Bonjour à tous,
Bientôt le départ pour l'Iran via Istanbul...
Mais le retour n'est pas encore tout à fait calé...
1) Qui connaîtrait une agence de voyage avec laquelle je pourrais faire une réservation pour prendre le train Téhéran Istanbul (départ de Téhéran le 5 juin) ? Il faudrait que je puisse la contacter de France, ou au pire de Tabriz..
(Le site internet de la société des chemins de fer iranien ne permet pas de faire cette résa.)
2) et quelqu'un peut peut être aussi me confirmer que le train pour Istanbul par bien le jeudi à 20H15 de Téhéran ?
Merci à tous les routards qui pourront m'aider.
A +
Tu peux acheter des billets de trains dans une agence de la rue Najatollah à Téhéran. Place Ferdosi prendre vers l'ouest l'avenue Enqelab, puis 300 mètres plus loin sur la droite, prendre donc la rue Nejatollah. Une des nombreuses agences de la rue vend des billets de train (sur la gauche de la rue). Repère la ou demande à une autre agence de te l'indiquer.
A Tabriz, je crois me souvenir qu'il y a une agence qui vend des billets de train dans la rue Khomeini près du carrefour Abaresan (vers le centre). Traîne par là, tu devrais en trouver.
Depuis, la France, je ne sais pas. Essaie peut-être avec les chemins de fer turcs.
salut, l'an dernier en avril 2007 un one way de THR a Istanbul par le train coûtait 47 euros (il faut y ajouter le prix de la couchette) et il suffisait de se présenter à un guichet de la gare de Téhéran, mais effectivement tu ne pouvais acheter cela qu'en Iran. J'avais essayé de trouver à l'acheter en France mais pas possible.
Merci Gilles, toutes tes informations sont très précieuses....Notamment celle pour l'agence à Tabriz.
En effet, j'aimerai avoir régler ce retour en train vers Istanbul dès le début de mon arrivée en Iran (pour ne pas risquer de refaire 48 h de bus pour revenir à Istanbul prendre l'avion, car bus = toujours plus fatiguant que le train surtout en fin de voyage.).
Du coup, soit je trouve le moyen de réserver le retour en train sur Tabriz dès mon arrivée là bas (vers le 27 mai) et après je descends sur Esfahan direct, soit il me faut faire un crochet, dont je n'ais pas trop envie, vers Tehéran pour aller à la gare...
Mais peut être n'y a t il pas un gros risque à prendre mon billet uniquement le jour du départ à téhéran, soit le 5 juin 2008. Qu'en penses tu toi ?
Peux tu me confirmer que le départ du train Téhéran-Istanbul est bien le jeudi soir ? (ce que marque le site des chemins de fer Turque, mais des agences Turc, notamment Ototour, indique le départ de T vers Ist les mardi soir...)
J'ai lu tes autres messages sur l'Iran, merci d'animer si régulièrement ce forum.
@+
Coic
Merci jean pour ces infos ! Les couchettes sont donc en supplément... Très bon à savoir, surtout lorsqu'il s'agit de l'une des valeur ajoutée du train par rapport au bus...
A +
Coic
Je ne connais pas le jour du départ du train vers Istanbul mais je sais que ça correspondait à ce que j'avais vu sur Internet. Le site de Raja Trains (http://www.rajatrains.com/?Culture=en-US&page=home#) comportait les horaires. Ca ne semble plus le cas. J'étais moins organisé que toi, et n'avait essayé de prendre mon billet qu'une semaine avant. Résultat, en plein été, le train était complet. J'avais même eu beaucoup de difficultés à obtenir un billet de bus. Et je te confirme que le trajet en bus est épuisant.
Si tu ne parviens pas à obtenir le billet à Tabriz, inutile de passer par Téhéran. Tu pourras l'obtenir dans toutes les grandes villes. Il suffit de demander à ton hôtelier, l'agence ferroviaire la plus proche. En particulier à Ispahan, tu en trouveras une près du pont Si-o-se. A l'angle nord est de la place au début du pont (côté centre historique), il y a une agence qui en vend. Repère le logo de Raja Trains.
Par contre, totalement inutile d'aller à la gare de Téhéran : en Iran, les gares ne vendent que les billets pour les départs du jour. Particulièrement aléatoire. Et en plus, s'il y a du monde tu te feras griller par un iranien mieux au courant que toi.
