanbul?

In the Eminönü district, at the Sirkeci station, in Istanbul, in Turkey.