İnternational Tulip Festival

Audrey Tautou on the Orient Express

The glamorous Orient Express dating back to 1883 reached its golden age in 1920s. The famous train which travelled from Paris to Istanbul carried many famous faces including presidents, famous dancers, kings and authors.

Pera Palace Hotel, the first luxurious hotel of the city, was built to accommodate Orient Express passengers. The historical Pera Palace Hotel has been reopened after extensive renovation in 2010 and was included as one of the two hotels in Istanbul on the ‘hot list’ of Conde Nast Traveller this year.

Today, the train runs only once a year to commemorate the early 20th century and the traditions such as dinners with dress codes, are kept. There are always many people at the Sirkeci station in Istanbul taking pictures of the restored vintage carriages dating back to 1920s which bring the aura of that age to the cities the train visits.

Enjoy the video with Audrey Tautou and let us remind you about the history of the Orient Express!