Moscow to Izmir by train
Travel from Moscow (Russia) to Izmir (Turkey) by train (2080km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
The train connection Moscow (Russia) - Izmir (Turkey) goes via Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. It is also possible to travel from Russia via Georgia to Turkey. Please read the following travel information and blog posts.
There are three different travel routes. Have a look on them and decide which one fits best for you.
- 1Moscow (Russia) - Chisinau (Moldova) - Bucharest (Romania) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Izmir (Turkey)
- 2Moscow (Russia) - Warsaw (Poland) - Budapest (Hungary) - Bucharest (Romania) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Izmir (Turkey)
- 3Moscow (Russia) - Kyiv (Ukraine) - Budapest (Hungary) - Bucharest (Romania) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Izmir (Turkey)
2080 km
How to use the following information: we show you the best routes and where to buy tickets. On longer routes you may need more than one ticket. Book your tickets step by step as explained. If you have questions about the route from Moscow to Izmir, please ask in our forum. Of course, sometimes there are as well other travel routes possible.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections : popular connections travelled by other users
Izmir - Moscow / Moscow - Ankara / Saint Petersburg - Istanbul / Saint Petersburg - Ankara / Saint Petersburg - Izmir / Yekaterinburg - Istanbul / Yekaterinburg - Ankara / Vladivostok - Istanbul / Vladivostok - Ankara1 Moscow (Russia) - Chisinau (Moldova) - Bucharest (Romania) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Izmir (Turkey)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
1a Travelling from Moscow (Russia) to Chisinau (Moldova)
Travel from Russia to Moldova by a direct overnight train. This daily train connection runs on the train route from Moscow via Kiev (Ukraine) to Chisinau (Moldova). Or from Saint Petersburg via Belarus and Ukraine to Chisinau.
Find exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking websites.
Where to buy a ticket from Moscow to Chisinau?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train company:
RZD Российские железные дороги
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Chisinau - Moscow / Saint Petersburg - Chisinau
1b Travelling from Chisinau (Moldova) to Bucharest (Romania)
Travel from Moldova to Romania by overnight train on the route from Chisinau to Bucharest. The journey time is 13 hours. The train ticket price starts from 25 EUR. The train route runs via Ungheni (Moldova) and Iași (Romania).
The overnight train Chisinau to Bucharest offers the following service categories:
- 2nd class: 4-berth compartments. The ticket price 135 RON (28 EUR).
- 1st class: 2-berth compartments. The ticket price 290 RON (60 EUR).
The departure time in Chisinau is 17:00. The arrival time in Bucharest is 06:00.
Additionally there are local trains from Ungheni (Moldova) across the border to Iași (Romania). Regular train connections are available from Chisinau to to Ungheni.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Chisinau to Bucharest?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
105/401 Chisinau - Bucharest
train company:
CFR Căile Ferate Române / CFM Calea Ferată din Moldova
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Bucharest - Chisinau
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn
1c Travelling from Bucharest (Romania) to Istanbul (Turkey)
Travel from Bucharest to Istanbul by direct overnight train Bosphorus Express. This daily overnight train has a journey time of 18:30 hours. Train tickets start from 52 EUR.
At off-season (October to May) you have to use connection trains to get to Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) where you can enter the overnight train. Travel from Bucharest via Ruse and Gorna Oryahovitsa to Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) where the night train departs at 22:40. You have enough time to change trains at each of these railway station.
The direct overnight train Bucharest to Istanbul departs at "Bucharest Gara de Nord" railway station at 11:00. The arrival time in Istanbul Halkali railway station is at 05:20 in the morning. After midnight you have to leave the train at the Turkish border with all your luggage and put your luggage through an X-ray machine.
The ticket price is 38 EUR plus a supplement of 14 EUR for a berth in a 4 person compartment. Buy the ticket at the railway station in Bucharest or on the website of Romania railways CFR. Select "Halkali" as destination.
