Orient Express experience: ride through romance & history

Tour Program:

1. Sirkeci Station
   The historic train station known as the final stop of the legendary Orient Express. Just outside the old station building stands a vintage locomotive — one of those that once carried the elite of their time in luxurious carriages.
   Among its famous passengers: Queen Elizabeth II, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Marlene Dietrich, Mata Hari, Jean Marais, Charles de Gaulle, and Nikita Khrushchev. Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I and British author Agatha Christie were regular travelers. In fact, Agatha Christie spent her honeymoon on the train in 1930.
   The station’s story is inseparable from the Orient Express — the platform welcoming the luxurious train occupies 70% of the station’s area.

2. Pera District
   A fascinating part of Istanbul’s European side, the Pera district dates back to the 16th century. Its name, which came into use in the 20th century, literally means “beyond” — referring to its location outside the city walls. Originally covered in forest, it was gradually developed into a residential area, mostly inhabited by wealthy Christian merchants.
   After a devastating fire in 1831, the area saw a wave of stone construction and more organized urban planning.
   Today, Pera is home to shops, banks, hotels, and embassies — and is a fine showcase of early 20th-century architecture. It is here that the iconic Pera Palace Hotel was built to host Orient Express passengers.

3. Pera Palace Hotel
   First opened in 1892 to accommodate Orient Express passengers, the hotel quickly gained fame for its impeccable service and exclusive atmosphere. Guests would ascend from the main hall in a redwood elevator with wrought-iron detailing — the first electric elevator in Istanbul, once considered a technological marvel.
   Silver plaques engraved with the names of past guests still remain: Mata Hari, Sarah Bernhardt, Trotsky, the Shah of Iran, Ernest Hemingway, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
   It was in one of the rooms here that Agatha Christie wrote her famous mystery, Murder on the Orient Express.

The fee includes:

Transportation in a comfortable vehicle (car or bus), services of a english-speaking licensed guide, and entrance fees to all museums listed in the itinerary.