Petite info sur le trajet : tu n'es pas obligé de partir de Téhéran. Le train passe par Qazvin et Tabriz. Il n'est pas censé s'arrêter à Tabriz, mais une caissière de la gare m'avait expliqué qu'on pouvait prendre un billet Qazvin-Istanbul et ne monter qu'à Tabriz.
Bon très bien ! Merci. Tu me confortes dans l'idée qu'il me faut éviter le bus au retour (que je prend déjà à l'aller) et me débrouiller au plus vite pour ce train. Entre Ispahan et tabriz, j'arriverai bien à faire cette réservation.
Autre question :
Avec ton expérience, penses tu qu'il vaut mieux voyager en Iran avec des espèces en Euros ou en dollars ?
Pour le train, je suis aussi en ce moment en contact avec les chemins de fer turc. Leur réponse est plutôt encourageante . Cf ci-dessous. (ma question était : comment résever mon billet de train téhéran istanbul, départ le 5 juin).
A +
eBilgi İşlem Dairesi Başkanlığı
Dear Coicadan,
Ticket sale and reservation system was designed for Internet Explorer 5.0 => moi je suis sous linux
and higher versions of that browser. Unfortunately there is no way to use
that program in other browsers and non-Windows operating systems yet. We
are working to tune up the system for all operating systems but we have
not finalized it yet.
For Tehran-Istanbul booking, we will forward your mail to department of
trade, they will help you as soon as possible.
Je fais Istanbul -Tabriz en bus...(40 H de bus)...Et ensuite une journée de repos à Tabriz.
Pour l'adresse internet des chemins de fer turc, c'était : www.tcdd.gov.tr
Pas mal d'info avec les dates et horaires des trains internationaux (que j'espère à jour car tu ne tombes pas forcément sur les mêmes choses sur les sites d'agence de voyage, mais vu leur réactivité mail, le site semble être bien tenu à jour)
Mais pour la centrale de réservation, ça a pas marché. Sans doute à cause d'une incompatibilté système. Je réessayerai plus tard via un ordinateur sous windows et avec internet explorer.
@+
Pour la monnaie les euros sont parfaitement ok partout en Iran. Inutile de perdre de l'argent avec un double change. Pour le bus j'ai pour ma part fait cet itinéraire à plusieurs reprises il y a très longtemps, et c'est très fatiguant, interminable. Rien que de l'Erzurum ankara c'est très suffisant, alors imagine entre istanbul et téhéran à travers les steppes surchauffées et monotones d'anatolie !! En revanche le franchisssement du plateau de l'ararat est un ravissement. Mais on survit. Mais il faut toutefois etre conscient que l'iran est un pays PARTICULIEREMENT chaud l'été, notamment cette maudi
te plaine de Qazvîn. Je suis retourné un mois en iran l'an dernier et déjàen avril mai c'est pas froid, alors en été...
vos précisions sont super utiles, moi j'aurais d'autres petites questions:
est-ce que le train Istanbul-Téhéran s'arrête à Ankara (ou est-ce qu'il y a un train Ankara-Téhéran?)? combien de temps à l'avance faut-il s'y prendre (par ex, est-ce que je peux arriver à Ankara, réserver mon train pour 4-6 jours plus tard et visiter Cappadoce + Nemrut Dagi et revenir pour choper le train?) L'aller serait vers la toute fin du mois de juin, je ne sais pas si c'est une période très fréquentée ou non... sur le site du gouvernement, la région à l'ouest et autour de Van est la plus déconseillée, et je crois que le train passe plus ou moins par là (http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs_909/pays_12191/turquie_12316/index.html), donc est-ce qu'en prenant le train il y a vraiment des problèmes de sécurité?
bonsoir à tous, non les trains ne sont pas attaqués au kurdistan. Cette zone de turquie est classée dangereuse depuis la première moitié du 20 eme siècle, mais pour y avoir voyagé et séjourné avec des kurdes en zone de montagne, dans le secteur de Tunceli notamment, je voudrais juste dure qu'il peut y avoir des soucis...mais de là à redouter de prendre le train !!! Pareil en Iran, le site du gouvernement classe en rouge tout ce qui est à l'est de Kermân, par exemple, parce qu'il y a eu une prise d'otage occidentaux en plein d'années. Le danger me semble bien plus patent au Yemen, par exemple. Enfin bref, chacun voit mais franchement, de là à ne plus prendre le train qui est à différents titres le mode de transport le plus sûr, mieux vaut rester chez soi, dans ces conditions. Cordialement.