The arrival station Istanbul Halkali is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Get by Marmaray suburban train directly to Istanbul Sirkeci railway station (the former historic railway station) and on to "Söğütlüçeşme", the departure station for the high-speed-trains in direction of Ankara. These suburban trains run every 15 minutes with a ticket fare of less than 2 EUR. The journey time from the Istanbul Halkali station to the historic city centre is 35 minutes.
Where to buy a ticket from Bucharest to Istanbul?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
Bosfor Bucharest - Istanbul / Bosfor Istanbul - Bucharest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Bucharest
1d Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Izmir (Turkey)
To travel from Istanbul to Izmir, there are two route options.
1) Train:
Istanbul Pendik to Eskişehir by train. Journey time is 3 hours.
Eskişehir to Izmir by night train (Izmir Mavi Treni). Journey time is 10 hours.
You can leave Istanbul at 18:00h and arrive in Izmir at 09:45h.
2) Ferry and train:
Istanbul Yenikapi by ferry to Bandirma Sehir. Journey time is 2,5 hours.
Bandirma Gar to Izmir Basmane by train. Journey time is six hours.
You can leave Istanbul at 12:00h and arrive in Izmir at 22:00h.
Tickets are available via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Izmir?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Izmir - Istanbul
2 Moscow (Russia) - Warsaw (Poland) - Budapest (Hungary) - Bucharest (Romania) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Izmir (Turkey)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
2a Travelling from Moscow (Russia) to Warsaw (Poland)
Travel from Moscow to Warsaw by direct train. The journey time is 15 hours. Train tickets are available from 150 EUR. The trains run overnight via Belarus and offer compartments with 1, 2 or 4 berths. They are very comfortable and high quality.
If you want to avoid Belarus, you can travel via Ukraine.
First travel from Moscow to Kiev by overnight train. The journey time is 13 hours, tickets are available from 70 EUR. Then travel from Kiev to Warsaw by day or overnight train. The journey time is 15 hours and tickets are available from 45 EUR.
Find train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Moscow to Warsaw?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Warsaw - Moscow
2b Travelling from Warsaw (Poland) to Budapest (Hungary)
Travel from Warsaw to Budapest by train. There exists one direct day train and one direct overnight train. More train connections are available with a change of trains. The journey time is 10:30 hours. The ticket price starts at 19 EUR.
1) Travel by day train connection.
The journey time is 10:30 hours. The departure time in Warsaw is 08:50. The arrival time in Budapest is 19:20. The ticket price starts at 19 EUR.
2) Travel by overnight train EN477.
The departure time in Warsaw is 19:45. The arrival time in Budapest is 08:30. The train offers the following service categories:
- standard seats from 19 EUR.
- shared compartments with 4 or 6 beds from 49/59 EUR.
- private compartments with 3, 2 or 1 bed (optional with private shower and toilet) from 69/89/129 EUR.
Where to buy a ticket from Warsaw to Budapest?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
EuroCity (EC)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
EN 476/456/406 Budapest - Warsaw / EN 407/477 Warsaw - Budapest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Budapest - Warsaw
2c Travelling from Budapest (Hungary) to Bucharest (Romania)
Travel from Budapest to Bucharest by overnight train or by day train. The journey time is 15 hours. Train tickets start from 29 EUR.
The overnight train is comfortable and the recommended way of travel. It offers couchettes for 4 or 6 persons per compartment with ticket fares from 39 EUR. And sleeper compartments for one to three travellers with ticket fares from 55 EUR. The departure time in Budapest is 19:10 and the arrival time in Bucharest is 12:30.
Beside the overnight train there is a comfortable air-conditioned Intercity train which run at daytime. Ticket fares start from 29 EUR. The departure time in Budapest is at 07:10 and the arrival time in Bucharest is 23:59.
