Kars Station

We caught the train from Kars to Ankara and arrived at the Kars Gari about an hour before the train departed to find the station slowly waking up and preparing for the Touristic Dogu Express. The Kars Station has a small shop where you can buy water and other basics.

The ticket office was open and tickets could be bought prior to departure.

What To Take On The Touristic Dogu Express

When we travelled on the Touristic Dogu Express the dining car had very limited food. We were able to buy tea, cold drinks and dried goods such as biscuits, crisp etc but no meals and definitely no alcohol.

Hot water is not available in carriages as it is on the Russian Trains.

I strongly recommend that you take some basic food items so you don’t go hungry. The compartments all have mini fridges so you can keep goods cold. We took items such as tuna, olives, cheese, crackers etc. We also had several bottles of water and some wine.

Our stop in Divrigi was around lunchtime so we were able to get a delicious lunch there and buy some beer for our onward journey.

The train was meant to stop at Sivas at dinner time however due to track work it stopped at a station before that with no amenities at all so thank goodness for the canned tuna

On Board The Train

The Dogu Express is very comfortable and one of my favourite trains I have travelled on.

Our two berth cabin had a large seat which turned into a bed and the top bunk folded down to create two bunk beds. The linen was clean and crisp and we arrived in the cabin to find our beds beautiful made.

We had a mini fridge, sink and cupboard to store small items plus power outlets where we could charge our devices. The power outlets take the European 2 point plugs. In the mini fridge was water, juice, biscuits and a chocolate bar.

The are toilets at each end, in this case a western toilet at one end and a squat at the other (which I avoided!) The toilets were kept beautifully clean throughout the journey.

Each carriage has a carriage attendant who keeps everything clean and tidy and ensures you know how long each station stop is.

Where The Touristic Dogu Express Stops 

The Touristic Dogu Express stops multiple times throughout its meander across Turkey however the two major stops were

Divrigi – stops for 2.5 hours 

A tiny town on the banks of the Çaltısuyu river with ancient ottoman houses and the home to the 780 years old UNESCO listed Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital.

Bostankaya – stops for 3 hours

Not much here really but it is about 28 km from the town of Sivas a mid-size town which has a number of examples of 13th-century Seljuk architecture.

Touristic Dogu Express Scenery 

DROP . DEAD . GORGEOUS

The journey from Kars to Ankara took us from high altitude alpine meadows, across vast plains with tumbling rivers and through huge canyons with ancient ruined castles perched high on the distant hills. It was stunning and incredibly varied scenery.

Arriving In Ankara

The last 40 kms of our journey on the Touristic Dogu Express was completed by bus due to track works.

The Touristic Dogu Express was 3 hours late arriving into Ankara which I am told is common. If planning onward travel it is imperative you keep this in mind.

If you are changing from the Dogu Express to one of the high speed just follow the YHT signs to the new high-speed rail station.

NOTE

Buying HIigh Speed Rail Tickets Ankara – Kars

These trains are incredibly popular and sell out quickly. Tickets are only available online 3 days prior to departure and by then the trains are usually full, We had to purchase our ticket via Amber Travel which saved many headaches.