Travelling Eastern Turkey is possible by airplane, by car and by bus, but no mode of transport is quite as enchanting as Turkey’s Eastern Express, better known as the Doğu Express (or Dogu Express). But beware, booking the overnight train is a little more complicated than your regular train ride.
In late 2023, we took the Dogu Express from Kars to Ankara, with a stop in Kayseri. In this article, we will break down how we prepared for our the overnight train ride, what our experience riding the train was like and how we continued on to Istanbul after. This guide is for anyone who wants to take the Dogu Express without paying extra at an agency.
Key Takeaways
- Book your Dogu Express train tickets exactly 30 days before departure via the official Turkish Railways website or app; tickets sell out fast, especially in winter.
- Choose between regular Dogu Express with 4-bed couchette seats or the touristic Dogu Express with 2-bed sleeper compartments and sightseeing stops.
- Bring your own food, snacks, and entertainment for the 24-35 hour journey, as dining options are limited and signal may be sparse.
- Break your trip into shorter legs if needed (e.g., Kars to Kayseri, then Kayseri to Ankara) to avoid long continuous travel and explore places like Cappadocia along the way.
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This Is Where We Stayed in Kars & Ankara
Before our train ride on the Eastern Express, we spent two nights in Kars. After, we spent another three nights in Ankara celebrating the Turkish Republic Day and exploring Ankara’s historic center:
This is where we stayed in Kars and Ankara:
Kars | Kars Konak Hoitel | from $ 79 per night | |
Ankara | Bukaviyye Hote | from $ 91 per night |
A Quick Introduction to the Doğu Express
The Doğu Express, or Doğu Ekspresi, is one of the most famous, if not the most famous overnight train journeys in Turkey, connecting the far-eastern city of Kars with the country’s capital of Ankara over 1,300 kilometres (a little more than 800 miles, for the Americans).
The Eastern Express dates back all the way to the early days of the Turkish Republic. After the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in October of 1923 by none other than Kemal Atatürk, construction on the country’s railway lines promptly started as a means of modernisation.
Within a few years, the railway network extended from Ankara to Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan and Erzurum. By the mid-1900s, the Turkey Railways had finally connected Kars to the railway network. The provincial hinterland, that had always been better-connected to Russia than the Turkish capital had finally been integrated into the Turkish Republic.
In the past, the Doğu Express served as a slow-moving lifeline for the Eastern Anatolian hinterland, transporting soldiers, civilians and goods from Ankara to Kars and vice versa. Only in recent years, Turkey rediscovered its provincial night train as a tourist attraction thanks to its increasing popularity among international travellers.
Today, there are two Dogu Express trains: the regular Dogu Express and the touristic Dogu Express, the main difference being the sleeper cars that are reserved for the tourist train. Both are heavily sought after by international tourists and train enthusiasts and tickets sell out quickly. So, if you want to grab a seat on it, follow our advice.
How to Prepare Your Train Ride on the Dogu Express Train
For anyone travelling Turkey overland, taking the Dogu Express is somewhat of a must-do. The Eastern Express is the best mode of transportation from Ankara to the Anatolian hinterland, not only as an overnight train ride to Kars, but also as a multi-stop journey with stays along the way.
Here’s what you need to consider when you prepare your train ride on the Eastern Express:
- Book Tickets: As for booking tickets, you need to wait until 30 days before the date of your journey. For any given date, tickets are released exactly 30 day prior at midnight. While lots of websites state that tickets often sell out within minutes due to agencies buying them up, we had no such problems.
- Where to Book: The online booking for train tickets is possible both through the official website of the Turkish Railways, the official Turkish Railways app and at railway stations. We did book the train tickets through the app without any problems, but the UX is not the best. You’ve been warned.
- What to Book: On the Eastern Express, you can buy tickets for three types of seats: the regular Pullman Cars (reclining seats), the Couchette Wagons (4 bench seats, convertible into beds) and the Sleeper Cars (1 bench seats and two beds). The latter is only available on the tourist version.
- Did Not Get Any Tickets? If you do not manage to get any tickets for the overnight train due to high demand in the winter months, there are two ways to still get some. Generally, the Ankara to Kars route is busier than the Kars to Ankara route. If the former is sold out, try to book the latter instead.
- Still No Luck? If the Kars to Ankara route as also fully reserved, try booking shorter legs along the way. You can either cover the missing legs by booking tickets on regular high-speed trains or simply spend some days exploring some of Turkey’s less popular provincial towns.
- What to Pack: On its longest configuration, the train journey from Ankara to Kars, and vice versa, takes up to 35 hours altogether. Apart from your regular travel gear, you might want to bring along your own food as well as books or a card game as signal can be sparse at times.
Our Experience Travelling Through Eastern Turkey on the Doğu Express
In October 2023, we took the Dogu Express from Kars to Ankara with a stop in Kayseri. We booked our ticket through the official Turkish Railways app around two weeks in advance and got two seats in a couchette wagon on the regular Dogu Express train.
We arrived in Kars one night before our train ride and spent our time in Kars exploring some of its sleepy center, eating Çiğ Köfte, trying Turkish desserts, buying a Turkish SIM card (Vodafone worked well for us) and stocking up on snacks for the train ride.
We spent the night at the Kars Konak Hotel, a somewhat rustic hotel located right across the street from the Sultan Alparslan Mosque. The hotel has everything you need for a one-night stay: spacious rooms, private bathrooms, a filling hotel breakfast and a beautiful unobstructed view of the mosque.
The First Leg
The next morning, the prayer call from the mosque woke us up just in time to gather our things, have a quick breakfast and walk to the Kars Railway Station, which was only 15 minutes away by foot. There, our journey on the Eastern Express finally started.