As third option there is the overnight train "Dacia Express". It offers sleeper compartments as well with shower and toilet. The departure station of the train is Vienna (Austria), therefore the arrival time in Bucharest is very late the next day at 16:00. The departure time in Budapest is 23:10. You can board the train already one hour earlier. The ticket fares are the same like mentioned above.
All in all it is a recommended rail trip trough the beautiful scenery trough Transylvania and of the Carpathian mountains.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Budapest to Bucharest?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
EN 347 Vienna - Bucharest / EN 473 Budapest - Bucharest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Bucharest - Budapest
2d Travelling from Bucharest (Romania) to Istanbul (Turkey)
Travel from Bucharest to Istanbul by direct overnight train Bosphorus Express. This daily overnight train has a journey time of 18:30 hours. Train tickets start from 52 EUR.
At off-season (October to May) you have to use connection trains to get to Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) where you can enter the overnight train. Travel from Bucharest via Ruse and Gorna Oryahovitsa to Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) where the night train departs at 22:40. You have enough time to change trains at each of these railway station.
The direct overnight train Bucharest to Istanbul departs at "Bucharest Gara de Nord" railway station at 11:00. The arrival time in Istanbul Halkali railway station is at 05:20 in the morning. After midnight you have to leave the train at the Turkish border with all your luggage and put your luggage through an X-ray machine.
The ticket price is 38 EUR plus a supplement of 14 EUR for a berth in a 4 person compartment. Buy the ticket at the railway station in Bucharest or on the website of Romania railways CFR. Select "Halkali" as destination.
The arrival station Istanbul Halkali is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Get by Marmaray suburban train directly to Istanbul Sirkeci railway station (the former historic railway station) and on to "Söğütlüçeşme", the departure station for the high-speed-trains in direction of Ankara. These suburban trains run every 15 minutes with a ticket fare of less than 2 EUR. The journey time from the Istanbul Halkali station to the historic city centre is 35 minutes.
Where to buy a ticket from Bucharest to Istanbul?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
Bosfor Bucharest - Istanbul / Bosfor Istanbul - Bucharest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Bucharest
2e Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Izmir (Turkey)
To travel from Istanbul to Izmir, there are two route options.
1) Train:
Istanbul Pendik to Eskişehir by train. Journey time is 3 hours.
Eskişehir to Izmir by night train (Izmir Mavi Treni). Journey time is 10 hours.
You can leave Istanbul at 18:00h and arrive in Izmir at 09:45h.
2) Ferry and train:
Istanbul Yenikapi by ferry to Bandirma Sehir. Journey time is 2,5 hours.
Bandirma Gar to Izmir Basmane by train. Journey time is six hours.
You can leave Istanbul at 12:00h and arrive in Izmir at 22:00h.
Tickets are available via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Izmir?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Izmir - Istanbul
3 Moscow (Russia) - Kyiv (Ukraine) - Budapest (Hungary) - Bucharest (Romania) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Izmir (Turkey)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
3a Travelling from Moscow (Russia) to Kyiv (Ukraine)
Travel from Moscow to Kiev by direct train. There are 3 to 4 train connections daily with an average travel time of 13 hours. Train tickets are available from 60 EUR. The overnight trains offer 2 and 4 berth compartments.
Find train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Moscow to Kyiv?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Kyiv - Moscow
3b Travelling from Kyiv (Ukraine) to Budapest (Hungary)
Travel from Ukraine to Hungary by direct overnight train. It is the most comfortable way of travel between Kiev/Lviv and Budapest with a journey time of 22/15 hours.
You can also travel first with a ticket from Ukrainian railways to Chop. Then buy a ticket locally at the train station from Chop to Zahony. And from Zahony a ticket of Hungarian railways MAV to your travel destination. There are several daily trains crossing the border between Chop and Zahony.
Find the exact train schedules for your travel journey and buy your train tickets via the given booking websites. The train tickets are also available at a station.
Where to buy a ticket from Kyiv to Budapest?
