Travelers are increasingly drawn to rail journeys when visiting international destinations. Demand is growing for Türkiye’s Touristic Eastern Express, a scenic 24-hour train that links Ankara, the capital, with Kars in eastern Anatolia.
Passengers appreciate the changing landscapes through the seasons. Winter presents snow-blanketed plains and mountain peaks; summer brings wildflowers and orchards in bloom. Combining nostalgia, dramatic scenery and an eco-friendlier way to travel, the Touristic Eastern Express is gaining recognition worldwide as one of the region’s standout rail experiences.
© GoTürkiye
The rhythm of the rails, cozy compartments, snow-capped panoramas and charming station stops turn the journey into a fairy-tale passage through Anatolia. The route is impressive in both directions, though many international travelers prefer traveling eastward from Ankara to Kars to see the landscape unfold toward eastern Anatolia.
Operating three times a week from each city, the Touristic Eastern Express offers sleeping compartments with beds, dramatic scenery and scheduled stops for excursions. Compartments include a small fridge and sink, so passengers may bring their own food, or they can choose to dine in the restaurant car before settling in for an overnight ride.
© GoTürkiye
The train route visits Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum, and Kars, allowing passengers to access natural landscapes, historic towns and UNESCO World Heritage sites along the way.
Starting in Ankara, the rail journey culminates in the historic city of Kars, known for its layered past and regional cuisine. One of Anatolia’s oldest settlements, Kars offers an accessible historical experience through distinctive architecture and nearby centuries-old sites.
The Ani UNESCO World Heritage site, once a thriving medieval metropolis nicknamed the “city of 1,001 churches,” features a complex of churches, baths, an early mosque and extensive fortifications. Lake Çıldır, on the Kars–Ardahan border, is a striking natural landmark, vivid in summer and transformed into a glittering frozen expanse in winter.
Kars is also celebrated for its cultural evenings and food. Visitors may enjoy aşık atışması (traditional verbal and choral duets), folk dances from the Caucasus region and menus highlighting regional specialties such as goose, local cheeses, rakı and Eastern Anatolian wines. In the nearby village of Boğatepe, the Cheese Museum presents the area’s cheese-making heritage and offers tastings that showcase local varieties.
Kars’ Cheese Museum © GoTürkiye
The original Eastern Express began operating in 1936 from Istanbul’s Haydarpaşa Terminal toward Çetinkaya. Before the Ankara–Istanbul high-speed line was developed, the service ran between Istanbul and Kars. While the historic Eastern Express remains an important local service—typically more affordable and less luxurious—the Touristic Eastern Express was launched in 2019 to provide a dedicated, upgraded experience for visitors.
The tourist train is composed of eight sleeper cars, each containing ten compartments, plus a dining car, with a total capacity of about 160 passengers. Sleeper compartments accommodate two people, and tickets for the Touristic Eastern Express are in high demand and often sell out quickly.