Romance of rail through Eastern Europe
Experience Eastern Europe like never before. Join Emma Levine on her fascinating journey through 4 cities, on 3 overnight sleepers in 2 weeks and all for under £100.
By Emma Levine
Budget airlines? You can keep 'em, and their security-shrouded airports. There's something about crossing land borders at 3am, and the comforting clatter of a sleeper carriage that makes international rail travel unbeatable.
Four cities, three overnight sleepers and around 1500km covered, all for under £100 - and I never once had to get my shoes x-rayed.
My mission was simple, to get from Istanbul to Sofia and then visiting friends in Russe, north-eastern Bulgaria. It's only 100km from Russe to Bucharest, a city I last visited 18 years ago, so it seemed only right to sneak a quick weekend there.
Two weeks to cover the lot by train? Easy.
Sirkeci station, quite different to an airport terminal
It was a whiz around my old haunts in Istanbul; a city steeped in weighty Ottoman and Byzantine heritage alongside thoroughly modern Bosphorus rooftop bars and an energetic art scene.
I stocked up on the best pistachios and ate mezes with raki (as a vegetarian I can happily avoid the meaty mains), and browsed new art exhibitions at the Istanbul Modern. Early summer, so locals were planning their family holidays to Turkey's beaches.
The first journey was aboard the Balkan Espres to Sofia, Bulgaria's evolving capital. The train departed from Sirkeci station, which decades before had been the final stop for the fabled Orient Express, all cut glass and cummerbunds.
Eminent European royalty, celebrities and spies mingled and first tasted the oriental Constantinople in its 1920s and 1930s heydays. Its train's final journey was in 1977 but today's travellers can see its front carriage and silver cutlery in the station's tucked-away Railway Museum.
Another look at the ornate Sirkeci station
→ Next Page: Where will Emma be sleeping?
Recommended Offers
 |
FREE Disney gift card worth up to $1000 Book a 14 night Disney holiday with Disney's Ultimate Tickets on selected dates and receive a gift card with a value of up to $1000! |
|
|
Low deposits on Summer 2010 Holidays Book your holiday for next summer and only pay a small deposit - from just £50pp! Then you only have to pay the balance 8 weeks before you travel. |
|
|
Top TV Offers Deals of the week including Cyprus, the Maldives, Rhodes, USA and Northern Europe Cruises. |
|
Beach holiday bargains Deals from your local airport Sky Travel cruise offers Tailor-made holidays City breaks and hotels |
|
Subscribe to Sky Travel's Newsletter
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter, packed with exclusive holiday deals, competitions, quizzes and travel ideas.
