Murder, intrigue, history and adventure have all been aboard the Orient Express for decades in cinematography and literature.
With its new name, the historical Venice Simplon-Orient Express luxury train that has hosted many famous names from Trotsky to Tolstoy and from Agatha Christie to Alfred Hitchcock, arrived in Istanbul, completing its annual voyage along a mythical route that takes it across Europe from Paris.
The Orient Express has been coming to Istanbul from Paris at various times since 1883. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the train could not make the Paris-Istanbul expedition for three years. Passing through Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Varna, the train arrived at Bakırköy Train Station amid a welcoming ceremony after a five-day journey.
Speaking at the welcoming ceremony, Pascal Deyrolle, general manager of Venice Simplon Orient Express, said that they were very pleased to be in Istanbul again after a three-year hiatus, and they were always excited about coming to Istanbul.
A total of 85 passengers that traveled in a 15-wagoned train with a train crew of 32 people were greeted by the Turkish mehter band (Ottoman Janissary Band).
Xavier Ferrer, a Mexican passenger, said: "The journey was great. All the staff was very friendly. The food and service were great. It was also great to see all the countries from the train."
Another passenger added: "The food was first class. The service was excellent and the train was beautiful. It was great to see this train in the movies and then experience it in real life.
The Venice Simplon Orient Express train consists of a total of 15 wagons, including nine sleeping cars, two lounge cars, one bar car and three restaurant cars. The 350-meter train will depart from Türkiye on Saturday and is expected to reach Paris via Bucharest, Sinai, Budapest and Vienna.
The historical train's first journey was to Strasbourg Station and its destination country was Romania.