Cet été (première quinzaine d'août), je souhaite voyager en train dans les balkans. Sur internet, je suis tombée sur le "balkan flexi pass" qui semble couvrir…
I’m planning our very first trip to mainland France in January 2027. There’ll be 2 adults and 2 kids, and we’ll mostly be traveling by train.
Here’s our itinerary:
Paris
Rouen (Normandy)
Lyon
Aix-les-Bains (with day trips to Annecy and Geneva)
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (with Chamonix and a day in Aosta)
Back to Paris
Do you think this itinerary is well-balanced? Any tips, must-see spots, or mistakes to avoid for a first-time visit?
I’m planning a family trip in a year. Our goal: traveling to China (and maybe Hong Kong) by train.
I’m all set with the route up to eastern Turkey.
However, I’m just starting my research for the rest of the journey—namely the Caucasus (no trains as far as I know, so buses and/or ferries), then Central Asia and China.
So, I’d love to hear any info or tips (general and forward-looking at this stage) about the train route through Central Asia and China to reach the east coast.
I’m particularly interested in details on:
- How far in advance to book / any potential difficulties with reservations
- Whether there are PASS systems (or equivalent) between countries and/or if some tickets allow stopovers, meaning you can hop on and off as you please
- Day trains vs. night trains (the latter option lets you explore cities between two legs of the journey)
- A rough idea of ticket costs
...
A huge thank you to anyone who can share some info or experiences. It’s also a great opportunity to chat about adventure after (way too) many years away from this forum.
I’m planning a trip around Italy using only trains or public transport in October (hoping the weather stays nice!).
I’d obviously like to see some tourist destinations, but I also want to get off the beaten path a bit, and I’m hoping to find some help here? I don’t plan to linger too long in the cities.
Starting in the north, I’d like to visit Lake Como or Lake Orta, pass through the Cinque Terre for some hiking, spend a few days in Naples and Rome, then head down to Sicily.
Hi there,
I’ll be traveling to Japan this coming August. We’ve finalized our itinerary and booked our flight tickets. Now I’m at the stage of buying train tickets for the few segments we’ll need to cover:
Tokyo - Hakone
Hakone - Kyoto
Kyoto - Osaka
Osaka - Tokyo
Here are my questions:
a) Is it possible to buy train tickets for these segments from Canada?
b) If so, which website should I use to do this?
c) And if it is possible, will we be able to print our tickets from Canada?
d) If it’s not possible, where in Tokyo should I go to buy these tickets when I arrive?
Hi everyone, I wanted to take the Paris-Berlin overnight train with a sleeper berth, the new service operated by European Sleepers.
24/05/2026 17:45 Paris-Nord (actually 16:00 from Paris Bercy Seine) -> 25/05/2026 9:59 (actually 7:30 in Berlin)
05/06/2026 18:31 Berlin (actually 20:00) -> 06/06/2026 10:00 Paris Nord (actually 12:30)
Part of the journey was operated by bus instead of the promised overnight train.
For 2 people: 340 € round trip
A total disaster. Never again. I was really looking forward to taking the overnight train, but we faced last-minute changes and truly unpleasant travel conditions. Here are the details:
1) 2 days before departure: email announcing a change of departure station for the outbound trip—Bercy Seine bus station instead of Gare du Nord.
2) Change of schedule: 4:00 PM from Bercy instead of 5:45 PM from Gare du Nord.
3) Change of transport mode!! A bus from Paris to Brussels, then an overnight train from Brussels to Berlin. No functional toilets on the bus. No children under 4 allowed on the bus.
4) On the sleeper train at 9:30 PM: no functional toilets in our carriage, so we had to go to other carriages, even in the middle of the night, to find working ones.
5) The onboard staff, though very friendly, were as lost as we were. In particular, they didn’t know how to handle the lower berths, so people using them had less space (armrests and backrests). Berth numbers weren’t respected, so some passengers had to move. The staff also didn’t know who was supposed to join the compartment during the journey.
6) Arrival at 7:30 AM in Berlin instead of 10:00 AM. No arrival announcement. Passengers had to search for staff to get breakfast and ended up with just a coffee (breakfast = 15 €, not bad for just a coffee).
