Sirkeci Station (Sirkeci Garı) stands at the foot of the old city, between the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus, ten minutes' walk from Sultanahmet. Opened in 1890 to plans by the German architect August Jasmund, it was for decades the European terminus of the Orient Express, the train that linked Paris with Constantinople. Its stone and brick building, with horseshoe arches, motifs inspired by Ottoman art and large glass roofs over the platforms, blends Orientalism with 19th-century European railway architecture. Check before you come: the historic halls and the railway museum they housed have been closed since August 2025 for a restoration led by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In early October 2026 the reopening was announced for autumn 2026, with no confirmed date. The façade can be admired freely from outside, and the underground Marmaray commuter station remains open to passengers.
Highlights
The Orientalist façade
Horseshoe arches, bands of alternating stone, a glazed rose window and clocks: Jasmund's façade is one of the clearest examples of Istanbul's so-called "Orientalist" architecture. It is best photographed head-on from the street, with the T1 tram passing in front.
The hall and the platforms
Under the metal roof, the dead-end platforms recall the terminus stations of western Europe. Depending on how the works are progressing, access to the hall and platforms may be restricted: check before planning a visit inside.
The Orient Express and its successors
The first Orient Express reached Constantinople in 1883. The current station opened a few years later and saw international trains pass through until their services to Europe came to an end. Today it is commuter trains that stop at Sirkeci, but the station remains a symbol of the railway journeys of a bygone age.
The railway museum
Before it closed, the station housed a small railway museum, with models, objects and documents on Ottoman and Turkish railway history, as well as a restaurant with a period atmosphere, the Orient Express Restaurant. The Ministry of Culture plans to install a railway museum and an emigration museum here. None of this can be visited while the works continue.
Infos pratiques
Tips
To our knowledge there is no charge to enter the station or the historic halls, but no visiting fee is published while the site is under works: check the official announcements. Combine the visit with the Sirkeci Grand Post Office, two streets away, and Gülhane Park. If you take the Marmaray, note that the station is underground: access is by stairs and connecting corridors, not through the historic platforms. To buy a ticket, use the Istanbulkart, explained in our guide to transport in Istanbul.
How to get there
Hocapaşa Mahallesi, Ankara Caddesi, Sirkeci, Fatih, Istanbul. T1 tram, Sirkeci stop, at the station entrance itself; Marmaray commuter train, Sirkeci station; the Eminönü ferry is a five-minute walk away. On foot, allow ten minutes from Sultanahmet; the guide to the Eminönü and Sirkeci district offers a full walking route.
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