Sirkeci Train Station

"💕 This pink gem of a train station was built at the end of the 19th century for the Orient Express, which operated between Paris and Istanbul. 🚂 At the time, it was very modern, with gas lighting and heated rooms. These luxuries were intended to welcome the glamorous Orient Express passengers to the city. 📚 One of the most famous passengers to arrive at this station was Agatha Christie, who sent her famous detective Hercule Poirot on a journey from this station in Murder on the Orient Express. 🚉 Today, the station is next to the Sirkcei stop for the Marmaray commuter line that connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. And out front is the tram stop for the T1 line. 👉 Many locals and tourists pass this historic building without a second glance, but it's worth looking inside. 😋 The Orient Express Restaurant has been open since 1890 and is a great place to pause for lunch or a glass of wine. 🚶 Walk through the now deserted passenger waiting rooms, with high ceilings, round stained glass windows and curved wooden benches. ❤️ Standing here makes you wonder about the passengers who waited here for the train or the sedan chairs that carried them to the Pera Palace. 🪑 An original sedan chair is displayed at the Pera Palace Hotel near its Patissiere. 🚂 There's also a free-to-visit train museum with hundreds of artifacts from the Orient Express, like monogrammed plates, china cups and silverware. ⏰ HOURS: The restuarant is open daily from 9 am to 11 pm."