7) Return trip: drastic schedule change announced by email on 26/05/2026—departure at 7:30 PM instead of 6:30 PM, with arrival between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM in Paris instead of 10:00 AM. No change in transport mode announced.
8) Change in transport mode announced by email on the same day (05/06/2026)!! Overnight train from Brussels to Berlin, then a bus from Paris to Brussels. No functional toilets on the bus. Children under 4 banned from the bus, and families in this situation were asked to find another way—after being notified the same day.
9) The overnight train arrived at Berlin station with a 30-minute delay on top of its initial delay (scheduled for 6:31 PM, then 7:30 PM, finally arriving at 8:00 PM). The heating was blasting in the compartment with no way to turn it off. No functional toilets in the carriage. From that point on, customer service stopped responding to my messages.
10) Woken up at 5:00 AM with an announcement in all carriages about arrival in Liège.
11) Woken up again at 6:00 AM to be told we’d arrive in Brussels at 7:00 AM.
12) Arrival in Brussels at 7:00 AM and a one-hour wait for the bus to Paris. No functional toilets on the bus.
13) Arrival at Paris Nord at 12:30 PM, so 2.5 hours late compared to the originally scheduled time.
14) The overnight trains used are very old—I recognized the carriages from 20 years ago!! No functional power outlets, no Wi-Fi, no air conditioning. Five people per compartment is a bit cramped, but I consider these conditions expected (especially the air conditioning), so I’m not complaining about that. There’s already plenty to gripe about with the travel conditions.
I have little hope of getting even a partial refund. Customer service emails acknowledge the discomfort but only offer to reimburse the cost of a coffee on board if we send them the receipt... a bit weak.
I’m sharing this experience in the hope it might help others.
Hi there,
I’d like to take the Train of the Clouds from Lima to Huancayo.
I’ve heard it only runs during certain periods.
Does anyone have info on this?
Thanks!
HuancayoHuancayo
As part of my professional thesis, I’m conducting a study on the evolution of long-distance rail transport in France, particularly since it opened up to competition.
I’ve put together a very quick (about 5-minute) and completely anonymous questionnaire. Your answers will help me better understand users' expectations regarding pricing, frequency, and environmental impact.
We’re planning a 15-day trip to Uzbekistan in March—classic independent itinerary: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. We’d like to take the train between each city, but I don’t want to lock down the whole trip before we leave.
So, my question is: is it absolutely necessary to book train tickets before departure, whether for the high-speed trains or the regional ones? Is booking really essential for the regional trains?
Hello,
We’re traveling as a family with two boys aged 10 and 12 to Cairo in February. During our trip, we’re planning to take an overnight train (with or without a sleeper) for the Cairo-Aswan route.
Do you know how I can book this remotely?
Also, I’m looking for:
- A local contact to sail the Nile by felucca for 3 days from Aswan
- A contact to guide us in Cairo
Looking forward to your tips, and thanks in advance!
Marie
Hi everyone,
I first traveled solo to Japan in 2019, exploring the Kyushu region (28 days), and I’m planning to return with my daughter (she’s an adult and it’ll be her first time in Asia) from April 25 to May 9.
I’m reaching out on this forum to ask for route ideas—this time north of Tokyo, but without heading to the Sapporo island (I’m saving that for a future trip).
I’d love to take advantage of the cherry blossom season and its festivities.
I’m looking to create a route that’s a little off the beaten path while staying within 5-6 hours by train from Tokyo to avoid spending too much time on transfers.
Thanks in advance for sharing your suggestions and experiences!
Michael
I'm heading to MEXICO IN NOVEMBER 2025. Since private guides and drivers are really expensive—over 300 € per day—I'm thinking of exploring the Yucatán by train. CAN YOU SHARE ANY INFO ON THIS? Thanks
Hi there!
We’re planning to visit Serbia (1 week) and then Montenegro (2nd week) with our kids from April 18 to May 4. We’d prefer to travel by train (overnight if possible), but we’re not sure which platform to book on or when to do it (is it too early?). If anyone has any tips, I’m all ears!!
I wanted to know if it’s possible to go from Tashkent to Almaty by train without passing through Kyrgyzstan. I’ve heard the border is often closed 😕 between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Thanks in advance!
Olivier
Hi there!
