The city where the Orient Express legend began
Istanbul
Where the Orient Express Was Always Headed
Istanbul
On 4 October 1883, the first Orient Express train left Paris for Constantinople (Istanbul) with twenty-four passengers on board. Richly appointed, it crossed Europe and ended its journey on the shores of the Black Sea.
Today, Orient Express returns to Istanbul.
On 22 October 2026, La Dolce Vita Orient Express will inaugurate its first international route between Rome and Istanbul, reinterpreting the mythic Paris to Istanbul journey through the lens of Italian art de vivre. The skyline still composes itself between minarets and water but the journey now extends across Europe by rail and into the Bosphorus by sailing yachts with Orient Express Sailing Yachts. Istanbul stands as the pivot, the eastern anchor of the Orient Express map.
L'Orient Express
The Orient Express is being prepared for its return between Paris and Istanbul. The original route, opened in October 1883 by Georges Nagelmackers' Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, last run in May 1977, has been dormant for nearly half a century. A new luxury train, conceived in the spirit of the original and transposed to today, will follow the line again: carriages and interiors designed for an exclusive journey east through Vienna, Budapest and the Balkans to the Bosphorus. The original philosophy carried into a new vocabulary, the refinement transposed for a new era. This is the next chapter of the legend.
A sensory & cultural composition
- Art & Architecture: Istanbul’s skyline holds two empires in one line. Hagia Sophia has been a cathedral, mosque and museum. Along the Bosphorus, imperial mosques crown the hills of the European shore and Ottoman palaces extend along the strait.
- Light & Rhythm: At dusk, the strait turns copper then gold. Domes and minarets fade into silhouette, Europe and Asia facing each other in soft focus.
- Craft & Savoir-faire: In Kapalıçarşı and Beyoğlu ateliers, artisans continue carpet weaving, İznik ceramics and calligraphy, living traditions still shaping the city.
- Gastronomy:From Bosphorus waters to Anatolian land, Istanbul’s cuisine moves between meyhane culture and contemporary fine dining, where a new generation reworks Ottoman cuisine.
Two ways to arrive at the legend
Train
La Dolce Vita Orient Express
DiscoverOne hundred and forty-three years later, La Dolce Vita Orient Express revisits the route. Interiors by Dimorestudio evoke the eclectic elegance of 1960s Italy, while cuisine by three-Michelin-star chef Heinz Beck defines a contemporary Italian artistry. Together, they express a modern vision of craftsmanship. The original itinerary, reinterpreted through a contemporary Italian lens.
A Mythic Destination
Orient Express and Istanbul
Constantinople, at the eastern edge of Europe, made the Orient Express.
On 4 October 1883, the first train left Paris for Constantinople, completing its final leg by ferry and steamer before reaching Sirkeci in 1890.
The journey extended beyond rail: in 1894 the Compagnie Internationale des Grands Hôtels created the Pera Palace, which welcomed Belle Époque travellers. Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express in room 411.
The line ran until 1977.
Today, Orient Express reawakens the Legend. With La Dolce Vita Orient Express, inaugurating the Rome–Istanbul route in 2026, and Orient Express Sailing Yachts. An homage to a historic crossing still inscribed in memory.
The Journey Continues
The Journey Continues
Istanbul is a point of arrival, but also of departure. Westward, La Dolce Vita Orient Express extends the journey to and from the Italian peninsula. Its inaugural Rome–Istanbul route passes through Venice, Budapest and the Carpathians, in carriages by Dimorestudio drawn from the eclectic elegance of 1960s Italy, with a cuisine overseen by Heinz Beck. Southward, the Orient Express Corinthian leaves the city's private docks for the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Bosphorus is the city's open gate: a passage between two continents and between two ways of continuing the journey.
Essential Information for Your Journey to Istanbul
Essential Information for Your Journey to Istanbul
The best time to visit Istanbul is in spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October), when daytime temperatures hold in the high teens to mid-twenties and the Bosphorus light is at its clearest. September of odd-numbered years overlaps with the Istanbul Biennial, which adds a contemporary art programme to the historic city. July and August are hotter and busier, Istanbul at its summer peak.
Beyond Sultanahmet, the most authentic Istanbul neighbourhoods are those where the city lives today. Beyoğlu and the historic Pera district hold the architecture of the Orient Express era and the Pera Palace itself, alongside the cafés and bookshops ; Karaköy has become the city's design and gallery quarter. Across the Bosphorus, Kadıköy and Moda open onto the Asian shore's slower pace: local markets, family-run restaurants, the long promenades along the Marmara.
Istanbul is the arrival point of two Orient Express trains: the new Paris–Istanbul Orient Express and La Dolce Vita Orient Express on its inaugural Rome–Istanbul service from October 2026. From Istanbul, the Orient Express Corinthian sails into the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Orient Express concierge manages the transitions between train, city and yacht. Istanbul is the pivot of any Grand Tour Orient Express.
The new Orient Express train on the original Paris–Istanbul route is in preparation; the launch date has not yet been announced. In the meantime, two Orient Express journeys already reach Istanbul: La Dolce Vita Orient Express, with its inaugural Rome–Istanbul service from 22 October 2026, and the Orient Express Corinthian, which calls at Istanbul on its Mediterranean itineraries. The Orient Express concierge can register early interest for the new line.
Begin your journey
Begin your journey
Plan your grand tour, request bespoke guidance, or simply let us know what you're dreaming of. Our dedicated team will be delighted to assist, guided by the art of service that defines Orient Express.
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