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The historic Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train, which set out from Paris, crossed into Türkiye at Kapikule Station, a rail border crossing in Edirne province, on its second trip of the year.
Operated by Belmond, a company based in England, the train serves the Paris-Istanbul-Paris route and is the one that inspired Agatha Christie's novel "Murder on the Orient Express." After leaving Paris, it reached Türkiye via Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
Because of renovation work at Kapikule Station, the train could not stop there and instead came to Edirne Station for passport checks of passengers and staff.
After X-ray screening, passengers' suitcases were loaded onto trucks to be taken to the hotels where they will stay in Istanbul. Train official Francesco Bonotto told journalists that the Venice Simplon Orient Express is making its second trip to Istanbul this year.
Noting that the journey began in Paris on Sept. 25, Bonotto said they entered Türkiye through Kapikule with more than 70 passengers after stops in Budapest, Bucharest and Varna.
Saying many factors make the train and the journey special, Bonotto said: "Being able to make this journey today is what makes this train special. Most of our passengers will stay in Türkiye for a few days."
Noting that transportation prices have risen in recent times, Bonotto said: "Our prices are expensive, but the feedback we get from our guests shows us that we are in the right price range."
Janan Benabud said this is not her first time in Türkiye, noting that her father once served as Morocco's ambassador to Ankara.
Emphasizing that she loves Türkiye very much, Benabud said: "This journey feels like coming home to me. I have very good memories in Türkiye. The journey was wonderful. We will stay at Pera Palace, and we will visit Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces, the Egyptian Bazaar, Sultanahmet and the Museum of Innocence."
Tansel Dogan, one of the train's passengers who has lived in Germany for 16 years, said traveling on a historic train is a special experience.
Saying that passing through seven different countries and seeing four capitals felt unusual, Dogan said, "We made very good friends and had a wonderful journey through time. I am celebrating my 50th birthday. This journey was my wife's birthday present to me. We wanted to take a journey like this while we are healthy and young."
Dogan's husband, German national Stefan Schiessl, said the journey went well and that he liked every detail very much.
Saying he cannot wait to arrive in Istanbul, Schiessl said he wants to go to his favorite spot in Istanbul and eat kokorec, a Turkish street food made of seasoned lamb intestines grilled on a skewer.
After the passport checks, the train set off toward Istanbul and will return to Paris on Oct. 2.
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