Buy the train ticket at a railway station. Note: in some countries you have to pay a service fee at the ticket counter. The ticket can be purchased at a station in the country of departure, also sometimes in other countries.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
поїзд (UZ)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
IC 81/33 Kyiv - Budapest
train company:
MÁV Magyar Államvasutak - MÁV START / UZ Укрзалізниця
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Budapest - Kyiv / Lviv - Budapest
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn / MAV Hungary / Ukraine Railways
3c Travelling from Budapest (Hungary) to Bucharest (Romania)
Travel from Budapest to Bucharest by overnight train or by day train. The journey time is 15 hours. Train tickets start from 29 EUR.
The overnight train is comfortable and the recommended way of travel. It offers couchettes for 4 or 6 persons per compartment with ticket fares from 39 EUR. And sleeper compartments for one to three travellers with ticket fares from 55 EUR. The departure time in Budapest is 19:10 and the arrival time in Bucharest is 12:30.
Beside the overnight train there is a comfortable air-conditioned Intercity train which run at daytime. Ticket fares start from 29 EUR. The departure time in Budapest is at 07:10 and the arrival time in Bucharest is 23:59.
As third option there is the overnight train "Dacia Express". It offers sleeper compartments as well with shower and toilet. The departure station of the train is Vienna (Austria), therefore the arrival time in Bucharest is very late the next day at 16:00. The departure time in Budapest is 23:10. You can board the train already one hour earlier. The ticket fares are the same like mentioned above.
All in all it is a recommended rail trip trough the beautiful scenery trough Transylvania and of the Carpathian mountains.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Budapest to Bucharest?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
EN 347 Vienna - Bucharest / EN 473 Budapest - Bucharest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Bucharest - Budapest
3d Travelling from Bucharest (Romania) to Istanbul (Turkey)
Travel from Bucharest to Istanbul by direct overnight train Bosphorus Express. This daily overnight train has a journey time of 18:30 hours. Train tickets start from 52 EUR.
At off-season (October to May) you have to use connection trains to get to Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) where you can enter the overnight train. Travel from Bucharest via Ruse and Gorna Oryahovitsa to Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) where the night train departs at 22:40. You have enough time to change trains at each of these railway station.
The direct overnight train Bucharest to Istanbul departs at "Bucharest Gara de Nord" railway station at 11:00. The arrival time in Istanbul Halkali railway station is at 05:20 in the morning. After midnight you have to leave the train at the Turkish border with all your luggage and put your luggage through an X-ray machine.
The ticket price is 38 EUR plus a supplement of 14 EUR for a berth in a 4 person compartment. Buy the ticket at the railway station in Bucharest or on the website of Romania railways CFR. Select "Halkali" as destination.
The arrival station Istanbul Halkali is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Get by Marmaray suburban train directly to Istanbul Sirkeci railway station (the former historic railway station) and on to "Söğütlüçeşme", the departure station for the high-speed-trains in direction of Ankara. These suburban trains run every 15 minutes with a ticket fare of less than 2 EUR. The journey time from the Istanbul Halkali station to the historic city centre is 35 minutes.
Where to buy a ticket from Bucharest to Istanbul?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
Bosfor Bucharest - Istanbul / Bosfor Istanbul - Bucharest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Bucharest
3e Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Izmir (Turkey)
To travel from Istanbul to Izmir, there are two route options.
1) Train:
Istanbul Pendik to Eskişehir by train. Journey time is 3 hours.
Eskişehir to Izmir by night train (Izmir Mavi Treni). Journey time is 10 hours.
You can leave Istanbul at 18:00h and arrive in Izmir at 09:45h.
2) Ferry and train:
Istanbul Yenikapi by ferry to Bandirma Sehir. Journey time is 2,5 hours.
Bandirma Gar to Izmir Basmane by train. Journey time is six hours.
You can leave Istanbul at 12:00h and arrive in Izmir at 22:00h.
Tickets are available via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Izmir?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Izmir - Istanbul
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