We’re planning to head back to Istanbul next year—obviously by plane—and then take the train from Istanbul to Antalya. Has anyone here already made this trip by train with TCDD?
I’d love any tips or info that could be useful for us!
I'd like to go to Montserrat on my own from Barcelona. Share your suggestions with me.
Which train should I take, where to get off, what to see once I arrive, etc.
I need to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Vientiane in January.
I found some ticket options on 12Go Asia, but booking doesn’t seem possible at the moment. I’ve tried simulations for several dates, but no luck.
I’m wondering if it’s already fully booked, if they’ve stopped selling tickets… yet 12Go still features it every day 😕
Has anyone else run into this issue?
Can I find tickets on another site? (I tried Baolau, but no sleepers left for January 8th.)
Hi there,
I’m a bit late to be worrying about this, but hopefully someone can help me before I leave.
Tomorrow afternoon, I arrive at Lyon Part-Dieu on the TGV at 5:50 PM and take the TER to Mâcon at 6:16 PM. Is a 26-minute transfer doable? Are the TGV and TER on the same departure board? And are they on the same platforms too?
I’ve been to Lyon before but never had to make a connection after arriving.
Thanks
I can’t seem to complete the payment for my trip on the IRCTC (Indian Railways) site. No matter which payment method I choose, my Visa card isn’t accepted.
Has anyone here managed to do it, and if so, could you share the method you used?
Thanks in advance!
Charlie
Starting November 15th, I’ll be arriving in Thailand, and during my stay, I plan to visit the north, around the Chiang Mai area, then head south to the Krabi region.
After Krabi, I’m planning to take an overnight train to Bangkok. I was wondering if there’s a train that leaves from Krabi or Trang, or if I absolutely have to go to Surat Thani?
Also, which official website can I use to book my ticket?
Next, since I’ll be arriving at dawn in Bangkok, I’ve planned to spend 2 days in Kanchanaburi. What’s the most convenient way to get there—bus or train? And if you know any companies or websites, that’d be great.
Hi there,
Does anyone know if there’s a bus from Luang Namtha to Boten to catch the train coming from China to Vientiane? If so, what’s the name of the company? Also, how long does the bus take to cover that distance? What’s the condition of the road like?
Thanks for your help!
Tom
I just realized there’s only one payment method accepted for booking the Mombasa-Nairobi express train ticket online: M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer service used in Africa. Would it be impossible to book as a European?
I’d love to know if any of you have recently eaten on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
We’ve always ordered food on the train, and it was really good (and super convenient).
But in 2022, we ended up feeling like total idiots (with our 4-year-old daughter...) when we boarded the train only to find out that this service was no longer available... (It was the first time we’d traveled right after COVID.)
That’s also when we saw once again how kind Thai people are—they all offered to share their food with us, even though we were mortified. In the end, we managed to buy some instant noodles, which was better than nothing. Anyway, that’s the little story behind it.
In the following years, we’ve always brought our own meals.
I’ve read online that meal trays are back in service (could you confirm this, please?), but that the quality is really poor. I’ve also seen multiple reports that, even though you can eat well everywhere in Thailand, the train meal was the worst food travelers had during their trip...
Could you give me a recent opinion on this?
We’ll be departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station—do you know if there’s anywhere to buy a meal there before boarding the train?
Thanks so much for your help,
and have a great Sunday!
We’re heading to Thailand in February 2026 and we’d like to take the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Can we book two first-class tickets? I’m only seeing second-class options.
Hi everyone,
For traveling in Rajasthan by train and bus, could you give me some info: where to buy tickets, cost, purchase locations, websites, etc.?
Any tips you have would be super helpful.
Thanks
We’re traveling to Java on October 23, just the two of us.
I’ve read that it’s best to book train tickets in advance on tiket.com.
Is that true, and how far ahead do you recommend?
Are the tickets changeable?
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to travel from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk by train this summer but I’m a bit worried about crossing the borders. How does it work? Could anyone share their experience? (I’ve found quite a few accounts of people going *from* Russia *to* Mongolia, but entering a country is never the same as leaving it—especially in this context!)
Can anyone tell me how to book train tickets online? We're planning to travel from HANOI to HO CHI MINH CITY by train, making several stops along the way. I'd also like to find the schedules and the stations where the trains stop.
There are four of us, and we've already planned stops in HANOI / DONG HOI / HUE.