Once the train had arrived, we made our way into the wagons, looking for our seat numbers. Though we had booked only two seats in a 4-seater Couchette wagon, the train inspector quickly ushered us into a Couchette just for the two of us once he had realised that we are not locals.
The wagon itself featured everything one might need on an overnight train ride: comfy seat that convert into beds, a big window, a trash can, a power outlet, lighting and a climate panel. The door could be locked from the inside; its windows had little curtains.
Since, the Couchette wagons feature no sinks or private bathrooms, we could choose between a typical Western-style toilet at one end of the wagon and a squatting toilet at the other end of the wagon. Toilet paper and water were available in the restrooms at all times.
For meals, we either munched on our snacks and drinks or headed to the dining car where hot meals and tea were served by the friendly train staff. We found the food prices completely okay and enjoyed the change of atmosphere from the isolated Couchette.
The rest of our time, we passed reading, listening to music and looking out of the window where the Anatolian steppe gradually gave way to rolling hills and mountains. As the night broke, the train staff brought us cushions and blankets and helped us transform our benched into beds for the night.
The Second Leg
About 24 hours after first boarding the train, the train inspector knocked on the cabin door to wake us up. Once we had gathered our seven senses, he informed us that we were about to arrive to Kayseri, our first stop on our journey to Ankara.
We had decided to break our train journey into two leg: Kars-Kayseri and Kayseri-Ankara. This way, either leg of the train wouldn’t feel overwhelmingly long and we would have the chance to embark on a little side mission to Cappadocia.
After 2 days in Cappadocia, we returned to Kayseri and hopped back onto the second train on the same route to complete our long journey to Ankara. After hopping onto the train a few minutes after midnight, we finally arrived in Ankara around 8 am the next morning.
Not tired yet? Find out how to continue your train journey through Turkey from Ankara to Istanbul in our next travel report from Turkey.
Where to Stay in Kars, Kayseri & Ankara
As you can take from our travel report, we stayed in three hotels on our journey from Kars to Ankara. Since we found all three hotels to be well-equipped and favourably located for the long train journey, we’d like to tell you a little more about them:
Kars: Kars Konak Hotel
In Kars, we stayed at the Kars Konak Hotel. This rustic hotel is fairly centrally located in Kars, putting us within walking distance of all the errands we had to run before boarding the Dogu Express. Around the block, you can find a Vodafone store, a grocery store as well as a Çiğ Köfte shop and a cafe.
Just across the street, you can find the Sultan Alparslan Mosque complex, which happens to be the largest of the city. Staying in the Kars Konak Hotel, you not only get an unobstructed view of this beautiful mosque, but also a free alarm on the morning of your train ride. The hotel breakfast here was good, too.
Kayseri: Anatolia Park Hotel
For our stop in Kayseri, we prioritised hotels within walking distance of the Kayseri Railway Station. Since we arrived in Kayseri early morning, there was nothing we craved more than a shower and another few hours of sleep after the train ride.
We booked one night at the Anatolia Park Hotel which was practically located on the other side of the street from the railway station. Besides its great location, the hotel offered standard bedrooms, clean bathrooms and a complimentary breakfast. Not too shabby.
Ankara: Bukaviyye Hotel
Since our train journey on the Dogu Express ended in Ankara, we opted for a more central hotel instead of one close to the train station. In Ankara, this is vital since the city is much larger than Kars or Kayseri. So, we ended up booking a night at the Bukaviyye Hotel.
Located on a modern shopping street in Downtown Ankara, the Bukaviyye Hotel is favourably located for anyone recovering from a long train journey. Within a few steps, you will find convenience stores, restaurants and bars – everything you need.
Kars | Kars Konak Hotel | from $ 79 per night | |
Kayseri | Anatolia Park Hotel | from $ 67 per night | |
Ankara | Bukaviyye Hotel | from $ 91 per night |
The Bottom Line
The Dogu Express is an amazing train ride that we would recommend to anyone passionate about long-distance train rides or overland travel in general. Not only does it take you to one of Turkey’s most remote regions, but it exposes you to picturesque landscapes along the way, especially in the winter months.
Additionally, the train trip is much more affordable than taking buses or flights along the same routes, especially if you factor in the cost of a hotel you’re saving by sleeping on the train.
This makes the Eastern Express the best and easiest way to travel Eastern Turkey and a must-do on your Turkey itinerary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Dogu Express worth it?
Yes, the Dogu Express train is absolutely worth the trip. Not only it give you a cheap mode of transport to Eastern Turkey, but the train runs through some of the most picturesque landscapes of Turkey, as well. Especially in the winter months.
How to book the Dogu Express?
You can book the Dogu Express through the official website of the Turkish Railways, their app and directly at any train station in Turkey. Alternatively, you can do the booing through an agency, though this is not necessary.
Is there a train from Istanbul to Kars?
No, there is no direct train from Istanbul to Kars. With just one transfer, however, you can travel from Istanbul to Kars without a problem. Simply take a high-speed train from Istanbul to Ankara and hop on the Dogu Express from Ankara to Kars.
How long does the Dogu Express take?
The Dogu Express train runs between 28 and 35 hours from Ankara to Kars. While the normal Dogu Express drakes closer to 30 hours the touristic Dogu Express takes up to 35 hours due to longer stops for sightseeing.
Hey! We are glad you are curious about travelling the Middle East.
We are Nancy & Elias.
Over four years of backpacking and digital nomading made us fall in love with the Middle East. We have lived on the Red Sea coast in Egypt, lived in a Bedouin Camp in Jordan and travelled 6+ Middle Eastern countries overland.
As we continue to travel, we share our battle-tested travels advice on this blog, from travel reports and transfer guides to accommodation recs and saving hacks.
