Can you give me advise on starting to research the purchase
of train tickets, stopovers at hotels along the route, etc.
This 3 day trip is a real mystery --very little info. as to
how to plan for it. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1556 posts
I suggest you look at a map to figure out what places you would like to stop in along the way. The dbahn site that Steve mentioned will let you figure out what trains may work for you including the timings. After you have figured out the route, you can then figure out hotels and how to book the tickets.
Also, is there a reason for doing such a long journey by train v/s flying. It would seem that the cost of the train and hotels will be a lot more than flying - but I'm guessing you are a rail buff and hence want to travel on the train.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19092 posts
There used to be a train (the Orient Express) that went all the way from Paris to Istanbul, without change, but they discontinued it (too many murders, I think). Today you would need to take a series of trains. Look for the schedule on the German Rail website.
Yes, there is a four train connection from Paris to Istanbul. It takes 48 hours.
Paris-Stuttgart, TGV, 7:24-11:04, 3h40m
Stuttgart-Villach, EC, 11:58-18:43, 6h45m
Villach-Belgrad, night train via Ljubljana, Zagreb, 19:25-6:19, 10h54m
Belgrad-Istanbul, night train via Sofia, 7:50 AM - 8:00 AM, 24h10m
Looks like it takes a slightly more southern route than the old Orient Express. The 24 hr train from Belgrad to Istanbul (day/night train) might be the only thing still resembling the old Orient Express.